Budget 2025: Healthcare big winner, no news for ag
Healthcare appears to be the big winner in this year's budget as agriculture and environment miss out.
Poor infrastructure has the potential to bring the country to its economic knees.
That's the warning from Richard Burke, chief executive of Leaderbrand - a major fresh vegetable grower based in Gisborne but with sites in Pukekohe, Matamata and Canterbury. He says infrastructure is a massive issue in this country, and if New Zealand is going to be more efficient, it needs to find the capital to invest in this area.
"We have been having some poor weather, and there is a lot of commitment to fixing some stuff," Burke told Rural News.
"But take the problems with the Cook Strait ferries. That's been a real issue for us in terms of managing logistics and servicing our customers and it is certainly raising a lot of concern from our customeers about our reliability because we can't get product across Cook Strait in a reliable manner."
Burke says Gisborne has real problems with access to other centres - highlighted by road link to Hawke's Bay being cut off by Cyclone Gabrielle. He says there is a lot of work needed and it's not just about restoring the present road. He believes there is a need for a much bolder approach to make sure that critical food supply areas have secure all-weather access.
Burke is going to keep advocating for change and more investment to ensure companies like his can get fresh product to market year round and on time. He has taken this issue up with government, but admits they are in something of a bind with multiple requests from everywhere to spend money.
Burke says Leaderbrand is investing in dealing with climate change by looking at regen agriculture, which he hopes will help in the long term. They are also investing in covering some of their land. But Burke says all of this will be for naught if they can't get product to market.
"As a region we are not sitting here and saying 'you have to do infrastructure for us because we are poor guys on the East Coast'," Burke adds.
"We are saying we are a critical part of the food supply in NZ, especially in salads, fresh, citurs, and some of those other things," he says. "So, we need that all-weather access otherwise that food supply is going to be challenged."
Managing director of Woolover Ltd, David Brown, has put a lot of effort into verifying what seems intuitive, that keeping newborn stock's core temperature stable pays dividends by helping them realise their full genetic potential.
Within the next 10 years, New Zealand agriculture will need to manage its largest-ever intergenerational transfer of wealth, conservatively valued at $150 billion in farming assets.
Boutique Waikato cheese producer Meyer Cheese is investing in a new $3.5 million facility, designed to boost capacity and enhance the company's sustainability credentials.
OPINION: The Government's decision to rule out changes to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) that would cost every farmer thousands of dollars annually, is sensible.
Compensation assistance for farmers impacted by Mycoplama bovis is being wound up.
Selecting the reverse gear quicker than a lovestruck boyfriend who has met the in-laws for the first time, the Coalition Government has confirmed that the proposal to amend Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) charged against farm utes has been canned.
OPINION: Dust ups between rural media and PR types aren't unheard of but also aren't common, given part of the…
OPINION: The Hound hears from his canine pals in Southland that an individual's derogatory remarks on social media have left…