Feds support live animal exports
Federated Farmers have reiterated their support for the coalition Government to abolish the present ban on the live export of animals.
Minister of Education Chris Hipkins concedes the timing of the Taratahi interim liquidation is tough, especially for students and staff, and he says supporting them is a top priority.
Hipkins says the TEC will work with Taratahi, NZQA and StudyLink to support students in alternative options. Staff will also be supported.
“The financial problems surfaced at Taratahi in 2014 when it was not providing the teaching it was funded to deliver between 2009 and 2014. As a result, Taratahi was left with debts of $7.5 million due to under-delivery – in addition to hefty private sector debt it had incurred. Taratahi has repaid $3.5m of that, mostly by selling assets, but this is not a sustainable model.”
Hipkins says the government is “taking steps” to secure the home farm and is talking to providers to fill the gap in provision for students. But he says it’s clear the current model for vocational training for primary industry is broken and that the government plans to solve this for continuity in training students.
“We are looking at new models of primary industry training as part of the Vocational Education Training Review.”
Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor says he’s saddened and disappointed that Taratahi, a proud agricultural training organisation, has been found unsustainable.
“I am committed to primary sector training. We will continue working with industry on a plan for agri sector training that meets the needs of the industry now and into the future,” he says.
Fonterra has unveiled the first refrigerated electric truck to deliver dairy products across Auckland.
Research and healthcare initiatives, leadership and dedication to the sector have been recognised in the 2025 Horticulture Industry Awards.
Virtual fencing and pasture management company Halter says its NZ operations has delivered a profit of $2.8 million after exclusion of notional items.
Manuka honey trader Comvita slumped to a $104 million net loss last financial year, reflecting prolonged market disruption, oversupply and pricing volatility.
The Government has struck a deal with New Zealand's poultry industry, agreeing how they will jointly prepare for and respond to exotic poultry diseases, including any possible outbreak of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI).
The conversion of productive farmland into trees has pretty much annihilated the wool industry.