Educational resources for schools & students
Read, listen to and watch what is happening in New Zealand agriculture by scanning the QR codes or following the links. Answer the questions to complete the exercises.
Why are iwi sending kiwifruit to Hawaii?
The first consignment of kiwifruit has headed to Hawaii under the Māori Kiwifruit Growers initiative.
bit.ly/iwi-kiwifruit
Have a go:
1. How many tonnes of kiwifruit did MKG export to Hawaii? What was the main variety?
2. How many trays of kiwifruit does Zespri send to Hawaii each year?
3. MKG has aligned with Aloun Farms Hawaii. How will their similar values and indigenous links help with marketing?
4. Rex Anderson believes the initiative with Zespri is a good start. What other produce could be exported by the iwi group in future?
Stretch yourself:
5. What does the collaboration with Zespri involve? And why is this a beneficial move for the wider kiwifruit sector?
6. Provenance is a big thing for markets overseas. What is provenance?
For more see zespri.com
Analyse this
When are lambs worth the most?
The graph shows the AgriHQ average values for heavy male store lambs in the North Island.
Have a go:
1. How do this year’s August average values compare to year-ago levels and the five-year average?
2. Looking at the five-year average, what months are values typically at their highest? Has this been the case in the past two seasons?
3. This graph shows average values for store lambs. What is the difference between a store lamb and a prime lamb?
Stretch yourself:
5. What factors do you think affect store lamb values? Of these factors, which have been the most prevalent this season?
How do faith, family and farming fit together?
Reza Abdul-Jabbar grew up in West Borneo and is not just a farmer but an imam of the world’s southernmost mosque. Watch this On Farm Story to learn about the life he and his family have created in Southland. bit.ly/faith-farming
Have a go:
1. Where are Reza and Sylvia farming? How many farms does Reza look after?
2. What are the couple’s on-farm goals?
3. How does the Islamic faith see farming and how do you think this helps his role as a farmer?
4. What is the Living Water project?
Find out more at livingwater.net.nz
Have a listen
Is soil important?
Listen to Matthew Evans from Fat Pig Farm on this Radio New Zealand story to hear about what keeps the earth, and us, healthy.
bit.ly/soil-farming
Have a go:
1. At what rate globally are we losing soil?
2. How can soil have an impact on our immune system?
3. Farming for a long time involved seeing soil as a way to grow plants and animals. What does Matthew Evans say is the new way of thinking about the relationship between plants, animals and soil?
Stretch yourself:
4. Matthew says what we choose to eat benefits soil health. Explain how.
5. At Fat Pig Farm they avoid digging over the soil and have a diverse range of green plants growing in the soil all the time. How do you think this helps the soil and environment?
For more about soils see landcareresearch.co.nz
