Editorial: No joking matter
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
OPINION: The Hound was not surprised to hear well-known end-of-the-world doom-merchant ‘Dr’ Mike Joy is still as joyless as ever about the state of NZ.
The Victoria University ‘academic’ recently published an article on the ever-so-woke Wellington-insider website Newsroom, begging the new Government to end dairy farming.
“I am convinced in the future we will look back and see dairy production in the way we do it now is the worst possible land use for this country,” Joy opined.
“As for the industry’s ‘backbone of the economy’ rhetoric, it simply does not bear scrutiny. When the externalities are included in analyses, dairy farming adds up to a negative outcome for all New Zealanders.”
It appears ‘Dr’ Joy seems to forget that the export income earned by the country’s dairy sector pays for things like schools, hospitals and, oh yes … universities!
Virtual fencing and herding systems supplier, Halter is welcoming a decision by the Victorian Government to allow farmers in the state to use the technology.
DairyNZ’s latest Econ Tracker update shows most farms will still finish the season in a positive position, although the gap has narrowed compared with early season expectations.
New Zealand’s national lamb crop for the 2025–26 season is estimated at 19.66 million head, a lift of one percent (or 188,000 more lambs) on last season, according to Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) latest Lamb Crop report.
Farmers appear to be cautiously welcoming the Government’s plan to reform local government, according to Ag First chief executive, James Allen.
The Fonterra divestment capital return should provide “a tailwind to GDP growth” next year, according to a new ANZ NZ report, but it’s not “manna from heaven” for the economy.
Fonterra's Eltham site in Taranaki is stepping up its global impact with an upgrade to its processed cheese production lines, boosting capacity to meet growing international demand.

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