India–New Zealand FTA talks continue in Delhi as officials pursue trade breakthrough
This past week has seen another round of negotiations between India and New Zealand to produce a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
New Zealand First says Italy and Hungary are breaking European ranks over Russian sanctions.
New Zealand First Leader and Northland MP Winston Peters says the Foreign Ministers of Italy and Hungary this week said there could be no automatic extension of the European Union's sanctions against Russia. "We can probably add Greece and Cyprus to that growing list as well," says Peter.
"While (Prime Minister) Mr (John) Key was entertaining the Iranian Foreign Minister in Wellington, Iran moved this week to fill Russia's $1bn market for fruit and vegetables. This follows Russian sanctions against Turkey after it shot down a Russian fighter over Syria."
Peters says Russia is also the world's number one beef importer and number two dairy importer.
Earlier he told a ForestWood Conference in Auckland the dairy industry – vitally important as it is to New Zealand – is not going to repeat the growth record of the past decade.
"Both economically and environmentally the conditions that fostered such rapid growth in the dairy sector are unlikely to recur," he says.
"Dairy will still be a mainstay – but it has come down to earth with a bump – and given us a salutary reminder that diverse exporting industries is economic common sense."
New Zealand needs to build up many other heavyweight export sectors as well.
There were very few economic sectors that offer the potential or opportunity of forestry and wood products.
That is why NZ First supports the vision of the Wood Council to raise the earnings of the New Zealand forest and wood products sector to $12 billion by 2022.
Labour's agriculture spokesperson Jo Luxton says while New Zealand needs more housing, sacrificing our best farmland to get there is not the answer.
Profitability issues facing arable farmers are the same across the world, says New Zealand's special agricultural trade envoy Hamish Marr.
Over 85% of Fonterra farmer suppliers will be eligible for customer funding up to $1,500 for solutions designed to drive on-farm efficiency gains and reduce emissions intensity.
Tighter beef and lamb production globally have worked to the advantage of NZ, according to the Meat Industry Association (MIA).
Groundswell is ramping up its 'Quit Paris' campaign with signs going up all over the country.
Some farmers in the Nelson region are facing up to five years of hard work to repair their damaged properties caused by the recent devastating floods.