Third Candidate Confirmed for Feds President Election
There has been another twist to the Federated Farmers annual election fiasco.
OPINION: A reader recently called out the Hound for not giving Federated Farmers enough credit for taking Otago Regional Council to task on its dodgy rule changes.
Fair cop - Otago Feds have led the fight with ORC.
They're again calling on ORC to "delay notification of new freshwater rules and lay the full costs bare for the community to see".
Otago president Luke Kane says the council has been about as transparent as a brick wall.
"First they said we were totally wrong, and we didn't understand, then they said it's complicated and we were only partially correct, and now they've gone totally quiet".
Feds say the sheer arrogance on display from ORC is simply jaw-dropping.
"It's not just Environment Minister Penny Simmonds waiting for these costings. It's the entire Otago region."
Forestry Minister Todd McClay has today congratulated the winners of the 2026 Growing Native Forests Champions Awards at Fieldays.
The Government has announced $60,000 to provide one-off grants of $1,000 to each of the 60 New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF) clubs across the country.
New Zealand’s rural sector has once again demonstrated its generosity, with the second Rural Industry Leaders Dinner, Debate and Auction raising an impressive $400,000 for the Rural Support Trust.
There has been another twist to the Federated Farmers annual election fiasco.
Analysis of decades of research has revealed the implementation of good farming practices plays a critical role in reducing nutrient losses to improve freshwater outcomes.
Yesterday the Government used the opening of Fieldays to announce a major investment, as part of its Land Use Flexibility package, to support a more productive and sustainable future across six sectors including dairy.

OPINION: While we're on the topic of lumberjacks, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard has no doubt used a chainsaw hundreds of…
OPINION: To a chorus of crying greenies, and not a minute too soon, the Government has moved to put the…