Vintage 2024: Auckland
Kumeu River's 2024 harvet was done and dusted by mid-March, with light crops ripening quickly in the dry and warm conditions.
Trade Minister Tim Groser has welcomed the arrival of over 500 negotiators from 11 countries to Round 15 of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, which run from today (December 3) until December 12 in Auckland.
"A comprehensive 21st century agreement would provide many more opportunities to New Zealand businesses to grow their trade and investment footprint in the region."
The Government's free-trade agenda is part of its wider programme to build a more productive and competitive economy that will help New Zealand businesses grow, create jobs and sell more of their products and services around the world.
Collectively the 11 TPP economies have a total population of 650 million people and represent around US$21 trillion in GDP.
The round follows last week's meeting in Phnom Penh where seven TPP leaders, including Prime Minister Key, expressed a common interest to seek to conclude a high-quality deal in 2013.
Canada and Mexico will take part in the TPP negotiations for the first time.
"Their participation represents a key step towards a regional free trade agreement and reinforces TPP's potential as a pathway to towards increased trade and economic integration around the Asia-Pacific," Groser says.
The sale of Fonterra’s global consumer and related businesses is expected to be completed within two months.
Fonterra is boosting its butter production capacity to meet growing demand.
For the most part, dairy farmers in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Tairawhiti and the Manawatu appear to have not been too badly affected by recent storms across the upper North Island.
South Island dairy production is up on last year despite an unusually wet, dull and stormy summer, says DairyNZ lower South Island regional manager Jared Stockman.
Following a side-by-side rolling into a gully, Safer Farms has issued a new Safety Alert.
Coming in at a year-end total at 3088 units, a rise of around 10% over the 2806 total for 2024, the signs are that the New Zealand farm machinery industry is turning the corner after a difficult couple of years.

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