LIC ends year with $30.6m profit
Herd improvement company LIC has ended the 2024-25 financial year in a strong position - debt-free and almost quadrupling its net profit.
Irrigation New Zealand chief executive Vanessa Winning is stepping down after four years in the role.
The search for her replacement is underway and IrrigationNZ has advertised the vacancy. It says the CEO will build and maintain strong, mutually beneficial relationships with members, stakeholders and government, and actively seek opportunities to collaborate with other aligned sector organisations to deliver the best outcomes for the irrigation sector in New Zealand.
IrrigationNZ represents over 4500 members nationally, including irrigation schemes, individual irrigators, and the irrigation service sector.
"Our irrigator members include a wide range of farmers and growers: sheep and beef, dairy and cropping farmers, horticulturalists, winegrowers, as well as sports and recreational facilities and councils," it says.
"We also represent over 120 irrigation service industry members - manufacturers, distributors, irrigation design and install companies, and irrigation decision support services for both freshwater and effluent irrigation. We are a voluntary-membership, not-for-profit organisation whose vision is water to nourish our community, environment, and economy."
Matt McRae, a farmer from Mokoreta in Southland who runs a sheep, beef and dairy support business alongside a sheep stud, has been elected to the Beef +Lamb NZ Board as a farmer director.
Ravensdown's next evolution in smart farming technology, HawkEye Pro, was awarded the Technology Section Award at the Southern Field Days Farm Innovation Awards in February 2026.
While mariners may recognise a “dog watch” as a two-hour shift on a ship, the Good Dog Work Watch is quite a different concept and the clever creation of Southland siblings Grace (9) and Archer Brown (7), both pupils at Riverton Primary School.
Philip and Lyneyre Hooper of the Hoopman Family Trust have tonight been named the Taranaki Regional Supreme Winners at the Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
We are not a bunch of sky cowboys. That was one of the key messages from the chairperson of the NZ Agricultural Aviation Association (NZAAA) Kent Weir, speaking at an education day at Feilding aerodrome for 25 policymakers and regulators from central and local government and other rural professionals.
New Zealand's dairy and beef industries say they welcome the announcement that the Government will invest $10.49 million in the Dairy Beef Opportunities (DBO) programme.

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