increase font size
tate Highway 2 through the Waioweka Gorge from Gisborne to Opotiki has been closed and the road around the costs SH 35 is also being blocked. Photo Credit: New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi - Waikato & Bay of Plenty Facebook Page.
OPINION: The past few weeks have been tough on farms across the North Island: floods and storms have caused damage and disruption to families and businesses.
While most dairy farms were mostly spared, orchards and sheep and beef properties found themselves in the firing line.
A major issue, weeks on from the storms, is the condition of major roads in Northland, Hawke's Bay and parts of Bay of Plenty.
State Highway 2 through the Waioweka Gorge from Gisborne to Opotiki has been closed and the road around the costs SH 35 is also being blocked.
There aren't a lot of dairy farms in the region and those impacted by the road closures are being taken care of by Fonterra.
A silver lining for the dairy sector has been heavy rainfall, welcome by dairy farms that were starting to get dry.
It's now greened up, and the grass is growing, and farmers are relying less on supplements.
Post-storms, rural advisory groups coordinated well to build a clear picture of what was happening on the ground and ensure that information was shared where it needed to be.
According to Federated Farmers, we've come a long way in this space, including last year's progress on legislative reform to ensure rural people and businesses finally have an experienced voice in emergency management planning and response.
It notes that having at least one person with rural expertise on each of New Zealand's 16 regional Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) groups put farmers in a much stronger position for the future.
Rural communities have strong local networks, people and equipment ready to help. However, those resources are only effective if they're properly integrate into the formal emergency management system.
Federated Farmers says new legislation replacing the Resource Management Act will cut red tape, unlock investment and help grow New Zealand's export-led economy, after the Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill passed their third reading in Parliament yesterday.
Leading figures from the major political parties will be questioned on their primary sector policies at the Rural Issues Debate at Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton, on 30 September.
Will the good times last? That's one of the key issues to come out of the latest Federated Farmers confidence survey.
Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers arable chair, Bevan Lill, said Beef + Lamb NZ data indicated that for the last six years, the average arable return on investment was about 0.8% while inflation ran about 4% - so the average arable farm was going backwards at about 3% a year.
For the first time in a quarter of a century, Federated Farmers has something positive to say about the Labour Party’s climate change policy leading into a general election.
Synlait has swung to second-half profit as operations stabilise, but the dairy processor still posted a $75.4m annual loss.
LIC shareholders have elected a new North Island representative to the co-operative's Board, along with five representatives to its Shareholder Reference Group (SRG), following the company's Annual Meeting held in Invercargill.
Farmers across parts of Southland and South Otago are continuing to deal with difficult conditions after a prolonged run of wet weather, with pressure building around feed supply, stock management, pasture damage, farm infrastructure and everyday workloads.
Federated Farmers says it welcomes Labour's commitment to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act, calling on other major parties to do the same.
For Canterbury dairy farmers Sian Meijer and Rick Wobben, wearable technology has become one of their most valuable on-farm tools - helping manage 1850 cows across an expansive, high-performing dairy operation while improving efficiency, mating outcomes and day-to-day decision making.
Fonterra has unveiled its annual results for the 2026 financial year, posting $27 billion in revenue and close to $20 billion returned to New Zealand farmer owners and unit holders.
