McRae Wins Southern South Island B+LNZ Director Vote
Matt McRae, a farmer from Mokoreta in Southland who runs a sheep, beef and dairy support business alongside a sheep stud, has been elected to the Beef +Lamb NZ Board as a farmer director.
Max Tweedie takes up his role as Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) Genetics North Island extension officer this month.
Tweedie recently completed his Bachelor of Agriculture degree at Lincoln University. This included a semester at the University of New England in Armidale, where he studied breeding programme design and had exposure to Breedplan and the Australian Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit.
Tweedie originates from a sheep and beef farm in Northern Hawke’s Bay and has worked on several sheep and beef studs during his degree, to grow his skills and knowledge in animal breeding and genetics.
Based in Hastings, his role focuses on helping commercial farmers and breeders apply genetics to their business objectives. He joins South Island extension officer Annie O’Connell, who joined B+LNZ Genetics in August and works out of Dunedin.
Matt McRae, a farmer from Mokoreta in Southland who runs a sheep, beef and dairy support business alongside a sheep stud, has been elected to the Beef +Lamb NZ Board as a farmer director.
Ravensdown's next evolution in smart farming technology, HawkEye Pro, was awarded the Technology Section Award at the Southern Field Days Farm Innovation Awards in February 2026.
While mariners may recognise a “dog watch” as a two-hour shift on a ship, the Good Dog Work Watch is quite a different concept and the clever creation of Southland siblings Grace (9) and Archer Brown (7), both pupils at Riverton Primary School.
Philip and Lyneyre Hooper of the Hoopman Family Trust have tonight been named the Taranaki Regional Supreme Winners at the Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
We are not a bunch of sky cowboys. That was one of the key messages from the chairperson of the NZ Agricultural Aviation Association (NZAAA) Kent Weir, speaking at an education day at Feilding aerodrome for 25 policymakers and regulators from central and local government and other rural professionals.
New Zealand's dairy and beef industries say they welcome the announcement that the Government will invest $10.49 million in the Dairy Beef Opportunities (DBO) programme.

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