Cyclone-hit wool scourer reopens
The world's largest wool scouring facility, WoolWorks Awatoto plant in Napier, is back operating at full capacity.
Leading Wairoa farmer and businessman, Fenton Wilson says if ever there was a time to demonstrate the need for NZ to get its roading infrastructure into the 21st century, it's now.
Wilson is a fifth generation sheep and beef farmer in the district and was a former chair of the Hawke's Bay Regional Council. He's now on a number of other company boards.
He told Rural News that businesses operating in Tairawhiti are facing increased costs to get their products to market because of the poor and unpredictable state of the roading network. He believes if the roads were better, the price of products would be lower.
Wilson describes Cyclone Gabrielle as "hugely confronting", coming on the back of Covid and a series of uncertain years - including other storms.
"We've had two years of rain this year already," he told Rural News.
"My rain data shows that we have had at least 100mm of rain a month - sometimes more - which is well above our average rainfall. You just start to take a step forward and the quad bike is stuck in the mud again. Just after Gabrielle, we got another 100mm of rain and that broke the camel's back, up our valley."
However, six months on from Gabrielle, Wilson says the glass is starting to become half full again as the recovery progresses. He says while the grass is starting to grow, the district is still a bit wounded, bruised and battered, and there are still farmers struggling to get fences up and machinery on their farms.
"But I think there's a reset coming and that people will farm differently following what has happened as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle," he adds.
"We will all have a better appreciation of land classes in our business and those with any aversion of trees of any sorts might have to rethink how they do stuff."
Wilson says it's all about having viable, profitable and resilient businesses.
He's confident about the future, given the excellent young farmers coming through the system.
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.