Why Now Is the Time to Plan Farm Succession, Findex Says
OPINION: Succession and long-term planning are perennial topics because it is perpetually sidelined on busy farms.
Meat and dairy products dominated the rise in total manufacturing sales for the September 2012 quarter, Statistics New Zealand says.
After adjusting for seasonal effects, the value of total manufacturing sales rose 1.6% ($370 million), led by the 9.3% ($612 million) increase in meat and dairy product manufacturing.
When price changes are removed, the volume of manufacturing sales rose 2.6%, also led by meat and dairy product manufacturing, up 13%.
"The volume increase in meat and dairy manufacturing is reflected in the rise of export volumes for dairy and meat products, with increases of 32% in dairy, and 15% in meat," industry and labour statistics manager Blair Cardno says.
"Looking at the longer-term picture, the trend for manufacturing volumes has risen in the past year."
Without the meat and dairy industry contribution, the volume of manufacturing sales fell 1.4% in the September quarter.
"Despite this, the trend for sales volume, excluding the meat and dairy industry, has remained relatively flat for the last three years," Cardno says.
Eight of the other 12 manufacturing industries recorded falls in the September quarter. The other main movements this quarter were:
• metal product manufacturing, down 6.9%
• chemical, polymer, and rubber product manufacturing, up 7.3%
Synlait has swung to second-half profit as operations stabilise, but the dairy processor still posted a $75.4m annual loss.
LIC shareholders have elected a new North Island representative to the co-operative's Board, along with five representatives to its Shareholder Reference Group (SRG), following the company's Annual Meeting held in Invercargill.
Farmers across parts of Southland and South Otago are continuing to deal with difficult conditions after a prolonged run of wet weather, with pressure building around feed supply, stock management, pasture damage, farm infrastructure and everyday workloads.
Federated Farmers says it welcomes Labour's commitment to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act, calling on other major parties to do the same.
For Canterbury dairy farmers Sian Meijer and Rick Wobben, wearable technology has become one of their most valuable on-farm tools - helping manage 1850 cows across an expansive, high-performing dairy operation while improving efficiency, mating outcomes and day-to-day decision making.
Fonterra has unveiled its annual results for the 2026 financial year, posting $27 billion in revenue and close to $20 billion returned to New Zealand farmer owners and unit holders.