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What do rural sector groups think of the RMA?
Access to water, food production as a priority, and land use classifications are some of the issues primary sector groups are considering with the government's proposed new resource management legislation.
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Farmers fear double whammy of rising fuel and fertiliser costs
9:13 am todayThe conflict in the Middle East has pushed up the price of oil and the spot price of urea has jumped since the war began. Audio
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Homes needed for 150 Kaimanawa wild horses as muster goes ahead
10 Mar 2026Department of Conservation backed down from plans not to fund it a muster this year, which could have led to a cull.
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Work on to get beef destined for Middle East back to NZ
10 Mar 2026Premium beef cuts with a shelf life of 120 days that were on the way to Dubai have been parked by shipping companies in various ports.
Country headlines with summaries.
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Farmer fined $35k for failing to register hundreds of cattle
9 Mar 2026Trevor Ronald Bolton failed to register 269 animals and failed to declare 571 animals that were moved off-farm.
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Aussie farmer who swam his way out of depression
After decades of self-medicating with beer, Brendan Cullen is now an open-water swimmer and a "sounding board" for rural people who are struggling.
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Women farmers say progress in agriculture still 'patchy'
Researchers say women's contributions to farming businesses remain under-recognised despite decades of advocacy.
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Eat local, learn new ways to farm, and be merry
7 Mar 2026Agri-innovation talks, farm-to-table food, and good company; it's all in the name of better soil science at the Underground Festival.
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Permaculture power in Poukawa
7 Mar 2026The Duff family's focus is working with nature when it comes to their permaculture farm and organic nursery, Kahikatea Farm.
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Combating Australia's bushfires from the air
7 Mar 2026Henry Phelps started out flying tourists over New Zealand's wilderness areas and has lately been helping map and fight the Australian bushfires.
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'Completely different': The secret to NZ's sheep shearing success
6 Mar 2026More than 400 competitors from 24 countries have assembled as the the Golden Shears are held in Masterton.
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Farmers die days apart lifting vehicles with tractor forks
6 Mar 2026The son of one farmer said his father "could have died a thousand times in other ways".
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Why Country Calendar is still going strong after 60 years
6 Mar 2026On 6 March, 1966 the first episode of a new show for farmers began.
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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.
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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.
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Wairarapa welcomes the world to the World Shearing Champs
4 Mar 2026It's the Olympics in the shearing world, one contestant says.
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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.
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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
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Enough fertiliser to cover autumn, Ravensdown says
3 Mar 2026About 40 percent of nitrogen fertilisers come from the Middle East.
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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
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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
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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.
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'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.
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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
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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…
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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.
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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.
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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.
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