Environment Southland Urges Vigilance After New Old Man's Beard Infestation Found Near Dipton
Environment Southland is calling on residents to be vigilant and check their properties after a new Old Man's Beard site was discovered near Dipton.
Wilma Falconer has been announced as Environment Southland’s (ES) new chief executive.
The announcement was made yesterday in a statement by ES chair Nicol Horrell.
Falconer has been a member of the ES’s executive team as it’s general manager of strategy, planning and engagement for two and-a-half years and took on the acting chief executive role after Rob Phillips retired last month.
She has also held roles at Environment Canterbury and Ngāi Tahu as well as running her own consultancy firm in Wellington.
“She has strong strategic leadership skills and a thorough grasp of the environmental issues facing the region, and our work programme to address them,” says Horrell.
He says Falconer’s appointment to the role brings continuity to the Council, something he says is highly beneficial given the increasingly complex nature of the challenges it faces.
“Wilma’s significant management experience will be crucial in leading our staff in the delivery of the broad range of services we provide for the community and the increasing workloads required for us.”
“Wilma’s expertise, energy and drive will be a real asset to the Council and I and my fellow councillors are thrilled that Wilma has accepted the position,” says Horrell.
The 2026 Holstein Friesian NZ Black & White Youth Auction has once again proven the strength of support behind the breed’s young people, raising $20,130 for the HFNZ Black & White Youth programme.
Westpac NZ has become the first New Zealand bank to receive approval from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) to secure and leverage kiwifruit growers' Zespri shares.
Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) and Pāmu (Landcorp Farming Limited) have developed a new way for landowners to earn revenue from existing native forests.
Despite near universal optimism in the rural sector, a panel of New Zealand’s leading food and agri minds caution that the sector must be intentional about its future path.
The dairy industry cannot rest on its laurels despite providing one in every four export dollars earned by the country, says DairyNZ chief executive Campbell Parker.
The Government is looking at intervening on behalf of Waikato farmers who face new regulations around agricultural land use while Resource Management Act (RMA) reforms are underway.

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