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'.
OPINION: The Hound doesn't have the highest regard for multi-national, fundraising conglomerate Greenpeace.
However, he reckons its attempts to cash in on recent devastating flooding in the top half of the South Island was low - even for it.
"In the wake of the Nelson climate floods, Greenpeace is urging the government to address the causes of climate change from New Zealand's biggest climate polluter, intensive dairy," said Greenpeace's 'lead (anti) agriculture campaigner' Christine Rose.
The Auckland-based biking advocate (just how this qualifies her to speak on agricultural issues is perplexing in itself) then went on to assert - in very poor taste - that the flooding was all the fault of agricultural emissions and would never have happened if the use of nitrogen fertiliser were cut and NZ moved away from 'intensive dairying' to more plant-based, 'regenerative organic farming'.
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.
Grace Su, a recent optometry graduate from the University of Auckland, is moving to Tauranga to start work in a practice where she worked while participating in the university's Rural Health Interprofessional Programme (RHIP).
Two farmers and two farming companies were recently convicted and fined a total of $108,000 for environmental offending.

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