Editorial: Great expectations
OPINION: As the new National-led coalition begins its term in office, there are high expectations that the promises and rhetoric of the election campaign will quickly be transformed into actions.
National's constant prodding in Parliament recently about capital gains tax (CGT) has caused the Prime Minister to drop her veil of kindness and reveal anger and petulance instead.
The Tax Working Group’s fulsome push for a CGT has Labour on the back foot for now, as shown by the PM’s temper flashes, question dodging and strange desire to explain her ‘small business experience’.
And it has revealed a hard truth for Labour, as noted by political journalist Richard Harman on his website Politik. That is, “the future of any CGT depends on NZ First”. Harman writes that while the party publicly says it isn’t conducting any formal process to decide its policy position on CGT, its supporters are making their thoughts known loud and clear, at public meetings and on the party’s Facebook page, “mostly opposing a capital gains tax”.
“This may explain what is fast becoming obvious -- that Peters is carefully avoiding any suggestion he might support the tax.”
Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.
Shipping disruption caused by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea has so far not impacted fertiliser prices or supply on farm.
The opportunity to spend more time on farm while providing a dedicated service for shareholders attracted new environmental manager Ben Howden to work for Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL).
Federated Farmers claims that the Otago Regional Council is charging ahead unnecessarily with piling more regulation on rural communities.
Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.
OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.