Government Launches New Rural Leadership Scholarship
The Government has announced a new rural scholarship designed to back emerging primary sector leaders.
The New Zealand National Fieldays Society is encouraging teachers to register school groups for the 2026 National Fieldays, set to be held at Mystery Creek Events Centre from 10-13 June.
Discounted student tickets will be available for groups of 10 or more at $10 each, a 45% discount off the standard child rate.
The New Zealand National Fieldays Society, which owns and operates the Fieldays event, says the Careers & Education Hub will be the central starting point for school visits, supported by a Careers Trail on the Fieldays App that helps students explore training and employment pathways across the event.
More than 70 sites are part of the Careers Trail, bringing together training providers, support organisations and employers keen to connect with future talent.
Halter's marketing and events specialist, Lily Foote-Caughey, says the company is excited to be part of the Careers & Education Hub.
"At Halter, we believe the future of farming is being built right now, and we want students to know there's a place in it for them," Foote-Caughey says.
Meanwhile, Steve Chappell, the New Zealand National Fieldays Society's programme manager, says that each year, more schools choose Fieldays because it gives their students a practical window into future careers and real-world learning.
"From hands-on pathways into agriculture and related industries, through to science, technology and sustainability-focused roles, students can meet the people behind the work and see what those jobs look like in practice," Chappell says.
Alongside the Careers & Education Hub, points of interest for students include the Fieldays Forestry Hub, the Fieldays Innovation Hub, the Fieldays Drone Zone, and Fieldays Tent Talks in association with the University of Waikato, offering short sessions that support learning conversations around innovation, sustainability and future skills.
Schools can register on the Fieldays website to access their group booking discount and plan their visit.
New Zealand dairy farmers are set to be the first in the world to receive access to a new digital physical milk pricing tool that enables them to fix the price for their physical milk.
State farmer Pāmu is opening its farm gates this summer in an effort to give the rural sector the opportunity to see how large-scale, multi-system farming is delivering productivity and profitability across New Zealand.
A five-year study has found that the cost of reducing emissions without technology may be significant and unsustainable for Northland dairy farmers.
DairyNZ says Waikato farmers need certainty on Plan Change 1, but they say that certainty must be matched with practical, workable rules and a clear transition that doesn't get ahead of the new resource management system currently under review.
While the Government has moved quickly to make commercial hauliers' lot easier during the current fuel crisis, they appear to be stuck in the creep box when it comes to the agricultural industry.
Waikato farmers have been told that the Government’s new planning system legislation and the region’s Plan Change 1 (PC1) “won’t mesh together very well”.

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