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OPINION: A mate of yours truly reckons rural Manawatu families are the latest to suffer under what he calls the Government's "performative restraint" - penny pinching on needed community stuff while the bureaucrat head count and wasteful spending in Wellington charges on undiminished.
He says the disruptions "have been as massive as the savings have been minimal".
He says, over the past year, the Ministry of Education has been reviewing school bus routes, quietly tightening eligibility rules that determine who qualifies for state-funded transport.
Students are increasingly required to attend their "nearest" school to qualify for a Ministry bus.
Routes that once served rural communities feeding into a range of secondary schools are being cancelled, merged, or redesigned.
Hundreds of families have apparently been affected.
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.
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.
The battle for the rural vote is on and parties are securing high profile names to try and bolster their chances at the general election.
Horticulture New Zealand says proposed changes to the Plant Variety Rights Act 2022 will drive innovation, investment and long-term productivity.
More than 1200 exhibitors will showcase their products and services at next month’s National Fieldays, with sites nearly sold out.
Despite difficult trading conditions for European machinery manufacturers brought about conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, alongside the United States imposing punitive tariffs, Italian manufacturer Maschio Gaspardo, has seen turnover increase 12% in 2025 to €390 million (NZ$775m) with a net profit of €11.2 million (NZ$22.3).
OPINION: When Donald Trump returned to the White House, many people with half a brain could see the results for…
OPINION: Media trust has tanked because of what media's more woke members do and say.
