Rural
Meet the Kiwis ditching modern life for 'homesteading'
A growing number of Kiwis are making the switch to the homesteading lifestyle - foregoing the conveniences of modern life with the aim to grow as much of their own food as possible. Audio
Fernhill - From DOC to dairy on the family farm
Fifth generation dairy farmer Jason Christensen took a break from the family farm to try life as a DOC ranger. His experience in the world of conservation, evident on the Mt Bruce farm in the… Audio
Country Life for 17 May 2024
This week on Country Life we hear about a country vet's daring horseback escape from Afghanistan over the mountains on horseback after 9/11. We meet Pounamu Skelton who is on a mission to help Maori… Audio
Company creating cow-less dairy products given green light to expand
Daisy Lab has been given the go-ahead to scale up production 500-fold.
Beekeeper furious over burning of $2m honey crop
North Canterbury's Steven Brown is calling for a new approach to a hive-destroying disease. Audio
Midday Rural News for 14 May 2024
Growers are scrambling to help their Vanuatu RSE workers stuck here. Audio
Egg and poultry businesses 'lucky' bird flu not here yet
Bird flu, the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus, was top of the agenda at the International Poultry Council's annual meeting in Argentina last week.
Banned plant toxic to humans and livestock set to bloom
Farmers and gardeners are being asked to keep an eye out for a poisonous pest plant that will bloom in June.
The not-so-lame story of a country vet
Who knows what goes on in a herd of cows as they walk to the milking shed? Plenty, according to Inglewood vet Neil Chesterton, who has made this his life's work and become a world-renowned expert on… Audio
Feeding time at the zoo
Have you ever wondered where all the food for Wellington Zoo's 500 animals come from? The answer might surprise you... Gianina Schwanecke meets with the zoo's animal science manager to find out more… Video, Audio
The last day of the kumara harvest with Doug Nilsson
It's the last day of the kumara harvest at Dunsmore Gardens, a farm on the outskirts of Dargaville. It's also time to celebrate after the grower lost 99 percent of his crop last season. Audio
Country Life for 10 May 2024
This week Country Life is at the last day of the kumara harvest in Northland, joins a quartet of otters at Wellington Zoo for dinner to learn more about where the animals' food comes from and speaks… Audio
'A lot of people are moving back'
A former Taumarunui meatworks has a new lease of life as a pet food factory - and is providing plenty of jobs for locals. Audio
Farming family donates significant land to community
A prominent Bay of Plenty farming family is giving up 100 hectares of farmland that has served them for 60 years.
ANZCO posts full-year profit, bucking industry trend
The profit is a standout considering other major meat players, Silver Fern Farms and Alliance, have posted big losses.
