Opinion

Diplomatic Incident

OPINION: Your old mate hears an international incident is threatening to blow up the long-standing Anzac alliance as Kiwis and Aussies argue over who wants new Australian resident and former NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Lame Duck?

OPINION: The media is already playing the 'who will Winston choose?' game every time the polls show Labour and National neck and neck.

Saluting 'The Man in the Arena'

OPINION: As I was putting the final touches on my column for last month, the hottest ‘breaking news’ was the Scott Robertson story from New Zealand Rugby.

So, what to do with this succession malarky?

OPINION: She's a bit damp on the East Coast. Hughie can't stop the rain, and the high temps in between weather events has got the flies on the front foot in the animal health stakes.

Editorial: A Win-Win For All

OPINION: A bumper season all around.

Penny Pinching

OPINION: A mate of yours truly reckons rural Manawatu families are the latest to suffer under what he calls the Government's "performative restraint" - penny pinching on needed community stuff while the bureaucrat head count and wasteful spending in Wellington charges on undiminished.

New Order

OPINION: If old Winston Peters thinks building trade relations with new nations, such as India, isn't a necessary investment in our future, he has rocks in his head.

Double Standard

OPINION: The proverbial has really hit the fan in Wellington and exposed a glaring example of a double standard in environmental accountability.

'Altered'

OPINION: Dark suited spin doctors exist to, well, spin, and the nice cuddly progressive types at Greenpeace Aotearoa practice this dark art with the same cynicism as your average corporate giant.

Sewage spill stinks of double standards

OPINION: This month Wellington’s Moa Point wastewater treatment plant failed catastrophically, sending an estimated 70 million litres of untreated sewage straight into the ocean each day.

Return on R&D investment

OPINION: Farmers are the biggest investors in research in New Zealand. Whether through taxes, rates, co-operative company retentions, or industry-body levies… or the time they spend ‘in kind’ working with researchers, or the dollars they invest in start-up companies or their own ideas, the financial commitment is considerable.

A highlight on the regional council’s annual calendar

OPINION: As the Northland Agricultural Field Days celebrates an impressive 40 years, Northland Regional Council (NRC) extends its congratulations to the current and past organising committees for reaching this milestone.

Bulldust!

OPINION: Here w go: the election date is set for November 7 and the politicians are out of the gate with the bulldust and empty promises.

No good news?

OPINION: ECan data was released a few days ago showing Canterbury farmers have made “giant strides on environmental performance”.

Editorial: RMA reforms uproar

OPINION: The euphoria over the Government’s two new bills to replace the broken Resource Management Act is over.

Time and place

OPINION: First on the scene after the recent devastating storms in parts of the North Island were emergency services and selfless members of the public.

Where is Luxon?

OPINION: Why can't Christopher Luxon stand up to Winston Peters over the latter’s high-profile attack on the proposed Indian FTA?

Farm Succession Planning: Tough conversations every sheep & beef farmer must have

OPINION: After a very good farming year and a few bucks back in the tin, farmers will be remiss not to consider the next steps in life and what that means for their farming business. Sheep and beef farmers are no exception.

Subsidies keeping wind, solar generation viable

OPINION: I recently wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister because at a recent Federated Farmers meeting, Chris Luxon told me wind and solar generation is not subsidised.