Green but not much grass!
Dairy farmers in the lower North Island are working on protecting next season, according to Federated Farmers dairy chair Richard McIntyre, who farms just north of the Horowhenua township of Levin.
If the $840 million sale of TelstraClear to Vodafone gets regulatory approval, it could strengthen the financial case for an enhanced rural broadband offer by Vodafone.
"To be honest few farmers will be directly impacted by the proposed sale of TelstraClear to Vodafone," says Anders Crofoot, Federated Farmers Telecommunications spokesperson.
"The upsides we see at Federated Farmers are TelstraClear's strong fibre network, its radio spectrum and of course, content. With TelstraClear being a Sky reseller, Vodafone gets the opportunity to integrate this content with its future offer; to rural customers especially.
"With potentially 29% of the broadband market in a combination of wired and wireless, Vodafone is poised to become a major force.
"TelstraClear's strong cable network and the spectrum it has are major drivers towards a true 4G mobile network. Something we are incredibly keen on to get ultra fast broadband from the farm and across a wide geographic spread.
"Certainly, Vodafone chief executive, Russell Stanners, was impressively upbeat at Federated Farmers recent national conference on where they want to go.
"You feel this is the first act in a larger drama involving Telecom and Vodafone. Hopefully rural customers will get to enjoy it," Crofoot says.
New Zealand dairy processors are welcoming the Government’s commitment to continuing to push for Canada to honour its trade commitments.
An educational programme, set up by Beef + Land New Zealand, to connect farmers virtually with primary and intermediate school students has reported the successful completion of its second year.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a resolution adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to declare 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.
Waikato herd health veterinarian Katrina Roberts is the 2024 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says New Zealand has no intention of backing down in a trade dispute with Canada over dairy products.
There have been leadership changes at the Hamilton-based Dairy Goat Co-operative, which has been struggling financially in recent years.
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