Rural Vote Battle Heats Up as Parties Recruit High-Profile Farming Figures
The battle for the rural vote is on and parties are securing high profile names to try and bolster their chances at the general election.
OPINION: Your canine crusader was truly impressed by the almost unanimous support given by politicians of all stripes in Parliament to the recent passing of legislation for the NZ/EU free trade deal.
Strong support was given by the members of the coalition Government – National, ACT and NZ First.
Of course, the Labour Party, which did much of the heavy lifting in securing the deal under Damien O’Connor’s leadership, were also big supporters.
Surprisingly, so too were the Green Party – not well known for their support for commerce or commonsense – who back the deal.
However, the Maori Party voted against it.
Are the supposed guardians of all things Maori not aware of the huge reliance on the agricultural trade sector by Maori incorporations who stand to benefit hugely from better access to the EU?
Or of the special parts of the deal that specifically refer to and respect Maori customs?
There are none so blind who will not see.
As the Agri Women’s Development Trust (AWDT) begins the process of winding down, the organisation’s general manager Julia Jones says there’s still a place for its programmes within the industry.
Southland farmers staring down a May deadline to submit freshwater farm plans under current regional plan rules have been given an 18-month reprieve by the Government.
The Meat Industry Association (MIA) has appointed Nick Beeby as chief executive.
Rural Women New Zealand this month submitted on the Draft Mental Health and a Wellbeing Strategy 2026-2036, because a person's postcode should not determine the quality of their mental health support.
Former head of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Peter Chrisp is the new director-general of the Department of Conservation.
The New Zealand Nature Fund (NZNF) has congratulated the government on recently announced changes to the Active Investor Plus (AIP) Visa Growth category.

OPINION: The old saying 'a new broom sweeps clean' doesn't always hold up, if you ask the Hound.
OPINION: This old mutt went to school to eat his lunch, but still knows the future of the country, and…