Navigation for News Categories
Country
Featured Country stories
Farmers die days apart lifting vehicles with tractor forks
The son of one farmer said his father "could have died a thousand times in other ways".
-
Why Country Calendar is still going strong after 60 years
10:38 am todayOn 6 March, 1966 the first episode of a new show for farmers began.
-
'Completely different': The secret to NZ's sheep shearing success
1:22 pm todayMore than 400 competitors from 24 countries have assembled as the the Golden Shears are held in Masterton.
-
WorkSafe spots chemical, machinery risks on NZ orchards
5 Mar 2026WorkSafe is mostly content with the health and safety of orchards it visited, but warns of some chemical and machinery risks.
Country headlines with summaries.
-
Global dairy prices continue to rise in wake of Middle East conflict
The important whole-milk powder price, which influences farmer payouts, rose 4.5 percent.
-
Wairarapa welcomes the world to the World Shearing Champs
4 Mar 2026It's the Olympics in the shearing world, one contestant says.
-
KiwiSaver changes open doors for farming investments
Fund managers said the proposed change could equally apply to a shopkeeper buying a business with living accommodation upstairs.
-
Would a Commissioner for Animals improve welfare?
3 Mar 2026Animal protection organisations say MPI cannot be independent in enforcing animal welfare, but a Commissioner could. Audio
-
Enough fertiliser to cover autumn, Ravensdown says
3 Mar 2026About 40 percent of nitrogen fertilisers come from the Middle East.
-
Fears dog attacking sheep will move on to people
2 Mar 2026In this idyllic rural community, locals are on edge about a roving dog that's killing animals. Audio
-
Young farmer eyes first home dream as KiwiSaver rules change
The change will allow service tenancy workers to use their KiwiSaver for a first home purchase without having to live in it. Audio
-
New Zealand exports caught up in Middle East conflict
2 Mar 2026Thousands of shipping containers filled with New Zealand exports bound for international markets are being caught up in the Midd le East conflict.
-
'Fetishisation of protein': An Oxford professor on the future of food and food production
28 Feb 2026Sir Charles Godfray has told the Riddet Institute's Agrifood Summit our food systems will have to change in order to limit the impacts of global warming.
-
The fishing competition with no fish - why 400 people have still entered
28 Feb 2026The small farming township was once world famous for its abundant chinook salmon and other fish populations in the Rakaia River. Audio
-
Blade shearing - a little bit nostalgia, a lot of skill
28 Feb 2026Blade shearers from around the world have been sharpening their tools and their eye before the Golden Shears in Masterton under the tutelage of Allan Oldfield, a world champion blade shearer, at a…
-
The biggest little town in the valley
28 Feb 2026Duntroon lies on the south side of the Waitaki River, and for a town of about 100 people it has more than its share of attractions.
-
Labour MPs dust off gumboots for annual Federated Farmers meeting
President Wayne Langford was hopeful that, if elected, Labour would better acknowledge the contribution farmers make to the country.
-
Farmers call for a 'level playing field' for pork
27 Feb 2026A group of farmers, pork producers and advocates wrote to the Prime Minister calling for a "level playing field" among locally-produced and imported product.
-
Fiordland hunters make big push for venison meat processing plant
26 Feb 2026A community conservation effort is hoping to fund a new processing facility for wild deer in the deep south.
-
Farmer's accident inspire him to fundraise thousands for town helipad
26 Feb 2026Andrew Hurst credits the skill and speed of the rescue helicopter with saving his leg after a farm accident.
-
New report exposes potential nitrate pollution in Southland
25 Feb 2026An estimated 15,000 Southlanders could be drinking water polluted by nitrates according to a new Southland Regional Council report. Audio
-
MPI wants to better track pig and sheep movement
25 Feb 2026The government has proposed new options to improve pig and sheep traceability so it can better respond to disease outbreaks.
-
Scales corporation profits off the scale
The company's net profit for the 2025 financial year was $117.7 million - a 137 percent lift on the year before.
-
Farmers being cautious with profits
24 Feb 2026While many farmers are riding a wave of strong farm-gate prices, profits are only trickling into regional economies.
-
Hawke's Bay water storage project a step closer
24 Feb 2026Geotechnical work has started as part of a feasibility study for the Heretaunga Water Storage Facility.
-
PGG Wrightson increases half-year profit on back of increased sales
PGG Wrightson made a net profit of $17.3 million up from $16m.
-
New teen farmers get a shedful of sheep to learn the ropes
23 Feb 2026Young farming cadets are being trained to turn sheep into dog tucker in 30 minutes.
-
Moonshine matriarch: Southland's tradition of distilling Scottish whisky
20 Feb 2026A look inside the Hokonui Moonshine Museum where the manufacture of this legendary spirit continues in the modern day.
Top News stories
- National falls into the 20s in latest poll as pressure mounts on Christopher Luxon
- Live: Israel, US intensify attacks on Iran as war hits 7th day
- Two seriously injured near Levin after ambulance, gas truck collide
- New Dunedin Hospital's 'approved budget' higher than government claimed
- Anthony Albanese confirms Australian navy personnel on US submarine that sank Iranian vessel
