Damien O’Connor Criticises Budget 2026 as ‘Miserable’ for Rural New Zealand
A miserable budget that didn’t deliver much for anyone.
A mate of the Hound attended the huge meeting in Timaru, last month, on the Government’s proposed freshwater reforms. Hundreds of anxious farmers turned up to hear officials – as well as Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Environment Minister David Parker – discuss the topic.
He says meeting attendees were urged by the facilitator, Wairarapa sheep and beef farmer David Nelson, to be respectful and courteous and he says they were.
But our observer reckons both Parker and O’Connor seemed to have missed this memo and were, more often than not, antagonistic and dismissive of many of the questions and concerns raised from the floor.
He is unsure of exactly what the ministers were on that night but suggests that in future they both cut down on ‘angry pills’ before they attend any future farmer meetings.
Paynes Titus Excelsior ET, an LIC bull bred by Brad Payne and Claire Brodie in the Waikato, has won the JT Thwaites Sire of the Season 2026 Award.
South Canterbury farmer Colin Hurst has been elected as the new president of Federated Farmers.
Dairy continues to be the mainstay of the country's primary export earnings.
China remains New Zealand’s biggest market, taking $23 billion of our exports, but it’s no longer a commodity story, says Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
For Jane Smith, becoming a Ravensdown director has been a way she can actively contribute to something quite personal to her - protecting and strengthening a co-operative she deeply believes in.
Lactalis New Zealand has opened a new distribution centre in Christchurch, marking a significant investment in the company's South Island supply chain capability.

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