Westpac NZ launches community banking van in Northland
A new Westpac NZ community banking van begins making visits around Northland this week.
Global dairy prices have fallen again and supply expectations out of New Zealand might be at play.
The Global Dairy Trade (GDT) price index fell 1.9% overnight, compared to the previous auction.
Whole milk powder price dropped 1.2% to US$2753/metric tonne, causing further downward pressure on forecast milk payouts.
Westpac’s head of NZ strategy, Imre Speizer says supply expectations may have weighed on the latest GDT auction.
He notes that growing conditions in NZ are good.
More milk out of NZ means more dairy products available on the global market, causing prices to dip.
Key results
AMF index down 4.4%, average price US$5,069/MT
Butter index down 5.9%, average price US$4,016/MT
BMP index up 3.6%, average price US$2,522/MT
Ched index down 1.2%, average price US$3,468/MT
LAC index up 0.6%, average price US$913/MT
RenCas index up 3.0%, average price US$5,552/MT
SMP index down 0.3%, average price US$1,982/MT
SWP index not available, average price not available
WMP index down 1.2%, average price US$2,753/MT
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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