Northern Farming Lifestyles, July 2023

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National’s plan to reduce agri emissions

by Dr Shane Reti, National Party list MP

A National government will help farmers and growers embrace new technology to reduce agricultural emissions and reach New Zealand’s climate change targets.

National is committed to reaching Net Zero by 2050, but we believe New Zealand’s path to emission reductions in agriculture is through technology, not less production. New Zealand contributes 0.2 per cent to global emissions. New Zealand must play its role in reducing emissions. How National is going to tackle climate change is very different from Labour and the Greens. It will target the key drivers of emissions — agriculture, energy, transport and industry. It will embrace new technology. We will ensure we have the infrastructure New Zealand needs to double renewable energy generation and strengthen the economy in the process.

Around half of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture. Finding a sustainable pathway to reduce agricultural emissions, when we are among the most emission-efficient farmers in the world, without decimating our most important economic sector is a major long-term challenge for New Zealand.

Currently, there is no technology widely available in New Zealand to reduce methane emissions. That means any environmental costs lumped on farmers now will push up food prices or send production overseas to higher emitting countries. National will give farmers the tools they need to reduce emissions before charging them for their on-farm emissions — by 2030 at the latest.

National has announced we will remove the ban on gene editing (GE) and genetic modification (GM) technology which will help give farmers the tools they need to reduce methane emissions, such as gene-edited crops and feed. New Zealand has already created genetically modified grasses in labs which would significantly reduce our agricultural emissions. Restrictive, outdated rules currently mean no GE crops can be grown in New Zealand.

A methane inhibitor called Bovaer, which can potentially lower livestock emissions by 30 per cent, is available to 30 other countries around the world. It currently faces a four-year approval process in New

Zealand. National will streamline approval for these types of products.

National will recognise on-farm sequestration, allowing landowners to earn carbon credits through other forms of carbon capture besides tree planting, for example, restoring wetlands. To prevent the loss of valuable agricultural land, National will introduce limits for new farm-to-forest conversions, including a moratorium on whole farm conversions to exotic forestry on high-quality land from 2024.

Labour has failed to achieve anything in six years. It rejected He Waka Eke Noa, the industry’s proposal to reduce emissions, and instead proposed shutting down 20 per cent of sheep and beef farms, hitting farmers with a punitive fertiliser tax and sending production overseas to high emitting countries.

National is confident we can reach our climate goals by reducing agricultural emissions without closing down a sector that contributes over $40 billion to the New Zealand economy. It has already announced our Electrify New Zealand policy which will double renewable energy generation.

Forty per cent of our emissions come from transport and energy. Switching the transport and energy sectors to clean energy could deliver almost a third of the total emission reductions New Zealand needs to reach Net Zero by 2050. A National government will deliver on New Zealand’s climate change goals, fix the economy, reduce the cost of living, lift incomes and provide the public services New Zealanders deserve.

Dr Shane Reti

Creating connections in clusters

by Amy Fifita

Dairy Women’s Network Northland and Playcentre are making bonds with rural families throughout the Northland region with its Cake, Coffee and Connect events.

“Our Northland communities have had a very tough six months with the weather,” Playcentre adviser Julia Passmore said.

“The morning that the Dairy Woman’s Network provided was an amazing event that revived and inspired our wider Playcentre whānau to connect on a regular basis giving each other another level of support.

“In our rural communities, Playcentre is often the only Early Childhood Education provider. It not only provides a unique experience for tamariki playing and learning alongside whānau, but a support network for parents and extended family who are often facing similar challenges.”

The launch of the event was in Mamaranui and included the Dargaville and Te Kōpuru centres with more to come.

“We secured funding from the Ministry of Social Development for our rural families,” DWN Northland hub leader Sue Skelton says. “The criteria for it was for community groups and initiatives that improve social cohesion within an area.

“Playcentres in rural communities are possibly the only place where families can connect with each other socially. The Playcentre regional support lead Keri Squires suggested that we did it in clusters in Northland.

“We came into their space with coffee and a meal. There was face painting for the children and the adults got into it too.

“It was an opportunity for the groups to meet each other. We came into their space with coffee, meals and face painting for children, and they were blown away that

NORTHPOWER ELECTRIC POWER TRUST (NEPT) NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING

The Annual General Meeting of beneficiaries is to be held at the Northland Events Centre, 51 Okara Drive, Whangārei at 1pm on Wednesday 26 July, 2023. A light lunch will be served at 12.30pm.

Agenda

1 Minutes of last year’s Annual Meeting in July 2022

2 Matters Arising

3 Presentation of the Trust’s Annual Report to Beneficiaries for the year ending 31 March 2023

4 Appointment of an Auditor for the 2023/2024 Financial Year

5 Report on Code of Practice

6 General Business

In accordance with S100 of the Electricity Industry Act 2010 the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Trust for the year ended 31 March 2023 and the Auditors Report on those financial statements will be available for inspection, Monday to Friday, between 9.00am and 4.30pm at the office of the secretary (details below) and at www.northpower.com

Plus Chartered Accountants

22 John Street

Whangarei

Phone 09 438 3322

In accordance with S102 of the Electricity Industry Act 2010

— s(2) every beneficiary has one vote

— s(3) The quorum for the annual meeting is 20 beneficiaries.

All people in the Kaipara and Whangārei Districts who are connected to the Northpower electricity network are encouraged to attend.

someone would come to their little area to do something for them.

“The funding helped us to create a box of pantry supplies with tea, coffee, flour, soap flakes, cornflour and food colouring that they can all use at the centres.

“The event was great because we got to go to them, and it involved the little ones. I enjoyed connecting with the farming women. It opens the doors to possibly doing something with them again. It was amazing celebrating and shining a light on them to show appreciation for what the volunteers do.

“It was nice chatting and connecting with the farming women and it opens

doors to possibly do something with them again. We want to show them that we see them and celebrate what they do for the community.

“Thank you to Huia Penney from Red Penney Coffee Cart and Nadine Clement from Face Painting Northland for helping us run the event. We are doing two other events in Northland — our next Cake, Coffee and Connect events are on July 26 at Rawene Playcentre and July 27 at Pamapuria Playcentre.”

To find out more about Playcentre in your area visit playcentre.org.nz or the Dairy Women’s Network go to facebook. com/DairyWomensNetworkNorthland.

The first Cake, Coffee and Connect event was held at Mamaranui Playcentre with the Dargaville and Te Kōpuru centres joining in the fun too

Nadine Clement from Face Painting Northland drew artistic creations on children and adults at the Mamaranui event

In Scotland, there were some stunning reversals. New Zealand, winner of four times as many titles as any other nation across the six titles of individual and team events in machine shearing, blade shearing and woolhandling, achieved just one top-three placing.

The closest the Wools of New Zealand team came to a title was the blades-final second placing to defending champions and South Canterbury shearers Allan Oldfield and Tony Dobbs, beaten only by a rookie-international South Africa pair Bonile Rabela and Zwelamakhosi Mbuweni. A relay decided on quality points after the Kiwis won the race by two seconds, with each side averaging about 2min 20sec a sheep through the 10 in each pen.

WORLD SHEARING

CHAMPS COMING HOME

BY PAUL CAMPBELL

New Zealand will host the 20th Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships at the home of Golden Shears in Masterton in 2026 after the Kiwi team finished out of the silverware in Scotland’s event this year for the first time since the first championships in 1977.

Dobbs, the winner of more than 100 finals in a 40-year career, was fourth in the Individual final, which was won by Rabela, with defending champion Oldfield having been a shock elimination in the semi-finals.

Wales claimed three of the titles. The biggest surprise in possibly the history of the championships was that, for the first time, New Zealand was not represented in either the machine shearing or woolhandling individual finals.

In the six-man machines shearing final, which New Zealand had won 12 of the previous 18 times, it was Wales one-two, while in the woolhandling, Scotland team members were first and second, respectively. The shearing world titles are a contest of skill and stamina in a sport recognised in 1993 by Sport and Recreation New Zealand. One of the first such contests was held in this country sometime in the

1880s. Sheep farming started in the early 1800s, and the first shearers had to be imported from Australia until the locals became proficient in handling the hand shears of those days.

Kiwi competitors Simon Goss and Justin Bell on the board in Scotland

Also competing in Scotland was Kiwi shearer Ant Frew

Back then, shearing gangs stayed on the properties in designated quarters, and if it was a big property, they would have their own cook and meals from their own cook house. If only a couple of men were needed the poor farmer’s wife would have to provide three meals a day as well as smoko twice a day.

By the 1870s, large shearing sheds had become common. Machines on steam power were introduced as early as the mid-1880s and finally by electricity. Official shearing competitions began at A&P shows in the 1870s, and it wasn’t until 1961 the Golden Shears competition started in Masterton and has become New Zealand’s biggest shearing event.

Kiwi shearing competitor Hugh McCarroll NNZM who won intermediate fame at the 1967 Golden Shears, is one of about 12 people who’ve received

Royal NZ Honours for their involvement in shearing. He’s secretary of the World Sheep Shearing Records Society and says New Zealand has been a world leader in competition.

“I guess the real contest in what is now an international competition circuit was the Golden Shears at Masterton,” he says.

“Of course, prior to this, there were rural events at shows and anyway, shearers were always competing with each other as they worked in the sheds.

“When the contests started, the New Zealand Wool Board had a good training programme underway led by the likes of Godfrey Bowen and Gavin Rolland. This resulted in a good grounding for the industry, and New Zealanders have gone on to excel in competition.”

Kiwis also came to the fore as interest spread overseas and had a major input into the rules governing international contests.

“We contributed to judging standards and established the rules, and the competitions have grown from New Zealand to see top shearers today competing in Australia and the United Kingdom and other countries.”

Shearing Sports New Zealand spokesman, Doug Laing, says in 1902,

a machine-shearing competition was held at the Hawke’s Bay A&P Show and won by Rimitiriu Raihania, known as The Great Raihania. “We claim this as the first machine-shearing competition in the world, and it beats by four years a competition in Wyoming which claimed that honour.”

Alan Oldfield tackles a championship sheep

DAIRY CAME FROM SMALL BEGINNINGS

BY PAUL CAMPBELL

From that time, agricultural activity only increased slowly from the 1870s, when kauri gum exports exceeded butter and cheese. The Kauri Gum Commission at that time was investigating pastures sown on burnt-over gumland, and this proved successful in establishing herds, so much so that the first dairy factory opened in 1884. However, it took another two decades for the technological boost, which laid the foundations of Northland and New Zealand’s dairy future. In 1900 refrigerated shipping and the milking machine appeared, ensuring productivity and secure export opportunities. Then the first freezing works were established at Reotahi in 1912, and then Moerewa in

1921, although there were still areas of problem soils, isolated by poor access, which discouraged investment and it wasn’t to vastly improve until the post-war years in the 1950s.

It’s known that Jersey cows are a dairying mainstay, and notable that a Jersey bull was imported at great expense from Australia by the Smith Family patriarch in Matakohe that now has generations of progeny scattered across Northland. An account by the late Mavis Smith contains an evocative record of milking in the formative days of the industry.

She wrote: ‘Another duty we had as children was in the milking shed. With such a large family, plus the usual swag of callers, milk was essential. Dad though

was not particular in his selection of house cows. Practically any cow that happened to have a calf when the milk shortage became acute was considered good enough for the boys, and some really tough specimens were yarded for our benefit. Not that Dad was averse to

lending a hand. With his trusty tea tree waddy, Dad bashed the unfortunate animal into the bail and left the rest of the operation to us. Running the risk of having our brains kicked out, we finally leg-roped the frantic beast and made the rope fast to a ring in the wall of the shed.

Early farm milking humour — courtesy Albertland Museum

A backbone of the New Zealand economy all began in Northland back in 1819 when the missionary Reverend Samuel Marsden started the first European farm at Kerikeri, with a bull and two cows that came from a government herd.

Early milk transport from the dairy farm

‘Then, for a few minutes, there was hell to pay. The walls shook, cats and kittens emerged from the hay in the loft, and cow dung flew in all directions. Needless to say any milk we managed to extract from the elusive teats was tinged with mud and manure — the dogs got the lot. Removing the leg rope and unlatching the bail flap was a risky business and called for skill and speed.

‘On one occasion, teamwork lacked coordination, and I let the bail go before we had undone the leg rope. From our vantage points on the yard rails, we waited anxiously while the much-abused producer of butterfat did her best to pull the shed down. Finally, much to our relief, the rope snapped and the cow galloped into the paddock. Later, Dad became more expert in his selection of milking cows, and the quieter Jersey breed gave us little trouble in the covered section of the yards, which were used for drafting and weaning.’

The earliest dairy factory established in Northland was in Maungakaramea near Whangārei in 1884. The company name was Maungakaramea Cheese,

Butter and Bacon Manufacturing Company and was in business from 1884–1889. The factory was later advertised for sale after the directors chose to voluntarily wind up the company and appoint a liquidator.

Kaipara district was well supplied with dairy farming growth, and a cheese factory was built in Paparoa township. Operations got underway in 1895, but a year later, bush fires and drought halved milk production in local dairy herds. By November 1897, it was realised the company was heavily in debt, and the building and plant were auctioned off for other rural processing ventures, including a grist mill.

In the years since the first factory at Maungakaramea, communities across Northland have seen local enterprises rise and fall, and now Fonterra plants have become the collective dairy market resource of today, Northland has come into its own as a dairy producer.

DairyNZ says climate change in Northland is expected to lead to coastal inundation, infrastructure disruption, increased average temperatures leading

to changes in plant and insect species, and more significant weather events causing severe drought and flooding. There is a need and opportunity to look further into how these changes will impact Northland and develop appropriate strategies to maintain resilient businesses.

Recognising the need for environmental improvement, Northland Regional Council, farmers, and industry partners have a strategy in place and are working together towards achieving 100% adoption of good farming practice. DairyNZ has looked further, saying that by 2030 Northland dairy farmers will all have Farm Environment Plans in place that enable them to meet Good Farming Principles prioritised with council and wider industry while telling their story of protecting and enhancing their rivers, estuaries and local biodiversity.

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SHANEJONES SHANEJONES

amilies. Not failure. amilies. Notfailure.

The schools are failing. The kids are truant. Shane will change schools, Theschools are failing. The kidsare truant.Shane will changeschools, deal to the drugs, and help families, not gangs. deal to thedrugs,and help families, not gangs.

Build Northland Better Build Northland Better

Instead of spending $28 billion on Auckland light rail, Shane wants the

Instead of spending$28 billiononAuckland lightrail, Shane wants the money spent here. Building homes for families, not gangs. Building money spent here. Building homes for families, notgangs. Building roads so business can create jobs. roadssobusiness cancreatejobs.

LOVE FOR EQUINES IN THE BLOOD

with the Welsh Mountain pony, she had a desire to become a breeder, and after a brief break, is restarting her stud once more.

“Iwas born in England and my parents moved to New Zealand when I was 17 months old,” Lucy said.

“Mum had horses and dad had a big Clydesdale that would plough the field in England. It was in my blood. I loved horses so much, but I never had pictures of them on my wall — I wanted the real thing.

“Coming home from primary school every day, I hoped my parents had bought me a horse and it would be sitting in the backyard. They never did and explained that it wasn’t fair to have a pony in Auckland, and I accepted that.

“When we went camping, I rode horses on the Department of Conservation Land at Pūriri Bay at Whangaruru. That is where I rode an Arabian horse and a big hunting horse called Whenupa.

“Mum and dad moved to Waiheke Island, and I got to buy my first horse at

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“I moved to Northland and got into the Western Riding Club in Maungatapere, meeting heaps of awesome people there too. I got a little Welsh gelding and found him quite sweet, but he wasn’t show quality.

“There was a lady in Kaukapakapa who bred Welsh Mountain ponies, and that is where I bought my first colt from. I went on to buy my foundation mares and went for quality instead of quantity.”

Lucy took a break from breeding after losing her beloved stallion Nilloh Jackson King of Pop and is currently sharemilking in Paparoa.

“I am about to get back into breeding Welsh Mountain ponies after I lost my beautiful stallion Jackson when he was 10 years old. I brought him in 2011 as my foundation stallion and he is the reason I fell in love with the breed.

“He was a beautiful palomino with a good temperament and registered three times with the Welsh Pony and Colt

Society, Pony Breeders and the Golden Horse Society. I showed him extensively from Northland to Taupō, and he was a multi-supreme champion.

“Jackson was my pride and joy, so when I lost him, it was a big deal. During Covid, it was difficult finding a decent stallion or colt.

“I have a colt now, and I am hoping that he will turn into a decent stallion. I made sure I had good-quality mares with Jackson. After he passed, I know that there are a few of his progeny out there passing on his genes.

“When I breed, my main focus is temperament, conformation and bloodlines. It is wonderful having the foals. You put so much energy, effort and thought into the breeding and wait 11 months for a foal and out pops a little gem.

“Recently, I decided to put on a low-key Welsh pony show. There used to be various sections at the Agricultural and Pastoral Show for the Welsh breed, but since Covid

and due to lack of entries, many of their classes have reduced to nothing.

“It is for Welsh, part-bred Welsh and non-Welsh equines. It is nothing flash, and horses and ponies can come with a nice and tidy halter. We will have adult classes in the afternoon, and I encourage people to get their young stock out.”

The show is on Sunday, July 30, starting at 10am at the Riding for the Disabled Association at Barge Park in Whangārei.

“I love working with them, handling them and sitting with them in the paddock. They can be cheeky and give people so much enjoyment.”

Lucy Fryer says her Welsh Mountain Pony Stallion Nilloh Jackson King of Pop was the reason she loves the breed

Lucy with her son Charles at one of the many horse events she showed her Welsh Mountain ponies at

Lucy showing Brackenmere Tiramisu one of her foundation mares

The Kaipara Moana is a very special place. As the largest harbour in the Southern Hemisphere, it is home to threatened and taonga species, and rare habitats. It also has major economic value as the breeding ground for New Zealand’s snapper fishery. However, sediment levels in the Harbour have put this at risk.

Kaipara Moana Remediation (KMR) invests in projects that reduce sediment flows into the Kaipara Harbour. Funded by Jobs for Nature, KMR supports farmers and groups to fence off and plant waterways and eroding hillsides. To date, KMR has invested in projects worth over $9.3 million, and supported nature-based jobs in communities right across the 640,000-hectare Kaipara Moana catchment in both Northland and Auckland.

18 months into operational delivery, KMR is supporting a growing number of local landowners, hapū and community groups to take action – come and join us!

Justine Daw Pou Tātaki, KMR

KMR by the Numbers

Jobs: KMR has invested in local businesses, communities and young people by; Accrediting 24 local suppliers and 20 nurseries. Training 53 Field Advisors to work alongside landowners. Creating 120,000 hours of new work.

Nature: KMR is working with more than a third of the landowners in the catchment: 510 landowners are taking action or scoping projects with KMR.

420 Sediment Reduction Plans are in place to unlock KMR funding.

89,000 hectares is managed under the KMR Sediment Reduction Plan.

850,000 natives have been planted or are contracted for planting. 440km of fencing has been completed or contracted.

Our work with the Forest Bridge Trust

In north Auckland, The Forest Bridge Trust is a farmer-led initiative working to create a connected landscape of healthy forest and flourishing native wildlife from the Kaipara Harbour in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. KMR and The Trust now work together to protect and plant areas of native bush and wetlands. Recently, The Trust has also helped landowners to access KMR’s Cyclone Recovery funding to retire areas on steep, eroding hillsides affected by landslides.

New Kaipara partnership

On 1 July, KMR launched an on-farm extension pilot with Kaipara Agri Solutions and Kaipara Farm Vets in Dargaville, Ruawai, Te Kōpuru and nearby areas in Northland. The collaboration draws on the trusted relationships between vets and landowners, and the technical expertise of Kaipara Agri Solutions, to reduce on-farm sediment losses. The partnership will unlock KMR funding for participating farmers to fence off and plant near waterways and on eroding hillsides.

Navigator Projects

KMR is developing around 20 ‘Navigator’ projects across the Kaipara Moana catchment. Led by local landowners, these flagship sites will demonstrate larger-scale or innovative sediment reduction projects and share know-how with others in the community. In the Southern part of the Kaipara Moana catchment (North Auckland), we’re working across multiple locations:

• At Taporapora, we’re looking at how to work across the entire peninsula and various land uses, farms, properties and ownership types to deliver a co-ordinated approach to sediment reduction.

• At South Head, we’re looking to protect existing wetlands, and form larger areas of protected natural features. We’re also exploring how to support restoration as freshwater transitions into the saline environment of the harbour.

• In Wainui, we’re looking at how large-scale hillside planting on a sheep and beef farm will reduce sediment flows into the Makarau River, and restore the land after weather events earlier this year.

Freshwater regulations will swamp farmers

by Hon Shane Jones

The Northland primary sector is about to be choked by a combination of Wellington regulators and Whangārei-based regional council zealots. The weapon of choice is the national policy statement for freshwater management, NPS.

Are you taking a joint supplement? (Part

One)

by John Arts

They say death and taxes are the only certainties, but osteoarthritis must be close to this list. The sales of worldwide joint and bone supplements are a staggering US$11.7 billion and are expected to grow by another 50% in the next ve years.

The majority use joint supplements to treat joint problems, most for osteoarthritis, with about 40% of developing knee osteoarthritis alone. Pain is a great motivator, and people turn to joint supplements for relief — but do they help?

There has been signi cant research into compounds found in joint supplements, especially glucosamine, chondroitin, and turmeric. It comes as no surprise that studies come to differing conclusions ranging from poor to excellent results.

This statutory deadweight was originally the work of the National government under the genius of former MP Nick Smith, not! It has now been turbocharged by Labour and will shrink the number of Northland farmers and decrease the size of farms.

It is administered by the Ministry for the Environment, an anti-economic growth agency. It spews out environmental proclamations for provincial NZ without interpretations and scant regard for commercial reality.

Consequently, our regional council is left with the task of implementing these Wellington edicts. Case in point, fencing waterways to improve the health of streams, rivers and estuaries.

Will our regional council demand that landowners fence off 20 metres of every waterway draining through their property? A massive land grab that will severely undermine farming in Northland.

Will such fenced-off areas be exempt from rates? What will become of those farms that are uneconomic if 20% is taken from every hectare proximate to waterways? Who will deal with the weeds, tobacco trees and scrub that will cover this purloined land?

How will Northland find other sources of export revenue, given the inevitable economic hit from these impractical injunctions?

Landowners need to be vigilant against regional council staff overreaching. Councillors need to be warned against quaffing too much green Kool-Aid. That will lead to red ink at a time when Northland has to boost our international revenue.

Under the freshwater NPS, our regional councillors also have to give effect to mana o te wai narratives. These bureaucratic tools likely lead to co-governance of our waterways. These narratives will materialise through engagement with tangata whenua on the basis of tikanga and visions.

So now our most profound export sector will be regulated based on visions and unknown tikanga, which will depend on localities and the relevant hapū — a recipe for disaster.

The tiny group of hapū greenies have yet to tell their cousins about the likelihood that Māori farmers will be major casualties in this nonsense.

Apparently, mana o te wai means that the wellbeing of a water body is more important than any human uses of such water. Tell that gobbledygook to the community during the next water crisis.

The restoration of water quality is a long-term mission. It will not be delivered without robust economic performance by our exporters. The regional council is on treacherous territory if it fails to appreciate this ineradicable fact.

While studies and research can be helpful, my criteria for assessing osteoarthritis supplements is simple. I assess the effectiveness of my supplements solely by whether they help. An important part of my discipline of nutritional medicine is regularly reviewing progress. When someone commences my joint supplements, I contact them after six weeks, then again at three months, to see how they are doing. The measure of assessment is again simple; is it working?

When someone purchases my joint products, I offer a joint health

assessment which the majority adopts. I ask questions about the problem, including its diagnosis, treatment and symptoms and a description of limitations in mobility. At the sixweekly review, we then compare progress to the initial assessment and modify the programme as needed.

One thing I can say for certain if people do not get a tangible bene t, they will stop taking them. Results are my sole measure whether a supplement is helping.

John Arts (B.Soc.Sci, Dip Tch, Adv. Dip.Nut.Med) is a nutritional medicine practitioner and founder of Abundant Health Ltd. For questions or advice, contact John on 0800 423 559 or email john@abundant.co.nz. Join his newsletter at abundant.co.nz.

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• Chondroitin and glucosamine are building blocks of cartilage.

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“I assess the effectiveness of my supplements solely by whether they help.”

Shane Jones

Council environment work in focus

by Paul Campbell

Environmental issues have been at the forefront of Northland Regional Council’s activities of late with the grant of $1.7 million in funding over four years for erosion work and a $300,000 probe into Hokianga Harbour remediation.

Amy Macdonald, who chairs the council’s Natural Resources Working Party, says the funding will be used managing highly erodible land and promoting good land use.

Nationally, the government has allocated $25 million to 14 regional erosion control programmes for the four years beginning July.

“There will also be funding to plant natives on erosion-prone land, helping to enable land use change from pasture to trees.”

Northland has major erosion issues, with more than 60% of the region and 40% of the region’s grazing land classified as highly erodible. Eroded sediment is Northland’s biggest natural pollutant. Research showing the Bay of Islands alone has lost an average of 500,000 tonnes annually for the past century.

Councillor Macdonald says sediment going into the rivers and coastal environment can have a number of adverse effects.

“Sediment can reduce light levels in the water, which affects plant growth, and hinder the ability of animals to find prey and avoid predators. It can also smother marine plants and animals and cause sandy environments to change into shallow, turbid, muddy environments.”

Tui Shortland — Northland Regional Council chair

The council is to invest $300,000 for the development of a business case for the remediation of the Hokianga Harbour.

Council chair Tui Shortland says the business case would estimate the cost and benefits of restoring the harbour.

“This information could then be used to advocate for funding from the central government, alongside iwi and hapū, to achieve high level understanding of the following:

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 The problems (or opportunities) to be addressed and the benefits to be achieved

 Undertake an initial assessment of risks and uncertainties

 Recommendations and actions to support further development of the business case

“Our learnings from the Kaipara Moana Remediation Programme process is that a great business case is only as good as the partnerships that are built around it.”

“It’s intended to commence the first stage of the business case (the strategic case) in the first quarter of the 2024 calendar year unless additional resourcing becomes available in the intervening time.”

Applications for a share of Northland’s $1.7 million funding will be managed through the council’s usual Environment Fund process.

“To enquire about making an application call your local land management adviser or call 0800 002 004 and ask to speak to a land management adviser or email council.”

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“What Iwould really love to do is work for DOC or biosecurity or something along those lines. For me, something I’ve learned through this course is the importance of conserving nature for cultural purposes. It’s really important to protect our environment and it’s so very unique.

I’ve learned about alot of native species, how to protect them, grow them from seeds, and why they are so important to New Zealand specifically. It’s stepping away from things like just growing vegetables or flowers and actually thinking about caring for the environment and New Zealand.”

“With this paper, one of the hardest things for me was getting out of my comfort zone. This course is conjoint with the Certificate in Primary Operational Skills and machinery isn’tsomething Ihad much experience with. But it’s been amazing. I’m much more confident with all the machines, tractors, quads, and all that. It’s been a really great experience.”

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National will get farming back on track

by Grant McCallum

National is offering a clear point of difference this election, championing farming as an essential part of the New Zealand of both today and the future.

In contrast with Labour’s record of consistently reaching for heavy-handed one-size-fits-all regulations to whack farmers around, National plans to get New Zealand and Kiwi farming back on track.

We kicked off the campaign with our Getting Back to Farming policy to bring in smarter regulations, get roadblocks out of the way of the rural economy, and end Wellington’s micromanagement of farms.

Then, we announced our plan for a clear path forward on emissions. New Zealand needs a rational strategy to reduce agricultural emissions using more and better technology, not by cutting production.

National’s plan is to work with farmers, promoting the tools we need, including recognising on-farm sequestration and ending the ban on gene technology. That way, we can stay out of the ETS and continue on the path to stronger emissions efficiency as technology improves.

National is also committed to limiting the conversion of productive farmland to forestry for carbon farming.

The deteriorating road network in Northland affects everyone in the north. For farmers, in particular, we rely on getting goods, stock and produce in and out of the region on roads that have consciously been allowed to fall apart.

In this year’s Budget, Labour cut funding for state highway maintenance by $164 million and local road maintenance by a massive $314 million. That’s beside the north not getting anything close to the $185

million that the Northland Transportation Alliance told the government we needed to upgrade roads after Cyclone Gabrielle.

That’s why I’ve launched a petition to fix and upgrade Northland’s roads at national.org.nz/fixnorthlandroads.

Northland needs and deserves better.

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infrastructure, and ‘Get New Zealand back on track’.

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Rural Building/sheds & shelters

The bathroom’s new associate

by Andy Bryenton

Better hygiene, a huge saving on your grocery bill and a boost for the environment combine to make the convenience of the bathroom’s ‘other convenience’ a serious consideration for renovators.

Since 1975 it’s been a mandatory part of bathrooms in places like Italy and Portugal. Despite being popular, since before the French Revolution, the concept of the bidet is only just becoming a bathroom trend in New Zealand. Whether it’s a stand-alone unit like those you may have seen in hotels or on your foreign travels, or a device replacing your usual lavatory seat, people are switching on to the benefits.

People from cultures which swear by the bidet, places like France, Italy, Argentina, Egypt and Spain, for example, insist that it’s just a matter of cleanliness. If you wash your hands with water, they would opine, washing elsewhere with water, especially if it’s warm and soothing, is common sense. They may have a point. Studies prove that the bidet does work better than the toilet paper it replaces.

Then there’s the impact on the environment. Each usage expends only about half a litre of water, less than the amount used to cultivate the

amount of paper necessary for the same operation. Scientific American magazine crunched the numbers and estimated that a switch to bidets by the majority of US citizens would save 15 million trees each year. Bidets would also get rid of wet wipe towelettes flushed into the sewers. Those who like the extra cleanliness and comfort of the wipes are natural bidet adopters in any case.

The big benefit of the bidet comes from its ease of use. Older folks, especially those with mobility or balance issues in later life, can be self-reliant for much longer with the assistance of this kind of technology. Gerontologists recommend the fitment of an add-on bidet for many of their patients to enable them to live at home longer.

The French may have invented the bidet, but it’s the Japanese who have brought the device to the forefront of technology. While the option to install a heated replacement lavatory seat unit or a stand-alone porcelain fixture

and give

Push button convenience — a bidet refit like this turns any lavatory into a Japanese-style auto-washing bidet with warm water on command is the limit of your options in New Zealand, in Japan, bathroom science has delivered conveniences that play music, automatically perfume the air,

options for cleansing sprays at different temperatures, with a range of scents, or even a follow-up puff of talcum powder.

Rural Building/sheds & shelters

by Amy Fifita

It is often the smaller details that make a home which is why it is

You can select various styles of tapware to add a splash of your desired style and give your home a personal feel. Fittings are often available in various colours, looks, design features and functions.

A dual showerhead could be a luxurious addition to your bathroom. There will be no rush to keep warm while you are hosing off the suds because the broader showerhead will have you covered. A similar feature is a rain head above your regular shower.

For those on tank water, conserving water and sustainability are often considerations. A low-flow showerhead offers efficiency; many of them work without sacrificing water pressure.

There are even options for the children, especially those who have an aversion to showering. Make washing fun by getting a light-up shower head. It offers a great distraction, and many come with various colours to choose from for each use.

Another consideration is tap fixtures. Some people prefer mixer taps, while others would rather have two separate taps and various other water fixture capabilities. There are also various taps depending on the water pressure in your home.

In the kitchen, it might be ideal to have a spring tap to create ease when washing fruits, vegetables and dishes. It is a functional addition to a workstation sink.

Once you have chosen the function of your tap, you can move on to selecting the style and aesthetic design you would

love in your home. It is something that you will constantly see, so decide what is appealing to you.

There are various styles trending for 2023. Mixed metals are popular at the moment, and it adds different pops of colour and adds ease to the deciding

process because you get to choose two. Matte blacks offer contrast for the other colours in your bathroom or kitchen.

Once you have a clear picture of what you want, you can put the steps into motion and have an end product that works and represents who you are and what you want.

Consider what you want from your taps, from the way they function to what style you like, such as a spring tap that adds ease to washing vegetables and dishes

Rural Building/sheds & shelters

People in glass houses

by Andy Bryenton

An ailing emperor, a king’s taste for oranges as a political statement, and a glass palace made for a queen all add up to the formula for the modern garden’s greenhouse.

A popular kitset for home gardeners all over New Zealand, the small garden greenhouse is a godsend for those who wish to cultivate crops and flowers in the changeable, sometimes chilly conditions of our maritime climate. With moneysaving home veggie gardens a fresh trend and composting food scraps for the garden a great way to reduce household waste, they are popping up in greater numbers, with new designs to fit into our generally smaller modern outdoor spaces.

The first ever greenhouses came from Rome, where emperor Tiberius was advised by his doctors to eat a cucumber a day to stave off sickness. The emperor demanded the seasonal veggies year-round, prompting his architects to build a structure with laminated cloth sails for a roof, like the great awnings over the Colosseum. Tiberius got his cukes, and an idea was born.

By the 1680s, wealthy lords in Europe had adapted the concept of

the greenhouse to grow tropical and unseasonal fruits for their tables, a show of great power and wealth. Items like pineapples and bananas were seen as displays of excess when served to guests, especially in winter. This was because greenhouses required lots of maintenance and lots of very expensive hand-made glass.

King Louis of France popularised them by cultivating oranges year-round at the Palace of Versailles. His reason for eating the fruit was twofold; they came from Spain, his biggest Catholic ally, and they represented a political pun. Louis hated William of Orange, the prince of Holland and later king of England, and by slicing, chopping, juicing and devouring oranges he made a satirical point about his wishes for William.

Greenhouse design changed with the ability to mass-produce glass and with the iron-and-glass architecture movement

New Zealand Made Greenhouses

The invention of inexpensive glass panels brought a whole new aspect to home gardening of the middle Victorian age. This saw its height with the construction of the socalled Crystal Palace in 1851. Queen Victoria’s showcase for science and culture was housed under a huge ironframed glass structure, which was to be

replicated by other monarchs, botanical gardens, zoos and railway stations all over the world. In a smaller form, this method of attaching glass panels to a metal frame became the template for the much smaller greenhouses set up in ordinary gardens.

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Rural Building/sheds & shelters

Is your home up to code?

by Andy Bryenton

There are strict rules in place to ensure that homes rented out to tenants meet certain health standards, but many privately owned homes may not stack up. How about yours?

Health department research shows a link between cold, damp and mouldy homes and adverse health outcomes, particularly for illnesses such as asthma and cardiovascular conditions. It isn’t controversial or new science. It’s so well established that private landlords have been compelled to comply with specific standards since 2021. For the rest of us, those standards provide a good baseline to see if our own homes are ready to face winter.

Heating — The Healthy Homes standard states that every home must have one or more fixed heat sources, with a minimum of one in the living room. Portable heaters, or unhealthy or inefficient ones don’t count. For most homes, a heat pump is a common choice, though in rural areas, a wood-burning fire, gas fire or pellet heater is also popular. It means that primarily heating your home with small fan heaters, gas bottle heaters, electric fires or oil column heaters is not advised; save small heaters for smaller rooms.

Insulation — Rental homes must have underfloor insulation, if it can be installed,

and ceiling insulation with a resistance value of at least 2.9. Even with advanced new materials, this usually means roof insulation at least 12cm thick or more. If your ceiling insulation has crumbled or shrunk below this limit, your home may not be getting the protection it needs to be considered healthy.

Ventilation — The rules state that every room must have a window that opens to the outdoors, but, more

importantly, all bathrooms, laundry rooms and kitchens must have a powerful fan extraction system.

Drainage and drips — There’s no tolerance for leaks, leaky gutters or lack of stormwater drainage in the Healthy Homes code. Water getting in can cause rot, mould, fungus and illness, and weathertightness is an absolute dealbreaker for a home to be considered healthy.

Draughts — Understandably, any gap that produces a noticeable draught must be blocked, whether under a door, through a cracked window or even via a disused fireplace.

How does your home compare to these minimum standards for landlords? If there’s an area where your property needs attention, call the professionals in to help cure those winter ills. Doing so could save both your health and that of your home in the long run.

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Taking care of your home means taking care of your own good health, especially when winter chills come knocking

Rural Building/sheds & shelters

Some like it hot

by Andy Bryenton

Every home in Finland has one, and many other European countries have followed suit, making the sauna one of the hottest trends in bathroom design, both figuratively and literally.

Whether it’s for the refreshing sensation of relaxing in the warmth and steam of a wet sauna or the health benefits of ‘sweating out the bad stuff’ in a dry sauna before bathing, the old tradition is alive and well after a resurgence in the 1980s. How old? Well, the sauna dates from pre-mediaeval Scandinavia and was used to replace taking a bath in those latitudes where winter grips the land with temperatures of 30 degrees below zero or more.

In such frosty climes, taking a plunge into water was not very welcoming, and an alternative was adapted from the ‘sweat lodges’ ancient shamen used to aid in their meditations. It was so common for the people of Finland, Norway and Sweden to enjoy this form of relaxation and cleansing that one of the biggest pieces of evidence pointing to Norse occupation in Greenland and coastal Nova Scotia was the presence of burned sauna stones.

In the Finnish language of Suomi, sauna originally meant a little wooden hut, and that’s the form that outdoor saunas still take today. However, after the second world war, saunas began to be incorporated into new apartment buildings and terrace houses, brought indoors as a small room lined with wooden panels.

It is the basis for many interior design choices today. An indoor sauna can be purchased as a single unit and installed free-standing. Still, it’s more aesthetically pleasing for many to have their sauna adjoin the bathroom, with its own door and its own separate ventilation system. Indoors, it’s rare for a sauna to cleave to the traditional ideal of heating rounded stones with a wood fire. Many modern saunas are electric for this very reason. Be careful to check that your chosen sauna can accommodate the traditional use of water to create soothing steam; some electric saunas, due to their mode of power, are ‘dry’ heat only.

The home sauna fits well with the body consciousness which pervades those nations first established by Britain. Privacy in what is seen as a bathing environment is a societal norm. However, in Eastern Europe, large communal saunas exist where nakedness is not remarkable; the biggest, Czeladz, Poland, holds 300 guests and screens feature films amid the steam.

To enjoy the healthful and relaxing benefits of a sauna in your own home, experts suggest a bathroom renovation that relocates the toilet from its own tiny room to within the master bath area, or deleting an en suite. That provides just the right small space for a private sauna you won’t have to share.

Tuck a sauna into your renovation to add relaxation and good health to your home

Anti-erosion fund’s government support

by Andy Bryenton

Northland Regional Council has secured $1.7 million in funding covering a four-year period as part of the nationwide Sustainable Land Management Hill Country Erosion Programme.

The funding, administered by the Ministry for Primary Industries, will be used to support the council’s ongoing programme promoting active management of highly erodible land, and better land use.

“Essentially, this funding, which is available between July this year and June 2027, will enable us to extend the achievements of the current successful Hill Country Erosion Programme project, which ends in June this year,” says NRC natural resources working party chair says Amy Macdonald.

A total of $25 million has been split between 14 regional erosion control programmes as part of this tranche of funding. In Northland, Councillor Macdonald says the NRC will be targeting reducing erosion on highly erodible land, of which the region has an abundance. The push ties in well with local efforts, such as Kaipara Moana Remediation’s fresh mandate to plant trees on harbour-adjacent erodible hillsides. Less silt run-off from erosion means a cleaner harbour.

“Sediment can reduce light levels in the water, which affects plant growth, and hinder the ability of animals to find prey and avoid predators. It can also smother marine plants and animals, and cause sandy environments to change into

shallow, turbid, muddy environments,” says Ms Macdonald.

Northland has major erosion issues, with more than 60 per cent of the region and 40 per cent of the region’s grazing land classified as highly erodible. Studies have been completed for the Bay of Islands catchment, for example, which show that close to 500,000 tonnes of sediment is released into waterways and the ocean annually in that area. The solution involves extensive planting, both on erodible hillsides and also in riparian zones, to trap sediment at the source and before it enters the water.

Councillor Macdonald says applications for a share of Northland’s $1.7 million funding will be managed through the council’s usual environment fund process. It will make funds available to land management organisations and groups which can make a difference on the ground. To

enquire about making an application, call your local land management adviser or call 0800 002 004 and ask to speak to a land management adviser or email landadmin@nrc.govt.nz.

Northland Regional Councillor Amy Macdonald has welcomed a new round of funding to protect against erosion and its side effects

NZTA need to front up

by Colin Hannah, Federated Farmers Northland President

Cyclone Gabrielle tested all aspects of Northland infrastructure, and it was found wanting, so it’s time for NZTA to front up with dollars and respect Northlanders.

Northland needs to build resilience into the future for events that we have little control over. Gabrielle stressed a large percentage of our population. Whilst I consider Northlanders to be staunchly resilient, there are things that stretch us and create unnecessary anxieties. Take roading infrastructure and how it continues to hamstring our region and let us down.

In recent years I’ve been to numerous presentations from NZTA about our highways, and I’m still waiting for action. Our main Northland highways continue to let us down. Just look at the recent closure of Dome Valley, on the back of the carnage of the Brynderwyns and Mangamuka Gorge. They have become what I experienced in many third-world countries during my life working around the world.

Our highways have deteriorated alarmingly, and the deluges that we have experienced hasn’t helped. Recently, I needed farm supplies transported from Waikato to Northland. I was told by a national trucking firm that due to the

poor and dangerous conditions of our roads, the unavailability of a backload and the journey via Dargaville meant it was uneconomical for them to do the work — an unbelievable state of affairs for New Zealand.

The condition of our roads is starting to impact Northland economically. Travel is taking longer because we are having to be so cautious due to the dangerous state of our roads. When an obstruction takes place, the alternatives are even more dangerous.

It’s also taking longer to transport cattle because cartage contractors have had to use alternate routes. That’s not good for a country that prides itself in delivering the least stress in the way we farm our animals.

Northlanders are paying additional costs for cartage, and increasing costs are being built into the price we pay for goods. We’re on a no-exit road. The state of our roads is adding between four to five per cent inflation to our region above regions like Auckland.

We Northlanders deserve better than how we have been and are continually

treated by NZTA. We don’t want promises and excuses. We want action. We want it now, and we want an end to our near third-world roads.

It’s time the Wellington bureaucrats changed their thinking and lived in the real world. Maybe we need a toll

road into Northland to fund getting our roads into shape and help reduce the accident rates.

Maybe a $10 charge from Warkworth to Whangarei would be worth the money for a more stress-free life? Something has to give because Northland is hurting.

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Custom, comfort and control

by Andy Bryenton

When you buy a new car or pick up a second-hand bargain, it’s likely that you’ve chosen a machine close to what you want and need for your driving lifestyle.

What makes the biggest difference to your driving experience? Many experts would say that the biggest single choice you can make to affect the handling and feel of your car is through its tyres. The width, tread pattern, profile and compound of your tyres dictate how your car turns and grips, and if you drive a ute of 4x4, the difference between true off-road rubber and rolling stock on lowprofile show rims is clearly apparent. There’s so much to choose from that talking to your tyre professionals about what fits your driving life best is a great idea, especially in terms of safety and fuel economy.

When it comes to performance upgrades, extra power for used vehicles can be a matter of simply retuning them to the efficiency they enjoyed when brand new. A real ‘birthday’ for your engine might restore horsepower that has escaped over the years. Still, alternatively, there’s the option to get a professional to tune the fuel injection and computer control mapping of your engine digitally. With many vehicles now operating on a ‘fly by wire’ principle,

electronic tuning is a popular choice as an alternative to expensive induction swaps and lumpy cams.

Speaking of electrics, there are many modern conveniences which can be retrofitted to older machines to bring them up to date. Reversing cameras and dash cams, blind spot monitors, and banks of extra powerful lights are just some

examples, as are electric winches and even entire camping set-ups with refrigeration. The word from experts in this field is to consult with an auto electrician when you’re keen to load up on electric extras. It might be necessary to overhaul your vehicle’s wiring and battery set-up to handle the load. Cosmetically, there is little that hasn’t been tried and marketed in terms of

making a car or ute stand out. Springs to raise and lower your stance, airbags and hydraulics, tinted windows, designer rims and body kits are all out there for the taking. Originality is king, from custom paint to fresh upholstery, but it’s worth ensuring that the more wild mods fit within the letter of the law. Some, and some engine and power boosts, will require certification, so check with your local auto pros to ensure you stay on the right side of regulations.

Customise your vehicle to best fit your driving needs — ask your local experts about ways to make a factory set-up into a specialised monster machine

FARM EQUIPMENT & MACHINERY

Hybrid bruiser takes on Europe

by Andy Bryenton

Ferrari may have won at Le Mans for the race’s centennial, but Toyota still managed to come in second, continuing a string of podium victories which has included several chequered flags in recent years.

This is important because of the technology deployed in Toyota Gazoo Racing’s endurance hypercars; they’re all hybrids. Of course, most manufacturers talk a big game about how their racing pedigree trickles technology down to the street-car manufacturing divisions which feed the fleets of the world. However, this is usually a slow process, and once the accounts department gets involved, the flights of fancy which take race-inspired genius to the auto shows of Tokyo, Geneva and Detroit are usually toned down.

Not so the latest Lexus to carry on the sporty IS-series tradition. It’s a hybrid, but it’s still very much a sporty driver’s car with a compact shape, aggressive styling and 220 horsepower delivered by a combination of petrol power and electricity. Of course, previous IS models have been favourites of those seeking a bit of pep with their luxury. The IS 200 started things off as an upscale version of the sporty Toyota Altezza, and ever since, the marque has been a credible alternative to the BMW 3 series or C-class Mercedes.

Now comes the new IS 300 Black Line, and if the

appellation seems familiar, it’s because special Lexus

SERVICING ALL MAKES AND MODELS

projects with this terminology have sat at the pointy end of power for the brand for a few years now. The intention of the 2023 model is apparent from its looks. A redefined, more aggressive grille, a

blacked-out bonnet giving the nod to legendary JDM racers, and wheels by Enkei, one of the most respected names in tuning and performance.

The power under the hood is a mixture of classic and modern. Arguably nobody does a four-cylinder motor better than Toyota, which has nailed the formula since the days of the 4AGE. For the new IS it has combined one of these with hybrid electric batteries, and delivered all of the power to the rear wheels. As in its endurance racers, power is sent to the batteries whenever the car brakes or decelerates, and then gets deployed for extra, high-torque punch when it’s needed. Lexus has added its F-Sport handling package to make the Black Line more fun in the corners, and you’ll certainly find the cabin luxurious; it’s even available in red leather for those who want to make a statement.

The best part? This very distinctive, quick, economical hybrid sports fourdoor costs only a couple of notes more than BMW’s base three series right now. That makes the IS a real threat to Europe’s benchmark and an option well worth considering.

Lessons learned from the triumph of Toyota’s hybrid hypercars on the track have funnelled down to this year’s hottest Lexus

‘black’

Hybrid Hilux on the way

by Andy Bryenton

Toyota has announced plans to release a hybrid Hilux ute for 2024, bridging the gap between the rugged, reliable, but now punitively taxed farmers and tradies favourite and a non-fossil-fuel future.

The automaker has promised to slash emissions from its portfolio of vehicles by 46 per cent by the end of the decade, and hybrid drivetrains play a big part in that scenario. This is not least because while hybrid technology can cut back on fuel use, it also comes without the spectre of range anxiety, the number one factor aside from price, which dissuades Kiwis from going electric.

“Toyota is transitioning from a traditional automaker to a mobility company focussed on sustainable technologies and transport. The hybrid Hilux will be an important addition to our range and will enable many tradies, farmers, and businesses to reduce their carbon footprints,” said Toyota New Zealand chief executive Neeraj Lala.

“We have maintained for a long time that hybrid technology is the best solution to decarbonisation until fully battery electric technology is both available and affordable. Our ambition is to offer a fully electric Hilux. However, until that is available, hybrid remains the best

technology and will only drive our overall emissions down further.

“We need to make sure no one is left behind in the transition to an electrified future. For this reason, we are truly excited at the prospect of presenting a hybrid Hilux to our customers as we continue to decarbonise the great Kiwi lifestyle.”

The plan for a hybrid Hilux combines a 2.8-litre turbo diesel with a six-speed automatic transmission and the same kind of power-recovery system seen in cars like the new Lexus IS. Noise, vibration and fuel use are all set to be reduced while acceleration and economy will improve. While further specifications are still being kept secret until closer to the launch date of this new Hilux, towing is on the minds of Toyota’s engineers, who note that only two out of every 100 Hilux utes sold don’t have a tow bar.

This is an important new vehicle announcement for two reasons. Firstly, the unpopular ute tax now hitting home and affecting purchasers of vehicles necessary for rural and trade work. Secondly, the

Few vehicles are as evocative of the rural life than Toyota’s Hilux — now a hybrid version is planned to slash fuel costs and emissions fact that this is a Hilux, one of the icons of Kiwi farming. When one of the icons of farming life becomes a bellwether for change, it’s worth reading the signs. The

fact that this isn’t a fully electric ute says a lot, as does the fact that Toyota continues to develop hydrogen engines and systems in international markets.

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FARM EQUIPMENT & MACHINERY Driving into agricultural history

by Andy Bryenton

The iconic red tractor that mechanised a vast swathe of Kiwi farmlands turns 100 this year, and Farmall fans, owners and collectors are celebrating, along with the brand owner Case IH.

It’s fair to say that in the race to mechanise agriculture and feed a growing population, the invention of International Harvester engineer Bert Benjamin was literally groundbreaking. That’s because breaking in new ground with harrows, ploughs and other implements was a task that the simple, dependable machine excelled at.

Bert penned the original Farmall in 1923 and followed it up with the bigger, beefier F series, perfect for larger farms. It was instrumental in the development of bigger implements, covering more ground, and ultimately feeding more people. Raymond Loewy gave the farmall a redesign in 1939, and during the second world war, production was high, as Farmalls toiled to feed allied soldiers, sailors and pilots. By 1947, one million had rolled off the assembly line.

From that time until the present day, there have been some big numbers and bigger accolades for the brand. The 560 model became the best-selling tractor in US history, for example, while the 1965 edition was the first to deliver more than

New Zealand, where it fulfils a range of tasks in so many different farming operations,” said Seamus McCarthy, Case IH’s Australia and New Zealand product manager for midhorsepower and compact tractors.

“Whether it’s a utility tractor for a broadacre operation, or the principal tractor for a small horticulture business, its importance and relevance across so many decades are really unmatched for any other tractor model.”

The Farmall is not just a respected working machine. It’s also, thanks to its heritage and legacy, a favourite of collectors. Dargaville’s Kaipara Heritage Machinery Club boast examples in their collection, while private owners all over New Zealand maintain a large historic fleet, with the same dedication hot rod owners lavish on their Cadillacs and Mercuries.

including

survivor 100 horsepower to row-cropping farmers. By 1974, five million Farmalls had been sold. More importantly, a huge number of those were still fully operational,

even as they became vintage and collectable machines.

“The Farmall is a much-loved tractor right around the world, including Australia and

As we wish the Farmall a happy centennial, the range of tractors which have evolved from that first design remains popular. There are currently 30 Farmalls to choose from, with new innovations keeping the classic brand fresh and highly relevant.

www.warkworthtoyota.co.nz

Tractor collector, restorer and Farmall fan Tom Horwood has 40 working examples of the classic red machines,

a prized 1920s

Manchurian wild rice infestations

Northlanders are being asked to watch for new patches of Manchurian wild rice grass within a formal ‘Eradication Zone’ that covers much of the region amid fears the invasive pest plant could have been spread during recent flooding.

The Northland Regional Council says in Northland, the core rice grass infestation (referred to as the ‘Progressive Containment Zone’) occurs in the Kaipara District on the banks of the Wairoa River and its tributaries and on adjacent farmland.

Councillor Geoff Crawford, Northland Regional Council’s Biosecurity and Biodiversity Working Party chair, says beyond this core area, there are scattered infestations on pasture and cropping land, roadsides, and in and around creeks and farm drains.

“Small infestations also occur near Whangārei, Kerikeri, Mangawhai and Mangakahia areas. Because of the scale of the infestation, total eradication is not possible with current technologies, but the goal is to progressively contain Manchurian wild rice to prevent its spread and reduce its distribution.

“Manchurian wild rice (Zizania latifolia) is a Notifiable Organism and is subject to a ‘National Interest Pest Response’ programme administered by the Ministry for Primary Industries. Due to the recent flooding, land in the Eradication Zone, which hasn’t previously flooded or ever been exposed to rice grass, may end up with rice grass clumps or rhizomes being deposited in flood debris. It needs to be controlled as soon as possible before it spreads.”

Manchurian wild rice is a giant grass that grows up to four metres high. Native to Asia, it arrived unintentionally in ship’s ballast water near Dargaville more than 100 years ago.

It should not be confused with raupō, with key differences between the two plants, including raupō dies back over winter; rice grass does not. Raupō twists at the end of the foliage; rice grass is pointed. Raupō has a smooth thick leaf, whereas rice grass has a

Building the potential

by Amy Fifita

Farming & Lifestyle

LAWN SEED/PASTURE SEED/FENCING

Reels and Standards from Northland Seed, Okara Drive, Whangarei. Phone 09 438 0884.

Fencing

FENCING, ALL types of fencing, pool, stockyards, post & rail, boundary plus... call Jeff 027 476 5458.

For Sale

BACK 2 WOOD DEMOLITION. We buy & sell renovation materials. Servicing Northland — Auckland. Specialising in Windows, Doors, Ranch Sliders, Kitchens, Vanities, Roofing and More! Check out our website back2wood. co.nz or Ph 0800 10 98 77.

head, when in seed; rice grass has a flower type seed head.

“Wild rice has harsh, dull green leaves that are one to two centimetres wide and grow in fans. It spreads rapidly and is extremely difficult to kill once established. So early detection of new infestations provides the best chance of eradicating it quickly.

“It forms dense stands, with underlying rhizome beds, that displace all other species and can alter natural water systems causing habitat loss and increasing the risk of flooding.”

This invasive grass represents a major threat to all river, stream and wetland systems in Taitokerau. Monitor all areas where contract machinery has come on to site as root fragments of rice grass can be easily established. Report any new rice grass infestation sites within the Eradication Zone to Biosecurity Specialist Nancy Chaves: nancyc@nrc.govt.nz or 021 321 017.

For further information on Manchurian wild rice — visit nrc.govt. nz/pestcontrolhub.

“I grew up in a little place in Taranaki called Bell Block and it was very much a small village,” said Laurel.

“We used to run around the back of the catering place my mum worked at after school, and I had a horse in our back garden. I went to Pony Club and rode until dark before I got home. My parents were involved in the Lions Club and the Society for Intellectually Handicapped Children, which is probably where I get my community-mindedness.

“My parents raised me in a way that allowed me to discover and explore who I am. Every year for three weeks, my parents would take us travelling in a caravan, so I got to know Aotearoa well. It was fantastic and created a love for camping and being outdoors.

“We had a lovely semi-rural and provincial lifestyle that was very free with good friends and a strong community bond.”

After living in Auckland for many years, Laurel travelled north to Whangārei because of house affordability.

“Auckland is a sprawling place, and not as easy to create a unified network of strategic partnerships. I had the opportunity to work here in a smaller community at the museum and help grow it to its full potential.

“I liked that Whangārei has some interesting things, and you can see that it has a council that thinks about placemaking, including the Hātea Loop, town basin and the Hundertwasser Art Centre. I love his work. I used to work at Jordan’s Art House, and Hundertwasser was one of our focusses.

“People are friendly here and the beautiful beaches and countryside. I believe it is going to be a funky city in the next five years or so. I live on the edge of a forest with trees within the valley and have lots of birdsong around me. I am an artist, too — there is plenty to inspire me here.

“I love my mahi, developing people and ideas and taking and working on projects. Kiwi North is well worth a visit; the bush walks and the heritage clubs are amazing. Our Living Treasures team has given the habitats a makeover and introduced new reptiles and geckos — we have big plans.

“I enjoy meeting club members who hold incredible knowledge of their passions. Our vision is to inspire curiosity about our evolving world, with a mission to connect our communities and tell the stories of our people, place, treasures and natural worlds. I absolutely love it and look forward to seeing people there.”

For Sale

NEW YAMAHA FARM ATVS — 5.9% interest & 3 year warranty. Only at Rouse Motorcycles, King Street, Hikurangi — phone 080 096 3636 & Yamaha MC Whangarei.

Ph 09 438 0804.

ATV SAFETY HELMETS — from $119 accessories from $15. The law has changed!

Have you got yours? Come & see us at Rouse Motorcycles, King Street, Hikurangi. Ph 080 096 3636. www.atvtyres.co.nz. Subject to availability.

ATV MATS from $89 — Come in & see us at Rouse Motorcycles, King Street, Hikurangi. Ph 080 096 3636. www.atvtyres.co.nz.

Garden SEED POTATOES / GARLIC, New Seasons, FERTILISER – Organic Blood & Bone, Citrus, General plus more from Northland Seed, Okara Drive, Whangarei. Phone 09 438 0884.

Livestock

LUCERNE CHAFF plus more HORSE FEED, CALF REARERS get your Milk Powder and Meal from Northland Seed, Okara Drive, Whangarei. Phone 09 438 0884.

FREE-FLOW FROZEN DOG CHUNKS

Curtis Harris, Northland Regional Council staff member with Manchurian rice grass veiny leaf and a thick midrib. Raupō has a bullrush

With years of experience investing in the community, Laurel Belworthy has recently become the museum director for Kiwi North in Whangārei.

Kiwi North director Laurel Belworthy enjoys playing tunes on the piano at the museum in her spare time

DARGAVILLE C A Motorcycles - 130 Jervois St Dargaville 09 439 0170

HIKURANGI Rouse Motorcycles - 1 King St Hikurangi 09 433 8471

WARKWORTH

Warkworth Motorcycles - 22 Whitaker Rd 09 425 8535

WHANGAREI

Shaw Motorcycles - 111 Cameron Street 09 438 1183

KAIKOHE

Rob Titter Farm Services - 34 Station Rd 09 401 1774

KAITAIA

Kaitaia Tractors - 169 North Rd 09 408 0670