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Prime Minister Chris Hipkins at the NZ Primary Industries Summit last week.
OPINION: It was Federated Farmers' turn last week to play host to another round in the battle for rural votes in the upcoming October elections.
But the perceived battle between the two Chrises - Chris (Hipkins) and Christopher (Luxon) - was a bit of a fizzer.
Only Labour and National leaders were invited to speak - the potential coalition partners and the gaggle of political nobodies were left off the programme. To have ACT there might have been something of an embarrassment anyway given former president Andrew Hoggard's defection to ACT.
Hipkins' speech saw him bask in the success of his recent China trade mission and the importance of trade agreements to NZ. He promised to make getting more of these a high priority. In relation to this he did emphasise the need for NZ to have strong environment credentials if it wants to get more such agreements.
His key message seemed to be that he wanted NZ to be the 'greatest little trading nation'.
There was certainly no hard-line talk about regulations, which he surely knew would raise the ire of the audience.
Luxon's pitch was one that he's given at just about every meeting he's attended in recent times and there was no sign of any new policy initiatives in the wind. Maybe a missed opportunity. But cutting red tape, the ute tax and stopping Wellington running rural NZ certainly resonated with farmers.
However, he continued his quest to get into the Guiness book of records for being the politician who has used the word 'outcomes' more than anyone else. Maybe he needs a new media coach or speech writer.
The question is, will speeches by the political leaders at such events influence voters and how accurate and important are the current polls anyway? Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger famously said "bugger the polls" when they showed he was behind Labour. He went on to win that election.
OPINION: Recent media commentary from Southland Federated Farmers has raised concerns among our rural communities, particularly around Environment Southland’s approach to winter grazing inspections and nitrogen reporting. But let’s be clear, much of what’s been said simply doesn’t reflect reality.
OPINION: Environment Canterbury's (ECan) decision recently to declare a so-called “nitrate emergency” is laughable.
A shameless political stunt is how Federated Farmers is describing the Canterbury Regional Council decision to declare “a nitrate emergency” on the back of its latest annual groundwater quality survey.
Federated Farmers say Environment Canterbury's decision to declare a 'nitrate emergency' is a shameless political stunt that won't help anyone.
Farmers want the Government to scrap controversial freshwater rules that "put river spirits and ideology ahead of practical water use", says Federated Farmers board member Mark Hooper.
OPINION: Public pressure has led to Canterbury Police rightly rolling back its proposed restructure that would have seen several rural police stations closed in favour of centralised hubs.
When I interview Rachel Cox, she is driving - on her way to her next meeting.
With Fonterra's UHT plant at its Edendale site less than a year from completion, demand continues to grow for products the plant will produce, such as Anchor Whipping Cream.
A new $50,000 scholarship fund designed to support and empower women in the New Zealand dairy industry through leadership development has been launched.
Many farmers around the country are taking advantage of the high dairy payout to get maximum production out of their cows.
In 2015, the signing of a joint venture between St Peter's School, Cambridge, and Lincoln University saw the start of an exciting new chapter for Owl Farm as the first demonstration dairy farm in the North Island. Ten years on, the joint venture is still going strong.
The nutters of the green world, aided and abetted by the lamestream media, are rewriting the English language for the worse.
OPINION: The self righteous activists at Greenpeace are copying the self-righteous lefties behind the ‘free Palestine’ movement – not surprising given…
