Tributes pour in for former PM Jim Bolger
Tributes are pouring in from across the political divide for former Prime Minister Jim Bolger who passed away, aged 90.
A stalwart of rural journalism, David Anderson, has died at home in Timaru following a prolonged illness.
Until illness forced his retirement earlier this year, David had been working as consulting editor of Rural News, but his career in rural and political roles was long and varied.
Raised on a sheep and beef farm near Timaru, David started his career as a junior reporter with the fledgling Rural News in 1991, freshly graduated from a journalism course – after a period farming, shearing and working in the meat processing industry. Rural News was in the process of changing, with the aim of tackling the real issues affecting the country’s all-important rural sector, and David’s nose for news was a perfect match.
His first editor, Ron Clark, was a true newspaper man who believed that NZ’s farming sector lacked serious coverage of the issues that it faced, and that Rural News was the perfect outlet to do this. Ron’s hard-hitting and uncompromising approach to news rubbed off on David, who took the same approach over his own career in rural journalism – covering the good, bad and ugly of NZ’s agribusiness sector without fear or favour and ‘keeping the buggers honest’. One headline David liked to recall from those early days, one that nicely sums up the fearless attitude Ron and David shared, was the classic ‘Why bankers are bastards!’
Farmers loved that one more than the publisher did: the banks wouldn’t advertise with Rural News for years after.
Ironically, David’s rural journalism career began when a new National-led government was picking up the pieces of a shattered economy and severely depressed rural sector hit by major reforms, in the aftermath of six years of a Labour-led government.
It was a rich period of change for a newsman: farmers were unhappy with the producer boards and the fact they could not even vote directly for their own representatives. They changed the system, believing it would see much better voter turnout and higher quality representation. Fast forward to today, and, as David recently noted, a mere 12% of red meat producers bothered to vote at the latest Beef+Lamb NZ annual meeting.
Another big change David’s career spanned was the painful formation of Fonterra, from the numerous small dairy co-ops dotted throughout the country, into one of the biggest and most successful dairy companies in the world.
Throughout his career, David was committed to putting farmers’ interests first, taking politicians, business leaders and ‘dark-suited PR types’ to task. He himself had a few years in a ‘dark suit’ working in communications for Fonterra and, before that, in Bill English’s press team. He also worked as an independent contractor for a few years, helping clients such as the Rural Contractors Association with their media and communications work, and also served as a councilor on the Waimate District Council. More recently, he managed his brother and National MP Miles Anderson’s successful 2023 campaign for the Waitaki seat.
When he returned to the Rural News editor’s chair a few years back, the Hound’s teeth were sharpened – the ‘woke’ in particular getting savaged.
There are too few of David’s kind left in the media industry – old school journalists chasing the story, not virtue signaling – and he has left an indelible mark on rural journalism. He will be missed.
To quote David’s final editorial: “It is impossible to summarise more than 30 years of this dynamic sector’s events and happenings in a few words. However, what I can say is that things will continue to change, farmers will adapt and the industry will survive and thrive. It’s been an absolute privilege to have played a small role in NZ’s most important and vibrant sector.”
Meat co-operative, Alliance has met with a group of farmer shareholders, who oppose the sale of a controlling stake in the co-op to Irish company Dawn Meats.
Rollovers of quad bikes or ATVs towing calf milk trailers have typically prompted a Safety Alert from Safer Farms, the industry-led organisation dedicated to fostering a safer farming culture across New Zealand.
The Government has announced it has invested $8 million in lower methane dairy genetics research.
A group of Kiwi farmers are urging Alliance farmer-shareholders to vote against a deal that would see the red meat co-operative sell approximately $270 million in shares to Ireland's Dawn Meats.
In a few hundred words it's impossible to adequately describe the outstanding contribution that James Brendan Bolger made to New Zealand since he first entered politics in 1972.
Dawn Meats is set to increase its proposed investment in Alliance Group by up to $25 million following stronger than forecast year-end results by Alliance.
OPINION: Ageing lefty Chris Trotter reckons that the decision to delay recognition of Palestinian statehood is more than just a fit…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly recently met someone at a BBQ who works at a big consulting firm who spent…