Strange bedfellows
OPINION: Two types of grifters have used the sale of Fonterra's consumer brands as a platform to push their own agendas - under the guise of 'caring about the country'.
The Hound would like to know why Greenpeace activists who break the law never get punished.
Earlier this year Greenpeace head Russel Norman and a fellow eco-terrorist were charged with disrupting the legal business of an oil company off the Taranaki coast but they were discharged without conviction.
And just last month, a bunch of Greenpeace ‘rent-a-crowd’ arrested for protesting earlier this year at the site of a new dairy farm in the Mackenzie Country were not convicted, illegally locking themselves onto machinery being used to dig a pipeline for the legally proposed dairy farm at Simon’s Pass near Lake Pūkaki.
It seems the judiciary in this country is giving Greenpeace activists carte blanche to break laws and not face any punishment – while other New Zealanders don’t enjoy the same largesse.
Waikato dairy farmer Neil Bateup, made a companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) in the New Year 2026 Honours list, says he’s grateful for the award.
Another Australian state has given the green light to virtual fencing, opening another market for Kiwi company Halter.
Farmer interest continues to grow as a Massey University research project to determine the benefits or otherwise of the self-shedding Wiltshire sheep is underway. The project is five years in and has two more years to go. It was done mainly in the light of low wool prices and the cost of shearing. Peter Burke recently went along to the annual field day held Massey's Riverside farm in the Wairarapa.
Applications are now open for the 2026 NZI Rural Women Business Awards, set to be held at Parliament on 23 July.
Ravensdown has announced a collaboration with Kiwi icon, Footrot Flats in an effort to bring humour, heart, and connection to the forefront of the farming sector.
Forest & Bird's Kiwi Conservation Club is inviting New Zealanders of all ages to embrace the outdoors with its Summer Adventure Challenges.

OPINION: The release of the Natural Environment Bill and Planning Bill to replace the Resource Management Act is a red-letter day…
OPINION: Federated Farmers has launched a new campaign, swapping ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ for ‘The Twelve Pests of Christmas’ to…