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OPINION: Newsroom is running a series of articles looking into the influence of lobbying and has kicked it off with agriculture.
Your old mate is dubious about whether they are approaching this in truly neutral fashion.
Their first article gets a bit excited about the fact that Feds leader-turned-MP Andrew Hoggard knows other farm industry leaders well and gets along with them.
It then allows Greenpeace director Russell 'give me back my flag' Norman to frame the relationship as sinister: "Basically the lobby groups are in the executive now. Hoggard's there - he is the agribusiness lobby group chief - he's now in Cabinet."
Rusty fails to mention that Steve Abel, a former Greenpeace staffer, is now a Green Party MP, and Eugenie Sage, also of the Greens, was ex Forest & Bird.
Okay, Newsroom, now do the green lobby!
OPINION: Entering Parliament back in 2023, I wanted to help put the fun back in farming. After six years of Labour, rural New Zealand was tired of the relentless waves of red tape and compliance, draining joy from people who just want to work the land.
The Government has struck a deal with New Zealand's poultry industry, agreeing how they will jointly prepare for and respond to exotic poultry diseases, including any possible outbreak of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI).
OPINION: Your old mate gets the sinking feeling that no matter who we vote into power in the hope they will reverse the terminal slide the country is in, there will always be a cohort of naysayers determined to hold us back.
Federated Farmers says climate protest group Greenpeace is manufacturing outrage and attempting to scare New Zealanders with headlines that have no basis in science.
Federated Farmers is renewing its call for Greenpeace to be stripped of its charitable status immediately, following the activist group's latest publicity stunt.
'Common sense' cuts to government red tape will make it easier for New Zealand to deliver safe food to more markets.
Balclutha farmer Renae Martin remembers the moment she fell in love with cows.
Academic freedom is a privilege and it's put at risk when people abuse it.
All eyes are on milk production in New Zealand and its impact on global dairy prices in the coming months.
Claims that some Southland farmers were invoiced up to $4000 for winter grazing compliance checks despite not breaching rules are being rejected by Environment Southland.
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.
