The Country - September 2019

Issue 8 | Monday, 23 September 2019

THE

COUNTRY

Freshwater guidelines What questions should we be asking?

A champagne moment

Regenerative agriculture

Championing wool to the world

One size does not fit all

COMMERCIAL MANAGER Nikki Verbeet PHONE 0277 12 14 13

EMAIL nikki.verbeet@nzme.co.nz

POWERED BY

Paperwork

No more paper. Way less work.

Employee admin is a long, slow slog.

PaySauce takes it online and off your hands.

Ditch the paperwork and get back to business.

Payroll

Contracts

Timesheets

PAYE Filing

From just $6.89* per fortnight * Based on one employee paid fortnightly plus gst and bank fees

0800 746 700 | www.paysauce.com

THE

COUNTRY

Inside this issue Treading water

Ode to the ute

A champagne moment

Pointless or palatable?

Questioning the new freshwater guidelines

A Kiwi love story – and cautionary tale

Championing crossbred wool to the world

The pleasure – or pain – that is halloumi

Regenerative agriculture

Are we innovators or fixer-uppers?

Diversification: what are the pros and cons?

Is it time to retire No. 8-wire thinking?

The 2019 Our Land and Water Symposium

Red meat in a post-truth world Celebrating achievements and searching for solutions

THE

It’s all about context – and one size rarely fits all

COUNTRY Radio

Digital

Print

Social

Join Jamie Mackay and Rowena Duncum every weekday at 12 – 1pm for an informative and entertaining agri-business hour, with a generous side-serving of news, sport and politics.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

FIND YO OUR FREQUENCY AT: THECOUNTRY.CO.NZ/FREQUENCIES NZ/FREQUENCIES

THE

COUNTRY

Treading water With environmental issues being on the rise, particularly those involving fresh water, Dr Jacqueline Rowarth explains why economists are needed urgently.

B

y the time this column is published, the government will have released the new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management and the new National Environmental Standards.

The timeframe for consultation is short, but the goal is basically the same for everybody: fresh water that meets the needs of aquatic organisms and recreational users.

What has yet to be established is how much people are prepared to pay, personally, or through the government and how much they are prepared to forego.

The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) asked about personal willingness in their research published at the end of last year. Only 40 percent of the general public were prepared to pay $50 a year to protect aquatic flora and fauna.

Fifty dollars could be 10 cups of coffee or four glasses of wine. Or it could be clothes or food for a child. But for 60 percent of the public, the $50 was important for a personal budget, not for an environmental benefit.

Funding crucial In contrast, the government has put funds towards improving the waterways. The 2019 budget allocated $229 million ‘to invest in projects to protect and restore at-risk waterways and wetlands and provide support for farmers and growers to use their land more sustainably’.

The implication is funding assistance to transition to a new mode of action, which has been the approach in the EU. There, however, the support is ongoing. The subsidies are given to farmers to offset loss of income, which has occurred because of land being set aside and stocking rates or fertiliser inputs being reduced.

Without this funding, the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) calculates that only 25 percent of farmers would be solvent.

Subsidies, tourism and off-farm incomes support the other 75 percent.

For the UK, cars, gold, crude oil, medications and aircraft parts are the top exports, and the contributions to the export economy are diverse. Food preparations appear at 39th place, with bakery goods at 67, whole fish at 85, cheese at 92 and beef at 159. The UK has a multisource income stream.

Primary production dominates The story in New Zealand, however, is very different. The export economy is still dominated by primary production.

Farmers and growers have developed systems that involve production, decreasing risks to that production (fertiliser and irrigation, for instance) and protecting the environment. Waterways have been fenced, wetlands created, sediment traps installed, and bush areas have been covenanted.

In 2018, Land, Air, Water Aotearoa reported that water quality appeared to be improving in a considerable number of rivers (more than were deteriorating). This was heartening for farmers and growers – their investments were having an effect.

But the big issue remains. People want the rivers that they think they remember from their childhoods. This is even though NIWA and NZIER have suggested that rose-

coloured spectacles are in play: water quality is better now than it was in the 1980s.

Applying EU quality guidelines to New Zealand waters indicates that our rivers are good quality, but that is not how it is being presented by environmentalists.

An important omission Minister David Parker established a Freshwater Leaders Group, and a Science and Technical Advisory Group towards the end of 2018. There was some grumbling about membership when the groups were announced, but curiously little comment about the lack of an economist. This omission is important, not simply because of the direct cost of action, but also because of the potential ongoing costs and opportunity cost to the country.

Sediment in Porirua Harbour has doubled in five years. Motorway construction, forestry and farming were implicated. In the five-year timeframe, it is the motorway that has been the big initiative, but nobody is suggesting that New Zealand stops development – the opportunity cost is too great.

Bacteria in waterways are a problem in terms of recreation and food. The EU, with high population, bird life and animals, has swimmable rivers and no outbreaks of human illness.

Questions should be asked The EU measurement guidelines for swimmable water quality are set sufficiently high to protect the human population. Comparison with what appears in the new guidelines for consultation in New Zealand is warranted. If New Zealand standards for human health are set higher than the EU for bacteria, as they are now, questions should be asked why, and what the cost will be.

Nutrients are also of concern, but some accumulation of nutrients along the length Applying EU quality of a river is natural, just like sediment. guidelines to New Sir David Attenborough explains the Zealand waters indicates development of a river from being vigorous and dangerous when young, that our rivers are good to tranquil waters rich with nutrients quality, but that is not how from its banks as it matures. The nutrients are important for plant growth it is being presented by and in turn the growth of other aquatic environmentalists. organisms.

Ireland has spent $6 billion on ‘cleaning up its rivers’, with little effect. But Ireland still has some of the top fishing rivers in the world – and a greater concentration of nutrients than the New Zealand rivers contain.

The big questions remain: how much are people prepared to pay, directly or indirectly; and what will the cost be in lost opportunity for development?

Economists are needed urgently.

Dr Jacqueline Rowarth CNZM CRSNZ HFNZIAHS has a PhD in Soil Science and has been analysing agri-environment interaction for several decades.

THE

COUNTRY

Ode to the UTE: a Kiwi love story

L

et’s talk about LOVE. Not just any love; the love New Zealand has for utes.

The Ford Ranger, the Holden Kingswood, Crumpy’s Toyota Hilux, they all hold a special place in our hearts – with the stats to back it up.

The top-selling vehicles in 2018? Ranger, then Hilux, with Triton coming in at number 5. While I can’t speak for the whole country, I can tell you my own story and how I think there is a fondness for these flat-deck automotive artworks in all of us.

For me, it started with my dad; he had a yellow (mostly paint, but some rust) Morris Minor ute.

As a kid, it really was that often-overused cliché, ‘business up front and party in the back’.

We would sit for hours in the cab pretending to drive, but when it came to the tray, well that was our stage… We would perform punishing shows to any family or neighbour who we could convince to be part of an audience.

And when my dad got a Kingswood work ute in traditional ‘Holden Golden’; that was like moving from the community theatre to Carnegie Hall. The performances got big gger in the back and the driving g turned from recreating mundane family trips to pretending we were Peter Brock winding our way through Mount Panorama in style.

When my dad got a Kingswood work ute in traditional ‘Holden Golden’; that was like moving from the community theatre to Carnegie Hall.

Like all good love stories, this one comes with a warning – a curse that has been the nemesis of ute owners since the beginning of time and tray.

Glenn Dwight explains.

Kiwi/Aussie bond But there is far more to the humble ute than just the excitement it brings to a child’s imagination and the practicality it brings to moving large objects no boot could ever handle. It is also a bond between New Zealand and Australia. For just like the pavlova, the ute belongs to both sides of the Tasman (but let’s be honest, was probably invented by a New Zealander).

According to that fount of knowledge Google, ‘A ute (/ju:t/ YOOT), originally an abbreviation for 'utility' or 'coupé utility', is a term used in Australia and New Zealand to describe vehicles with a tray behind the passenger compartment, that can be driven with a regular driver's license.’

A small part of me wishes, however, that there was such a thing as a ‘ute licence’. Obtaining it would involve the ability to stack an entire household’s furniture Jenga-style on the tray with only a single tie-down and some bailing twine (and maybe a white hanky attached to the inevitable overhanging object).

warning. While being the owner of a ute brings great joy, it also brings a curse, a curse that has been the nemesis of ute owners since the beginning of time and tray. That curse is the ‘mate’ who is moving and needs a hand, which basically translates to your ute and your lifting ability.

Nonetheless, in the grand scheme of things, this is a small price to pay, I say. For as that great New Zealander Fred Dagg would say when it comes to vehicular transport and the ute: “We don't know how lucky we are”.

Just for a second. imagine living in other parts of the world and having to drive a ‘pickup truck’. Here in Aotearoa we use a ute to actually pick up, and that’s the way it should be.

The Year of the Ute?

A cautionary tale

So come on New Zealand, let’s celebrate the ute and make 2020 ‘The Year of the Ute’: the year when those follically blessed grow mullets to celebrate the ute’s simple attitude of ‘business up front and party in the back’.

Then let those mullets blow in the wind, for you are ute drivers and your forearms are brown,, because you always drive with the window wound down.

This brings me to the cautionary part of this tale.

Like all good love stories, this one comes with a

Car enthusiast Glenn Dwight is a creative director at NZME in Wellington.

WHEN QUALITY AND SERVICE COUNTS

STOCK FOODS • QUARRY OPERATORS • TRANSPORT • CIVIL CONTRACTORS • PLANT HIRE •

FREEPHONE 0800 4 JSWAP

$

200 LITRE

1,000

100 LITRE DIESEL UNIT

300 LITRE DIESELPOWER

• 12V 40L/min open flow pump • 4m ¾” delivery hose with manual nozzle

• 4m wiring harness with alligator clips • 12V DieselPower self-priming pump • 4m of ¾” delivery hose with swivel and crimped fittings ings

SQDN200-7

$

• High quality auto shut-off nozzle • 30 min duty cycle, ycle, 30 min on/off

400 LITRE

1,300

SQDN400-7

SQDN100-P1

$

650

200L AND 400L DIESELPRO TRANSFER UNITS

200L & 400L DIESELPOWER UNITS

• 12V DieselPower Self-priming pump • Strong double walled lockable pump cover (padlock incl.) protects the pump and tank breather from unwanted access) • High quality auto shut-off nozzle • Suction foot screen filter on internal suction line • 4m wiring harness with alligator clips • 4m of ¾” delivery hose with swivel and crimped fittings • 30 min duty cycle, 30 min on/off • Baffled tank (400L) • Low profile design

• 12V PIUSI self-priming pump • High quality auto shut-off nozzle • 5m of ¾” delivery hose with swivel and crimped fittings • 45L/Min open flow • Lockable filling cap with 2 keys • 4m wiring harness with alligator clips • Suction foot screen filter on internal suction line • 30 min duty cycle, 30 min on/off • Baffled tank (400L only)

1100 & 2200L DIESELPAK TRANSFER UNITS Large capacity diesel storage for farm and construction equipment.

• 5m hose & auto shut-off gun • Foot design allows bolt down mounting BAFFLED TANK 1100L ONLY

$

$

200 LITRE

1,400

SQDN200L-Z1

$

400 LITRE

1,700

SQDN400L-Z1

1,250

600L DIESELPRO TRANSFER UNIT • 12V PIUSI self-priming pump • High quality auto shut-off nozzle • 5m of ¾” delivery very hose with swivel and crimped rimped fittings • Tank bottom 8mm mm brass inserts for bolt down mounting to a tray, skid or platform

SQDN600L-X1

$

$

1100 LITRE

2,300

SQD1000-X1

2200 LITRE

$

3,760

SQD2200-5

2,000

800L DIESELPAK • 5m 3/4” delivery hose with auto shut-off nozzle • Suction foot screen filter on internal suction line • 30 min duty cycle, 30 min on/off • Large Internal twin baffle • SquatPak style accessory mounting points. Two tank corners with large M10. Inserts for mounting hose reels • Deep Tie-down locating channels for straps mounting and tank strength

SQD800-X1

$

ALSO AVAILABLE: 2200L UNIT FITTED WITH 85L/MIN HIGH FLOW PUMP AND 4M HOSE

Prices valid until 31st October 2019.

Prices exclude GST, exclude dealer installation and/or freight charges.

SQD300-7

2,100 12V PIUSI SELF-PRIMING PUMP

THE

COUNTRY

Championing crossbred

wool to the world

Now is a champagne moment for wool, says Miles Anderson of Federated Farmers, and it’s exciting that our premium product is getting attention from a leading UK retail group.

T

elling the story of wool is one of the keys to its successful resurgence as the global fibre of choice, says Wools of New Zealand.

The grower-owned wool company has launched its new 12-part ‘wool benefits’ marketing programme aimed at re-introducing the world to the sustainable and renewable fibre.

We couldn’t agree more, and it’s encouraging to see the creativity of the approach recognised with a flooring innovation award for marketing this month at this year’s National Flooring Innovation Awards at Harrogate in the UK. I also note that the initiative has appeal for our local wool growers. West Otago grower Lloyd Brenssell, who runs 41,000 stock units on his 10,500-hectare property, says sheep farmers have been looking for something to happen with the marketing of wool for some time.

Three years ago, wool from his Fernvale property at Moa Flat sold for an average $6 a kilogram. This year around half of that sales price was achieved.

More understanding needed Lloyd Brenssell says that part of the problem is the public’s lack of appreciation of the natural qualities of the fibre.

“People simply don’t understand wool and its qualities.

Government is very vocal around plastic use and plastic waste; what we should also be shouting about on the environmental side are the natural products that our farmers produce.

“This is an exciting initiative for the promotion of crossbred wool. Finally, something that will inform the general public about the attributes of wool and we need to continue distributing material of this kind and getting it in front of consumers.”

It’s exciting too to see a win for Wools of New Zealand, as they have earnt the status of preferred supplier for leading UK retail group John Lewis, a significant retail partner for leading carpet manufacturer Ulster Carpets.

Andrew Gicquel, Retail Sales Manager at Ulster Carpets, says that they have worked in partnership with Wools of New Zealand for several years, notably to develop the popular Open Spaces Auckland, Queenstown and Wellington Stripe ranges.

In short, it’s a champagne moment for wool, and exciting news that our premium product is getting attention from a leading UK retail group like John Lewis.

Wool is natural, renewable and biodegradable and these qualities are creating waves of interest as innovators frantically look for sustainable alternatives. For example, NASA is testing New Zealand wool filters on Orion’s emergency life-support system for on-board fires. There are even wool surfboards and shoes.

Consumer awareness is key Consumer awareness is key to the recovery of the wool industry. It’s great to see real stories being told in a real context; we know wool is a superior product that simply cannot be replicated by a synthetic fibre.

Simple, honest messages based on the fundamentals of style, people and planet, and backed by research that are giving frontline retailers and others throughout the supply chain the confidence to promoting crossbred wool are timely, to say the least.

This just could be the beginning of the wool revolution.

Miles Anderson is Wool Chair of Federated Farmers.

COMPACT TRACTORS UNBEATABLE TECHNOLOGY

1023E 2019 Notice of Election to FGLT Board Nominations for board members are called.

Two are to represent forests larger than 1000 hectares and one member for forests less than 1000 hectares.

• 16.7 kW (22.4 hp), 3-cyl. diesel engine • Standard 4WD • Easy-to-operate, 2 speed hydrostatic trans • 54” Auto-Connect™ mid-mower deck • Loader and backhoe options available TRACTOR, LOADER & 54” DECK

3038E

• 37 HP 3CYL • Hydro Trans with Twin Touch™ pedals • Yanmar® diesel engine • 3-Point Hitch - Category 1 • 4WD & Power Steering

TRACTOR & LOADER

Nominations close 5pm Friday 4 October.

Go to Forestvoice.org.nz for a nomination form or email glen.mackie@nzfoa.org.nz

+GST

+GST

5055E

• • • • •

55 hp, 3-cyl. diesel, M 2.9L, 4WD John Deere PowerTech™ engine 12F/12R PowrReverser™ trans Hydraulic wetclutch 2 year or 2000 hr warranty TRACTOR & LOADER

+GST

*Prices shown in NZ dollars excl GST and unless amended or withdrawn earlier are valid only through 31st September, 2019. Price includes pre delivery, freight, assembly or dealer charges. †Valid on 1-4 Family Compact Utility Tractors. Conditions apply. 6 year/2000 hours (whichever comes first). See us for more information on the Limited Warranty for New John Deere Turf & Utility Equipment.

Images used are for illustrative purposes only and may show features or attachments not included in the price. Products, specifications and availability are subject to change without notice.

0800 tractor • www.agrowquip.co.nz

THE SPONSORED CONTENT

COUNTRY

Online therapy tool

ideal for people in rural settings People in rural and farming communities often struggle to access the right mental health support at a time and place that suits them. A newly launched online therapy tool, Just a Thought, could be the answer.

D

epression set in gradually for Waikato dairy farmer Darren*. The slump of global dairy milk prices, a shortage of staff and the fall of land prices all slowly took their toll on his mental

health.

“I had the bank breathing down my neck, I was working colossal hours. I was physically and mentally exhausted – at breaking point really. But I just had to get on with it.”

Darfield farmer Tim Cookson agrees.

“Sometimes it’s a vicious circle – they may be under financial pressure or experiencing pressure from the climate, like a drought for example, and these can be trigger points.”

There are farmers all over New Zealand, just like Darren and Tim, failing to address concerns over their mental health. Farmers will typically prioritise the welfare of their animals, but they’re often not so good at looking after their own wellbeing. This tendency has had devastating consequences on the rural sector, with suicide rates among farmers unacceptably high.

Research from Massey University’s College of Health suggests farmers need practical help and advice in times of stress.

“During the dairy crisis, media were constantly talking about farmers being stressed, and the government put in place health promotion campaigns, alongside other supports,” says School of Social Work researcher Dr Nicky Stanley-Clarke.

“However, being constantly told they were stressed and needing to look after themselves, was not the practical solution farmers were after.”

A practical solution In an ideal world, farmers would be able to access the face-to-face therapy they require, when and where they

require it. But the nature of farming isn’t always conducive to that, as Cookson says.

“Farmers often work by themselves and hence there are fewer people around to talk to,” he says. “Farmers are very independent people and don’t like a fuss being made of them, even if things on the home front are bad.”

As cognitive behavioural therapist Anna Elders says, getting more therapists in the right place at the right time is not straightforward.

“We can’t really get across that workforce gap – it would take years and years to train up enough people to be there to deliver talking therapies, even if we could afford to do so. So we need something to widely disseminate the really essential skills that come from that work so that people get a better understanding of the difficulties they’re having.”

That ‘something’ is Just a Thought, a free online therapy tool that gives people an easy-to-access avenue to address any thoughts or concerns they might have about their mental health. The tool, created by the Wise Group, was released this week. Its launch was attended by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Just a Thought isn’t just another wellbeing app – its roots are firmly planted in evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy and is backed by over 30 clinical randomised controlled trials and 10 academic studies that prove it is beneficial. It currently offers tailored courses for specific conditions, such as depression and anxiety, with further courses in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, social anxiety and other wellbeing courses, such as ‘Insomnia and Coping with Stress’ to be available in the next two years.

The tool was inspired by To view the an Australian online tool

called This Way Up, which has been available there for 10 years. But Just a Thought is built with Kiwis in mind.

“Some of the tools developed outside of New Zealand have no flavour of our culture and no understanding of our people,” says Elders. “We wanted to improve on that and ensure Just a Thought offers something that has a real look and feel of New Zealand for New Zealanders. And it’s free for every New Zealander to use.”

The tool has helpful ways of directing people to where they need to go by running people through short online assessments. These are the same sort of assessments you would undertake if you went to see a psychologist and were exploring what difficulties you were having and seeking treatment.

Flexible tool

Elders emphasises that this is a tool that gives people choice about how they engage with it. They can either start doing it by themselves or they can go to their health professional and have it prescribed and have someone walking alongside them on their journey. That option allows health professionals to encourage and monitor their progress.”

Due to the fact that it can be used in the comfort of people’s homes at times that suit them, Elders suspects Just a Thought is likely to appeal to those people who aren’t quite sure initially about talking to someone about their problems yet they want to get some help, or those people in remote areas who might struggle to access help and support. It could indeed be the practical solution people in rural communities are seeking.

Additionally, Elders points out that it isn’t a tool that necessarily replaces talking therapies; it can be used for people on waiting lists for face-to-face therapy, instead of face-to-face, or as part of face-to-face sessions. courses and find “It’s packaged up in a way that provides people with the information they need to understand the out more, visit: difficulties they’re having and work out ways to move through those and get to a better place in justathought.co.nz. their lives,” says Elders.

Addressing stigma It wasn’t too long ago – and sadly it’s still the case in some pockets of New Zealand – that talking about our mental health was considered taboo. Farming and agricultural sectors are getting better at this, with sites like Federated Farmers, DairyNZ and Farmstrong promoting mental health and wellbeing. But Darren’s “just get on with it” response to his mental health concerns suggest we still have a long way to go, as do the statistics.

Elders says Just a Thought is about normalising our mental health.

“It talks to the types of difficulties that every human being experiences,” she says. “It’s really important for our rural community and different pockets of our society to chip away at that stigma that’s there, that stops people from seeking help.”

Cookson agrees.

“Any tool that can be used is a step forward,” he says.

Stock photo.

*Name has been changed.

Free online therapy from the comfort of home.

Free

Convenient

Private

Effective

Learn to manage your thoughts, feelings and behaviours for free.

Online therapy courses at your convienance.

Anywhere, anytime.

Improve your mental health in complete privacy.

80% of people who take a course improve their mental wellbeing.

Support for your mental health. Anytime. Anywhere.

Try a FREE course today.

justathought.co.nz your mind, your way

THE

Halloumi:

COUNTRY

pointless or palatable?

Craig Hickman ponders the pleasure – or pain – that is halloumi.

F

ood is a great flashpoint on Twitter, a lightning rod attracting people who hold passionate views that they are willing to defend in the face of all opposition. Unlikely alliances have been formed based on whether pineapple belongs on pizza (it most definitely does), and I will assert it as my Kiwi birthright that putting a slice of pineapple on anything makes it Hawaiian.

Christmas mince pies are another source of great division both online and in real life: I still vividly recall the sense of utter betrayal when, as a small child, my mother offered me a mince pie. I eagerly took the proffered treat, not noticing the tell-tale dusting of white on its crust, bit deeply and immediately spat the offending pastry on the floor. I have tried to like them, sampling them again as a teen and as an adult, but, to my mind, they continue to be a blight on the taste buds of any right-thinking person.

I think we can all agree that sponge cakes are pretty good, and custard is sometimes the only thing that hits the spot; fruit is universally loved – and who has ever turned down jelly? But some people insist on combining these four things and end up with trifle – the only dessert

in the world where the whole is less than the sum of its parts.

Despite these deeply held beliefs of mine, I can still accept there are divergent opinions; some people have the stomach for minced-up fruit in inedible pastry; others cannot appreciate the sweet delight of cooked pineapple, and some even unpatriotically choose Vegemite over Marmite! While I can bring myself to accept all these differing views, I must draw the line when it comes to my friend, who keeps their Vegemite in the fridge: that’s just plain weird.

While I can understand these differences and accept that people might have an opinion that doesn’t match mine, there is one food that I simply don’t understand: halloumi, the pointless cheese.

For those of you fortunate enough to have never come across halloumi, it’s a cheese with a high melting point that’s made to be grilled or fried. Presumably the next logical step is to put it in the bin, but if you do decide to bite into it, it squeaks. I’m not even kidding, it squeaks at you in pitiful protest, as if to say, “Haven’t we all suffered enough already?”.

It just seems so senseless; there are plenty of bland, rubbery foods out there already without introducing one that yelps as you eat it.

“But you haven’t tried the original cheese from Cyprus,” defenders of halloumi will tell me. Well, no, I live in Ashburton.

“It’s a great carrier of flavour! Try the chilli one!” they cry. You know what else is a great carrier of flavour?

Steak, that’s what.

It’s not as though I haven’t given halloumi a chance: I’ve put it in salads, eaten it in restaurants, and I even ordered halloumi from a street vendor in Germany, but the reason for this most pointless of cheeses has always eluded me.

I can only conclude that halloumi is an ancient Cypriot practical joke that the modern world has fallen for, and all I can ask is that if you’re going to insist on eating it then please buy the one that Fonterra makes. At least that way I can have the last laugh.

DairyMan@dairymanNZ

Red meat in a post-truth world Andrew Morrison of Beef + Lamb New Zealand sorts through environmental halftruths relating to agriculture in search of solutions.

A

t the recent Red Meat Sector Conference in Christchurch, keynote speaker Professor Frederic Leroy from Vrije University Brussels put forward an argument that almost seems controversial nowadays: red meat should be viewed with pride and appreciated as being fundamentally beneficial to human health and the planet.

It can seem like all we read are warnings about livestock farming being the harbinger of climate and health catastrophe. Professor Leroy, who has a background in microbiology, food science and human and animal wellbeing, said the focus on meat in relation to its impact on climate change was drawing attention away from the real issue, which is fossil fuels.

The reality is, the science agrees with what Professor Leroy is saying. The problem is the nuances of that are often lost between the scientific research

being published and how it gets translated into more easily digestible content for everyday readers.

For example, Professor Leroy pointed out that if the whole of the US went vegan, it would reduce that country’s greenhouse gas emissions by between 2 percent and 6 percent, but it would also result in widespread nutritional deficiencies and significant issues around water use.

Likewise, in Professor Leroy’s home of Belgium, a single steel factory produces more greenhouse gases than all of Belgium’s agriculture combined.

Internationally, tourism contributes 8 percent of man-made CO2.

Even the production of pet food accounts for 25-30 percent of the environmental impact from animal products.

Yet we don’t see anyone seriously advocating for no more tourism or pet ownership.

It’s all in the headline We know agriculture has an environmental footprint and that excessive amounts of red meat in your diet isn’t healthy. But much of the prevailing narrative around these either overstates agriculture’s role or ignores what the research actually says.

A case in point was the recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

about agriculture. What the IPCC report said was that it’s important to match food production to land capability. But much of the media coverage instead talked about shifting to vegetarian or vegan diets, even though this wasn’t what the report recommended.

The problem, as Professor Leroy pointed out, is that red meat having a role to play in a healthy diet and addressing climate change doesn’t make for a compelling headline. It’s much easier to cast red meat as the villain and promote plant-based diets than it is to acknowledge the huge water costs of growing almonds in California or avocados in Mexico.

Professor Leroy called for the public to stop blaming farmers and instead work with them as part of the solution to the challenges we’re facing.

For New Zealand, sheep and beef farmers are part of the solution. Our natural, grass-based production systems are amongst the most efficient in the world and a quarter of New Zealand’s native biodiversity is on our farms.

It’s time we celebrated all that our sector has achieved and work together find solutions to the challenges we all face.

Andrew Morrison is the chair of Beef + Lamb New Zealand.

THE WORLDS TOUGHEST SPEED DISC!

Unparalleled ability to level and finish, also superb penetration for primar y work.

agriline

• • • •

www.agriline.co.nz

0800 24 74 54

• • •

Ö.75 –Ö5.5m Wide 32mm Solid Curved Arms Fully Sealed Hub Bearings Range of Rollers Available Extremely Strong Build Linkage or Trailed Quality Australian Built

THE SPONSORED CONTENT

COUNTRY

Improve farm efficiency with

TracMap

An interview with Gus Hewitt, TracMap National Sales Manager (NZ).

What is TracMap? We’re a Kiwi agtech company on a mission to help our customers improve efficiency and productivity on farm. Our systems plan, map and capture activity such as nutrient application, break fencing and k-line shifts, making the day-to-day easier for both managers and staff. That data can then be easily shared with a number of other onfarm systems for planning and reporting.

We’ve got a great bunch of people working behind the scenes at TracMap, with around 50 staff all up. The majority have set up camp in Mosgiel, just south of Dunedin, and we’ve got five sales staff out on the road supporting New Zealand farmers and contracting businesses. We also have small teams based in Australia, California and Washington.

CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL: Henry Bolt, from Rangitata Island, South Canterbury "I've been spreading my own fert for about 8 years, and you think you're pretty good at what you're doing. I was a bit sceptical at the start, but it definitely does increase your accuracy, not just overspreading but underspreading at times. You're not going to have the striping in the paddock. And staff management, if you're not there to drive the machine you know the job's going to get done well with whoever you've put on the machine, and you can check up on accuracy and placement."

How did TracMap come about?

TracMap was born in 2005 from a need for more accuracy in spreading fertiliser over our demanding NZ hill country. Colin Brown (1982 Young Farmer of the Year) had done his time as a sheep and beef farmer and was working as an agricultural consultant when he identified that technology would shape the future of farming.

TracMap saw huge potential for efficiency gains for farmers by tapping into emerging GPS technology, and within the first year TracMap began installing systems into fertiliser-spreading trucks. Since then we’ve adapted the technology for wider application, with solutions available to a variety of operations across the world.

Who uses it?

We have a mix of users across the globe. In New Zealand our customers are dairy and drystock farmers, rural contractors, fert spreading and spray contractors, as well as aerial applicators. In Australia and the US, we primarily support vineyards, tree fruit and nut growers. Our aviation customers use our system in both fixed-wing and helicopter fertiliser application, with around 90 percent of aerial fertiliser in New Zealand applied through a TracMap system.

What’s the biggest problem you’re solving?

Our customers face a wide variety of pressures; everything from staffing and visibility of machines on the ground to increasing regulatory requirements around water, fertiliser and effluent application. We support our customers to be as efficient and productive as possible and prove compliance and environmental best practice – all while improving their bottom line.

It’s a real juggling act for farmers and contractors in the current environment, a trend we’ve seen become increasingly complicated across all our markets. As a company we’re actively invested in developing our technology to simplify daily operations for business owners, managers and staff.

Where does TracMap fit into the future of farming?

As a tech company, we are constantly developing our systems to keep ahead of the hurdles our customers face day to day. We do this with direct feedback and input from customers to make sure we’re keeping relevant and meeting the needs of the sector.

Technology and data will be crucial in the future of farming, so we’ve committed to ensuring that the tools we provide simplify the planning, mapping and reporting process. The data our customers capture needs to be as usable as possible; with this in mind, we’ve invested heavily in third-party partnerships to allow data sharing between a number of farming software platforms.

Why are farmers using TracMap? Farmers use TracMap to make sure they’re getting the most out of their resources, whether that’s staff time, fertiliser, water, or feed breaks. The system provides the operational visibility to aid planning and forecasting, accuracy and efficiency in job management and shareable data for reporting and compliance. TracMap sets farmers and their staff up for success in an environment where they’re facing more pressures than ever before.

PLAN, MAP AND GUIDE APPLICATION ELIMINATE WASTE INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL OUTCOMES MAKE COMPLIANCE EASY

LOOKING TO SIMPLIFY YOUR NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT?

EASY DATA SHARING

Ask us about efficiency gains using GPS for your water, fert and effluent application today!

0800 TRACMAP | www.tracmap.com

We dig deeper Be part of the important conversations on the issues facing farmers today.

0800 224 782 subs@nzfarmlife.co.nz

www.nzfarmlife.co.nz

N o e w b i ! r c s b u s e R

Grow more

FERTMAX Limited is a New Zealand registered company owned and managed by its Directors to supply an independent fertiliser / nutrient advice service direct to farmers and growers through out the country.

Grass and clover

Collectively they have 50 years knowledge and experience of most fertilisers used in NZ particularly liquid / foliar NPKs, minor elements and bio stimulants showing how these products can complement the use of traditional products.

and still reduce your nitrogen Nutrient Budget!

Reaction fertiliser products offer more efficient N-P-S-K giving better results.

Ruakura research trials prove Reaction Rapid N blend is four times more efficient nitrogen than urea. Google Reaction Rapid N to view the trial data.

We offer a wide range of fertilisers and formulations available from a number of suppliers giving us the opportunity of offering the grower - farmer specialised products direct, saving money and time.

Specialised fertiliser plans for tow and farm machines that can be applied without any problems. George has 8 years experience with these machines and what can successfully go through them.

Horrie Burgess 027 800 7040

George Freeman 021 021 98323

Call Horrie and George now to discuss available options for you

Fertmax Ltd | 0800 337 844 | info@fertmax.co.nz | www.fertmax.co.nz

MAN’S BEST FrIEND Available at your local bottle store or online at emersons.co.nz

MALTY

HOPPY

LIGHT

DArK

sw weet

bitter

THE

COUNTRY

New Zealand farmers already do what regenerative agriculture advocates – but here it is called rotational grazing.

Regenerative agriculture: context is everything Jacqueline Rowarth discusses the pros and cons of regenerative agriculture and finds that, in this case, one size does not fit all.

R

egenerative agriculture is being promoted as the saviour for New Zealand. The suggestion that it can produce the food that is needed without creating environmental impacts is

perfect.

Add an income, and it is the goal for most famers, whatever the label of their production system.

Farmers who adopt regenerative agriculture manage the grazing impacts of their livestock by moving them around in large groups. Instead of applying fertiliser, the animals trample their own dung and urine into the soil surface. This restores soil carbon and biodiversity.

Nobody appears to have asked where the nutrients in the dung and urine came from, but under regenerative agriculture an increase in soil organic matter to 6 percent has been recorded in the US. New Zealand pasture soils are generally around 8 percent organic matter.

Certainly, there are soils with lower organic matter content, but there are also soils with higher content.

Our Land 2018, produced by the Ministry for the Environment, reported that 95 percent of sites tested in New Zealand are within the target range for soil carbon. (Soil carbon accounts for approximately 58 percent of organic matter.)

Rotational grazing New Zealand farmers already do what regenerative agriculture advocates – but here it is called rotational grazing.

Although the application of fertiliser is common in New Zealand, without it the soil organic matter would decrease. It is often overlooked that a tonne of soil carbon is associated with over 80kg of nitrogen, 20kg of phosphorus and 14kg of sulphur (as well as other nutrients).

It is the release of nutrients from organic matter that can provide nutrition for pasture or crops, but

those nutrients can also be lost – through leaching, for instance. In addition, when the soil organisms break down the organic matter to obtain energy and nutrients, carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere.

Cropping farmers are also being offered a solution to the use of fertiliser nitrogen. Diverse crop rotations and no-till planting are part of the advice. But again, in New Zealand, even under intensive cropping – such as in the Waikato where maize silage is followed by annual ryegrass continuously – soil organic matter can be 10 percent.

Without the fertiliser nitrogen commonly used in cropping, yields are restricted. Rothamsted Research in the UK began research trials in the 1840s and has shown that form of nutrient (organic from farmyard manure vs inorganic from manufactured fertiliser) makes no difference to yield: it is quantity of nutrient input that matters.

In addition, the trials showed that organic nitrogen was insufficient to create the highest yields. While it is accepted that ‘highest’ might not be what is required, the debate needs to be in context with the concept of sustainable land management. Taking more land into agricultural production rather than increasing yield on current agricultural land is part of the reason that the Amazon rainforests are under threat.

Whatever the production system, changing any inputs, whether fertiliser, water, light or heat, affects the balance of the soil organisms and the soil organic matter. If the weather becomes warmer and drier, soil organic matter will be eroded, releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

This is because the plants that produce the residues that feed the soil organisms will stop growing before the soil organisms stop consuming the residue. If soil was included in the Emissions Trading Scheme, drought could create a liability for farmers.

Greater nutritional value?

A second aspect of the regenerative agriculture movement is the suggestion that food grown with the regenerative approach will have greater nutritional value than food grown conventionally. Evidence to support this claim is very hard to find.

Robin Marles, Senior Scientific Advisor for the Bureau of Nutritional Sciences, Health Canada, has shown that most historical reports of soil nutrient status have not accounted for "changes in data sources, crop varieties, geographic origin, ripeness, sample size, sampling methods, laboratory analysis and statistical treatment".

When archived soil samples were compared with matched current soils, soil mineral composition was not found to have changed "in locations cultivated intensively with various fertilizer treatments".

The same applies to garden fruit and vegetables – differences in the literature reflect different measurement techniques. Changes between old and new varieties are acknowledged. The new varieties have generally been developed to meet consumer demands for juicy sweetness and reduced perishability.

The major difference in food now, in comparison with last century, is not what comes out of the ground or off the tree, but what comes out of the supermarket or off the takeaway counter – consider a potato in comparison with crisps (which became part of the Consumer Price Index in 1974) or frozen chips (added in 1993).

The proponents of regenerative agriculture have used overseas experience to make the case for New Zealand, but our soils, topography, and climate are very different from conditions in Australia or rangeland America.

Context is everything and one size very rarely fits all.

Dr Jacqueline Rowarth CNZM CRSNZ HFNZIAHS has a PhD in Soil Science and has been analysing agri-environment interaction for several decades.

“I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DAY WE ERADICATE TB FROM OUR HERDS CHRIS IRONS, WAIKATO IN NEW ZEALAND”

OSPRI’s TBfree programme has made significant progress with reducing TB infected herds throughout the country.

At its peak in the 1990s there was over 1700 affected herds. Today there are fewer than 30.

It’s the investment and hard work of New Zealand farmers like Chris that keeps us on track to eradicate TB from cattle and deer by 2026.

Proudly funded by:

TBfree is an OSPRI programme

More information?

ospri.co.nz

THE

COUNTRY

Do you want to be known as innovators or fixer-uppers??

The much-used Kiwi phrase ‘No. 8-wire mentality’ has long been considered the way we do things in the farming world, but Julia Jones is wondering if its value has now expired.

Y

es, ‘No. 8-wire mentality’ is cute, and it’s a little bit funny, but what I hear when people say it is: not asking for help, roughly stringing something together without a plan, a rip-shit-and-bust kind of attitude, a default solution and a broken piece of wire holding something together within inches of its life.

I just don’t see how this is something for us to strive towards for the future; we deserve better than being seen as No. 8-wire thinkers, because we are far more than that.

When I think of what farming needs for the future – the attitudes to get us through this crazy, uncertain world – I think that we need awesome planning capability and a desire to innovate and create solutions by design (which means understanding the desired outcomes and working hard to design long-term solutions), adaption, courage, a heck of a lot of courage and, most importantly, the desire to engage others for help and ideas.

That’s a ‘no’ from millennials

Respect yourselves

Maybe it’s just semantics; maybe that’s exactly what many of you think when you use the term 'No. 8-wire mentality’. I caught up with a young millennial from within the food and fibre industry and his thoughts were that, firstly, most of his generation have no idea what ‘No. 8-wire thinking’ means, other than the wire on a fence; and secondly, it just sounds dumb.

Now I know it seems like a very benign saying, but I felt rather affronted by it when I was reading a social media post about Future Post – the brainchild of Kiwi Jerome Wenzlick, where they take plastic and turn it into fence posts – when I read the post that very innocently said, “Taking the No. 8-fence-wire mentality to turn plastics into fence posts”.

When you read the article, there is a quote within it from Jerome Wenzlick that states: “A hell of a lot of research and development followed to get where the company is today.” Does your mind jump to No. 8-wire thinking when someone uses the words research and development? I know mine does.

As farmers, you want respect for what you do, and you absolutely deserve it without a shadow of doubt, but to really get respect from others you need to respect yourselves and that starts with how you talk about yourselves.

You are innovators, great thinkers and designers of solutions, so stop degrading that by using terms like ‘No. 8-wire thinking’. And while I am at it, PLEASE stop saying, “I’m just a farmer” because you are far more and until you believe that, no one else will.

So as for our No. 8 wire, let’s try to keep it for the wire on the fences. You have all it takes to create a successful future; you don’t need someone to save you; you don’t need to be MacGyver.

Back yourselves to be better than No. 8; you have brains, you have ability and you have people around you who will be there to help, so maybe it’s time to thank this old friend for its service to the industry and park it up as a part of our past.

Julia Jones is Head of Analytics at NZX and a former KPMG farm enterprise specialist.

Nithdale Genetics Ram Viewing - Open Day Find out the 12 reasons to change to Nithdale!

Come see for yourself Wednesday November 20th, @ the Woolshed at Nithdale Station from 10am

Ph Andrew on 0800 NITHDALE or 0272566647 www.nithdale.com

TAIL PAINT is how my grandfatherr improved his heat detection guesswork, and its pretty much how we still do it.

Most people who sell tai int in New N Zeaail pain f them land tell us this is OK – and a I guess, for it is.

Trev Dugan, who farms out by Governor’s Road agrees with them and has doubled down on tail paint this season by trading up to some cutting-edge tail paint technology and going fluro - he says that if this pays off for him he may even look at getting one of those new phones yyou can carry around out of the house that have no wires. n The use of tail paint as a way to indicate the possibility a cow has submitted, and is therefore in heat, dates back to Victorian and New Zealand dairy farms in the late 1970’s.

Since then, despite pretty much everything else changing, we still are using this basic method on many dairy farms. Tail paint is used to suggest cows that are in heat by indicating

those which have been mounted, resulting in the tail paint being rubbed off.

Where other parts of the dairy world have seen amazing innovations and improvements using the technology that has been invented or improved since the 1970’s (back before cell phones, the internet, personal computers , tries were still worth 4 points, rugby players were amateurs and there was no lifting in the lineouts) – the improvements to tail paint based heat detection have been limited to the colours they use, the cans and how sticky the paint is.

Perhaps its time to move on from the old school to the new school of heat detection, especially when you consider how important accurate heat detection is in a seasonal calving

You u won’t w miss tail paint. (Or heats)

system liike New Zealand. If you miss a heat your calving pattern – missing you can stretch s days in milk, m creating avoidable empties –

mately sending cows to the works and ultim nies on the dollar” compared to the for “penn value they would have if they were able to stay in thee herd.

HeatGate in action.

Unless you have a telescopic neck, figuring out which cows are in heat using tail paint is frankly, a pain in that neck. With HeatGate we take the pain away, so you can throw the tail paint away.

Every cow, every milking – automatically drafted with no complicated computer or technical knowledge required. Call us on 0800 222 228 to make tail paint history on your farm.

Happy farmer not in action.

delaval.com | 0800 222 228

EVERYTHING INCLUDED!

Finally you can take control of your outboard costs. This fully fitted price includes a Suzuki DF140ATL (20� shaft only) outboard motor, engine side mount control and engine control cables, single multi gauge and wiring.

It also includes fitting of the outboard and installation of controls and gauges.

Off av vailable until 30 October or while stocks last. For more information Offer 40HP 4-stroke, go to www.marine.suzuki.co.nz on the 14 T&Cs: Price do oes not include: repairs or alterations to transom, repairs to the steering or fuel and electrical ssystem including the battery. Any modification to accept new controls or gauges.

Finance to approved purchasers, documentation fee applies.

TRACTA62395_TC

THE ULTIMATE OUTBOARD WITH

THE

COUNTRY The government settings have to be right. If I’m going to go into a new venture ...

I’ve got to be sure the resources will stay there.”

Diversification:

what are the pros and cons?

Simon Edwards reports on the Our Land and Water Symposium 2019 held on 12-13 August at Te Papa, Wellington.

E

conomic growth is critical if New Zealand agriculture is to continue its strides in environmental sustainability because it won’t happen without investment, Lain Jager told last month’s Our Land and Water Symposium.

The Primary Sector Council chairman said that while there was an enormous amount to do, he was optimistic new technologies will help us achieve climate change and water quality goals.

“What will be corrosive is if you say to people there is no growth, there is no hope, because then there won’t be that land use change [we’re looking for].”

A farmer’s voice In many respects, Jager’s messages to the scientists, researchers, environmentalists and agriculture agency representatives at the symposium in Wellington were in synch with the thoughts of another speaker, Hugh Ritchie.

The Federated Farmers member, who runs a successful sheep, beef and cropping business in Otane, Hawke’s Bay, said his farm had spent the last 20 years transitioning his cropping operation to be as productive and sustainable as possible, with direct drilling, strip tillage and a lot of technology.

Ritchie is investigating diversifying part of his Drumpeel Farms property into horticulture – the sort of land use change the government has been urging. As well as climate, which he can’t do much to alter, he said three things were critical – water, knowledge and capital.

“If I go into apples or kiwifruit, just the set-up costs without licences will probably be a quarter of a million dollars a hectare.”

The current government has all but turned off the tap on public investment in irrigation and water storage.

“The government settings have to be right,” Ritchie said. “If I’m going to go into a new venture and spend a quarter of a million dollars a hectare, I’ve got to be sure the resources will stay there. A critical one on the Hawke’s Bay coast is water.”

He was asked by a couple of businesses he supplies why he was bothering to diversify.

“I asked them to name one cost in their businesses that had stayed the same in the last five years. They scratched their heads and none of them could. I said there is one actually – it’s what you pay me. That’s a fundamental drive for why we’re looking at moving on.”

To capture more value for themselves, farmers had to think beyond their own gates to market demands and reality.

“If we let the marketers or widget creators take all the value, then the farmer just becomes an ingredient provider,” Ritchie said.

“We need to be more inclined to work with other farmers to give us scale, and use partners who have the information, the knowledge and maybe even the capital. We can’t be as individualistic as we have in the past.”

Time to reposition our strategy Jager said global warming and climate change will bring huge challenges for farmers and all other sectors of society. He said if he was to poll the

audience at the symposium, he was confident he would find that few believed the world would hit the Paris Accord 1.5 degrees target.

“We will move through 1.5 degrees; through 2 degrees, and we’ll probably be well on our way to 3 degrees. We put more carbon in the atmosphere last year than we ever have before.

“Flowing out of that, it’s a reasonably strategic judgement that pressure for environmental sustainability will be relentless. If we think it’s tough today, it will be much, much tougher as the fear of climate change grows.”

Jager said over the next few decades we could expect to see more floods, more droughts, falling water table levels, pressure on yields of major crops around the world, and many other consequences.

The strategy for New Zealand agriculture as we aspire to be producers of high-value food and fibre should be to position ourselves as the most environmentally sustainable farmers/growers in the world, he said.

“It’s also sensible for us to ensure our farming systems are resilient, because they will come under pressure. In particular, we need to understand that water is precious, that it probably needs to be priced, and that we need to deal with the ownership issues associated with it.”

EAT-Lancet report Jager said he had no problem with the EAT-Lancet report that called for global dietary change, and a move to eating more vegetables, nuts and fruit.

The report still acknowledged a place for dairy and meat.

“If we’re going to produce ruminant meat, then let’s be the best in the world at it and do it in a genuinely environmentally sustainable way. [We must] grasp that future, not be defensive about it.”

Simon Edwards is a communications advisor at Federated Farmers.

Every drop means quite a lot when it’s from Peters Genetics

TREVOR PETERS 03 446 6030 027 201 4490

CLAYTON PETERS 03 204 8817 027 222 4421

MORGAN PETERS 03 204 8849 027 440 7411

SHANE CARTER 027 364 1438

www.petersgenetics.co.nz

Grow with the bank founded by farmers for farmers Rabobank -121 years of global agricultural history We have a unique understanding of agriculture and the importance of taking a longer view. That’s why, through bumper seasons and leaner years, we’ll be here to help you grow.

If you’d like to grow with Rabobank call 0800 500 933 | rabobank.co.nz

Finding Paradise 39 Tongatu Road,

Tender

6

Auction 27 Sep 2019 12:30

6

4

2

Ngunguru 6

Prestigious Lakefront Residence

Modern stylish living

352 Lake View Drive, Karapiro

$689,000

13 Ascot Street, Washdyke

$1,279,000

Find out more at onrf.nz/352-lake

4

Find out more at onrf.nz/13-ascot

4

2

2

Find out more at onrf.nz/39-tongatu

Best of Both Worlds

2

19 Camdon Place, Tamahere 4

Find out more at onrf.nz/19-camdon

TORNADO 2098 H Engine Cutting Method Cutting Width Cutting Height Range Transmission

Stiga 7750 Side discharge, Multiclip mulching 98cm (38�)

7 positions, 25-80mm Hydrostatic, Rear-wheel drive

ESTATE 4084 H AP Engine Cutting Method Cutting Width Cutting Height Range Transmission

Stiga 7750 Collecting, Multiclip mulching 84 cm (33�)

7 positions, 25-80mm Hydrostatic, Rear-wheel drive

View the range priced from $3499 Distributors of high quality outdoor equipment and cutting attachments sourced from global industry leaders

Dealers located nationwide

cop.co.nz https://www.facebook.com/copltd/

PARTNER FLIES

Early Bird Sale FREE Choose from a wide range of our most popular tours to China, Southeast Asia, Japan, India and Sri Lanka.

Book your place on a 2020 Asia group tour and your partner flies free!*

Offer applies to group tours of 15 days or more, departing between 1 February and 31 July 2020.

OUR CLASSIC TOURS INCLUDE:

Great Wall of China

✓ Return international economy airfares ✓ All meals, transport and accommodation ✓ Entrance fees and sightseeing ✓ English speaking guide ✓ Visa fees for NZ passport holders

MAGNIFICENT CHINA

PARTNER FLIES FREE FROM

XIAN (2N) OVERNIGHT F

CHENGDU (2N)

SUZHOU YANGTZE RIVER CRUISE WUHAN  (4N)  YICHANG  CHONGQING 

$6,980pp twin share* $5,680pp twin share*



FIRST PERSON FROM

CHINA



23 day fully inclusive Classic Tour of China China is home to a great number of magnificent and world-renowned sights. This tour incorporates them all visit the pandas, admire the Great Wall and the Terracotta Army, then cruise along the Yangte and Li Rivers.

BEIJING (4N)

SHANGHAI (4N)



GUILIN (1N+1N)

YANGSHUO (2N)

Price based on 01 Mar 2020 departure. Additional charges: Tipping RMB930pp

18 day fully inclusive tour of Cambodia & Vietnam Embark on a glorious adventure, starting at Angkor before boarding a three-night deluxe river cruise down the Mekong. Explore vibrant Saigon, charming Hoi An and historic Hanoi and sail the waters of Halong Bay.

HANOI (3N) OUTBOUND (1N)

$7,840pp twin share* $6,340pp twin share*

DANANG

INBOUND (1N)



HOI AN (2N)

CAMBODIA

SIEM REAP (3N)





PARTNER FLIES FREE FROM

HALONG BAY (1N)

VIETNAM



FIRST PERSON FROM







CLASSIC MEKONG



W NE UR TO

PHNOM PENH (1N) VICTORIA MEKONG SHIP (3N)



VAM NAO

 

Price based on 04 Feb 2020 departure. Additional charges: Tipping US$66pp

SAIGON (2N) CAN THO

RAJASTHAN PANORAMA Rajasthan conjures up images of maharajas and palaces and is regarded as one of the most colourful and exciting states in all of India. Marvel at the beauty of this region’s diverse landscapes of deserts, lakes and national parks.

FIRST PERSON FROM

PARTNER FLIES FREE FROM

$7,380pp twin share* $5,980pp twin share*

BIKANER GAJNER (1N) 

DELHI (2N) ALSISAR (1N) 







23 day fully inclusive Classic Tour of India

MANESAR  (1N)

AGRA (2N) PUSHKAR    (1N) MANVAR (1N) JAIPUR RANTHAMBORE (2N) (2N) JODHPUR (2N)   DEOGARH (1N) UDAIPUR (2N)

JAISALMER (2N)



INDIA

Price based on 12 Feb 2020 departure. Additional charges: Tipping US$115pp

0800 936 3998 wendywutours.co.nz/early-bird-2020-sale info@wendywutours.co.nz or contact your local travel agent

*Partner flies free is valid on International airfare inclusive tours of 15 days or more to China, South East Asia, Japan, India and Sri Lanka, departing between 01 February and 31 July 2020. Subject to applicable discounted airfares being available. Single travellers will be offered a discount of up to $600 off, subject to availability. A non-refundable deposit of $2000 per person is due within 3 days of confirmation.

Valid for new bookings only. Partner flies free is not applicable with any other offer except past passenger discounts or otherwise stated. Sale ends on 18 October 2019. Advertised price based on selected low season prices, seasonal surcharges apply to other departures. Refer to 2019/20 brochure or www.wendywutours.co.nz/early-bird-2020 for full tour details and booking conditions. Prices correct as at 10 Sept 2019. Allied Member of TAANZ. Accredited IATA Agent.