Kia Tasman ute launches in NZ
Stepping into the already crowded ute market, it’s important to bring your best game. Kia look to have done just that with the arrival of its first ute, the Tasman, at a recent event in Wellington.
KIA’S NEW Carens compact people mover will make its world premier next month at the Paris Motor Show.
Photographs show a new cab-forward design with more room for passengers on the lengthened wheelbase. It also looks sportier than the vehicle it replaces, thanks to a lower roofline and larger (up to 18 inch) wheels that fill the arches.
Kia Motors says the new Carens embodies the theme “responsive space”, meaning more spacious functionality inside the vehicle. The vehicle’s “sporty looks will garner the sort of emotional appeal that is becoming a regular feature of Kia products.” The new model progresses the design concept of the previous seven-seat Carens, says Todd McDonald, general manager of Kia Motors New Zealand.
“It has the hallmarks of advanced design and fresh thinking we have come to expect from Kia and chief design officer Peter Schreyer.”
Details of the Carens are still to be released but it will be evaluated for the New Zealand market.
Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) has released its 2026 election manifesto, outlining priorities to support the sector’s growth, resilience, and contribution to New Zealand’s food security and export revenue.
Farmers have voted to continue the Milksolids Levy that funds DairyNZ.
Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell has resigned after eight years in the role.
Matt McRae, a farmer from Mokoreta in Southland who runs a sheep, beef and dairy support business alongside a sheep stud, has been elected to the Beef +Lamb NZ Board as a farmer director.
Ravensdown's next evolution in smart farming technology, HawkEye Pro, was awarded the Technology Section Award at the Southern Field Days Farm Innovation Awards in February 2026.
While mariners may recognise a “dog watch” as a two-hour shift on a ship, the Good Dog Work Watch is quite a different concept and the clever creation of Southland siblings Grace (9) and Archer Brown (7), both pupils at Riverton Primary School.
OPINION: Expect the Indian free trade deal to feature strongly in the election campaign.
OPINION: One of the world's largest ice cream makers, Nestlé, is going cold on the viability of making the dessert.