Egan thanks family, friends for ONZM honour
Greenlea Premier Meats managing director Anthony (Tony) Egan says receiving the officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) honour has been humbling.
OPINION: The Hound was given a bit of a rev-up from a reader and a NZ Honours recipient for his comments back in January about the lack of rural representation in the 2024 New Year's Honours list.
According to the 85-year-old retired dairy farmer, he was awarded a Member of New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to the local community back in 2007 - thanks to nominations from friends and associates.
He goes on to say, "The farming community needs to find out a lot more about the NZ Honours process, spread the word around and nominate more of our hard working farmers and do it - don't just think about it. I have done just that successfully for two of my friends and am proud and happy to have don so."
That is very good advice and with Kings Birthday coming up, it is time people in the rural community get nominating!
New Zealand's diverse cheesemaking talent shone brightly last night as the New Zealand Specialist Cheesemakers Association (NZSCA) crowned the champions of the 2026 New Zealand Cheese Awards.
Tracing has indicated that the source of the first velvetleaf find of the 2025-26 crop season, in Auckland, was likely maize purchased in the Waikato region.
Fish & Game New Zealand has announced its election priorities in its Manifesto 2026.
With the forage maize harvest started in Northland and the Waikato, the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is telling growers of later crops, or those further south, to start checking their maize crop maturity about three weeks prior to when they think they will start silage harvesting.
Irrigation NZ is warning that the government's Resource Management Act (RMA) reform risks falling short of its objectives unless water use for food production and water storage infrastructure are clearly recognised in the goals at the top of the new system.
More than five million trays, or 18,000 tonnes, of Zespri’s RubyRed Kiwifruit will soon be available for consumers across 16 markets this season.

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