Conrad Smith: Farming and sport share similar demands
The challenges of high-performance sport and farming are not as dissimilar as they may first appear.
There was one outstanding achievement that Sam McIvor can bask in the glory of from his time as chief executive at B+LNZ and that is the much-improved relationships across the wider primary sector.
He believes that B+LNZ has been a real catalyst for pulling the industry together and points to the much closer relationship between MIA and his organisation. He adds that the relationship with one of its key partners, DairyNZ, is also solid and also points to the vastly improved relationship with MPI.
McIvor says the huge amount of trust that's been built up means that all parties are now recognising their respective knowledge and skills which bodes well should NZ have to deal with something like an outbreak of foot and mouth disease.
"The industry has had a huge number of common challenges to deal with in the last six or seven years, such as Covid and M. bovis, as well as regulatory uncertainty.
"You can't deal with these challenges on your own and it's the good relationships that have got us through many of the crisis that we as a sector have to deal with," he says.
McIvor says he is extremely proud of what his team has achieved, including the Red Meat Profit Partnership, Taste Pure Nature and the development of B+LNZ's environmental strategy. He says participation in B+LNZ's own awards, along with Ahuwhenua awards, have been high points for him.
He says good news has come with the free trade agreements with the UK and the EU.
He says one of the challenges is for NZ to extract the maximum amount of benefit from these and it's a well-known fact that up to 40% of the value of an FTA can be lost in implementation.
McIvor believes productivity in the sector needs to improve and says it's stagnated a bit in the last few years. He also believes that NZ still lacks some of the tools needed for on-farm measurement and verification. He says ongoing develop of the organisation's R&D platform will be key in the future.
A Chinese business leader says Chinese investors are unfairly viewed as potential security risks in New Zealand.
In the first of two articles focusing on electrification in New Zealand, Leo Argent talks with Mike Casey, operator of the 100% electric-operated Electric Cherries orchard and founder of advocacy group Rewiring Aotearoa.
A Foundation for Arable Research initiative which took a closer look at the efficiency of a key piece of machinery for arable farmers - their combine harvesters - has been recognised at the Primary Industry NZ Awards.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has reiterated New Zealand’s ‘China And’ policy, adding that it wasn’t about choosing one market over another but creating more options for exporters.
A long running trade dispute between New Zealand and Canada over dairy access has been resolved.
New Zealand Police is urging rural property owners to remain vigilant and ensure their property is secure.
OPINION: Spare a thought for the arable farmer, squeezed on one side by soft global prices and on the other…
OPINION: Labour leader Chris 'Chippy' Hipkins is carrying on the world-class gaslighting of the nation that he and his cohorts…