Wairoa Mayor: Road upgrades between Napier and Wairoa will boost safety and accessibility
The road between Napier and Wairoa is on the mend.
The chair of New Zealand's biggest grower, packer and exporter of apples says it's been a bumper season.
Mike Peterson is the chair of Scales Corporation, which owns Mr Apple along with several other operations within the horticultural sector. Mr Apple has 1,250 hectares of apples in Hawke's Bay, their only growing region.
Peterson says immediately after Cyclone Gabrielle, his company took action to get back up and running which is why things are so good today. He says some companies didn't do this and are struggling for a variety of reasons.
Peterson says capital is precious right now in Hawke's Bay and he feels for some of the smaller orchardists who are having hard times two years on from the cyclone.
"We are going well and continuing to invest in premium products. We understand exactly what we need to do to grow with our varieties; it is really a solid growing platform. We haven't gone down the fully automated track, but we're sort of in the band of fast followers but not leading the pack," he says.
Peterson says Mr Apple is introducing technology where it's needed and says it's about being smart in business and having a good balance sheet. So far, he says it's been a cracker of a season and things are looking good.
"This season is one out of the bag, but I have learned over the years you never to jinx the crop. We could get a hailstorm tomorrow and the whole thing is gone. So, fingers crossed for this year's harvest," he says.
Recent results from its 2024 financial year has seen global farm machinery player John Deere record a significant slump in the profits of its agricultural division over the last year, with a 64% drop in the last quarter of the year, compared to that of 2023.
An agribusiness, helping to turn a long-standing animal welfare and waste issue into a high-value protein stream for the dairy and red meat sector, has picked up a top innovation award at Fieldays.
The Fieldays Innovation Award winners have been announced with Auckland’s Ruminant Biotech taking out the Prototype Award.
Following twelve years of litigation, a conclusion could be in sight of Waikato’s controversial Plan Change 1 (PC1).
This year’s Ruralco Instore Days is centred on staying local and local connections, as part of the co-operative’s ongoing commitment to supporting Mid Canterbury farmers.
State-owned social housing provider Kainga Ora is switching to wool carpet for its new homes.
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