Stories by Peter Fowler

Seven farming leaders have pledged to make New Zealand's rivers swimmable for the next generations, saying it is the right thing to do.

Slower growth in demand is keeping world food prices low, says the OECD.

Wool prices have hit rock bottom, causing a lot of stress and emotion in the industry, says a Hawke's Bay wool broker.

Species of some birds counted in the annual New Zealand Garden Bird Survey have declined by more than 40 percent in the past 10 years.

Extremely wet conditions have made it very difficult to grow vegetables in the past few weeks, especially leafy greens, Horticulture New Zealand says.

A striking number of young farm workers are taking their own lives, a suicide researcher says.

Doctors are urging New Zealand and Australia to ban the use of quad bikes by children under 16, saying the death toll is "quite frankly unacceptable".

Power lines colliding in high winds are suspected of causing devastating wildfires in Hawke's Bay in January and February.

Andrew Newman has resigned at a time when the $900 million Ruataniwha water storage project he promoted looks increasingly in doubt.

An inquiry into the Havelock North water contamination crisis has reignited anger, with parents of infected children saying someone should lose their job.

The Havelock North drinking water supply was contaminated last year by a surface pond less than 100 metres from the bore, scientific test results obtained by RNZ News show.

The head of the inquiry into Havelock North's drinking water contamination has criticised the Hastings District Council for failing to comply with drinking water laws.

A government inquiry is looking at whether sheep faeces contaminated the town's water supply, poisoning more than 5000 people. Video

Andy Pearce has resigned as the chair of the Hawke's Bay Regional Council's investment company, which is developing the $900 million project.

Dairy farmers are being urged to check their farms for hidden cameras after some Waikato farmers found them in their milking sheds.

Tukituki MP Craig Foss has accused the Hawke's Bay Regional Council of adding to public uncertainty about the contamination of Havelock North's water supply.

The future of whitebait populations in the Hawke's Bay lies in the hands of local whitebaiters, says the Department of Conservation.

The cost of the Ruataniwha water storage project in Hawke's Bay has jumped 50 percent, with farmers expected to pay more than half the bill. Audio

Strips of land allowing public access are the latest issue in the ongoing legal battle over the proposed Ruataniwha Dam in Hawke's Bay.

Nitrogen in soil and water, from human activities such as farming, is causing the diversity of plant species to decline, a new study has found.

Fonterra is well positioned to increase its trade in Iran following the lifting of trade sanctions, it says.

The Hawke's Bay Regional Council's Investment Company has still not secured an institutional investor for the controversial Ruataniwha Dam.

New internet broadband targets announced by the government will help bring rural communities into the 21st Century, the Rural Health Alliance says.

A rural anti-theft campaign's been launched to encourage farmers to report all suspicious activity, no matter how small it may seem.