"Our" business?
OPINION: One particular bone the Hound has been gnawing on for years now is how the chattering classes want it both ways when it comes to the success of NZ's dairy industry.
Fonterra is thrilled that its partnership with the Southland District Council to improve management of the roading network has been nationally recognised.
At this week's 2016 LGNZ (Local Government New Zealand) Excellence Awards in Dunedin, Southland District Council won the Chorus Excellence Award for Best Practice in Infrastructure Management, for their programme "Changing Direction, The Way Forward for Southland's Roads".
The partnership uses smartphone technology onboard Fonterra's milk tankers to send road quality information to Southland District Council to gain deeper insights into the state of the district's roads and the pressures placed on them.
Fonterra staff at Edendale worked closely with Southland District Council to develop the programme which enables the Fonterra tanker fleet to effectively become the "eyes and ears" for the council.
"This is wonderful recognition for the council and the Fonterra team at Edendale," says Mark Robinson, Fonterra regional head for Otago/Southland.
"It shows what's possible when we take a partnership approach to issues facing our local communities."
Southland District has the largest rural roading network in New Zealand (about 5000 kms), nearly two thirds of which are gravel. Fonterra drivers know the network well – the company operates 60 tankers from its Edendale site, transporting milk from 1050 farms. Data from these daily journeys allows the council to make smarter spending decisions, and improve service to ensure safer journeys for Southland's road users.
Recent NZIER analysis shows that the dairy sector in Southland contributed $1.024 billion to the Southland economy in 2015/16.
"We know we're a big part of economic life in Southland, so we're proud to be able to apply our existing technology to innovation that benefits the whole community," says Mark Robinson.
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
From 1 October, new livestock movement restrictions will be introduced in parts of Central Otago dealing with infected possums spreading bovine TB to livestock.
Phoebe Scherer, a technical manager from the Bay of Plenty, has won the 2025 Young Grower of the Year national title.
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
Award-winning boutique cheese company, Cranky Goat Ltd has gone into voluntary liquidation.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
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