Be afraid
OPINION: Your old mate hears some of the recent uptick in farmer confidence has slipped since the political polls started leading a bit to the left, away from the current coalition of National, Act and NZ First.
OPINION: The Reserve Bank’s rate cut is great news, albeit a bit late, but your old mate agrees with Act leader David Seymour that the cut – with more to come – is a “multi-billion dollar mea culpa” by the RBNZ.
It bookends a series of excesses, says Seymour.
The too-easy money of Covid times spiked house prices and inflation.
Then, interest rates shot up, house prices crashed back down. “Interest rates were also driven up by Labour’s Covid spending blowout.
Households responded by making spending sacrifices – and changing the Government.”
No time for Seymour and his coalition cohorts to rest on their laurels though – they need to keep cutting the waste and red tape from Wellington and fast tracking the infrastructure we need to avoid falling further towards third world status.
A brilliant result and great news for growers and regional economies. That's how horticulture sector leaders are describing the news that sector exports for the year ended June 30 will reach $8.4 billion - an increase of 19% on last year and is forecast to hit close to $10 billion in 2029.
Funding is proving crucial for predator control despite a broken model reliant on the goodwill of volunteers.
A major milestone on New Zealand's unique journey to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis could come before the end of this year.
We're working through it, and we'll get to it.
The debate around New Zealand's future in the Paris Agreement is heating up.
A technical lab manager for Apata, Phoebe Scherer, has won the Bay of Plenty 2025 Young Grower regional title.