Dark ages
OPINION: Before we all let The Green Party have at it with their 'bold' emissions reduction plan, the Hound thought it wise to run the numbers through the old Casio.
The Northland Regional Council plans to progressively implement a national policy on freshwater management over the next decade.
Council chairman Bill Shepherd says the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPSFM) sets out mandatory requirements for management of the country's water quality and quantity.
"When the NPSFM was amended by the government in 2014, it was keen to see it fully implemented by the end of this year if practicable," he says.
"But recognising this wouldn't be possible for most councils, it also allows councils to opt for a progressive 10-year implementation programme, provided they formally advertise that's the approach they'll be taking."
Shepherd says, along with most other councils around New Zealand, the NRC had reaffirmed its earlier plans to use the staged implementation option, with councillors workshopping a proposed approach last month and confirming this at a full meeting in Whangarei recently.
"Council's keen to ensure the NPSFM is introduced locally in a manner which as much as possible suits our various communities, builds on established initiatives and resources, but also allows for some flexibility," he says.
"We believe that the staged approach to implementation by 2025 is the best option for this."
Shepherd says the council will publicly advertise its staged implementation programme as legally required before the end of the year.
Newly appointed National Fieldays chief executive Richard Lindroos says his team is ready, excited and looking forward to delivering the four-day event next month.
More than 70 farmers from across the North and South Islands recently spent a dayand- a-half learning new business management and planning skills at Rabobank Ag Pathways Programmes held in Invercargill, Ashburton and Hawera.
Government ministers cannot miss the ‘SOS’ – save our sheep call - from New Zealand farmers.
A tax advisory specialist is hailing a 20% tax deduction to spur business asset purchases as a golden opportunity for agribusiness.
Sheep and beef farmers have voted to approve Beef + Lamb New Zealand signing an operational agreement between the agricultural sector and the Government on foot and mouth disease readiness and response.
The head of the New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers organisation NZKGI says the points raised in a report about the sector by Waikato University professor Frank Scrimgeour were not a surprise.
OPINION: Imagine if the Hound had called the Minister of Finance the 'c-word' and accused her of "girl math".
OPINION: It's good news that Finance Minister Nicola Willis has slashed $1.1 billion from new spending, citing "a seismic global…