Editorial: Support Dairy
OPINION: Political parties are getting plenty of advice and recommendations from sector groups as the election approaches.
Finance Minister Bill English says it turns out that the country is not as dependent on the dairy industry as we thought.
"We certainly benefited from its strength through 2009-10 when the dairy industry helped pull the country out of recession ," he says.
"Now we see a whole range of industries where there size is such when they grow as they are, it is taking the whole national economy forward."
English made the comments while opening the 2016 National Fieldays.
English singled out the horticulture industry and the sheep and beef industry as doing well.
He says the economy has pretty strong prospects because "it turns out we have a well balanced export sector".
"Of course there are risks out there; on any given day we can worry about whether the Chinese credit bubble will burst or whether Britain will leave the EU.
"Both of these things look a bit more likely this week than they did last week."
When dairy manager Miriam Lauridsen learned the farm, she was joining held weekly health and safety meetings, she initially thought that was “a bit over the top”. Experiencing that culture changed her mind.
Nominations are open for the 2027 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year Award.
Keeping up with pasture moisture demands is likely to be the key challenge for dairy farmers during this season’s El Niño weather pattern, says Blue Skies Weather & Climate Services meteorologist Tony Trewinnard.
Farmers have until the end of this week to help shape DairyNZ’s future focus.
Wayne McNee, chief executive of AgriZeroNZ, has resigned and will leave the organisation on 15 January 2027.
The New Zealand dairy sector set a record in the 2025/26 season, producing more than two billion kilograms of milksolids for the first time.

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