Seven New Zealand Catchment Groups Awarded Westpac Water Care Grants for 2026
Seven catchment groups across New Zealand have been awarded $10,000 grants as part of the Westpac Water Care Project.
Westpac has launched a new sustainable loan for farming.
Westpac NZ chief executive Catherine McGrath says the new Sustainable Farm Loan is the first loan in NZ to accelerate sustainability across all aspects of farming and covers all term debt associated with the farm.
"We're keen to encourage increased focus on farm management, waterway biodiversity and nutrient improvements on the farm, and understanding and managing agricultural emissions."
McGrath says the bank has worked with AsureQuality to ensure that the Westpac Sustainable Farm Standard is robust and equivalent to all applicable aspects of the industry-agreed Sustainable Agriculture Finance Initiative guidance.
Federated Farmers' new vice president Sandra Faulkner says the issue of adverse events emergency management and infrastructure needs to be taken out of the three-year political cycle.
Building a strong team is one of the biggest drivers of a successful sheep and beef business, but it can also be one of the tougher parts to get right.
Blueberry growers are warning that fresh imports could pose a huge biosecurity risk for NZ’s horticulture sector.
As expected, the US has launched a safeguard investigation into lamb imports, a move that could impact New Zealand sheepmeat returns.
A milk glut around the world shows no sign of easing, putting downward pressure on farmgate milk prices for the next few months.
A pause on Waikato Regional Council's (WRC) plan change that sets new freshwater rules for farming could be announced in the coming weeks.

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