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: Hats off to our pipfruit sector.
Research carried out by consultancy MartinJenkins unveiled that New Zealand's apple and pear industry contributes almost $2 billion of total revenue impact to the national economy.
The industry boasts a growth rate that outstrips the national export growth rate, increasing its export value - largely due to productivity increases and value gains - from $347 million in 2012 to more than $892 million in 2023. More than 12,000 permanent and seasonal employees work in the sector.
The industry contributes $918 million to the New Zealand's gross domestic product (GDP), comprised of $348 million direct sector contribution and $570 million of industry linkages and spending. Regionally, the industry is more significant again, particularly in Nelson Tasman and Hawke's Bay, where it is the second and third largest contributor to regional GDP respectively.
In Hawke's Bay, home to 65% of apple and pear plantings, the industry contributes $424 million to the region's GDP. In Tasman, where 23% of pipfruit plantings can be found, the industry contributes $166 million to the local GDP.
In Tairawhiti, the third largest region by apple and pear planted area, the industry injected $25.5 million into the local GDP figures - a figure that is expected to grow even further with plenty of new apple varieties in the ground. Apples and pears contributed $28 million to Central Otago's regional GDP.
And the industry isn't resting on its laurels. Farmers and exporters continue investing in research and development and are reaping the rewards with innovation in growing systems and post-harvest processes already showing increased productivity.
However, the industry is warning that future growth is dependent on the supportive economic and regulatory conditions.
Since 2020, conditions have not been ideal with growers struggling to access labour due to Covid-19 border closures, and Cyclone Gabrielle decimating the 2023 crop. The sector is banking on local and central government to recognise the value of the industry and work with them to ensure there is an operating environment conducive to growth.
The ball is in the Government's court. With the right regulatory settings, the valuable role of the apple and pear industry to national and regional economies can be secured.
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.
Claims that farmers are polluters of waterways and aquifers and 'don't care' still ring out from environmental groups and individuals. The phrase 'dirty dairying' continues to surface from time to time. But as reporter Peter Burke points out, quite the opposite is the case. He says, quietly and behind the scenes, farmers are embracing new ideas and technologies to make their farms sustainable, resilient, environmentally friendly and profitable.
OPINION: The Greens have taken the high moral ground on the Palestine issue and been leading political agitators in related…
One of the most galling aspects of the tariffs whacked on our farm exports to the US is the fact…