Editorial: Resource consent saga
OPINION: The Government needs to act now to address consenting issues faced by farmers throughout the country.
Not content with slapping extra costs on the country’s farmers in the form of an ETS tax, impossible targets to cut methane and impending charges to improve water quality, the Government now wants more.
These politcians want to bang an extra tax on the humble farm ute so they can subsidise the cost that wealthy, smug, urban flexitarians incur for their new electric cars.
Your old mate reckons Fed Farmers’ Andrew Hoggard summed it up nicely: “Taxes don’t cut it and farmers need practical solutions to live in a zero-carbon world.”
Hoggard also perfectly summarised the total impracticality of the Government’s EV policy in saying: “An EV may be ok to go to town for the groceries, but a Nissan Leaf isn’t ideally suited to towing a silage wagon or to cart a load of fenceposts around the farm.”
Red meat farmers and processors are welcoming a US Government announcement - removing its reciprocal tariffs on a range of food products, including New Zealand beef.
OPINION: As negotiations advance on the India-New Zealand FTA, it’s important to remember the joint commitment made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at the beginning of this process in March: for a balanced, ambitious, comprehensive, and mutually beneficial agreement.
Minister for Universities, Shane Reti, has opened the final new build in a ten plus year project to upgrade the veterinary facilities at Massey University.
As New Zealand experiences more frequent and severe flooding events, the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO Scheme) is urging consumers to be honest and accurate when making insurance claims for flood damage.
A recently held arable field day in the Manawatu brought with it a timely reminder to be on the lookout for velvetleaf incursions.
In a significant shift for employers, wage theft is no longer only a civil matter but now also a criminal one.

OPINION: Every time politicians come up with an investment scheme where they're going to have a crack at 'picking winners'…
OPINION: What are the unions for these days?