NEWS
MACHINERY
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The ups and downs of 2016 – the year in review. PAGE 6-7
When you need a little “Brute Force’. PAGE 21
Newly elected president pledges to shake off any stuffiness in their image. PAGE 8
TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS DECMBER 20, 2016: ISSUE 621
www.ruralnews.co.nz
Massey boss quits MASSEY UNIVERSITY chancellor Chris Kelly has resigned after coming under fire over a comment he made about women veterinary graduates. Despite apologising for the comment Kelly fell on his sword last week. He had claimed, in Rural News Dec 6, that a woman veterinary graduate was equivalent to two-fifths of a full-time male equivalent vet. In the offending article, Kelly says most veterinary students and graduates at Massey University are now women. He says women make up 75-85% of vet students in first year and more women than men go on to the second year of
studies. “That’s because women mature earlier than men, work hard and pass. Whereas men find out about booze and all sorts of crazy things during their first year,” he said. Kelly, a veterinary graduate himself, noted how men used to dominate vet schools, but this has changed. “When I went through vet school, many years ago, it was dominated by men; today it’s dominated by women,” he said.
“That’s fine, but the problem is one woman graduate is equivalent to two-fifths of a full-time equivalent vet throughout her life because she gets married and has a family, which is normal. So, though we’re graduating a lot of vets, we’re getting a high fallout rate later on.” Women and men on social media responded with animosity. “One woman graduate is equivalent to two-fifths of a full-time equivalent vet”??! Shame on chancellor Kelly for
spouting such sexist nonsense,” wrote Meg deBlanc-Knowles. “C’mon guys, you can hold this prat to account, surely to goodness,” Angela McLeod said. Linda Stewart added, “Really? Did I just wake up in the 1800s?” “How on earth can a man say that women are worth two-fifths of men?” asked Fred Vanholsbeeck. Women veterinary graduates also shared these views.
SPRING BRINGS HOPE NORTH CANTERBURY farmers Ian and Nick Hamilton are daring to hope the worst of the region’s record-breaking drought is over. Ian Hamilton is pictured checking the soil moisture level in a hilltop paddock on their Omihi farm after what he describes as a “fantastic spring”. Like many in the region, the Hamiltons had completely destocked over the past winter, sending their animals away for grazing. Their 400ha property is now carrying 1500 ewes, 350 hoggets and 160 dairy heifers -- still about 500 stock units down on where they should be – after bringing back their sheep in mid-August and heifers in September. On the day Rural News visited, the Hamiltons sent a truckload of lambs to the works, for the farm’s first income since April. See more page 5.
TO PAGE 3
JOURNALIST GUTTED THE RURAL NEWS journalist who wrote the story about Massey chancellor Chris Kelly commenting on the state of the veterinary profession says he’s gutted at the outcome of the story. Peter Burke says he is sad and angry at the way Kelly has been pilloried in Chris Kelly the media, and some of his comments had been taken out of context. Burke says he has known Kelly for many years and has huge respect for his scholarship and leadership and believes it is unfair to accuse him of sexism. “In my experience, Chris has been a champion of equal rights and instead of attacking his comments people should have seen this as an opportunity to engage in the wider positive debate about the state of the veterinary profession, which needs to happen.” Burke says Kelly, as chancellor of Massey, was an inspiring leader and a practical agriculturalist who had been trying to drive changes that would have made Massey an even greater agricultural university. “The attacks on Chris were totally unwarranted and unnecessary and I feel gutted that my actions in writing what I regard as an honest and fair piece of journalism has resulted in this outcome,” he says.
NO BROKERS WERE USED IN THE WINNING OF THIS AWARD. At FMG, we don’t use brokers. So we were thrilled to be awarded the Direct General Insurance Company of the Year at the recent New Zealand Insurance Industry Awards. We believe dealing directly with our clients leads to better outcomes. You talk to us at every step of the way – from the time we advise you on the best way to insure your farm or business, to when you need to make a claim. If that sounds like the kind of insurer you’d like, ask around about us. Or better still, call us now on 0800 366 466.
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