HortNZ levy vote looming
Commercial fruit and vegetable growers are being urged to their say in the upcoming levy referendum to enable Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) to continue its work for the sector.
OPINION: The Hound understands there has been quite a bit of unrest in the hort sector over the naming of a recent strategy, aimed at growing NZ hort export to $12b by 3035.
Things have got so bad that Hort NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley sent a recent message to growers defending the report’s title: Aotearoa Horticulture Action Plan.
“I have received some mixed feedback on the use of Aotearoa in the action plan’s title,” Tunley wrote.
“The choice of title was made by the Government, which initiated the plan that has been completed by our industry, working with Māori… and others with an interest in advancing our industry.”
She went on to try and further placate (rather unsuccessfully in this old mutt’s view) with this final claim: “… there is increasing emphasis on the use of te reo Māori as part of the Government’s responsibilities under the Treaty of Waitangi.”
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.