Rural NZ Welcomes $8.5m Government Health Package
Rural New Zealand is welcoming the Government’s recent package of rural healthcare initiatives.
Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) is launching an online business directory called The Country Women’s Collective to promote and support entrepreneurial rural women.
“We know from our annual NZI Rural Women NZ Business Awards and Activator programmes that rural businesswomen really want to support each other,” RWNZ national president Gill Naylor says.
“We hope the online directory will become the go-to place for people who want to support local and New Zealand made products and services from our rural communities.
“There’s no other online offering like this in New Zealand that showcases and celebrates rural products from clothing and homewares to services from agritourism to farm supplies.”
Rural Women NZ member and co-founder of Foxtrot Home Kate Cullwick is an early adopter of the business directory.
"Foxtrot Home is thrilled to be included in The Country Women's Collective as it is very much a part of our business and personal philosophy to support and celebrate other rural wāhine in business,” Cullwick says.
“The directory is a leading initiative to help small businesses not only increase their exposure to more shoppers, but to heighten and celebrate the incredible talent found out there in rural Aotearoa. I think it will be infinitely inspiring for other up-and-coming entrepreneurs too!"
The directory is freely available on the Rural Women New Zealand website at https://www.ruralwomennz.nz/the-country-womens-collective.
LIC shareholders have elected a new North Island representative to the co-operative's Board, along with five representatives to its Shareholder Reference Group (SRG), following the company's Annual Meeting held in Invercargill.
Farmers across parts of Southland and South Otago are continuing to deal with difficult conditions after a prolonged run of wet weather, with pressure building around feed supply, stock management, pasture damage, farm infrastructure and everyday workloads.
Federated Farmers says it welcomes Labour's commitment to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act, calling on other major parties to do the same.
For Canterbury dairy farmers Sian Meijer and Rick Wobben, wearable technology has become one of their most valuable on-farm tools - helping manage 1850 cows across an expansive, high-performing dairy operation while improving efficiency, mating outcomes and day-to-day decision making.
Fonterra has unveiled its annual results for the 2026 financial year, posting $27 billion in revenue and close to $20 billion returned to New Zealand farmer owners and unit holders.
The first major update to the Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare in more than a decade has been released, marking what DairyNZ describes as an important step in ensuring animal welfare standards continue to evolve alongside scientific evidence and on-farm realities.

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