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: Every time politicians come up with an investment scheme where they're going to have a crack at 'picking winners' with our money, the Hound cringes.
We've been down the road that Labour's 'Future Fund' promises to take us; one where the geniuses in the Beehive, half of whom can't remember how many rentals or shares they own, throw darts at a list of 'promising investment ideas'.
Your old mate isn't alone in fearing this approach.
One economist said the problem wasn't a shortage of capital in NZ but a poor investment climate and unstable policymaking that deters foreign investors.
Another said Labour's scheme amounted to "bureaucrats picking winners" while crowding out private investors.
Many of our MPs would struggle to walk and chew gum at the same time, let alone play real-life Monopoly with our money!
The fundamentals of the beef and lamb sector are sound, despite some challenges on the horizon, says Beef+Lamb NZ chair Kate Acland.
For the third season in a row, Fonterra farmers are in for a farmgate milk price near $10/kgMS.
The chief executive of Apples and Pears New Zealand, Danielle Adsett, says fruit quality this year is phenomenal and the sector is hitting crop estimates, which is great for growers.
Centre right parties are backing policy positions pushed by three farmer lobby groups ahead of the general election.
Waikato agribusiness leader Geoff Maber has been appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in the 2026 King's Birthday Honours.
Potatoes New Zealand and Garden to Table have partnered together to celebrate a versatile vegetable and the people behind it.

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…