Tuesday, 02 September 2025 15:07

Wasted energy

Written by  Milking It

OPINION: Finance Minister Nicola Willis could have saved her staff and MBIE time and effort over ‘buttergate’ recently by not playing politics with butter prices in the first place.

Despite already knowing, from her time as a Fonterra executive, that international commodity prices drive the domestic price of dairy products, Willis had her staff urgently press officials for international dairy price comparisons in the hours before her meeting with Fonterra’s chief executive.

Emails obtained by RNZ under the Official Information Act show a last-minute scramble for hard data prior to the performative meeting she arranged to “look into” butter prices.

On the day before Willis was due to sit down with Miles Hurrell, the minister’s private secretary John Creech asked the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) for “some facts and figures... so that the Minister has solid info”.


 Read More:


More like this

Fonterra & Silver Fern Farms Launch Beef-on-Dairy Programme

As dairy farmers lock in plans for the upcoming mating season, a partnership between Fonterra and Silver Fern Farms has been formed with the aim of making it simpler to create additional value from calves not entering the replacement herd.

Fonterra's Whareroa Wins Directors Award

Fonterra's Whareroa site took home the prestigious Directors Award at the co-op's 'Oscars of Manufacturing', while Clandeboye led the way with multiple wins at this year's Best Site Cup.

Featured

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Common sense

OPINION: City and regional councils have been put on notice - stop using extreme climate forecasting scenarios that can drive…

Going Green

OPINION: The Green Party’s rivers and oceans policy may have a new name but nothing else has changed.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter