Diplomatic Incident
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Farmers in the Australian state of New South Wales will soon be able to use virtual fencing and herding technology to boost farm productivity.
The NSW Government has announced it will end a historic prohibition on the technology, which has already been available for years in other parts of Australia, New Zealand and the US.
Leading provider in virtual fencing and herding, Halter is applauding the NSW Government for this decision
"The NSW Government has responded to a groundswell of demand from farmers crying out for this technology and the increased productivity it unlocks," Halter spokesman Charlie Baker says.
Baker points out that role Kiwi farmers have played in the spread of virtual fencing technology.
“Kiwi farmers can be proud of this announcement as hundreds of Kiwi farmers have blazed a trail with virtual fencing for years in New Zealand - these farmers have been an influential reference for this change in NSW.”
New South Wales has a significant beef sector, with 4.4 million beef cattle, representing roughly 20% of Australia’s beef population. Historically, farmers in NSW have been denied access to virtual fencing because of outdated legislation.
This announcement is part of a broader trend to allow virtual fencing throughout Australia. In February, the South Australian Government also passed legislation to soon allow virtual fencing. It is now developing regulations to allow farmers to access this technology within 12 months. South Australia also has a significant agriculture sector with over one million cattle.
Baker says these are exciting developments for Halter, as it prepares to start serving farmers in NSW and South Australia - states where there is significant pent up demand for Halter. In Tasmania, Halter is already used by 25% of the state’s dairy herd. Halter also serves beef and dairy farmers in Queensland.
Halter says its technology helps farmers increase productivity by increasing pasture utilisation with virtual fencing and herding, reduces labour by automating routine jobs like fencing and shifting animals and is more resilient and flexible to natural disasters like fires and floods.
The Halter operating system includes smart collars on cows and a Halter App for the farmer. Halter enables farmers to virtually fence, virtually herd, and proactively monitor the health, fertility and location of their cows. Over 1,000 farmers are using Halter, with over 300,000 animals being managed on farms across Australia, New Zealand, and the US.
New Zealand's diverse cheesemaking talent shone brightly last night as the New Zealand Specialist Cheesemakers Association (NZSCA) crowned the champions of the 2026 New Zealand Cheese Awards.
Tracing has indicated that the source of the first velvetleaf find of the 2025-26 crop season, in Auckland, was likely maize purchased in the Waikato region.
Fish & Game New Zealand has announced its election priorities in its Manifesto 2026.
With the forage maize harvest started in Northland and the Waikato, the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is telling growers of later crops, or those further south, to start checking their maize crop maturity about three weeks prior to when they think they will start silage harvesting.
Irrigation NZ is warning that the government's Resource Management Act (RMA) reform risks falling short of its objectives unless water use for food production and water storage infrastructure are clearly recognised in the goals at the top of the new system.
More than five million trays, or 18,000 tonnes, of Zespri’s RubyRed Kiwifruit will soon be available for consumers across 16 markets this season.

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