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OPINION: This old mutt went to school to eat his lunch, but still knows the future of the country, and the primary sector, depends on a conveyor belt of well-educated youth coming through the system.
The current government has made some big changes to try and improve education outcomes, but it seems the only news coverage you'll see on this is the predictable but disappointing whinging from groups like the NZEI and the principals' association.
What we should be hearing are the numbers: school attendance is up from 65.9% to 68.6% year-on-year, a huge jump from 46.5% in 2022, and targeted interventions in maths saw students make double the progress of their peers in just 12 weeks - to list just a couple.
Which goes to show, to make an informed decision this election year, you'll need to go beyond the daily news and look up the actual data yourself.
Feilding Agricultural High School isn't alone in offering agricultural or horticultural subjects as part of its curriculum, but the location of one of its farms on the northern edge of the urban fringe makes for some interesting considerations.
ACT MP and Minister for Biosecurity Andrew Hoggard says he's hearing a common story about school buses, with empty seats, driving past pick-up points, while a parent follows behind in a farm ute, burning fuel and taking up time to get their children to school.
Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) and Federated Farmers say they welcome the announcement last week that the Government will increase the conveyance allowance by 30%.
The New Zealand National Fieldays Society is encouraging teachers to register school groups for the 2026 National Fieldays, set to be held at Mystery Creek Events Centre from 10-13 June.
OPINION: Rural school buses is a topic I have had a great deal of correspondence on over the last couple of months.
OPINION: Farmers around the country are welcoming the proposed reform of local government.
A move to boost farmer uptake of low methane emitting sheep is underway.
Silver Fern Farms has tackled the ongoing war-induced shipping challenges to mideast markets by airlifting 90 tonnes of chilled New Zealand lamb and beef to the United Arab Emirates.
The primary sector is leading New Zealand's economic recovery, according to economist and researcher Cameron Bagrie.
Dairy industry leader Jim van der Poel didn't make much of the invitation he received to the recent New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards in Rotorua.
Farmers around the country are going public big time, demanding their local district, city and regional councils come up with amalgamation plans that meet the needs of rural communities and don't allow urban councils to dominate.
