Bulk wine exports surpass packaged wine volumes
Data from February 2025 shows volumes of bulk wine exports exceeded packaged wine.
With modern technology your farm’s customers are only a smartphone call away, Primary Industry Minister Nathan Guy says.
We are taking primary products to 140 countries and consumers are a lot closer than they ever were before.
He was speaking at a field day at the Helensville farm of Richard and Dianne Kidd, winners of the 2016 National Ballance Farm Environment Award. The Kidds and six other farmers are involved in premium brand Kaipara lamb, sold through Countdown supermarkets.
“It won’t be long before Kaipara lamb will have the barcode at the chiller; they will scan that and up will pop a little video of you on your farm saying ‘here are my lambs, this is when I drench them, this is when a crutch them, here is my property, this is what I do to look after the environment’. Creating that story and selling that product has to be worth a premium,” says Guy.
“There are costs in lifting our total environmental performance, but there are benefits… thinking about the consumers on the other side of the world who are a lot closer than they once were.”
Guy said the field day had shown environmental stewardship and excellent performance of livestock, “on a farm right on the edge of our largest city. This farm and others close to cities and towns can build the connectivity between urban and rural.”
About 70% of Auckland land is in agriculture, horticulture and forestry; about $2.4 billion of the region’s earnings come from the primary sector.
“Aucklanders should be thankful for what you do, providing wonderful food to the largest city in New Zealand.”
Recent rain has offered respite for some from the ongoing drought.
New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.
With much of the North Island experiencing drought this summer and climate change projected to bring drier and hotter conditions, securing New Zealand’s freshwater resilience is vital, according to state-owned GNS Science.
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