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 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.
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.