Editorial: Getting RMA settings right
OPINION: The Government has been seeking industry feedback on its proposed amendments to a range of Resource Management Act (RMA) national direction instruments.
OPINION: Most people will be aware of the Government's plans to boost coal, oil and gas production to meet energy requirements.
Whatever your stance on the short-term efficacy of renewable sources and developments, it's worth noting a major reason for afforestation in New Zealand right now is offsetting emissions produced from fossil fuels.
Recent statistics show Kiwi farmers doing an admirable job of reducing their on-farm emissions, but the point of diminishing returns has already easily been reached.
If fossil fuel emissions keep up at the same rate in this country, we won't be able to reach our binding emissions targets for 2030 without - you guessed it - planting more trees. Where are these trees planted? Productive farming land. Who bears the cost of this conversion? Hard working Kiwi farmers.
The Government has two stances on this topic. One, increased domestic fossil fuel production will reduce reliance on imports, cutting down on transport costs and emissions and theoretically have a net reduction in emissions despite identical consumption rates.
Secondly, renewable sources are not developed enough to cover surges in electricity usage or convert our primarily petrol-powered transport fleet.
For all the publicity about the necessity of expanding fossil fuel production because renewables cannot supply 100% of the country 100% of the time, there seems to be much less government discussion about fixing or expanding the renewable energy grid in the first place.
Is there some discussion on this long-term plan? Certainly. Is it being given the same priority as the quick band-aid fix that may be shafting Kiwi farmers long-term? No.
Sadly, there is no easy solution. Any reasonable discussion will need to accept that someone, something, somewhere, is going to get a bum deal. Whether New Zealand will have to deal with reduced primary production, spottier energy supplies or a less green country is a bullet we must bite.
The question is, who should put the bell on the cat?
Meet the Need, a farmer-led charity, says food insecurity in New Zealand is dire, with one in four children now living in a household experiencing food insecurity, according to Ministry of Health data.
Applications have now opened for the 2026 Meat Industry Association scholarships.
Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) says it is backing aspiring dairy farmers through a new initiative designed to make the first step to farm ownership or sharemilking easier.
OPINION: While farmers are busy and diligently doing their best to deal with unwanted gasses, the opponents of farming - namely the Greens and their mates - are busy polluting the atmosphere with tirades of hot air about what farmers supposedly aren't doing.
OPINION: For close to eight years now, I have found myself talking about methane quite a lot.
The Royal A&P Show of New Zealand, hosted by the Canterbury A&P Association, is back next month, bigger and better after the uncertainty of last year.
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One of the most galling aspects of the tariffs whacked on our farm exports to the US is the fact…