Farmlands returns to profit with strong FY25 result
Rural retailer Farmlands has reported a return to profitability, something the co-operative says shows clear progress in the second year of its five-year strategy.
OPINION: Your canine crusader notes that rural services company Farmlands recently announced a bumper profit of $17.1 million for the 2022 financial year.
It also declared a $8.6m after tax rebate - the first return it has delivered to its shareholders in four years.
However, word around the traps is that while the company might be doing better in a financial sense, it is losing staff faster than the Labour party is shedding popularity in the polls.
According to chief executive, Tanya Houghton, the company is providing, "a great product range and pricing, specialist sector expertise and excellent customer service".
However, it appears Houghton and her leadership team's 'K-Martization' of Farmlands - including enforcing weekend trading at many of its stores and pushing online shopping - has seen a number of its long-serving staff head for the door.
Fears of a serious early drought in Hawke’s Bay have been allayed – for the moment at least.
There was much theatre in the Beehive before the Government's new Resource Management Act (RMA) reform bills were introduced into Parliament last week.
The government has unveiled yet another move which it claims will unlock the potential of the country’s cities and region.
The government is hailing the news that food and fibre exports are predicted to reach a record $62 billion in the next year.
The final Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction has delivered bad news for dairy farmers.
One person intimately involved in the new legislation to replace the Resource Management Act (RMA) is the outgoing chief executive of the Ministry for the Environment, James Palmer, who's also worked in local government.

OPINION: The release of the Natural Environment Bill and Planning Bill to replace the Resource Management Act is a red-letter day…
OPINION: Federated Farmers has launched a new campaign, swapping ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ for ‘The Twelve Pests of Christmas’ to…