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More than quarter of kids struggling for food, study finds
A new report shows food insecurity affects one in four homes with children in Aotearoa.
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Romene: From sheep to sheet mask
20 Sep 2025Southland sheep farmer Megan Seator is unravelling new uses for Romney's strong wool in a range of skincare products.
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Wattie's denies peach cut due to owner's split
19 Sep 2025Local peach growers have been told their fruit will no longer be needed.
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Alliance Group warns of insolvency if shareholders reject investment
19 Sep 2025Alliance Group is urging shareholders to vote to accept a $250 million investment from an Irish meat company.
Country headlines with summaries.
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The many lessons of the pā harakeke
20 Sep 2025For close to 30 years, Whanganui couple Marilyn and Marty Vreede have been making paper from leftover harakeke from the district's many weavers, while also helping to revitalise te reo Māori.
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A thread runs through it
20 Sep 2025Huhana Smith grows fruit and harakeke at Kuku, north of Wellington. Standing on the shoulders of her ancestors, she's growing healthy food and, potentially, a sustainable fashion industry.
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Kiwifruit woos wealthy foreigners with new fund
Lucrative SunGold kiwifruit may hold the key to unlocking New Zealand residency for wealthy foreigners through the "golden visa".
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Japan wants Canterbury's alternative green protein
18 Sep 2025An innovative company producing alternative proteins from leafy green plants has signed a new deal with one of Asia's largest importers of food and dairy ingredients. Audio
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Environment Canterbury declares nitrate emergency
17 Sep 2025The move comes after a survey found both E coli and nitrate concentrations were increasing. Audio
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Avocado growers count losses after wild wind damage
16 Sep 2025Strong winds battered Bay of Plenty and Coromandel orchards, with growers left mulching trees and salvaging fruit.
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Agriculture educator shocked by govt's curriculum changes
12 Sep 2025Kerry Allen says removing agribusiness and horticulture science from 2028 narrows pathways into NZ's primary sector. Audio
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Forest guardians reject use of GMOs
12 Sep 2025The Forest Stewardship Council is holding firm on its stance against the use of genetic technologies in forests.
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Treading Lightly - shoelaces made from sheep and salad
13 Sep 2025Meet Jacob Smith, the 21-year-old turning wool and veggie scraps into fashion-forward biodegradable shoelaces.
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A cosmic farewell to the man who makes rural radio sing
13 Sep 2025For nearly two decades, RNZ producer Cosmo Kentish-Barnes has been roaming the South Island countryside on the trail of stories for Country Life.
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Dairy farmer rewarded for environmental efforts on Canterbury plains
16 Sep 2025It's all go in the calving shed, but with tech doing the heavy lifting, dairy farmer Dan Schat has time for a yarn about the cold, the costs, and the season so far.
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Avocados for 19 cents? The bumper crop has arrived
11 Sep 2025It's a great time for avocado lovers, and not so much for growers.
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Sheep and beef farmers' profits expected to rise
11 Sep 2025Profitability was expected to rise across all regions with East Coast farmers expecting the largest upswing.
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King Salmon buys new $8m site in Blenheim
The salmon company's processing will eventually move to the new site from Nelson.
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'Magic of Molesworth' tipped to lure hunters for Canada geese cull
10 Sep 2025The tough environment, weather conditions or proving their guile against the cunning geese all add to the occasion for hunters, the organiser says.
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The right note: An orchestra nurturing rural youth
7 Sep 2025Cellist Caitlin Morris says the Wairarapa Youth Orchestra nurtures a new generation of musicians and gives rural youth an important social outlet.
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Candle making: a personal journey of whānau, loss and reclamation
6 Sep 2025For one Te Kūiti businesswoman, pouring candles became a way to process grief and to reconnect with who she was beyond motherhood.
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A wild night in the bush with 'Jack-of-all-trails'
6 Sep 2025Fifteen-year-old Jack Karetai-Barrett took Country Life on a night walk through Whakatāne's kiwi country.
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DIY crew nail it for pest-free Te Horo
6 Sep 2025A garage in Te Horo is buzzing to the sounds of backyard builders making traps to protect birds moving between the coast and the Tararua range.
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Whitebait season: Annual hunt for 'white gold' underway
5 Sep 2025For many in Taranaki and Waikato that means a trek to the Mōkau and Awakino awa, where whitebait stands change hands for tens of thousands of dollars.
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Academic sorry for comment about 'hanging' dairy industry bosses
4 Sep 2025Victoria University's Mike Joy asked: "How about we bring back hanging for industry CEOs?" on social media.
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Dairy prices slump in latest auction, including falls for butter
Prices have slumped in the latest global dairy auction overnight as supply outpaced demand.
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Council hopes new RMA rules will reduce breaches
3 Sep 2025Insurance companies will no longer be able to cover the now harsher fines.
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There's a new type of avocado - how does it compare?
3 Sep 2025A nutritionist got her mitts on the only Harricado in the country and put it to the smash.
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