OPINION: The sudden departure of Jim Ward, manager of Molesworth Station for 24 years, highlighted some major dysfunction in the way conservation estate is managed in this country - the biggest problem, as the Hound sees it, being idealogues who harp on about "taonga" and use all means possible to block sensible commercial operations on conservation land.
OPINION: While the destruction of NZ's oil and gas industry by Jacinda Ardern's band of merry vandals was virtue signalling on a heroic scale - producing no environmental benefit whatsoever - the politician vowing to make that industry whole again, Shane Jones, is not above a bit of virtue signalling of his own.
OPINION: We are endlessly told that livestock are responsible for half of New Zealand's total emissions.
OPINION: There is zero chance that someone who joined Fonterra as a lobbyist, then served as a general manager of Fonterra's nutrient management programme, and sat on the board of Export NZ, a division of lobbyist group Business New Zealand, doesn't understand that local butter (and milk and cheese) prices are set by the international commodity price.
OPINION: The Government has been seeking industry feedback on its proposed amendments to a range of Resource Management Act (RMA) national direction instruments.
OPINION: The Rural Support Trust ran a dinner and debate at the National Fieldays last month. In tables of 10, over 540 people were wined and dined, including the Prime Minister, supported by ministers from around the country.
OPINION: Your old mate's ear has been chewed off recently by farmers voicing their displeasure with the National Party, particularly relating to how they're treating their farmer base.
OPINION: Your old mate hears that at a recent China Business Summit, PM Christopher Luxon delivered a none-too-subtle "could try harder" report card on the red meat industry regarding its exports to China - particularly when compared to Australia.
OPINION: Bayer Crop Science closing its Hastings research site could be the tip of the iceberg.
OPINION: The image of regenerative farmers as kind, cuddly progressive types took a hit when one of their own took to social media to gloat over Bayer Crop Science's decision to close its Hastings research site.
OPINION: The Government's decision to stop local authorities going ahead with reviews of district and regional plans makes sense for several reasons.
OPINION: As decisions around freshwater rules edge closer, the message from dairy farmers is clear.
OPINION: Farmers and growers know the frustration well: Pointless paperwork, slow consents, and confusing red tape that turns simple tasks into complex ones.
OPINION: For most farmers and readers, the term Sustainable Finance Taxonomy will make little sense.
OPINION: Will synthetic milk derail NZ's economy?
OPINION: According to media reports, the eye-watering price of butter has prompted Finance Minister Nicola Willis to ask for a 'please explain' from her former employer Fonterra.
OPINION: As India negotiates to open its borders to more global products, dairy is proving a sticky issue.
OPINION: Paranoia about foreigners is at an all-time high in the US and attention is now turning to foreign-owned farmland.
OPINION: Sauvignon Blanc was famously introduced to New Zealand by Ross Spence of Matua Valley, and then serendipitously planted in Marlborough by Frank Yukich and Montana Wines in 1975.
OPINION: As New Zealand's wine industry grapples with figurative dark clouds (and literal for some wine regions of late) this edition lingers instead around the silver edges.
OPINION: The 'Save Our Sheep' campaign is built on a foundation of structure, integrity, and evidence from the Federated Farmers Meat and Wool Council.
OPINION: The sudden departure of Jim Ward, manager of Molesworth Station for 24 years, highlighted some major dysfunction in the…
OPINION: While the destruction of NZ's oil and gas industry by Jacinda Ardern's band of merry vandals was virtue signalling…
