Taranaki economy shifts from oil and gas to dairy as leading export
The Taranaki region is enjoying one of the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita figures in New Zealand, thanks to high farmgate dairy prices.
INSURANCE CLAIMS persist in Taranaki after two major storms hit the province in three weeks. The first extensively damaged dairy farms around Waverley and Patea, and one last week hit farmers in the north of the province.
FMG chief executive Chris Black told Dairy News that 1200 claims have been lodged as of last week and they keep coming. Staff have visited about 600 clients to assess damage. Some rebuilding is beginning but much clean-up work remains to be done, especially fallen shelter belts that have blocked tracks and damaged fences.
The clean-up of trees will take heavy machinery and time, Black says. "There's also quite a bit of corrugated iron in paddocks."
He says FMG is getting claims from all around the North Island because of the floods and high winds of the past week – from Northland, Wairarapa, East Coast and Waikato.
"Most of this is for farm buildings and dwellings damaged by the wind rather than flooding."
Meanwhile Federated Farmers and DairyNZ, trying to help farmers when the big storm struck three weeks ago, say one of the biggest problems was communications when the power was cut.
Craig McBeth, DairyNZ, says it was pointless referring people to their website, or telephoning them, because there was no power. In the end they had to rely on news media to relay their key messages.
Derek Gibson, Feds, says they had similar problems. But the storm has raised farmers' awareness of the need for contingency plans for such events. Small generators able to power pumps for watering stock are affordable to most farmers, he says. Not so large generators for running dairy sheds.
"It can cost up to $25,000 for a generator that will run all the infrastructure on a dairy farm. One to run just a shed would cost about $12,000."
McBeth and Gibson urge farmers to work with friends and neighbours to share equipment and plan to deal with major events, especially during the first day or so.
Applications have now opened for the 2026 Meat Industry Association scholarships.
Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) says it is backing aspiring dairy farmers through a new initiative designed to make the first step to farm ownership or sharemilking easier.
OPINION: While farmers are busy and diligently doing their best to deal with unwanted gasses, the opponents of farming - namely the Greens and their mates - are busy polluting the atmosphere with tirades of hot air about what farmers supposedly aren't doing.
OPINION: For close to eight years now, I have found myself talking about methane quite a lot.
The Royal A&P Show of New Zealand, hosted by the Canterbury A&P Association, is back next month, bigger and better after the uncertainty of last year.
Claims that farmers are polluters of waterways and aquifers and 'don't care' still ring out from environmental groups and individuals. The phrase 'dirty dairying' continues to surface from time to time. But as reporter Peter Burke points out, quite the opposite is the case. He says, quietly and behind the scenes, farmers are embracing new ideas and technologies to make their farms sustainable, resilient, environmentally friendly and profitable.
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.