Rural Communities Receive Wellbeing Boost
The Government has announced its support for 18 community-based initiatives through its Rural Wellbeing Fund.
Trade Minister Todd McClay has travelled to Indonesia to join the Prime Minister and a high-level business delegation for a two-day official visit.
"Indonesia is an important trade partner for New Zealand, and as our 11th largest export market offers significant trading opportunities," says McClay.
"Our two-way trade currently sits at $1.6 billion, and we're keen to explore ways to meet the target set by the two countries last year to boost trade to $4 billion by 2024.
"We will be looking to further broaden our trade connections, including through the Prime Minister's meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and my own meeting with Indonesian Trade Minister Thomas Lembong."
McClay spoke with Minster Lembong at last weekend's G20 meeting in Shanghai and both ministers committed to further develop their government-to-government and business-to-business links.
"With a population of 255 million, Indonesia offers significant opportunity to New Zealand exporters and we will be looking to capitalise on the Prime Minister's visit to open doors for New Zealand companies," says McClay.
While in Indonesia, McClay will take part in business forums in Jakarta and Surabaya. The Jakarta business forum will focus on the benefits of regional economic integration, including between ASEAN and New Zealand. The Surabaya business forum will aim to promote New Zealand's economic relationship with East Java, Indonesia's second most populous province.
"I look forward to working alongside the New Zealand business delegation to showcase New Zealand's commercial expertise in areas of priority for Indonesia, including renewable energy, food and beverage, aviation, education and tourism," says McClay.
New Zealand's diverse cheesemaking talent shone brightly last night as the New Zealand Specialist Cheesemakers Association (NZSCA) crowned the champions of the 2026 New Zealand Cheese Awards.
Tracing has indicated that the source of the first velvetleaf find of the 2025-26 crop season, in Auckland, was likely maize purchased in the Waikato region.
Fish & Game New Zealand has announced its election priorities in its Manifesto 2026.
With the forage maize harvest started in Northland and the Waikato, the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is telling growers of later crops, or those further south, to start checking their maize crop maturity about three weeks prior to when they think they will start silage harvesting.
Irrigation NZ is warning that the government's Resource Management Act (RMA) reform risks falling short of its objectives unless water use for food production and water storage infrastructure are clearly recognised in the goals at the top of the new system.
More than five million trays, or 18,000 tonnes, of Zespri’s RubyRed Kiwifruit will soon be available for consumers across 16 markets this season.

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