Major shakeup for the NZ science system
The government has announced a major restructuring of the country's seven crown research institutes (CRIs), which will see them merged into three public research organisations (PROs).
MetService is warning farmers to expect a cold spring or, as meteorologist Georgina Griffiths says, a spring on steroids.
She told Dairy News that September is likely to usher in more storms with winds from west sou’west and lower pressures over the country. MetService predicted a cold August and that has materialised.
The winter temperatures have been a shock; it’s been a long time since NZ has had such a cold winter, Griffiths says.
“The North Island had a cold July and a cold back half of June, and August so far is running normal cold for the North Island. It’s been about five years since the temperatures looked like this in the North Island.
“In the South Island June was patchy and… bitterly cold, with snow in late April, May and into the start of June. July was cold. We had a very high incidence of frosts in the North Island and in much of the South Island.”
She says rainfall has been mixed; parts of Canterbury have only just had their first good rain recently. Otago and Southland have been sopping wet, and Manawatu has had heavy rain. Northern regions have been relatively dry, though in some cases it’s been patchy. Overall it’s been dry in the east and wet in western regions.
The El Nino pattern is driving the present conditions, she says. Sea temperatures in June were higher than they should have been. She expects sea temperatures in late winter to be about 1 deg lower on the eastern coastline and about 0.5 deg lower elsewhere.
This will result in the colder spring.
People affected by the recent two severe flood events in the Tasman district are weary and exhausted trying to deal with the devastation on their farms and orchards, according to the head of the Rural Support Trust (RST) in the region.
New Zealand milk production is off to a strong start, with the first month of the 2025/26 dairy season recording a whopping 17.8% jump in milk production, compared to the previous season.
With adverse weather set to rain down on the Top of the South, the Bay of Plenty and parts of Northland, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says farmers, foresters, and growers need to prepare for possible challenges.
Keep up with innovation and e-commerce in China or risk losing market share. That was the message delivered at the China Business Summit in Auckland this month.
Meat Industry Association (MIA) independent chair Nathan Guy says getting meat processors involved has been a shot in the arm for the sector's key marketing initiative into China, Taste Pure Nature.
Listed carpet manufacturer, Bremworth is undertaking a $6 million expansion at its Napier plant more than two years after the site was heavily damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle.
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