Election 2026: How Parties Would Lift the Arable Sector
As part of its Election 2026 coverage, Rural News asked political parties how they would help pull the arable sector out of the doldrums. Here's what they said:
OPINION: The Hound reckons any claims that Ag Minister Damien O’Connor is in the ‘wrong party’, will have been well and truly dispelled by comments he made at the recent Red Meat Sector Conference.
In a political discussion – held at the conference between O’Connor and National’s ag spokesman Todd McClay –the Minister told the audience of 300 meat industry people that we “probably don’t have enough tax in this country… we are going to have to contribute more!”
Apparently, O’Connor’s desire to tax New Zealanders more went down with this audience about as well as a fake meat burger!
The fact is that Labour wants more tax despite the fact it is now collecting $100 million more a day in tax than when they came to power in 2017!
Farmlands has reported higher operating earnings and a profit before income tax of $4.5 million, up 118.9%, for the year ended 30 June 2026.
AgriZeroNZ has invested a further NZ$17.7 million in methane vaccine developer ArkeaBio and NZ$5.1 million in BioLumic, a New Zealand-founded company that uses ultraviolet light to develop low-emissions pasture..
Good news for Fonterra farmers. The co-op has raised this season’s farmgate milk price mid-point by 25c to $9.75/kgMS.
OPINION: Political parties are getting plenty of advice and recommendations from sector groups as the election approaches.
In farming there are external factors that can influence behaviour of a whole herd, such as a bad weather event, triggering false positive heat detections or health attentions.
For Canterbury dairy farmer Cameron Henderson, supporting Meet the Need comes down to a simple question: how can the success of New Zealand farming benefit more than just those within the industry?

OPINION: The same mainstream media muppets that brought you Jacindamania in 2017 have been flat out pimping for the Opportunities…
OPINION: Your old mate reckons the atrocious way farmers in the UK are treated by their lords and masters in…