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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: While we're on the topic of lumberjacks, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard has no doubt used a chainsaw hundreds of times, but your old mate reckons he would’ve still been sweating on getting it right when cutting down a pine in front of the cameras, as he did above Queenstown during a recent pre-Budget announcement around extra funding for wilding pine control efforts.
Wilding pines are the wrong tree in the wrong place, and they need to go, says Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard.
OPINION: For thousands of Southland farmers, this week would have tipped them into the non-compliant category when it comes to following regional freshwater plan rules. But the Government has stepped in to give them the clarity they deserve.
Southland farmers staring down a May deadline to submit freshwater farm plans under current regional plan rules have been given an 18-month reprieve by the Government.
Federated Farmers says the Government's announcement of $79 million in funding for wilding pine control marks a major breakthrough.
Two Canadian spraying experts, Tom Wolf and Jason Deveau, are visiting New Zealand in early August to ensure that arable growers are hitting the target with this key piece of equipment.
Otago Southland Young Farmer Tom Slee has been crowned the Season 58 FMG Young Farmer of the Year after an outstanding performance at the Grand Final in New Plymouth, the first time the event has been held in the region.
New Zealand's red meat sector says it welcomes the Government's focus on trade ahead of the general election in November.
Two year 10 students from Putaruru College and John Paul College in Waikato Bay of Plenty have been crowned the 2026 FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year at the competition's Grand Final in New Plymouth.
With the New Zealand/India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) dominating political debate here, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting New Zealand next week.
Michelle and Tony Roberts didn't inherit the farming business they have today. They’ve built it from the ground up.
