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OPINION: Central Hawke's Bay farmer Mark Warren recently told the Hawke's Bay Times it's time for a conversation about allowing skilled and properly equipped locals to help councils clear debris and reopen roads after severe weather events.
His inspiration was a Scottish local council that made BBC headlines by calling on individuals and communities to take more responsibility for their roads during weather events.
Warren reckons New Zealand needs to have the same attitude, and doing so would save ratepayers significantly.
"Ratepayers should be demanding efficiency and using local machinery on or near the spot to do critical work rather than forking out thousands for a contractor to come and do what a farmer could do in 10 minutes," he said.
Great idea, although it'll likely come a gutser as soon as the H&S clipboard carriers at the council get involved!
“The first conviction we need as wine drinkers,” Andrew Jefford once wrote, “is to spend less time thinking about grape varieties, and pay more attention to the places wines come from and the cultures in which they come into being. All the grape variety does is present a spectrum of opportunities.”
When Kate Lattey and Koldo Santamaria planted their dream vineyard in 2020, they knew they wanted to work with winemakers who shared their passion for wine “and expressing what the land can say”.
One of Australia's most decorated winemakers will speak at the Aotearoa New Zealand Chardonnay Symposium in Hawke's Bay this September.
The 26th Great Wine Capitals International Annual Conference will be held in Hawke's Bay from 18 - 22 October, in a landmark moment for New Zealand's wine and tourism industries.
Horticulture NZ says the funding boost to improve state highway resilience will support growers and strengthen the transport links they rely on to get produce to market.
Waikato milk processor Tatua has again declared a record milk payout to farmer shareholders, leaving other processors in the dust.
A Labour-led Government won’t be bringing back the controversial freshwater rules of 2020.
National’s much-touted free trade deal with India featured in the Rural Issues Debate at Mystery Creek, Hamilton on Wednesday night.
New Zealand's 2026-27 freshwater fishing season has opened, with anglers encouraged to head to rivers and lakes over the coming days as conditions look favourable across much of the country.
Central Otago District Council (CODC) has voted against a plan to spread treated sewage sludge from Cromwell and Alexandra on farmland near Lauder, a decision Federated Farmers says reflects strong opposition from rural residents.
Pāmu has released its FY26 Integrated Annual Report, reporting a Net Operating Profit of $113 million, more than double the $49 million recorded in FY25.
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