Farming

Growers across Auckland's Pukekohe said they were running out of options to keep crops healthy and pest-free.

Farmers frustrated by 'slow, laborious' EPA product approval process

Months after the Government pledged to cut red tape and speed up access to new agricultural products, some farmers say little has changed.

Saturday 6:32pm

2:41

Santana Minerals has taken over 800ha of Central Otago land for extraction operations.

Famed Otago high-country station a step closer to hosting a gold mine

Bendigo Station would be known to many New Zealanders as the home of Shrek the sheep.

Fri, Oct 17

2:51

Climate Change Minister Simon Watts. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro

Fears weaker methane target signals a wider climate action retreat

While the farming industry responded positively to the news, many climate scientists condemned the move as an unprecedented rollback.

Mon, Oct 13

Judith Collins introduced the Gene Technology Bill in late 2024 to modernise New Zealand's regulations and enable the safe use of gene technology outside of the lab.

NZ First won't support Gene Tech bill – barring major changes

New Zealand First confirms it supports the changes present in a Select Committee report but it will not support the bill into law without further major changes.

Mon, Oct 13

Miles Hurrell was asked by 1News about the state of butter prices for Kiwi consumers.

Fonterra buoyant despite slight dip in net profit

Chief executive Miles Hurrell said the full year ended July had been one of the co-op's strongest years yet.

Thu, Sep 25

Farmers frustrated by 'slow, laborious' EPA product approval process

Months after the Government pledged to cut red tape and speed up access to new agricultural products, some farmers say little has changed.

Saturday 6:32pm

2:41

Famed Otago high-country station a step closer to hosting a gold mine

Bendigo Station would be known to many New Zealanders as the home of Shrek the sheep.

Fri, Oct 17

2:51

Fears weaker methane target signals a wider climate action retreat

While the farming industry responded positively to the news, many climate scientists condemned the move as an unprecedented rollback.

Mon, Oct 13

NZ First won't support Gene Tech bill – barring major changes

New Zealand First confirms it supports the changes present in a Select Committee report but it will not support the bill into law without further major changes.

Mon, Oct 13

Fonterra buoyant despite slight dip in net profit

Chief executive Miles Hurrell said the full year ended July had been one of the co-op's strongest years yet.

Thu, Sep 25

River bank erosion in the Te Hoiere/Pelorus catchment. Farmers are losing metres of land at a time to the river.

'Nature takes no prisoners': The billion-dollar cost of river erosion

Landowners in north Marlborough are frustrated at the lack of action on riverbank erosion threatening their properties, but the council says it can’t intervene without footing a bill of more than a billion dollars.

Sat, Aug 30

Fonterra settles with Bega, pushing consumer sale price over $4b

The settlement means Bega licences held by Fonterra's Australia business will be included in the divestment of Fonterra's global consumer business.

Tue, Aug 26

Canterbury contractor fined over $12,000 for an overweight agricultural vehicle is just the latest hit by rules.

Rural road rules for agricultural vehicles 'null and void'

Rural contractors say current regulations are decades out of date and don't reflect the size of modern machinery now being used.

Fri, Aug 22

Q+A visited Hugh Jackson, the newly crowned Young Farmer of the Year, on his family's sheep and beef farm in Te Akau, north of Raglan.

Full interview: Young farmer on how tech can change farming

Young Farmer of the Year Hugh Jackson believes new technology could help significantly boost cattle numbers on his farm.

Sun, Aug 17

July 2025

Southland farm owner who exploited migrant workers hit with more fines

The penalties come on top of $215,000 in fines imposed last year when the company and its owner had breached minimum employment standards.

Thu, Jul 31

Gisborne farmers are being called on to help prevent wandering stock from becoming a “road statistic” by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA).

Wandering stock cause safety fears on Gisborne highways

More than 450 incidents of roaming stock was reported in just one year on Gisborne's local roads and state highways.

Tue, Jul 29

Northland's Toa Henderson took out first place in the competition.

Kiwi Toa Henderson wins Royal Welsh Open shearing title

The 35-year-old told the crowds he felt "pretty good" taking the Welsh title in his first season.

Thu, Jul 24

Ten cows dead after vehicle crashes into herd near Palmerston North

The driver suffered moderate injuries, and four cows were also injured.

Sat, Jul 19

'Prince William wants my product' - delighted Kiwi farmer

Southland deer farmer and entrepreneur Grant Lightfoot made the most of his chance encounter with the Prince of Wales.

Fri, Jul 4

June 2025

Kiwi firm Halter has developed virtual fencing and solar-powered smart cow collars, so what’s next?

Kiwi agri-tech startup hits $1 billion valuation

Auckland-based firm Halter's cow-collar technology lets farmers virtually fence, move and monitor cattle using sound and vibration cues.

Wed, Jun 25

In the past 10 months, IR had found $45 million worth of undeclared taxes in the horticulture industry.

Undeclared tax totalling $45m found in horticulture industry

The tax department also said it had seen some "concerning" practices in the sector, including people being paid under the table.

Thu, Jun 19

MP and the party's agricultural spokesperson Steve Able spoke to Q+A's Jack Tame.

Greens push to include agriculture in Emissions Trading Scheme

Steve Abel criticised Labour's decision to "review" their policy on agriculture's inclusion in the ETS, saying they should "just do it".

Sun, Jun 15

Smoke or fog? Former council chair fumes over pollution doubters

The regional council found no evidence of breaches and suggested Rex Graham's photo of smoke might show mist.

Thu, Jun 12

May 2025

Waikato Regional Council officer inspecting ponded effluent discharging into a farm drain.

April 2025

Twenty seven districts across the North Island and upper South would be eligible for the Rural Support Payment, the Government has announced.

Rural support payments open for application for drought-hit farmers

Payments are equivalent to the current rate of the Jobseeker Support benefit and can depend on how much farmers and their partners earn and any money or off-farm assets they have.

Tue, Apr 22