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IRRIGATIONNZ, WITH MPI Sustainable Farming Fund, AgResearch, Landcare Research and Aqualinc, has produced a guide to irrigating steeper slopes.
“Achieving efficient irrigation on hill country is more challenging than on flat land and demands a greater level of skill, as well as design tailored to the property,” says IrrigationNZ project manager Paul Reese.
“The critical challenge is to keep the water in the plant root zone avoiding and minimising run-off. Our guide book offers solutions to these problems, alongside a review of the relative merits of the different methods of irrigation that suit hill slopes in New Zealand.”
Central and North Otago, Canterbury’s foothills and eastern parts the North Island have all seen growth in irrigation on sloping ground covering a wide variety of crops and pasture, he notes.
The ‘Hill Country Irrigation Guidebook’ was launched at IrrigationNZ’s ‘Great Irrigation Challenge’ training and education event in Ashburton in October.
Opuha Dam's ability to protect South Canterbury communities from major flooding has taken a significant step forward, with Opuha Water Limited (OWL) successfully commissioning a new outlet valve capable of releasing record volumes of water from the dam ahead of a weather event.
New Zealand needs to make sure that it continues to focus on its own food security, according to HortNZ board member and blueberry grower Dermott Malley.
Increased competition for water means the whole community is looking at how irrigators use water.
Irrigation NZ is warning that the government's Resource Management Act (RMA) reform risks falling short of its objectives unless water use for food production and water storage infrastructure are clearly recognised in the goals at the top of the new system.
Moves are afoot to get a team of Australians over here to help repair North Canterbury's irrigation machinery, ravaged by the big windstorm of late October.
Now in its fourth year, the 2026 Fencing Industry Awards, formed part of the proceedings of the FCANZ Conference, held in Nelson during August.
DairyNZ deputy chair Cameron Henderson has been re-appointed unopposed for another term.
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Farms across the upper North Island are trialling different pasture mixes as part of a research programme that aims to build greater resilience into farming systems.
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The Ballance Farm Environment Awards are coming to the West Coast of the South Island.
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