Cosmo Kentish Barnes
Working with a toddler in tow
18-month-old Charlie Munro is a climber and already knows some dog calls. His Mum, Anna, also grew up at Cravendale near Mount Somers. The photographer and physio is leasing the 450ha farm off her… Audio
Full Episode for Friday 18 April 2025
This week on Country Life we check out an artificially constructed lake on Braemore Farm that's built for water storage and fun... and farming with a toddler in tow. Anna and Mitch Munro are out on… Audio
Eco-sourced plants are flying out the gate at Rūnaka-owned nursery
A commercial nursery in Waihopai Invercargill, called Te Kohaka o Tane, has grown over 800,000 native plants and trees since it opened in 2022, more than half of which have already gone into the… Audio
Country Life for 11 April 2025
This week on Country Life the team take a walk on the wild side with a herd of water buffalo in Clevedon, check out a botanical growing trial in Taranaki and visit a Runaka-owned and operated native… Audio
Tu-whit tu-whoo - Retiree takes injured night birds under her w
Gloria Harris has been running a little owl and morepork rescue service in Southland for 30 years. "I've probably cared for close to 300 birds," she told Country Life. Audio
Full Episode for Friday 4 April 2025
This week on Country Life the team catch up with a Wairarapa farming family that's added sheep dairy to their farming operation, and Gloria Harris, who runs a little owl and morepork rescue service… Audio
On-farm learning a success
A training programme in Southland is giving young adults with high-functioning disabilities, the skills required to work on a dairy farm. Michial Todd was the first to graduate and now he's a… Audio
Country Life for 28 March 2025
This week Country Life takes a look at how the folk at Kai Rotorua are preparing for the upcoming kumara harvest. Also, a training programme in Southland is giving young adults with high-functioning… Audio
Sheep to chic with cosy crossbred wool
Sometimes it takes an outsider to come in and give a dyed-in-the-wool farmer a wee nudge. This is where Southland entrepreneur Laura Todd comes in. Audio
Full Episode for Friday 21 March 2025
This week on Country Life the team catch up with some sheep farmers busy with docking and crutching on the land, and then a taste of the sea, as they sample different seaweeds. Audio
Country Life Friday 14 March 2025
This week on Country Life the team head to a luxury lodge where farming is all part of the experience, and Tuatapere's domain is transformed into a sensory celebration of rural life during the annual… Audio
'Back to the land': Commune still going strong after 50 years
Rainbow Valley is located on regenerating whenua at the end of a gravel road near Takaka. Several families share the land and help run a small farm for the benefit of the whole community. Audio
Grape picking starts soon at organic Waipara Valley vineyard
A pre-harvest update from the Greystone Wines, that recently hosted the inaugural Underground soil, food and farming festival, with viticulturalist and farming advisor, Nick Gill. Audio
Country Life Friday 7 March 2025
This week Country Life takes a look at the process of breeding new varieties of apples, gets an update on the grape harvest and visits a commune in Golden Bay. Audio
Farmer rapt with edible bale netting
Plastic free paddocks have become a reality thanks to Grant Lightfoot. The Orepuke deer farmer, who invented a non-polluting baleage wrap that animals can eat, has just received his first shipment of… Audio
Country Life Friday 28 February 2025
Coming up on Country Life... we meet a small-scale farmer who has big ideas on how smaller farms can help solve the growing problem of food insecurity in New Zealand... and a Southland deer farmer… Audio
Farmers turn weed into wellness products
Hemp grows beside wheat, barley and peas at Blair and Jody Drysdale's farm in northern Southland. The seeds are pressed in the farmyard and made into nutritional oil and skincare cream, that the… Audio
Country Life Friday 21 Feb 2025
A farming couple in Southland are making health products from the hemp they grow, and we get some insights into the Chinese market for New Zealand wine. Audio
Gut fixing seaweed cuts methane emissions from gassy cattle
Red seaweed grown in Bluff has been shown to significantly reduce methane emissions in beef and dairy cattle with no adverse effects to the animals, their products or the environment. Audio
Country Life for Friday 14 February 2025
Country Life this week heads inside a Hawke's Bay packhouse and orchard once covered in millions of litres of silt after Cyclone Gabrielle, meets a topdressing pilot who's still flying after nearly… Audio