Why Fonterra accepted defeat in the dairy aisle
OPINION: Fonterra's sale of its consumer dairy business to Lactalis is a clear sign of the co-operative’s failure to compete in the branded consumer market.
Fonterra is gifting a rare fire engine to the Wellington Fire Museum, retiring the vehicle after more than 20 years of service in the cooperative.
The 1977 Dodge fire engine is one of only two ever built, and is the only one still in its original condition; it has been part of the Fonterra Te Rapa emergency response team (ERT) since 1992, after more than a decade in the New Zealand Fire Service.
The engines, built in Rotorua, are the only ones in the world built to these exact specifications. They have a smaller engine than a standard fire truck, and were designed as a first responder.
Fonterra Te Rapa ERT member David Rabjohns said the engine has served the co-operative well over the past 23 years and is now destined for another fulfilling role at the museum.
"The whole team is excited to hear that one of the long standing members of the ERT team will be put to good use at the Wellington Fire Museum," says Rabjohns.
The fire truck will be driven from Te Rapa to its new home in Wellington, joined by a Fonterra tanker and a New Zealand Fire Service fire engine at school visits along the way.
"Keeping safe on our roads is the number one priority for our tanker drivers and part of that is helping spread road safety messages in the communities in which we operate. This trip is a chance to speak to new generations about the importance of keeping safe on the roads," he said.
Wellington Fire Museum Curator Matt Silver approached Fonterra about donating the vehicle to the privately funded collection, bringing the museum's total number of fire engines to 15.
"I'm extremely grateful to Fonterra for generously donating this unique engine to the museum. The museum relies on donations. If it wasn't for companies such as Fonterra, the collection wouldn't exist," says Silver.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
OPINION: Should cows in NZ be microchipped?
OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the…