True Reflection?
A fair question has been raised about how member-funded organisations should conduct themselves when taking a public position on any given issue.
OPINION: There is huge concern in rural communities around NZ about good sheep and beef farmland being bought by - mainly overseas-owned - carbon farming concerns.
Blame for this disaster can be fairly and squarely sheeted home to the current Government.
It has allowed an anomaly in law that bans overseas owners from buying land in this country for farming purposes, but at the same time allows foreignt investors to buy swathes of farmland to be planted in pine forests that will never be harvested and be used to offset their carbon emissions.
You can't blame farmers for selling their farms and taking the highest price, which inevitably is coming from carbon forest investors.
However, this is not just limited to Joe-average farmers.
The Hound understands a high profile farmer - with a number of directorships in farming companies recently sold out to carbon interests.
If industry leaders are are doing this, what chance for the rest of us?
There's strong support from the horticulture sector for the Government's plans to overhaul and streamline the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme.
With entries now open for the Ballance Farm Environment Awards, organisers have launched a campaign to bust some of the biggest myths they think might be preventing farmers and growers from putting themselves forward.
Changes to an act of parliament seen as critical to speeding up access to overseas products to control pests and invasive species in NZ is unlikely to get passed before the November election.
Recent storm damage to roading infrastructure around New Zealand has prompted a call for the Government to change the settings for funding rural roads - with the aim of providing more money to make them more resilient to adverse events.
Organics Aotearoa New Zealand (OANZ) spent two days in Wellington last week meeting political parties and key stakeholders to press the case for a National Organic Policy and dedicated investment.
Ravensdown has reported a net profit before tax and rebate of $50.1 million for the year ended 31 May 2026.