Patterson: Rural NZ Faces a "Massive" Infrastructure Deficit
The Minister for Rural Communities, Mark Patterson, says there's a massive infrastructure deficit in rural areas.
OPINION: The Government can crow about its 'major effort' to upgrade capacity on congested rural broadband networks but the reality on the ground is different.
Coverage, reliability and speed of mobile and internet services for many farming families and businesses are treading water, if not going backwards, the 2022 Federated Farmers Rural Connectivity Survey shows.
More than half of the nearly 1,200 farmers who responded to the survey report internet download speeds at or less than what could be considered a bare minimum (20 megabytes per second/Mbps) and those who said their mobile phone service had declined in the last 12 months jumped from 20% to 32%.
Is the Governmment really serious about helping the sector that underpins the lion's share of New Zealand's export earnings?
Mark Hooper has been appointed the new chair of NZPork, the industry organisation representing New Zealand pig farmers.
As the India-New Zealand free trade agreement enters into force, New Zealand’s apple industry has reaffirmed its commitment to the long-term development of India’s apple sector.
Fonterra shareholders can begin voting on Tuesday 20 October in the 2026 Board of Directors’ election, a Co-operative Council election in one Ward, and seven Annual Meeting resolutions.
National’s pledge to introduce 19 new national standards shows the party is serious about getting Wellington out of farming, Federated Farmers says.
The National Party’s policies to make it easier to grow fresh vegetables, secure reliable water and energy and simplify farm planning are practical changes that will give growers the confidence to invest, according to Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ).
Fonterra Co-operative Group chief financial officer Andrew Murray has resigned to take up a role outside the dairy giant.