Rural Vote Debate on Q&A: Substance or Just Platitudes?
It was billed as a chance for all the political parties to woo the rural vote, but question marks hang over just how effective this was.
The Government has announced $60,000 to provide one-off grants of $1,000 to each of the 60 New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF) clubs across the country.
Announcing the funding, Agriculture Todd McClay says that NZYF do a huge amount of good in rural communities.
"We want to support their efforts to help them do even more,” McClay says.
He says the funding will help back the important work of small volunteer committees, which drive organisation, membership, and event planning at each club.
"The committees are essential to the club’s ongoing success, their ability to attract new members and event sponsorship, and provide support to young people in rural communities.”
NZYF is a non-profit with a long history of connecting, nurturing, and empowering young people in rural communities.
“Its clubs provide a place for young people to develop leadership skills, network with like-minded people, and make lifelong friends,” McClay says.
“The organisation is part of the fabric of rural New Zealand and will mark its centenary next year. This funding will be a boost for clubs planning local celebrations.”
McClay says the Government is also backing the wellbeing of young people in rural communities through the Rural Wellbeing Fund.
“NZ Young Farmers was one of 18 community-based organisations and initiatives to receive funding through the Government’s Rural Wellbeing Fund.
“It’s receiving $585,000 to ramp up new initiatives, focusing on physical, mental, and financial wellbeing, leveraging its network of 60 clubs,” McClay adds.
“The primary industries are the backbone of the economy, supporting local jobs and communities, and this Government is committed to building the future for the sector to succeed.”
LIC shareholders have elected a new North Island representative to the co-operative's Board, along with five representatives to its Shareholder Reference Group (SRG), following the company's Annual Meeting held in Invercargill.
Farmers across parts of Southland and South Otago are continuing to deal with difficult conditions after a prolonged run of wet weather, with pressure building around feed supply, stock management, pasture damage, farm infrastructure and everyday workloads.
Federated Farmers says it welcomes Labour's commitment to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act, calling on other major parties to do the same.
For Canterbury dairy farmers Sian Meijer and Rick Wobben, wearable technology has become one of their most valuable on-farm tools - helping manage 1850 cows across an expansive, high-performing dairy operation while improving efficiency, mating outcomes and day-to-day decision making.
Fonterra has unveiled its annual results for the 2026 financial year, posting $27 billion in revenue and close to $20 billion returned to New Zealand farmer owners and unit holders.
The first major update to the Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare in more than a decade has been released, marking what DairyNZ describes as an important step in ensuring animal welfare standards continue to evolve alongside scientific evidence and on-farm realities.

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