Monday, 08 July 2024 09:43

Ruralco Instore Days attracts special guest

Written by  Sudesh Kissun
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon meets with local Mid Canterbury farmer, Jason Keeley at Ruralco’s 30th anniversary Instore Days in Ashburton. From left, Ruralco’s On-Farm Sales Manager, Lester Chambers; Mike Cox from Nufarm; Jason Keeley, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, and Ruralco CEO, Tony Aitken. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon meets with local Mid Canterbury farmer, Jason Keeley at Ruralco’s 30th anniversary Instore Days in Ashburton. From left, Ruralco’s On-Farm Sales Manager, Lester Chambers; Mike Cox from Nufarm; Jason Keeley, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, and Ruralco CEO, Tony Aitken.

Over 2000 people, including Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, attended Ruralco’s Instore days last week.

Ruralco chief executive Tony Aitken, says this year’s 30th anniversary Instore Days, held over two days, provided the perfect platform for farmers to meet with the PM and local Rangitata MP James Meager and hear first-hand from them.

“Ruralco is here for the local community. Our focus is to make farming easier, and we are proud to be a conduit to facilitate opportunities such as the Prime Minister’s visit where our farmers, merchants and local businesses have the chance to speak directly to their Prime Minister,” says Aitken.

“We work hard to create touchpoints with our farmers, and our Instore Days is a particularly important part of that process. To have the Prime Minister in attendance has been a wonderful addition to what was already a significant milestone for our Mid Canterbury based co-operative as we celebrate our 30th Instore Days anniversary.”

A Ruralco statement says local farmers and businesses who spoke with Luxon were impressed with his genuine interest and understanding of the issues facing the primary sector, his knowledge of the region and his personal connections to the area – one of his grandfathers worked at Coldstream Estate, while the other was the principal of Willowby School; his father attended Lowcliffe Primary School; and his wife’s first teaching position was at Tinwald Primary School.

Aitken says the PM’s visit was a wonderful opportunity to highlight how significant Ruralco is to the Mid Canterbury region, and this was evident by the number of people who turned out to connect with Luxon.

Instore Days is always a popular event for local farmers to come to town and to meet and mingle with each other, local businesses, and Ruralco staff to hear first-hand about new technologies, innovations and to access some great deals.

“Ruralco and its local farming community has achieved a lot together over the last 60 years. Today’s visit has definitely been a highlight. We were established in Mid Canterbury in 1963 to support local farmers and that remains our focus as we look to the future,” says Aitken.

More like this

Editorial: Elusive India FTA

OPINION: Without doubt, a priority of the Government this year will be to gain traction on the elusive free trade deal with India.

UAE FTA signed

New Zealand’s free trade deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has now been signed.

PM heads to the UAE

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is off to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for high-level talks with Emirati leaders.

Editorial: Restoring respect, confidence

OPINION: Last week around 400 farmers turned up at Mystery Creek to hear Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speak as part of Federated Farmers’ ‘The Restoring Farmer Confidence Tour’.

Days of red tape over

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says excessive regulation imposed by the previous government has resulted in an ‘obstruction economy’.

Featured

‘Nanobubble’ trial trims irrigation water usage

North Canterbury dairy farmer and recently-elected deputy chair of DairyNZ, Cameron Henderson, is enjoying a huge reduction in irrigation water use after converting a pivot irrigator to drag perforated drip tubes across the ground instead of elevated sprinkler heads.

Editorial: Elusive India FTA

OPINION: Without doubt, a priority of the Government this year will be to gain traction on the elusive free trade deal with India.

Sport star to talk at expo

Rugby league legend Tawera Nikau is set to inspire, celebrate and entertain at the East Coast Farming Expo's very popular Property Broker's Evening Muster.

National

Sweet or sour deal?

Not all stakeholders involved in the proposed merger of honey industry groups - ApiNZ and Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association…

Machinery & Products

Loosening soil without fuss

Distributed in New Zealand by Carrfields, Grange Farm Machinery is based in the Holderness region of East Yorkshire – an…

JCB unveils new models

The first of the UK’s agricultural trade shows was recently held at the NEC Centre in Birmingham.

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Times have changed

OPINION: Back in the 1960s and '70s, and even into the '80s, successive National government Agriculture Ministers and Trade Ministers…

Hallelujah moment

OPINION: The new Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche has just had the hallelujah moment of the 21st century in…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter