M.I.A.
OPINION: The previous government spent too much during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite warnings from officials, according to a briefing released by the Treasury.
It’s still unclear just how much the outbreak of coronavirus in China will affect New Zealand exports to that country.
China is NZ’s single largest market for our total primary exports and the number one for dairy, meat and wool, seafood and forestry. It is also high on the list for horticulture.
While there is no formal ban on our exports to China, the fact that the country is in lockdown is creating problems with distributing goods with many workers staying at home or facing restricted movement to do their work.
NZ Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) has set up a special section on its website, which is regularly updated.
It anticipates ongoing disruption to business for at least a fortnight, as Chinese local government agencies encourage staff to stay at home.
Meanwhile, market analysts AgriHQ say farmers are being stuck with stock because factors beyond their control are conspiring against them. It says record high farmgate prices in November and early December prompted many farmers to hold stock for longer than usual.
“Unfortunately, coronavirus came to a head when the market was expected to start picking up and consumption has collapsed.”
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.