Make the right decision, Peters urges Fonterra farmers
New Zealand First leader and Foreign Minister Winston Peters is ratcheting up pressure on Fonterra farmers as they vote on divesting the co-operative’s consumer and related businesses.
Fonterra will invest more than $100 million in a new UHT milk processing plant at its Waitoa site in the Waikato.
Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings says the new plant would enable the cooperative to meet growing demand for UHT products in Asia.
"The new plant will enable us to increase our UHT production by 100% over the next few years," Spierings says. "The plant will include five new UHT lines that will produce a range of products including UHT white milk and UHT cream for the foodservice sector.
"Products from the new plant will be bound for Asia markets and that will allow us to concentrate all our domestic UHT production – including Fonterra Milk for Schools – at Takanini in Auckland."
Spierings says together with the construction opportunities and the creation of an additional 50 jobs, the development would provide new opportunities for Fonterra farmers in the North Island.
"Milk supply in New Zealand is seasonal because it follows the grass growth curve. However UHT production requires year round milk supply so we will be talking to our farmers about the opportunity for more of them to take up winter milk contracts. This will enable them to take advantage of the milk price premium that these contracts include.
"A recent survey of our farmers indicated that a good proportion of them in the Upper North Island would be keen to take up winter milk contracts," Spierings says.
Dignitaries from all walks of life – the governor general, politicians past and present, Maoridom- including the Maori Queen, church leaders, the primary sector and family and friends packed Our Lady of Kapiti’s Catholic church in Paraparaumu on Thursday October 23 to pay tribute to former prime Minister, Jim Bolger who died last week.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister, Todd McClay is encouraging farmers, growers, and foresters not to take unnecessary risks, asking that they heed weather warnings today.
With nearly two million underutilised dairy calves born annually and the beef price outlook strong, New Zealand’s opportunity to build a scalable dairy-beef system is now.
Graduates of a newly-updated Agri-Women’s Development Trust (AWDT) course are taking more value than ever from the programme, with some even walking away calling themselves the “farm CFO”.
Meet the Need, a farmer-led charity, says food insecurity in New Zealand is dire, with one in four children now living in a household experiencing food insecurity, according to Ministry of Health data.
Applications have now opened for the 2026 Meat Industry Association scholarships.
OPINION: Voting is underway for Fonterra’s divestment proposal, with shareholders deciding whether or not sell its consumer brands business.
OPINION: Politicians and Wellington bureaucrats should take a leaf out of the book of Canterbury District Police Commander Superintendent Tony Hill.