Coast & Country News - October 2022

Taupo couple Sophie Wilkinson and Katie Bird - pictured - took over Astek Stud in late 2021 and are excited to start implementing some of their own plans for the sport horse breeding and training stud facilities. Read the whole story on pg 8-9.

Photo: Catherine Fry.

Gone but never forgotten

As the rural community prepares for the second month of spring, the team at Coast & Country News want to celebrate the man who made this publication possible.

Brian Rogers, co-founder and director of Sun Media, died in September after a veyear battle with cancer.

Brian and Claire Rogers founded Sun Media 22 years ago – an ambitious undertaking that included regional weekly newspaper e Weekend Sun, rural newspaper Coast & Country News and Waterline Magazine. e pair then went on to start the online news website SunLive.

He has also worked on the ames Farmer, Hauraki Herald and Bay Farmer.

Brian’s style of not beating around the bush sparked many a debate in the community.

volunteering his time to attend call outs and rescues. is was a true demonstration of his caring nature and willingness to help people. Brian was the type of person who would see something in someone or a situation that nobody else would. He would then take on the challenge to get the best.

ere have been many people who have passed through the doors of Sun Media, each will have their own story about Brian.

Former C&C editors Merle Cave and Elaine Fisher both have fond memories of Brian.

Sometimes good and sometimes bad.

Sometimes good and

But as Brian once said: “If you don’t have someone talking or complaining about you, you’re not doing your job as a journalist”.

Merle remembers Brian as a no-nonsense, common sense news editor who found and reported the views on rural issues at the grassroots level.

“From day one, Coast & Country News has been there to serve its readers and this is down to Brian.

“He knew the rural industries and how they worked, and he worked hard to best serve them. at’s why Coast & Country News has an excellent reputation.”

water, hunting and the

It was his love of the water, hunting and the written word that saw Brian spending many a night in the Sun Media o ces pouring over Coast & Country News, and making sure it was perfect before going to print.

Brian Rogers with his dog Flo. Passionate about life, family, music and giving the community a voice.

It’s not just his journalism background Brian is known for. He was involved in Coastguard,

“Together with Claire, Brian demonstrated vision and courage in founding the successful, enduring, modern news organisation Sun Media,” says Elaine. “I doubt we will see Brian’s like again in the world of news and journalism.”

rural in

Brian leaves an incredible legacy for Tauranga and the wider rural and farming communities.

“Sailed his last ocean, paddled his last river, drummed his last beat, caught his last sh, written his last word.”

Page 2 COAST & COUNTRY NEWS Brian enjoying a successful ducking hunting season.

Council seeks recognition in water reform

Whanganui District Council has asked for the Whanganui River to be explicitly recognised in ree Waters legislation, saying the important status of Te Awa Tupua must be upheld.

Mayor Hamish McDouall told the Parliamentary select committee hearing on the controversial Water Services Entities Bill that the government’s water reform package should pay stronger attention to Te Awa Tupua legislation.

McDouall said the status of Te Awa Tupua as a tūpuna and taonga for Whanganui hapū and iwi is recognised and protected by the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River claims Settlement) Act of 2017.

“ e council supports the inclusion of a requirement to give e ect to Treaty settlement obligations but asks that speci c reference is made and indeed that the Te Awa Tupua legislation, the Act of 2017, is upheld in all transactions between the Crown and Whanganui district,” said McDouall.

Co-governance

On co-governance, however, the council expressed misgivings about the arrangements laid out by the government for the new entities.

In a written submission to the Finance and Expenditure select committee, the council said it supports in principle the concept of co-governance arrangements.

“However, council is concerned that the experimentation with co-governance on such a large scale has the potential to damage public acceptance of the concept if the water services reforms are not executed successfully.

“Council is concerned that the convoluted nature of the governance arrangements will be ine cient to operate and will serve neither iwi nor territorial authorities.”

e Bill is part of the reform of ree Waters services and provides for the setting up of four publicly owned water services entities to manage drinking, waste and stormwater services currently managed by 67 local authorities throughout the country.

McDouall made it clear the council opposes the compulsory amalgamation of territorial authorities’ water services.

“We are disappointed that those authorities that have managed their water services assets well – including us – including making prudent long-term investment decisions, are being disadvantaged by inclusion with those that will require cross-subsidisation to bring their services up to standard.”

He said the council could see “that moral hazard” throughout the legislation.

“ e shareholding is based on population not prior investment; the Better O funding is based on population, deprivation and land area. And while

we approve of deprivation being a focus, perhaps the quality of the associated water assets and services being transferred could be a better structure.”

McDouall said the council was also concerned that, as part of entity B, local voice would be diminished and local aspirations would not be prioritised when having to compete with identi ed growth councils like Tauranga and Hamilton.

Funding a concern

Chief executive David Langford told the select committee that the proposal for water service entities to fund half of the Better O sweetener would be the equivalent of a two per cent rates increase charged through water service entity fees.

“It e ectively becomes a rate by stealth and a burden on those entities, billed to the customers rather than coming from taxation.”

In its written submission, the council said funding criteria was a concern.

“In an environment of in ationary pressures, supply chain disruptions and a construction sector struggling with skills and capacity shortfalls as well as mental health and suicide challenges, it is particularly short-sighted of the government to expect territorial authorities across the country to accelerate and/or add new projects to their work programme with the Better O funding.”

e Better O funding should be fully funded by central government with local communities having absolute discretion on how to use the money for the betterment of their communities, the council said.

Langford said there was concern about the inclusion of stormwater and how it would be unpicked from roading, parks and reserves activities. e council recommends excluding stormwater from ree Waters reform and leaving it with councils.

Asked by select committee member Simon Watts

Ford

why Whanganui was so strongly opposed to compulsory amalgamation, McDouall listed potential lack of attention to Te Awa Tupua legislation, and ratepayer concerns that locals would not be able to get repairs done or have issues xed in a timely manner.

Langford added amalgamation would also be an issue because of the investment the city made to bring its wastewater treatment plant up to standard.

“ e council sold non- ree Waters community assets – forestry, tens of millions of dollars of sales of assets, in order to repay that debt and keep our water services a ordable.”

Pools

Moana Ellis, Local Democracy Reporter Whanganui District Council CEO David Langford, mayor Hamish McDouall and councillor James Barron present a submission on the Water Services Entity Bill to the Parliamentary Select Committee.

Supporting students

An exciting new initiative for studying horticulture has nally come to fruition in Katikati with a symbolic turning of the earth ceremony held on September 12, and the building contractors on site the next day.

e idea for an educational facility where budding horticulturists can learn all aspects of the industry was sown nearly a decade ago and has quietly been germinating ever since.

First donations

Rural Women New Zealand were one of the rst organisations to donate towards growing the $650,000 needed to create the horticulture hub.

“Rural Women New Zealand is all about supporting rural communities and being involved with an educational facility that would lead to employment in rural areas meets our manifesto in many categories,” says Region 5-Rimanui leader Mary McTavish.

Real-world learning

“Our region is the heart of horticulture in Aotearoa, with more than 80 per cent of the nation’s kiwifruit production here.

“ is makes it the ideal location for a centre focussing on upskilling students in this eld,” says Mary, a former organic orchardist.

e state-of-the-art educational facility, currently managed by the Katikati

Innovative Horticulture Project, is located on Katikati College grounds.

e KIHP is a collaborative approach by the Katikati Innovative Horticulture Trust, Katikati College, horticultural training providers and industry, including New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc and New Zealand Fruit Growers, to bring together education, skills and training opportunities under one canopy.

KIHT manager and Katikati College teacher Hilary Johnson has grown horticulture studies at the school from “being basically a low-level gardening programme to a multi-functional, crosscurricular, personalised course”.

“Students can select topics ranging from horticultural science to marketing, nance, cash ow, futureproo ng, innovation, sustainability, robotics and coding.

“Classes also o er real-world learning and industry involvement, with visits to honey-processing plants, hydroponics and tissue culture propagators, under-cover blueberry operations, maturity-testing laboratories, nurseries, orchards and packhouses.”

Hilary says the horticulture industry is crying out for skilled people, and the current course has been designed so that the 115 students studying horticulture this year will be able to take pathways straight into jobs, internships, or on to polytech or university quali cations.

e Katikati horticulture hub is expected to be completed by early 2023.

And this could be just the beginning with the Bay of Plenty Tertiary Intentions Strategy recommending the development of a global centre for primary sector research and education for our region, including a horticulture and agriculture academy.

Rural Women New Zealand are encouraging students in horticulture.

Beef and Lamb Trees within Farms seminars

Phil Orme describes himself as being “lucky enough to have spent a bit of time doing almost all the di erent jobs in the forestry industry”.

After being in the Forest Service and a Forest Ranger, the Emissions Trading Scheme, Forestry and Land Use advisor is one of a handful of New Zealanders to hold a Forestry Degree as well.

Tree bene ts

He has been involved with all forestry operations from seed collection, planting and pruning through to managing harvesting crews and log loading onto ships.

Since 2019, Phil has been working with Beef + Lamb New Zealand, presenting seminars to farmers regarding tree planting on farms.

e Trees within Farms seminars are designed to assist farmers in understanding the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and the 2015 Paris Agreement.

New Zealand signed up to both these international treaties which are extensions to the 1992

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“Farmers have long been aware of the bene ts of planting trees on their farms, with a large number planting trees creating a diversi ed landscape and building resilience within their farming system.”

Farmers who plant Forest Land could qualify for carbon credits from the ETS. All trees on farms that meet the Forest Land de nition can qualify as Forest Land and be eligible for ETS registration if planted post 1989, and these units can be traded if desired.

“At the seminars we explain Forest Land de nition in an

easy to understand way. Once you understand, the rest falls into place.”

Increasing returns

Whether the forest is to be permanent or harvested, and the time periods involved are some of the factors to consider when claiming carbon credits.

“We can help farmers navigate the legislation and the pitfalls before they decide which direction they want to take within their farming operation.

“We o er ideas for ways of increasing carbon returns with their planting.”

Phil cites an example of where a farmer may have two half hectare blocks planted that are

Public consultation on firearms registry

New Zealand Police is inviting public submissions on proposed regulations to support the new legislation for the Firearms Registry –which will be in place by June 2023.

e registry will link rearms to licence holders and track sales of all rearms, parts and ammunition.

“ e Registry will enable free online transactions, similar to other modern online services such as driver licensing,” says NZ Police rearms executive director Angela Brazier.

“However, paper-based services for rearms licence holders will continue to be o ered for those who wish to use them.

“A stringent certi cation and accreditation process will be followed to ensure the highest standards of privacy protections and security of personal data and information are met.

“ e new regulations will clarify the requirements

for rearms licence holders and dealers to provide information for the Firearms Registry and specify how the information is provided.”

Public consultation began in September, and will be open for submissions for six weeks, until October 12.

quite close to each other.

Potentially they could plant further trees between these two areas that would easily expand the area into a one hectare Forest Land that quali es for the ETS.

“ e seminars also delve into the di erent Carbon Accounting Methods and advise on the opportunities, risks, trade-o s and pay-o s with these options.”

Farmers can bring their farm maps to the seminars and discuss their options. Further information can be obtained from: www.bee ambnz.com

Emissions Trading Scheme, Forestry and Land Use advisor Phil Orme.

Strong family ties

Andrew Macky is a fourth generation farmer and the winner of the 2022 Dairy Industry Awards’ dairy manager of the year.

e 31-year-old was brought up on the Paterangi dairy farm which was started by his great grandfather William Macky.

He is now managing the 320 Jersey cows, 98 hectare farm for his parents, William and Fiona Macky.

“I always knew that I wanted to dairy farm as I love working with stock and being outdoors, but I didn’t go straight in with the family farm. I wanted to experience other sides of the industry,” says Andrew.

After gaining his Diploma in Farm Management from Lincoln University in 2011, Andrew went shepherding on large farms for three years, giving him experience in working with sta and a good understanding of how to handle all types of stock such as sheep, cattle and deer.

“I drove combines in the American Midwest and worked on a dairy farm in Scotland for six months. en my wife Holly and I did our big OE exploring Europe.”

If anything, Andrew’s experience of UK farming taught him everything that he didn’t want to do with dairy farming.

A lot to love

“Coming from New Zealand it was a real eye opener to see such high intensity farming, with high sta ng levels and the cows kept inside barns for months during the winter. Over there if cows are outside for more than 188 days, their milk is classed as free range.”

Andrew says he learnt so much from his Scottish employers, including the importance of diversi cation.

By the time Andrew and Holly were ready to come home, Andrew’s parents had expanded their farm and it was perfect timing as they needed a farm manager.

“We love the lifestyle, the location, and the upbringing that our three children, three-year-old William, two-year-old Frankie and new baby Tayla will have.

As farm manager, Andrew takes the lead on decisions, but he and his father have split the dayto-day care of the herd.

Andrew milks 176 of the older cows and William milks 144 of the younger cows.

“Dad might be the owner of the farm, but he’s given me full control over the running of it.

“I really appreciate working with him every day and that I can ask him for advice when I need it.”

Business strengths

He identi es being once-a-day as a strength of the business.

It frees them both up to deal with the busier times and other work on the farm. e business is pro table, and the cows are healthier with fewer issues.

ey milk in the morning from a 16 ASHB shed, which Andrew acknowledges is “way too small” and they are looking at extending it.

e farm is run under a Production System 2, but they are looking to change to a System 3 after experiencing some very dry summers.

During one in particular, Andrew made the hard decision to dry half the herd o three months early.

When Andrew entered the Dairy Industry Awards, he didn’t know too much about them.

“ ere’s a lot of work involved but it was really good to look at how you farm in that much depth and have commentary on what you are doing well and where there is room for improvement.”

Farm owner William Macky and farm manager, son Andrew Macky enjoy working together.

and succession planning

continued...

He didn’t meet as many people as he had hoped due to event cancellations due to Covid, but he did get to go to Christchurch which he describes as “a really cool experience”.

Andrew won the Waikato Dairy Manager of the Year award and four Merit awards that acknowledged his strengths in livestock management, dairy management, environmental sustainability, and personal planning and nancial management.

“I have a massive interest in the genetic side of farming, and I love calving and seeing what the future milking herd is going to look like.”

He also enjoys using new technology on the farm and he’s always interested in what comes out next and whether it can improve processes on his farm.

Andrew hopes to own the family farm one day and pass it on to his own children. It matters to him that his family legacy is continued.

Andrew is popular on Instagram (@theonceadayfarmer) and has his own YouTube channel ( e Once A Day Farmer), where he posts regular videos.

He has a large following from countries all over the world. His videos are like a diary of life on the farm, showing both the highs and the lows. He shares in-depth details of farming practices giving explanations and information. His passion for his work shines through as does his desire to do the best for his livestock.

“I think it is important that people outside the farming communities are able to see what actually happens on a farm and why. I hope that my e orts will help change public perception of what is a really great and crucial industry.”

A brand new addition to the Macky’s Jersey herd.

ird generation William Macky and fourth generation Andrew Macky work together on the family farm.

Exciting future plans for Astek Stud

After a few years of working alongside previous owner of Astek Stud Sue Fowler in December 2021, Taupo couple Katie Bird and Sophie Wilkinson fully took over the reins of this sport horse breeding and training stud and are excitedly making their own plans for its future.

e pair have successful businesses in their own right. Katie runs an equine therapy and rehabilitation practice, and Sophie spends three

months of the year on the road performing sheep pregnancy scanning.

Both are experienced eventers, with Katie conceding it’s more of a hobby for her, while Sophie has been competing seriously for many years.

“Together we have plans to accommodate our existing businesses, alongside the core business of Astek Stud, which is the breeding and training of quality sports horses,” says Katie.

Designated areas

ey bought a 75-acre property near Taupo in August 2020 and have achieved as much as they could have with Covid restrictions.

Work will be ongoing to split the ve huge paddocks into smaller ones, so the horses will all have designated areas.

“ e composite plastic posts, sturdy chain link

fencing, topped with the hot tape is a much more forgiving and suitable option for horses than post and wire. We bought a tractor and post rammer and Sophie quickly learned how to fence!” says Katie.

ey also graze 35 dairy heifers, and 40 Texel and Su olk sheep which Sophie breeds.

In their enthusiasm they had the 90 metre by 75 metre pumice topped

arena built on the attest part of the property before realising that it oods in winter.

“We lost the arena a couple of times and now it has a moat all the way around, which collects and diverts water to a culvert. It’s taught us to take our time and watch how di erent areas of our land react to changing seasons,” says Sophie.

Sophie Wilkinson and Katie Bird with their personal competition horses. All Photos: Catherine Fry.

Sophie Wilkinson, stud stallion SWE Dempsey, Katie Bird.

continued...

e arena facilitates training their horses and teaching riding lessons in dressage and show jumping. e goal is to have their own cross country course on the farm.

e barn

Learning from the arena mistake, the 28 metre by 46 metre barn has been built up on high ground with stunning 360 degree views.

It is to be multi-functional with eight stables with eight outdoor yards for any horse that requires them, such as mares about to foal or rehab horses, plus two further large versatile stables will be available.

ere will be a vet room with a mare and foal crush to facilitate scans and x-rays, and a kitchenette for prepping collected semen for transportation.

“We’ll have a toilet, laundry for washing the horse rugs, and a lecture/admin room with an area if one of us needs to be on foal watch or watching a rehab horse overnight,” says Katie.

A tack room, feed room, hay store, wash down area, leg soak, tie ups, truck and oat parking will also be accommodated.

Sophie and Katie have put a lot of thought into the barn project and intend to make it fully ogrid with solar power and roof water.

Outside they plan to build a large greenhouse

against the north facing end of the barn and hope to grow some fruit trees inside as well.

“We really want to grow our own food and be quite self-su cient, but our attempts so far have failed. e weather in our area is cold with strong winds and driving rain,” says Katie.

e horses

e stallion paddocks are already completed, providing a separate area for their two stud stallions, 11-year-old Astek Quatermaster and seven-year-old SWE Dempsey.

eir horses mean everything to them.

e couple have sold a lot of horses through Astek Eventers and realised they’re breeding exceptionally versatile sports horses suited to any discipline.

“Taking over Astek’s stud and stallions this year has enabled us to improve our breeding programme and further improve our reputation as demand for our horses rises,” says Sophie.

“Semen is collected from both stallions and we co-ordinate visiting mares through the arti cial insemination process and take them back nearer to foaling to oversee that.”

ey are very proud of their rst season last year, with 100 per cent of outside mares left in foal on their rst cycle.

Katie and Sophie have six competition horses between them, six brood mares and two stallions, the foals and youngsters in training, alongside mares visiting for AI or foaling, and any number of rehab horses on the property at any one time.

After all the animal related areas are nished, this hard working pair have a dream to build a rustic, environmentally friendly log cabin for themselves, that takes in the far reaching views and glimpses of Lake Taupo and Mount Ruapehu.

Astek Stud owners Katie Bird and Sophie Wilkinson with stud stallion Astek Quatermaster.

90m

75m arena required well thought out drainage.

Pumice in demand from Rotorua quarry

Currently managed by Allan Moore, the family owned business was formed by Allan’s father when he bought the Lake Okareka farm – on which the company is still based – in the late 1970s.

Fortuitously, the farm also had a substantial pumice quarry. Pumice is lightweight and free-draining

and is in demand for stock races – it also compacts well making it an ideal base for the construction industry –residential and commercial.

Allan says the quality of the company’s quarry – combined with their ability to deliver and lay it across a range of industries – has seen the size of the company’s eet of trucks

and earthmoving machines grow over the years.

Today, its eet of bulk cartage trucks deliver pumice, metal and bulk cartage – including fertiliser and PKE – across the greater Bay of Plenty while its earthmoving machines (diggers, rollers and graders) are in demand on farms and building sites.

$2m price tag for rural road repairs

It will cost more than $2 million to urgently x damage to Masterton’s rural roading network caused by an extreme weather event in July.

And a long-term option of realigning the a ected roads could cost up to $12m.

Only the former option has been recommended for approval by Masterton District Council’s elected members.

On July 12, more than 109mm of rain fell on Masterton’s already saturated catchment in less than 24 hours.

is caused the failure of 19 key sections of rural roading, and routes are still a ected, with lanes partially or fully closed.

With the risk further damage high, councillors have been asked to approve urgent repair works on seven of the 19 sites, amounting to $2,025,000.

Approving the works will plunge the council’s Flood Damage Fund into a de cit of between $760,000 and $1.06m by June next year, assuming no further weather events cause further damage.

A report to council said the de cit in the Flood Damage Fund could be sustained in the short term by o setting it against the council’s overall investment funds.

But the fund should be restored to a positive balance and to do so, council would need to

add at least two per cent to next year’s projected rates increase.

According to the 2021-2031 Long-Term Plan, next year’s rates were set to rise by 5.5 per cent.

Alternatively, restoring the fund could be smoothed over two years with increases of one per cent per year.

ese increases could continue to build the fund back up.

Waka Kotahi is yet to con rm whether the July weather event quali es for the emergency works fund.

If the claim is accepted, it would reduce the council share of the cost by $300,000.

Of the seven sites needing urgent repair, three are on Masterton-Castlepoint Rd, and four are on Blairlogie-Langdale Rd.

e most expensive piece of work [$842,924] involves building a 72-metre long retaining wall with 7m embedded grouted anchors on BlairlogieLangdale Rd to prevent further loss of the road. Masterton councillors are set to discuss the road repair options today.

e remaining sites identi ed were being monitored and investigated for viable solutions which would be tabled later.

-Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air Emily Ireland, Local Democracy Reporter

Rotorua based TW Moore cartage and earthworks has been supplying pumice across the greater Bay of Plenty region for nearly 50 years.

e eet at TW Moore ready to cart pumice across the Bay of Plenty.

Pete & Marcus

Councillors question SH30 safety priorities

Mayor Judy Turner asked, in view of the funding di culties Waka Kotahi was facing, whether funding for the proposed improvements had

been locked. David said that it had not. “We are under the pump at the moment.”

e timeline for suggested safety improvements to the Mill Road/State Highway 30 intersection on the outskirts of Whakatāne is too long for district councillors who have expressed their disappointment to Waka Kotahi.

Other proposed changes to the stretch of State Highway between Awakeri and Whakatāne to bring objections from councillors were exible (wire rope) median safety barriers, left-turn-only intersections on many of the side roads, including Mill, Angle, Luxton, Fortune and Kope Drain roads, which would require drivers wanting to turn right into or out of these roads to access the left hand lane via roundabouts at the intersections with Te Rahu, ornton and White Pine Bush roads.

e consultation period for the recent speed review that will see speeds along the section of highway reduced to between 50kmh and 80kmh is over.

David stated at the meeting that it was now “a done deal” although there were some ner details of where di erent speed areas would start and nish to be made.

“Is there any question we will be doing the speed limit reductions? No. No question at all, that’s done and settled. In terms of the physical interventions, yes, the decision’s made. ere are some details to work out and that’s where we sit down with the key stakeholders like yourselves, who have su cient capability and knowledge of the system to add to that conversation.”

He said although speed limit reductions were a good short-term solution, over the long term, physical works on the stretch of road would need to be done.

Several areas would also have shoulder widening or safety barriers put in place to prevent vehicles ending up in drains.

David emphasised that the shoulder widening was not being done to create passing opportunities, “although we are looking at, on the longer stretches, some slow vehicle bays”.

e timeline for these changes shows work taking place from 2024-27.

He said once these physical safety improvements had been made, the speed on these roads could likely be reviewed again with a view to raising the speeds.

He also mentioned there was potential to move Shaw and Mill roads, so they were opposite each other and to put in a roundabout at the intersection.

Councillor Lesley Immink said that while she was pleased to hear mention of the Mill Road intersection, she was surprised it was not being looked at as being a priority.

“While I know you have to take the accident and fatality statistics into account, the near misses are phenomenal in that area. I wouldn’t like for that to be pushed out to 2024 or 25 or even 2027 where the growth is actually coming much faster than that.

Waikato-Bay of Plenty relationships regional director David Speirs addressed a meeting of Whakatāne District Council’s strategy and policy committee recently outlining proposed safety improvements to the state highway between Whakatāne and Awakeri.

He said the stretch of highway had been identi ed as a high-risk with two people killed in road accidents between 2016 and 2020, 16 seriously injured and 25 per cent of accidents involving head-on crashes across the centre line.

“Just ask any mill worker, seriously, that is one of the highest-risk intersections probably in the district.”

Speirs said the speed reductions were targeted at reducing the risk in that location.

“ e speed reductions are a now-solution to a problem that in the future has a physical intervention outcome. We can’t do that right now. We don’t have the funding; we don’t have the detailed design and it’s a bit of a moving beast in terms of the nature and the scale of the development that occurs.

Diane McCarthy, Local Democracy Reporter

A map showing proposed safety improvements to State Highway 30 between Awakeri and Whakatane include roundabouts (blue dots) left-in-left-out-only intersections (red circles), median barriers (green line) and shoulder widening (orange lines).

e intersection of Mill Road and State Highway 30 is considered to be the district’s most high-risk intersection by people who use it regularly.

Retired dairy farmer Alan Mitchell has always had an a nity with David Brown tractors.

His father had an old Cropmaster that Alan used to enjoy driving as a child and later as a young man learning farming on his family’s farm.

“When my wife Pam and I went sharemilking in

A versatile machine

e couple approached Spencer Allen Motors in Papakura and were able to buy a brand new David Brown 780 through Todd Motors, who were the David Brown NZ distributors at the time.

Murray Clark was the salesman and is now patron of the David Brown Club of New Zealand, and Frank Pryor, who helped found the Club in 2001, was the head demonstrator at Todd Motors. ey paid the tractor o over time and ended up paying about $2500 for it.

At 41 horsepower, it was considered a big tractor to have in those days.

“41 horsepower is a mere pup nowadays. I thought it was a great little tractor and a good buy, especially as I still have it today and it’s still a working tractor!”

e 1971 David Brown 780 is now 51 years old. Its three cylinder, diesel engine has 12 forward and

four reverse gears, and dual category linkage.

“It is quite versatile and I was able to put di erent equipment on the back. We bought a Khun GRS 20 - Gyrostar rake tedder in 1976, fed out with a Giltrap wagon and mowed with an Aktiv sicklebar mower or a UFO Mini Twin mower.”

52 years of work 1971, we were o ered $1500 by the bank to buy a tractor and other implements but that only bought a trade-in and they were rather well used,” says Alan.

A sentimental side

Alan and Pam retired from dairy farming to a 23 acre block near Morrinsville.

Nowadays, while the tractor is still used, Alan admits he keeps it for sentimental reasons.

...continued

e Mitchells bought their Khun GRS 20Gyrostar rake tedder in 1976.

e 1971 David Brown 780 with sun canopy. All Photos: Catherine Fry.

e 1971 David Brown 780 engine.

and still running strong

e 780 is still in original condition and running well.

memorabilia show, and uses that and the 780 to plough for fun with the Waikato Vintage Machinery and Tractor Club Inc.

Looking back, Alan nds it

amusing that he paid $2500 for his cream and brown 780 but could sell it for more than he paid for it 50 years on.

continued...

He has three David Browns, including a David Brown Case 885 he bought in 1976, and several attachments.

“We bought that for loader work and it has certainly done a lot,

including e uent distribution. It has a heavier y wheel, and electric instead of diesel injectors. It’s very thirsty and uses a lot of petrol.”

Alan acquired a rare, Scottish made Adrolic plough at a

New potentials for agricultural spraying

“Unearthing the potential of your business” is the mission for Rotorua based Unearth Ag.

And that they do this is evident in the testimonials of clients who utilise their precision agriculture hardware.

What is precision agriculture hardware? In a nutshell it’s GPS control and monitoring of how and where tractor and trucks spray chemicals or fertilisers or sow crops.

Unearth Ag’s CEO Matthew Gray’s explanation simpli es an extraordinary level of expertise and technology which enables a roof-mounted GPS system and cab monitor to guide and manage – for example – the application of spray.

“Our eight inch or 12 inch monitors colour in a map – as you are spraying – based on the rate and speed you are going and if you go somewhere

already sprayed, it turns the sprayer sections o . “Horticulturalists and farmers who have adopted the system can’t believe the savings they are making –and the boosted response to whatever they are spraying –herbicides, liquid fertiliser etc.

“ e rising cost of fertilisers and herbicides mean farmers increasingly want to harness technologies which mean the get the best return for the money they need to invest to improve their crops.

“Our Precision aAgriculture Products give them the ability to do that, with the added bonus that the GPS unit will also build a map which can be exported and used as proof of placement for environmental monitoring.”

If you want to unearth the potential of your agricultural business, check out Unearth Ag Services at: www.unearthag.com or phone Matthew Gray and the team on: 0275 083 789.

Ag Leaders’ easy to use InCommand 1200 display.

David Brown tractor enthusiast, Alan Mitchell.

Fonterra lifts 2023 dairy earnings guidance

Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited has revised its 2023 forecast earnings guidance to 45 to 60 cents per share, up from 30 to 45 cents per share.

It’s also revised its forecast milk collections for the 2022/23 season down from 1510 million kgMS to 1,495 million kgMS.

Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell says the lift in forecast earnings is a continuation of the ongoing strong demand for dairy that saw Fonterra con rm its FY22 earnings were at the top end of the guidance range.

“ e demand signals we saw at the end of FY22 have continued driving improved prices and higher margins across our portfolio of non-reference

products, particularly in cheese and our protein products such as casein.

“We see strong underlying demand and the latest lift in whole milk powder prices on GDT is also a positive signal reversing the recent easing in the prices that drive our Farmgate Milk Price. Strong o shore prices for protein, as re ected in the recent increase in EU and US milk prices, mean our protein portfolio has been performing very well.

Unprecedented conditions

“ is sustained period of favourable pricing relativities between our protein and cheese portfolios and whole milk powder is the main driver for the increase in the FY23 earnings guidance range being announced.

“If these unprecedented conditions were to continue for a further extended period this could have an additional positive impact on forecast earnings.

“We are committed to our 2030 targets and expect variable market conditions as we work towards them.

“ e bene t of being part of the Co-op is

having a diversi ed organisation with an extensive portfolio of products which allow us to capture value in a broad range of market conditions, bene ting both farmer owners and unit holders.”

Working with farmers

Miles says the Co-op is comfortable with its FY23 contracted rate, particularly for its protein portfolio, at this stage of the season but it’s still early days.

“Our strategy is based on growing demand, constrained supply and shifting our farmers’ milk into higher value products, all of which are currently being realised.”

Commenting on the Co-op’s milk collections, Miles says they have recently seen a reduction in milk collections with weather conditions experienced in some parts of New Zealand causing a slow start to the season, most recently the oods in the Far North and top part of the South Island.

“We’ll continue to work with impacted farmers to ensure that if they need extra support that they are able to access it.”

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Fonterra has recently announced a strong set of results for the nancial year ending July 31, 2022.

Opportunity knocking in the Waikato

In recent years, we have seen signi cant lifestyle subdivisions around the cities of Hamilton and Cambridge.

e opportunities are now further south and east of Hamilton, in areas such as South Waikato District and MatamataPiako District.

Because of their location further from the cities, these areas have been less in demand and therefore there are untapped opportunities for lifestylers.

Lifestyle blocks

e somewhat more relaxed planning rules ow into other areas such as Otorohanga and Waitomo Districts, where investment and growth are encouraged by the local authorities.

In Matamata-Piako, farmers have the ability to apply to cut-o a one or twohectare lifestyle block from the farm, depending on the quality of their land and the title date.

In this district, they have also taken a ‘land quality’ approach to general farm subdivision, allowing properties

with ‘general quality’ land to subdivide down to a 20-hectare size, whereas ‘high-quality’ land has a 40-hectare minimum area requirement.

In addition to this, each title that existed on December 4, 2013, will qualify for an application to subdivide o one block of eight-hectares or more, provided a balance lot can be left at least 20 hectares in size.

is provides farmers with an opportunity to sever a small rural lot from their farm, providing an opportunity for diversi cation or family settlement.

South of Matamata, the South Waikato District Council allows lifestyle blocks as small as a quarter of a hectare (2500sqm2) to be cut o many rural properties.

e subdivision rules here allow one new section to be subdivided from a property only marginally larger than four hectares in size, with farms more than 30 hectares having a possibility to subdivide into three lots.

To the south and west of South Waikato, Otorohanga and Waitomo districts are seeing increased development take place.

More remote from the pressure of the cities, these districts have a more pragmatic approach to subdivision and development with even more exible rules in place for rural subdivisions. ese regions are quietly growing as businesses look for more attractive accessible regions to develop.

Reviewing the rules

Councils do regularly review their rules, so you can’t count on all or any of these rules remaining in the long term. You must plan well ahead if you are to maximise the potential of your land.

In addition to these size restrictions, there are a host of other rules a ecting subdivision so, if you are contemplating any subdivision and want to make the most of your land, call a specialist subdivision company

Dairy commodities sustain high prices

Price rises across dairy commodities drove an annual increase in the value of exports for dairy products, Stats NZ says.

In the year ended July 2022, the total export value of milk powder, butter, and cheese increased $2.8 billion (17 percent) to $18.8 billion, compared with the year ended July 2021.

“Dairy products had a strong nish to the export season with a continuation of high prices, especially in the second half of the season,” says international trade statistics manager Alasdair Allen.

e annual increase was heavily driven by exports of milk powder, up $1.1 billion to $10 billion and milk fats, including butter, up $1.1 billion to $3.8 billion from the year ended July 2021.

More than half of the dairy commodity group exports were made up of milk powder products (55 per cent). Milk powder, butter, and cheese made up 28 per cent of total annual exports of all commodities. Other annual increases within dairy products included fresh milk and cream, up $231 million (21 per cent) to $1.3 billion, and cheese, up $112 million (5.3 per cent) to $2.2 billion.

Outside of our main dairy commodities, there was also a large annual rise for casein in July 2022.

Annual casein exports were valued at $1.6 billion, a record high. is was an increase of $518

million (up 48 per cent) from the previous year. e quantity exported rose 3.9 per cent, and the price per kilogram of casein increased 41 per cent to $16.79.

Although the quantity for milk powder, butter, and cheese decreased 9.1 per cent, the average unit price saw an increase of 28 per cent, increasing from $4.82 to $6.16.

Compared with the year ended July 2021, unit price changes for dairy products included:

- milk powder (up 27 per cent)

- milk fats including butter (up 40 per cent)

- milk and cream (up 20 per cent)

- cheese (up 19 percent)

- whey and other products (up 23 per cent)

- casein (up 41 per cent).

Another dairy-based commodity, preparations of milk, cereals, our, and starch (including infant formula), saw a much smaller increase in unit price, up 0.1 per cent. Export values fell $25 million (1.7 per cent) to $1.5 billion.

However, prior to the 0.1 per cent annual increase in July 2022, infant formula had nine consecutive falls in year-ended prices.

Annual export volumes of dairy products in the year ending July 2022 were comparable with previous seasons, resulting in an overall increase heavily driven by higher prices.

for advice that you can count on. Feel free to call us to discuss your situation and the full potential of your land.

In the short-term waterlogged soils require sunshine and warmth.

Nothing else will speed recovery, with more rain slowing the process.

Frosts are useful as they lift moisture from the soil and the bright sunny days that follow increase the amount lost via evaporation.

It de es logic to y nitrogen onto soils too wet to ground spread.

e issue is too much water and not enough air in the soil, and nitrogen

does nothing to alleviate either.

Money is best spent on high energy and bre supplement, top quality meadow or lucerne hay the best combination of both.

Rumens require long bre to provide a mat to function e ciently and hay is an excellent solution and when made freely available, animals will

no more than required to maintain body temperature and

pore space,

space

particles that allows water to percolate downwards. ere must be somewhere for the water to go, and each individual situation is di erent, however, what can be in uenced is the top 25mm of the soil, the area in which pasture roots are concentrated.

Unavoidable mess

During periods of prolonged wet weather animals will create a mess, it’s unavoidable.

e decision is whether to have a small mess over a large area by spreading animals out, or contain it to a small area that can be sorted later.

ere’s no perfect answer and it’s important for those that object to animals on crop in wet weather understand the constraints that farmers work under.

Soil temperature is one of the drivers of spring growth with temperatures above 10 degrees Celsius indicating the start of spring growth.

Excessively wet soils often have temperatures of around 10 degrees Celsius however it is not until they dry out somewhat that temperatures will rise signi cantly, and optimum spring growth will be obtained. Wet land is cold land.

After prolonged periods of wet weather soils may become anaerobic, bene cial soil life is largely lost and soil odour becomes increasingly sour.

Re-establishing conditions under which pastures thrive can take months and much of the coming season’s growth lost if action is not taken.

Recovery however can be remarkably rapid without the need to cultivate.

Physical aeration to a depth of 25cm breaks up compacted soils and when combined with an application of CalciZest, a lime-based soil improver from Functional Fertiliser containing a wide range of soil friendly fungi and bacteria, steady recovery can be achieved.

e addition of soil friendly microbes kick starts the process and with regular rainfall and sympathetic grazing management pastures can be nursed back to health reducing the slow growth phase.

Even in the worst situations earthworms are likely to exist in su cient numbers to provide bene ts over the coming months.

ey do an excellent job of creating channels through which water drains and air enters.

Clover

By creating the environment that favours their activity all other bene cial soil dwellers proliferate, and the key is ongoing inputs of calcium in the form of lime, dolomite, and soft phosphate rock.

Where cultivation is the best option the application of CalciZest and extra lime will help with soil tilth, germination of seed will be more rapid as will growth during the establishment phase.

e addition of clover seed may also be bene cial as clover dense pasture grows more strongly over summer when grasses naturally go to seed due to a combination of soil temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius and longer sunlight hours.

Animals grow and fatten more quickly on a high clover diet as clover contains the calcium necessary for rapid bone growth.

Clover is also more digestible, so animals can eat more in their naturally designated grazing time.

Because clover xes nitrogen reliance on synthetic nitrogen is reduced creating a situation that is genuinely carbon positive.

For more information contact Peter on: 0800 843 809.

New Zealand’s largest ever study on the sustainability of our farming sector aims to prove to the world why New Zealand food and bre should be always the number one choice.

“ e Government is backing a new $26.1 million programme to undertake the most comprehensive study of pastoral farming in New Zealand,” says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor.

“New Zealand’s economic security depends on our primary sector, which this year earned us a record $53.3 billion in exports.

“Our future competitive edge in food and bre will depend on demonstrating our sustainability credentials to ever more discerning consumers.

“ e new Whenua Haumanu programme will study the whole pastoral farming system from eld to fork.

“It will scienti cally build a picture that includes soil biodiversity, pasture performance, animal production and welfare, and the quality of the food produced.”

Making informed decisions

Whenua Haumanu is being led by Massey University’s School of Agriculture and Environment to enable farmers to make informed decisions on the nancial and environmental bene ts of adopting regenerative farming practices.

“We’re committing $17.6 million over seven years through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFF Futures) to fund this partnership,” says O’Connor.  e programme will involve several research sites and bring together universities, Crown research institutes, and industry groups.

Research partners include AgResearch, Lincoln University, and Dairy Trust Taranaki.

Additional guidance will be provided by an End User Advisory Group comprised of the pastoral industry, iwi, investment and consumer groups.

“ is is the most comprehensive study ever undertaken of our pastoral systems, both conventional and those incorporating regenerative

farming practices,” says O’Connor.

“Whenua Haumanu will be part of broader coordinated work that the Government is backing to provide a robust evidence base to explore regenerative farming practices alongside conventional pastoral practices in both dairy cow (cattle) and sheep systems. In doing so it will also test claims that many of our conventional pastoral practices are already regenerative.

“One key aim of the programme is to investigate potential bene ts of diverse pastures for grazing animals, as well as regenerative farming practices, as these have yet to be thoroughly studied for the New Zealand farming context.”

Developing a base

O’Connor says establishing an evidence base of regenerative practices is a cornerstone of the sustainability goal in the Government and food and bre sector’s Fit for a Better World roadmap.

“ rough SFF Futures we are co-investing with others in 11 research projects across the country that are evaluating regenerative farming practices. ese amount to a total investment of $54.74 million from Government and investment partners, and further research proposals are being assessed by the Ministry for Primary Industries.

“Developing a sound evidence base for what works well with our soils, climates, and farming systems will aid our e orts to transition to a more sustainable future for our food and bre sector.

“Purchasing decisions by consumers in our export markets are increasingly being driven by their values. e work by Whenua Haumanu will help New Zealand tell the story of its food production so we can grow exports and deliver economic security.”

e research sites will include:

Massey University’s Dairy 1 farm grazed by lactating dairy cows; Massey University’s Pasture and Crop Research Unit (PCRU) grazed by sheep; Lincoln University’s Field Research Centre (FRC) grazed by sheep; Additional monitoring sites are planned on some Pāmu farms and pastoral industry demonstration farms.

e new Whenua Haumanu programme will study the whole pastoral farming system from eld to fork.

Tauranga contractors respond to demand

Extreme weather has thrown a range of challenges at farmers – one being that many farmers had to rely on stored feed – bailage, silage and hay – and will be looking to replenish their stocks.

Ian Grant of Tauranga based Grant Contractors says the family-owned business is geared up and ready to provide the expertise farmers need, when they need it, to harvest grass.

A range of services available

“Outside the hay and silage season we provide a range of services across the greater Bay of Plenty region, from stump-grinding to land clearing, tree

shredding, removal and mulching.

“But come late-September and through to April, we devote all our resources to harvesting and baling silage and hay.

“You often get a very short window to mow grass, which is why our mowers condition grass to help it dry before it goes through our balers.

Making it easy

“Farmers then get to choose how they want it baled – square, round or conventional. Our trailed bale wrapper, trucks and trailers make it easy to cart and stack bales to the optimum position on the property.”

Ian Grant says he and his brother Richard are already elding calls from farmers and lifestyle

Grant Contracting working hard to help replenish farmers’ stocks.

block owners wanting to schedule grass harvesting with Ian advising that “if you haven’t booked yet, please do so as soon as possible so we can log it into our system and ensure

your grass is harvested as e ciently and cost e ectively as possible”.

Grant Contractors can be contacted on: 0274 987 633 (Ian) or: 0274 852 0050 (Richard).

Farmers invited to vote for two

DairyNZ representative

Levy paying dairy farmers still have a few days to vote for two farmer candidates for DairyNZ’s Board of Directors.

e successful candidates will play a key role in helping create a better future for dairy farmers, by contributing as a board member to the leadership and direction of industry good body, DairyNZ.

e farmer representatives in DairyNZ’s board election are:

Tracy Brown - Waikato, Elaine Cook - Bay of Plenty, Chris Lewis - Waikato.

Electionz.com returning o cer Anthony Morton says farmers will have until October 17 to vote.

“I encourage all dairy farmers to have their say by voting for the candidates they believe can make the best contribution to DairyNZ’s board.”

Anthony says DairyNZ levy payers should have received information pack via email on September 19.

“Dairy farmers should look out for it in their inbox, as it includes more information about the candidates and voting.”

Any farmers who don’t receive their voter information pack by should contact electionz.com (phone: 0800 666 935).

DairyNZ’s board consists of ve farmer-elected directors and three board-appointed directors.

Appointments to DairyNZ’s Board of Directors serve a term of three years, with directors retiring by rotation. is year, directors Tracy Brown and Elaine Cook are retiring by rotation.

No nominations were received for one position on DairyNZ’s Directors’ Remuneration Committee position, which reviews and recommends changes to directors’ payments and other bene ts. DairyNZ’s board will determine how this vacancy is lled.

e successful board candidates will be announced at DairyNZ’s AGM in Invercargill on October 18, 2022.

For more information on candidates and voting, see: dairynz.co.nz/agm

Easy, enclosed bladder tanks

Being enclosed they are extraordinarily safe and only require a stock fence as opposed to a ponds security fencing and recovery system.

e tanks feature top over ow vents which can also be used to harness BIO gas.

Multiple valves with camlocks

on the sides of the tanks allow for regular stirring of contents before pumping out to irrigation.

Flexi Tanks NZ general manager Andre Meier says repeat business is the best endorsement of the tanks’ e ciency and coste ectiveness.

“ e practicality, safety, e ciency and cost-e ectiveness of the tanks resonates with farmers and has resulted in signi cant demand and repeat business.”

Contact the Flexi Tanks team on: info@ exitanksnz.com or Andre mobile: 027 706 3633.

A bladder, made of rip stop fabric, which can simply be rolled out on top of a 100mm horizontal bed of sand has proved popular with dairy farmers since it was introduced to New Zealand a decade ago.

Flexi Tanks’ enclosed, selfsupporting bladders store anywhere from 20,000 litres to two million litres of dairy e uent and can be installed and operational within

hours of arriving on farm.

Flexi Tanks NZ Ltd are the NZ distributors of the Flexible Tank invented and made by French Company Labaronne since 1959.

Flexi Tanks NZ works closely with industry professionals and farmers to provide storage solutions that are simple to install and require little maintenance.

In contrast with other forms of liquid storage, the enclosed Flexi Tanks are constructed of a rip-stop UV stabilised fabric guaranteed for 10 years but expected to last more than 20 years.

Tickets on sale for Fieldays 2022

Tickets are now on sale for Fieldays, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural event.

is year, the event will be held in November due to Covid restrictions that prevented it from being held in June, its traditional month.

With the building of Fieldays set to begin at Mystery Creek in two weeks, the more than 1000 contractors that work from scratch to create the small city, are looking forward to building their sites in the sun instead of in near freezing temperatures.

National New Zealand Fieldays Society CEO Peter Nation says this year, Fieldays will be the same event, in the same location but just at a di erent time.

“Obviously Fieldays is going to look

a little bit di erent this year - instead of gumboots and beanies we’ll be seeing bucket hats and jandals.

“Of course, the atmosphere and opportunities will still be the same, it’s clear that won’t change in any way.

“For more than 50 years, Fieldays has been the place to be for members of the agricultural community across the country.

“ is year will be no exception.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming everyone to join in on one of our most iconic events but this time, we’ll be doing it all in the sunshine. Same same, but di erent.”

Fieldays 2022 begins on November 30 and ends on December 3.

Tickets can be purchased via the Fieldays website at: tickets. eldays.co.nz/tickets/

THE PROFESSIONAL’S CHOICE

business in the lush heartland of Waikato, with a peak staff count of 45 comes with a fair amount of pressure. But for Darcy Finch that pressure is mitigated by having gear that handles not only the huge volume, but the wide range of environments and contours.

Grass harvesting makes up a significant part of the Finch business, so having CLAAS machinery that is

for purpose and has high market share is key.

A Flexi Tank bladder.

Anton Meier

GEAR IS RELIABLE AND THE SERVICE TEAM IS ALWAYS THERE WHEN WE NEED THEM.

New food and fibre careers hub launched

Fieldays is partnering with the Ministry for Primary Industries to launch the Fieldays

Opportunity Grows Here Careers Hub, which will showcase the depth and breadth of New Zealand’s thriving food and bre sector.

Sitting under Fieldays’ strategic pillar of education, the hub is an engaging platform for attendees to learn about food and bre career pathways and consider joining a thriving sector.

e interactive hub will be a hive of activity, with education providers and sector groups teaming up to showcase the industries that have led New Zealand’s recovery from the global pandemic.

A growth in the industry

MPI director-general Ray Smith says Primary Industries have grown despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

“New Zealand’s food and bre sector is leading the nation’s recovery from Covid-19 by keeping vital food and bre owing domestically and overseas.

“For the rst time, annual export revenue reached more than $52.2 billion in the year to June 30, 2022.” is growth highlights the urgent need for skilled and passionate food and bre workers. Opportunity Grows Here, a campaign managed by MPI, is addressing this need through connecting people with exciting careers in food and bre, activity which will be further facilitated within the Careers Hub.

Workforce

“With such a key sector contributing to the New Zealand economy and the wellbeing of our rural communities, it’s important we have the necessary workforce to meet the demand,” says Ray.

“ ere are rewarding, life-long careers available in food and bre right across the supply chain, and we’re excited to showcase these within the Fieldays Opportunity Grows Here Careers Hub.”

e Fieldays Opportunity Grows Here Careers Hub will help sow the seed, helping people realise that opportunities within the sector reach beyond the farm gate.

Food and bre careers range from work on-farm, in science, technology, business management, and logistics, to animal welfare, marketing, and research and development in locations across the motu.

NZ National Fieldays Society chief executive Peter Nation says the Careers Hub is an important part of its mission to advance agriculture.

“As the Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural event we have a duty to help futureproof the sector through educating people on where the opportunities lie in food and bre.

“We are excited to partner with MPI

Beekeeping is one of a number of careers people can get involved in.

to provide Fieldays attendees with an interactive showcase of New Zealand’s ideas, products, and services that are in such high demand across the globe.”

Ray says those considering a career in food and bre will be joining a sector they can be proud of, as New Zealand export products are highly sought after.

“New Zealand has a proud history of producing high quality, innovative, and world-class food and bre products, with care for people and place remaining front-of-mind.

“We export most of what we produce, and our food is demanded and enjoyed in more than 130 countries around the world – for a small country at the bottom of the South Paci c, this is pretty impressive.”

ere will be a number of activations and experiences run alongside the Fieldays Opportunity Grows Here Careers Hub during Fieldays.

Showcasing options

is includes a Fieldays

Opportunity Grows Here Careers Trail for visitors to follow around the Fieldays event to showcase career options and vacancies, a speaker and engagement series and a jobs board where visitors can see available food and bre roles.

School groups who are interested in visiting Fieldays can receive the discounted entry price of $10 per student (Ts and Cs apply).

Please ll out the registration form here: forms.o ce.com/r/ D3CiRNT02r

Scope out the wide range of exciting career options at: www.opportunitygrowshere.nz/ and visit the Fieldays Opportunity Grows Here Careers Hub this summer, from November 30 to December 3.

Fieldays and its humble beginnings

pro t charitable organisation; run by a committee of volunteers and a team of over 30 sta members with additional manpower during the event.

Volunteers crucial

e New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays Society relies heavily on volunteer input. e Society was originally set up more than 40 years ago to provide a conduit between urban and rural business.

e land at the Fieldays venue, Mystery Creek Events Centre, was purchased by the Society in 1971 and has been developed constantly since that time.

Fieldays was rst conceptualised in 1968 by a group of local Waikato men and was rst held at Te Rapa Racecourse in 1969 with a budget of $10,500 and attracted an estimated 15,000 people.

e event was then moved to the land known as Mystery Creek in 1971.

Preparations are underway for the 2022 New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays.

e Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural event and the ultimate launch platform for cutting edge technology and innovation will be held from November 30 to December 3, at Mystery Creek Events Centre, 10 minutes south of Hamilton.

Developed by not-for-pro t National Fieldays Society; the Fieldays event is proudly supported by Hyundai New Zealand, Vodafone and the Ministry of Primary Industries.

New Zealand is a world leader in agriculture and pastoral farming and the National Fieldays is the ultimate launch platform for cutting edge agricultural technology and innovation.

Attendees from around the globe

With more than 1000 exhibitors, National Fieldays is essential in keeping up with the latest trends and developments in the agriculture and farming industries.

National Fieldays is typically held over four days each June attracting in excess of 130,000 visitors

from around New Zealand and internationally from 38 di erent countries.

Last year was the rst ever hybrid event, bringing together the best of the physical and virtual Fieldays event.

It was the send largest event in Fieldays history, attracting 132,766 visitors.

Held at Mystery Creek Events Centre, the agricultural Fieldays is located right in the heart of the Waikato, adjacent to Hamilton International Airport, close to State Highways 1 and 3; and just 10 minutes from Hamilton, Te Awamutu and Cambridge.

e NZ National Fieldays Society is a not-for-

PRECISION

Don’t be a fool – plan your trip to Fieldays!

If you’ve never been to Fieldays, everyone who has will tell you it’s worth planning your trip.

is is because thousands of visitors converge on Mystery Creek during the four days it’s open – to nd thousands of stands o ering thousands of products, services and experiences.

Fieldays is humongous! So plan your visit to avoid queues and wasting time while there.

e roads to the event are busy – and the actual event is humming from dawn to dusk!

So here’s few things you may want to consider before November 30.

Buying tickets

Yes, you can queue at the gates and buy a ticket on the way in. Or you can buy them online beforehand at: eldays.co.nz and have them handy, printed or saved on your phone. is makes entry much easier. Pre-bought tickets also allow free travel on some bus services to the event.

Transport

Mystery Creek is at 125 Mystery Creek Rd, Hamilton. is is 15 minutes from Hamilton’s CBD, two minutes from Hamilton Airport, 15.5km to Te Awamutu and Cambridge, and just over 1.5 hours from Auckland, Tauranga and Rotorua.

If you can car-pool with others, do it! And try to go with someone who has been before – as it can be

Fieldays is like its own little city, so it’s best to be prepared.

quite daunting driving to this event with multiple entries and exits if you haven’t done so before.

Or consider taking the bus – there are free services on o er. If you have the money or agenda, take a helicopter or boat – yes these options are available.

When you get there, will you require wheelchair access or be using pram with young ones? If so, check out a map beforehand so you know the best place to park and enter.

Parking

Parking at Fieldays is free and is open from 5.30am-10pm. To avoid queues it’s recommended you arrive early – as delays can happen as thousands of visitors descend on Mystery Creek. ere is disabled parking available through Gate 1 for CCS Mobility Parking Permit holders. You will also need to be in possession of valid Fieldays entry tickets.

Dresscode

Layering clothing is key for going to Fieldays – as you never know whether it will be warm, cold – or both. Or sunshine or rain – or both! Hamilton can serve all seasons in one day.

Slip on some comfortable pants or shorts. While November is technically warm, the weather has been unpredictable of late, so it’s best to be prepared. You can wear gumboots but solid walking shoes or track boots are ne too. Just leave the stilettos at home ladies. ere’s sawdust and gravel walkways as well as tarseal, grass and concrete to navigate.

Essentials

A backpack is the easiest option to carry your winter warmers if it gets hot, and all your pamphlets and bits and pieces you gather along the way. Take your sunglasses – yes, you may need them to watch events in the sunlight.

Cellphone – take this and use the Fieldays app. With it, you can nd your favourite stands, events, your friends at lunchtime and where your car is parked for the ride home.

Wallet – obvious but you don’t need so much cash these days. Most stands have EFTPOS. For more information, see: eldays.co.nz

Discover how drones can

Ferntech is hosting two commercial drone ‘demo days’ in Rotorua before heading to Fieldays in November.

e open days on Wednesday, October 12, and ursday, October 13, from 10am to 4pm will showcase how commercial drones can elevate your farm.

A Ferntech spokesperson says the move is to open the door to the rapidly developing technology, which “can be hard to keep up with”.

Drones for a variety of uses will be available for demonstration and according to Tom Goodwin, one drone, the DJI Mini 3 Pro, will be able to be own by people “with no experience prior to the event”.

Tom says the reason for this to show how the technology is simple to use, and has a low barrier to entry to those who are inexperienced.

e demo day will also feature a free lunch for attendees, and showcase the latest in the drone technology.

Safer and more productive

Commercial drone use is now commonplace in New Zealand, with multiple industries employing aerial technology in a range of projects.

From farmers, horticulturalists, surveyors, engineers, utility companies to government organisations, drones are being utilised to make their operations safer and more productive.

“ e drones we have cover high precision mapping, thermal imagery and agricultural spraying. People get to y a drone themselves too, even if they haven’t experienced it before.

A real time-saver

“Our biggest customers are typically in agriculture, which help with land assessment, spraying and moving livestock. Another common use for the thermal cameras is pest control, as the cameras pick up any possums or wallabies that are present in a large area of land.”

Tom says Ferntech drones have been sold to farms of a variety of sizes, from “one man band” farms to “commercial farms”.

“People are always stoked to see the amazing capabilities of the drones too. You can save so much time with this technology, in a matter of seconds ying over hilly terrain past multiple gates.

“Some farmers in the past have damaged their drones and say they need it xed ‘as soon as possible’ as they save so much time.”

Tom adds the e ciency and added safety of drones is a big reason for their success.

“You hear about some nasty accidents on quad bikes. Drones completely remove the need in some situations to go out and put

Strong, completely mobile and in a range of sizes to suit your farm’s needs.

range of wheeled and hanging feeders protect feed from bad weather and ensure

stock have feed when they need it.

Ferntech general manager Tom Goodwin says the day will be showcasing commercial drones built for a variety of purposes.

Ferntech is holding a ‘demo day’ open to the public to showcase how drones can take your farm to the next level.

elevate your farm

people’s health at risk. Commercial drones are very easy to drive. It’s almost like a camera on a crane which lets you assess things very smoothly.”

Tom says commercial drones have extended ight times, added waterproof ratings and specialist cameras that can be added to the drones themselves.

“Any farmers can bene t from this technology.

“Come down and check it out rst hand, see the capability, see how far they can travel, see the high de nition feed you can see from a kilometre away, and see how you can survey a large stretch of land in a matter of seconds.”

An impressive demonstration

e Ferntech demonstration will begin by covering features common in general commercial projects, such as completing visual inspections, using thermal cameras, automated 3D mapping missions, drone spraying and using a loudspeaker — a popular feature for farmers who use a ‘siren’ to move stock and scare birds.

All will also be impressed by the large DJI Agras T30, an improved agricultural spray drone which holds a payload of 30kg. Ferntech’s team will demonstrate how the craft can complete both

manual and automatic missions.

For those interested in aerial mapping, the DJI Phantom 4 RTK, DJI Phantom 4 Multispectral, and DJI Matrice 300 RTK (mounted with the Zenmuse L1 LiDAR and Zenmuse P1) will showcase recent developments in aerial surveying technology.

Taking control

e team will also talk through a range of thermal drones, from the industrial DJI Matrice 300 RTK (mounted with DJI Zenmuse H20T) and DJI Matrice 30T to the compact DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced, relaying the pros and cons of each model.

And nally, participants will be given the opportunity to take control themselves with a chance to y the brand new DJI Mini 3 Pro.

e demonstration is open to anyone interested in commercial drone technology from any industry.

e knowledgeable Ferntech team will be available to answer questions on speci c applications.

For more information on the event, or to register, visit: www.ferntechcommercial.co.nz/events/northisland-live-drone-demonstration.

Taylor Rice

Senior UAV technician Kevin Park with the DJI Matrice 300 RTK.

is Bay of Plenty property has a lot to o er.

In the Bay of Plenty is 598 Pikowai Road.

A grazing property held in two titles of mixed contour from at with easy to medium hill country and some steeper sidlings providing about 220ha of grazing and 20ha’s of mixed age forestry making up the balance.

e property is subdivided into 70 paddocks with 28 hectares deer fenced.

A spring water supply with a 50,000 litre storage capacity is reticulated to all paddocks.

e grazing pastures are clean with a scattered 15ha (more or less) of hay paddocks.

e property winters 250 R1 bulls and 250 R2 bulls and is leased as a dairy support unit.

Improvements within the property include a three stand wool shed, a 140 head calf rearing shed and stock yards with load out.

A disused deer shed is located within the deer fenced title.

With the properties proximity to the Port of Tauranga and processing saw mills in Kawerau and Rotorua, the property is well positioned to grow trees.

e property holds elevated rural and coastal views out onto the ocean and if making the property home is a consideration, then there are multiple options to build a new home. Being centrally located to Tauranga, Mt Maunganui, Rotorua and Whakatane, in a region known for its glorious climate and many water related recreational pursuits, this holding is a must see.

Call Phil at PGG Wrightson Real Estate for a property information memorandum and he will see you at the planned open days; bring your bike!

Grazing/Dairy Support or Forestry

Located 8km off the Pikowai coastline

will find this

Held in two titles, this grazing unit is of mixed contour from flat with easy to medium hill country with some steeper sidling’s providing approximately 220ha of grazing pasture with 20ha’s of mixed age forestry making up the balance.

The property is well-subdivided into

is reticulated to

paddocks with

and electric fencing, of which approx. 28ha is deer ring fenced.

with

Heritage tour gearing up for November 2023

learn something of their daily lives.

e tracks are easily covered by competent drivers in suitable four wheel drive vehicles, which need to have low range transmission and all terrain tyres in good condition.

Highlights of the tour include Molesworth Station on the afternoon of day one and the vast hill country of North Canterbury through most of day two.

Day three sees the tour head west towards the high alps and the massive vistas of the inland valleys.

Day four takes the tour across high plains and the gravel river valleys of the Mackenzie country along with some hill country tracks

with views back to Mt. Cook.

Days ve and six see the tour drive over into Central Otago, with an opportunity to drive very high onto two of the mountain ranges that are so much part of the region – known for its history of gold and pastoralism and for being as far from the sea as it’s possible to get in New Zealand.

e High Country Heritage is a great introduction to the South Island and to the NZ Adventures range of tours

e sheer size of the island, along with the friendliness of the people along the way, are the most often voiced comments of tour participants.

NZ Adventures six day High Country Heritage Tour for November 2023 is available for bookings now.

e High Country Heritage Tour is a journey down the eastern alpine foothills from Blenheim to Cardrona.

e tour includes a wide range of high country stations and conservation estate tracks along a 1250 km route.

ere are overnight stays in Hanmer Springs, Methven, Fairlie, Omarama and Cromwell before reaching the nal night at the iconic Cardrona Hotel near Wanaka.

Hotel accommodation is provided and evening meals and breakfasts are in restaurants with lunches on stations or picnic lunches to enjoy up in the hills.

Farm lunches allow for a chance to interact with the farmers and

Be prepared for a spring and summer of allergies

Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ is warning people with allergies and asthma to prepare for an intense spring and summer, as forecasts indicate ideal conditions for pollen production.

NIWA meteorologist Ben Noll says a warmerthan-average start to the year, coupled with the wettest July on record, means the stage is set for strong plant growth and associated pollen production.

“As we look ahead to next couple of months, we are generally expecting warmer than average temperatures to continue.

“We know that also a warmer climate leads to more growth and it may lead to earlier growth.

“So it could be that people in the North Island, where it has been particularly warm,

may be exposed to pollen earlier than usual.”

ARFNZ chief executive Letitia Harding is reminding New Zealanders with allergies and allergic asthma to take precautions to keep themselves well.

“It can be a di cult time of year for the respiratory community, but being prepared and taking

some simple, but e ective, steps can make all the di erence.”

Letitia advises people with allergic asthma, that they have an up-to-date asthma action plan, so they know what to do if their asthma is triggered or worsened by pollen. She also recommends people keep their medications with them at all times.

e foundation also reminds people keep their windows closed in the early morning when pollen is at its peak, and on windy days, and to dry clothes indoors if possible.

“Pollen can drift onto washing hung outside and accumulate on clothes and skin throughout the day,” says Letitia.

Picnic Lunch at Lake Benmore.

Lake Stream Bridge.

Miss Birley

It’s the end of a sacred era for a small historic chapel in Ohauiti.

e St Francis Māori Anglican Chapel at 103 Ohauiti Road, also called Miss Birley’s chapel, began life in 1937, as the base for Elizabeth Birley who was born in 1893 in England.

Arriving from her home country in 1932, Miss Birley, as she was known, was a voluntary missionary to the Diocese of Waiapu until she was 78.

e letter sent with her from London was very clear that she was an ‘honorary associated missionary’ and that the Diocese of Waiapu had not undertaken to provide her with any nancial assistance.

Her family’s home in London was an elegant ve-storey Victorian terraced house in Gloucester Terrace close to Paddington Station and Hyde Park. Stories handed down tell of her serving as a nurse during World War One, before coming to New Zealand, a woman of ‘tall and eloquent stature’.

After arriving in Auckland, she went on to her missionary posting in Rotorua, where she stayed at the Whakarewarewa Mission House.

Purchasing a pony for four pounds, with a dog thrown in as part of the bargain, she then rode from Rotorua to Tauranga, settling on a property in Ohauiti Road.

In 1933 she founded the Mission at Ohauiti, using her own capital to purchase the land, building a small mission

has the chapel, a garage and a hall, but the mission house is now at Ōtanewainuku.

Remembered as being a very shy lady “and a most saintly person”, Miss Birley was greatly loved by the local Māori and Anglican community, valuing education and teaching the Gospel.

“She was always ready to teach and help any in need,” wrote W.H. Poole in a church publication in 1980.

“By the time she retired she was in some cases teaching the grandchildren of her earliest pupils and it would be di cult indeed to appreciate just what her work and example has meant to those she has given her life to serve.”

She is fondly remember today by several of the older congregation of All Saints Anglican church in Maungatapu, which this year is 186 years old.

Ngahuia Smith remembers as a 12 to 13-year-old going to Sunday School classes at

Barbara Webb inside Miss Birley’s chapel in Ohauiti. Photo: John Borren.

Barbara Webb and Ngahuia Smith re ecting on childhood days when they attended classes at Miss Birley’s chapel (shown behind them). Photo: John Borren.

continued...

reminded them that the chapel already had a name and that was St Francis.

For many years Miss Birley travelled about her large area on horseback, but during the 1950s she purchased a small Austin car which she used until failing eyesight caused her to stop driving.

When Miss Birley retired, she gave the Ohauiti property to the Anglican Māori Mission of the Dioscese of Waiapu.

On July 8, 2001, at a service dedicated to her, Elizabeth Joyce Addison Birley was acknowledged as a woman of compassion, eloquence, and of high moral standing. In his address to the people, Bishop George spoke about the Diocese of Waiapu commitment to returning land and buildings as of right and as part of the bi-cultural constitution commitment.

However, he continued on to say that the land situated in Ohauiti Road was somewhat di erent

in that Miss Birley gifted the land to the Bishop of Waiapu not to the church or to the people.

e small chapel in Ohauiti, which is about seven metres by three metres in size, and was still used occasionally as it is in the Parish of Holy Trinity, Tauranga, with a service being conducted there for many years on the fourth Sunday of each month for local residents.

many years on the

Sadly, Miss Birley’s chapel now needs to be pulled down as it is beyond repair.

A deconsecration of

Miss Birley’s chapel has been held at All Saints Anglican Church in Maungatapu on September 18, and demolition will take place over the next few months.

Read this story in full at: www.coastandcountrynews.co.nz

Rosalie Liddle Crawford

Invasive weed salvinia eradicated

Biosecurity New Zealand is declaring the successful eradication of the aggressive aquatic weed salvinia from one Bay of Plenty site after four years of work.

“It’s an invasive aquatic pest that grows rapidly and can smother the surface of rivers and lakes, destroying the living environment for native life and causing a drowning hazard. So, when it was detected in a Pāpāmoa waterway in early 2018, we took swift action towards eradication,” says Biosecurity New Zealand deputy director-general Stuart Anderson. Control activities began in June 2018.

Biosecurity New Zealand worked in partnership with Tauranga City Council and with support from Ngā Pōtiki and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

e aquatic weed was spread over 1km through the Te Ara ō Wairākei − a waterway a few streets back from that follows the original path of Wairakei Stream. “Even very small fragments of salvinia can survive and grow, so working together was essential for eradication e orts to be e ective.”

roughout eradication and management e orts, Ngā Pōtiki ensured appropriate cultural processes were respected, and they also monitored for eels that might be a ected by the removal operation.

“We are proud to have been involved in such a successful campaign to eradicate salvinia,” says Ngā Pōtiki ā Tamapahore Trust chair Verna Gate.

“ is Te Ara ō Wairākei green corridor and the surrounding landscape has signi cant historic, cultural, spiritual and ecological value to Ngā Pōtiki.

“It is closely associated with Ngā Pōtiki history in this area and our cultural worldview.

“We thank Biosecurity New Zealand, Tauranga City Council, and Bay of Plenty Regional Council for helping us to look after Te Ara ō Wairākei and the native wildlife – including taonga such as tuna – that call it home. is is a big win for the entire Pāpāmoa community.”

e waterway has been visited regularly since salvinia was rst found, and initial removal cleared the blanket of weed.

Due to the invasive nature of the weed, Council sta continued to go back to the site to check for regrowth.

“ e Te Ara ō Wairākei waterway is not only a key part of the Pāpāmoa ood control and stormwater system but an important cultural and ecological corridor that is well used and valued by the Pāpāmoa community,” says Tauranga City Council’s drainage services manager Radleigh Cairns.

“It is now three years since we’ve had any sign of salvinia at this site,” says Stuart.

“To be able to announce complete eradication of such an aggressive aquatic pest is exciting and a promising sign for our aquatic biosecurity.”

Biosecurity New Zealand is asking members of the public to keep an eye out for this unusuallooking freshwater weed and report it if they see it.

If you have salvinia in a pond or aquarium on your property or know where it is growing, please report it on: 0800 80 99 66 or use the online form on the Biosecurity New Zealand website.

Miss Elizabeth Birley as a younger woman and later in life.

Salvinia in Pāpāmoa.

Today is a perfect day to secure a festival pass for this year’s splendid garden and art adventure at the Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival.

Bayleys is once again the principal festival partner with general tickets now on sale and being snapped up fast for the festival, which runs from November 17-20.

e Multi-Day and One-Day

Festival Passes are available for purchase, and both packs include a festival pass, directory and map.

“As well as Bloom in the Bay, which this year is being brought to us by Craigs Investment Partners, the impressive festival includes the opportunity to visit the private domains and gardens of participating gardeners and view their creativity,” says festival director Marc Anderson.

is stunning Garden & Art Trail, sponsored by Palmers Bethlehem, spans from Katikati to Te Puke with all gardens open to explore on all four festival days. Along the way are art stops where artists can be seen working from their own studios.

“We are really excited about delivering this year’s event with more than 30 per cent new gardens and a brand new Art Studio trail to complement the already amazing Garden & Art trail,” says Marc.

Marc says Bloom in the Bay, the festival hub at Tauranga Racecourse, will be ourishing with exciting installations, a kid zone, art galleries, increased garden and art-related trade stalls, creative demonstrations, ower displays, a bar, live music, food trucks, stage acts, workshops and a speaker series.

A garden of discovery on the Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival’s Garden & Art Trail.

As well as this, people can also participate in the festival’s popular threecourse Long Lunch with host and former ‘NZ House & Garden’ magazine editor Lynda Hallinan, who will be joined by NZ’s ‘bug man’ Ruud Kleinpaste.

course Long Lunch with host

e Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival is on November 17-20. A One-Day Pass only costs $40 and a Multi-day Festival Pass is $65, with the passes available for purchase on Event nda or from Palmers Bethlehem. For more information, visit: www.gardenandartfestival.co.nz

Coast & Country News has one double one-day festival pass to give away to one lucky reader who can tell us who is the principal festival partner. Email competitions@coastandcountrynews.co.nz with the subject line ‘GAF’ with your answer. Entries must be received by October 31, 2022.

e Carters Drury yard is moving from its current site to a new one down the road.

If you’ve driven along the Southern Motorway heading in or out of Auckland, you will have noticed that there’s plenty of building development taking place just north of the Bombay Hills.

With several subdivisions underway, as well as plans for new malls and other local facilities, the landscape is changing – and so too is the Carters Drury site.

Carters have been helping builders build New Zealand for more than 160 years, with

foundations set way back in 1859 when Robert Holt established his rst sawmill.

e individual Carter, Holt and Harvey businesses survived two World Wars and the Great Depression, their prosperity a testament to the strength and integrity of the company’s founders.

e current Carters Drury site at 280 Great South Road, often known as ‘Drury Roundwood’ was originally established in the 1960’s as Ramsey Roundwood by John Ramsey.

Sitting alongside the railway, this site is being developed and

I recently spoke with a client I have been helping with painful knee osteoarthritis for nearly two years.

When we rst spoke, he needed strong pain relief just to walk for exercise.

We agreed that pain medication use would be a good measure of his progress.

After six months he said the pain had completely gone and no longer needed pain medication. Now a year later he is still pain free.

Any successful programme to improve joints a ected by OA should address the underlying disease process.

OA is a disease that is characterised by cartilage loss due to both mechanical and biochemical processes.

e major process is the loss of cartilage caused by progressive damage to specialised cells called chondrocytes.

ese cells live in the matrix of cartilage and a responsible for maintaining and repairing cartilage by secreting new cartilage where required. However, these cells are vulnerable to destructive

has meant it has the opportunity to re-locate to a new Carters Drury site just down the road.

Opening on Monday, October 3, the new Drury site at 25 Ararimu Road is just a quick hop o SH1, handy to the motorway north or south.

To celebrate the new opening, people are invited to join the team for a trade breakfast event at the new Drury branch opening on ursday, October 6, onsite.

Come on in between 7am –9am for a free feed and to check it out for yourself.

of osteoarthritis

processes brought about by trauma, such as sports injury or a disease process called oxidative damage. is just means that cells and cell structures have been damaged by free radicals.

e main source of discomfort in OA is in ammation in the joint capsule resulting in pain, swelling and in some cases heat and redness.

While bone on bone can only be repaired by surgery, the discomfort from in ammation and cartilage loss can respond very well to nutritional therapy.

While curcumin (from turmeric) can help with in ammation, the most important joint support compound is high grade chondroitin sulphate.

Research suggests at least 800mg daily.

I like to start most on an intensive programme delivering 1600mg of both chondroitin and glucosamine and 400mg of a high potency curcumin extract. is combined with therapeutic doses of Omega 3 sh oil can make a real di erence.

John Arts (B.Soc.Sci, Dip Tch, Adv.Dip.Nut.Med) is

Sun, snow, sea and

After a whirlwind ve day ‘taster’ South Island trip in 2021, my partner and I, eager to explore more, booked three weeks o and hired a Wilderness Motorhomes Carado T447 in August 2022.

Hiring a motorhome o ers unprecedented freedom and exibility, and it becomes your familiar homebase despite being on the move all the time.

At 7.4 metres long, the T447 sleeps four, but for two people it provides a spacious tiny home.

e Wilderness shuttle picked us up from Christchurch airport and were on our way within an hour.

After a quick shop, we headed south to pretty Akaroa for the night so we could reacquaint ourselves with the van.

e rough plan was to follow the east coast to Dunedin, drive the Southern Scenic route through the Catlins, through Invercargill to the Fiords, returning

through the centre of the island exploring along SH8.

Joining the New Zealand Motorhome and Caravan Association opened up so many cheap accommodation options with NZMCA parks and park over properties.

Beautiful scenery

Our rst leg ticked o Oamaru (historical buildings, Steampunk HQ, penguin colony), Moeraki Boulders (time it for low tide so they aren’t covered), and Dunedin, where we stopped to walk up to the Flagsta Lookout in Port Chalmers and the famously steep Baldwin Street in Dunedin.

e Peninsula scenery is beautiful but steep, Larnach Castle is a must, and there are penguin and albatross colony tours.

While showers and gray skies was the weather on our drive through the Catlins, it didn’t stop us enjoying Nugget Point Lighthouse, Tunnel Hill, Matai and Horseshoe Falls, and some great little museums in the settlements.

Our sealion quest was rewarded in a brief moment of sunshine at Surat Bay and then again at Waipapa Lighthouse.

A fairly bad stone chip and crack in the windscreen held us up in a very windy and gray Invercargill, but Wilderness acted fast and thankfully found a supplier who had one and xed it the next day.

We pushed through to Te Anau and holed up in one of the holiday parks for four days as the wind reached scary levels. ere were news reports of motorhomes being blown over.

Te Anau was lovely, and it was good to do laundry, read, go to the movies, have a daily hot shower, and venture out for walks.

As hoped, we were in the right place at the perfect time as the weather cleared into freezing, sunny days with frosty starts.

Fiordland was at its best with snowy mountains, stunning scenery and even a hoar frost. We cruised Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound in idyllic conditions.

Sunset at Lake Tekapo NZMCA park.

White Horse Hill DOC camp, Aoraki/Mount Cook.

Sealions at Surat Bay in the Catlins. All Photos: Catherine Fry.

sand down south

continued...

e motorhome managed the challenging road to Milford Sound through the Homer Tunnel and the steep road bends, but extreme caution is needed in frost or ice. We were greeted by friendly kea on either side of the tunnel.

Our good weather continued up to Queenstown and we soon realised that it is de nitely not motorhome friendly. We stayed at a holiday park in picturesque Arrowtown and caught the hourly, very cheap bus into Queenstown to explore, before heading back up SH8.

For me, this drive was the best as we went through Lindis Pass, Omarama (Clay Cli s), and alongside the brilliant jewel coloured Lake Pukaki to Aoraki, Mount Cook.

A turn in the weather

A night in the remote White Horse Hill DOC camp was magical, with the moon and stars shining on a handful of motorhomes braving the -6 degrees. Our van was toastie warm with gas central heating and no pipes froze.

ere are several walks around Aoraki, and we did the 11km return Hooker Valley Track on a sunny, frosty morning. e scenery was epic, but we were glad we started early as by late morning, the track was busy.

Our ne weather lasted until Lake Tekapo

when severe weather warnings were being issued left, right and centre. We couldn’t a ord to get stranded somewhere as we had four days before we needed to be at Christchurch airport.

Wrapping up

We still managed a night in Arthur’s Pass (Castle Hill is amazing in the snow), a night in Kaikoura (fur seal colony), and a night in Hanmer Springs (hot springs and a mountain bike ride) and were still riding abreast of the bad weather.

On re ection we managed to get to most places in the 7.4 metre van. Mid-winter driving can be treacherous, and it pays to weather watch, avoid unsuitable roads, and read up on the large vehicle accessibility and turning areas of each place you want to visit, and don’t park on grass - we learned the hard way!

We handed back our motorhome with another 3000km on its clock and its bodywork proudly wearing the mud and grime of its huge adventure. ere’s de nitely going to be a next time!

Kea caught in the act of trying to pull out the rubber around the motorhome door.

Hoar frost at sunrise, Mackay Creek, on the road to Milford Sound.

e epic Hooker Valley Track at Aoraki/Mouunt Cook.

Cruising the South Island waterways

A trip to Fiordland and the Southern Lakes in the South Island wouldn’t be complete without embarking on a couple of cruises to see the beautiful sounds and lakes from a di erent perspective.

A few companies operate boat trips and cruises and cover several waterways. On our winter tour of the South Island, we chose Doubtful Sound, Milford Sound and Lake Wakatipu for our “on water” experiences.

For Doubtful Sound/Patea, the journey began from Manapouri,

crossing Lake Manapouri, which is interesting in itself, and passes by Manapouri Power StationNew Zealand’s largest hydroelectric power station.

Buses transport passengers from the West Arm visitor centre over the attractive and steep Wilmot Pass to the waiting cruise boat on Doubtful Sound.

e trees on the pass inspired Peter Jackson on how to portray the ents in the Lord of the Rings.

e 40km Doubtful Sound/Patea has a wild, raw beauty about it, with towering cli s and waterfalls cascading down them.

Our second cruise was on Milford Sound/ Piopiotahi, which is more accessible and better known.

Dolphins swam alongside us for the rst stretch, which always feels like such a privilege.

It’s inspiring to see the famous Mitre Peak from other angles in all its majestic ruggedness. is sound is a little more sheltered and there is more human activity on it.

e boat stops when the crew spot fur seals or penguins, and we were lucky enough to see both.

At 15km long, there’s time to get to the sea entrance and then cruise back down the whole length. On both Doubtful and Milford Sound there’s educational commentary in the geography and history of the area.

e captains brought the boats in close under the sheer waterfalls for photos, leaving passengers licking spray from their lips.

Our Lake Cruise was from Queenstown on the TSS Earnslaw, the only Twin Screw Steamer in the Southern Hemisphere.

is iconic steamer has been cruising Lake Wakatipu since 1912 and is lovingly restored and maintained. It burns one tonne of coal and hour!

It’s very nostalgic steaming across the brilliant blue lake, with a backdrop of snow covered mountains. Some passengers disembark for at a high country farm for a tour and are picked up later.

All the cruises were taken on stunning sunny days, which maximised the beauty of the surrounding scenery and they were all spectacular in their own very di erent ways.

e TSS Earnslaw has cruised Lake Wakatipu since 1912. All Photos: Catherine Fry.

Lake Manapouri.

Dolphins often swim alongside the boats on Milford Sound.

Super benefits from utilising

Kiwi farmers are facing their biggest challenge yet – to continue farming e ciently, while reducing their environmental impact and managing weather extremes.

Farmers need resilient pasture solutions to help them address these challenges.

Enter Germinal’s ‘super clover’, AberLasting –the world’s rst commercial cross of white and Caucasian clover, providing farmers with a robust clover that outperforms standard white clover varieties in drought and severe cold.

In trials AberLasting maintained its leaf water content for a week longer than traditional white clover when without water. It can also withstand overnight temperatures of -30 degrees celsius – a temperature that kills 70 per cent of even the most cold-tolerant white clover varieties.

Real-life success

Otago farmer Gavin Nichol uses AberLasting in his farm’s permanent pasture mix to increase tolerance to weather extremes, and boost pasture production for his 6500 ewes and 300 cattle.

“ e rst time AberLasting was planted I was driving down the farm lane and saw that the original pasture mix was dried o on one side, while the AberLasting paddocks were still white with clover on the other – and both were grazed at the same time,” says Gavin.

to

“Paddocks with AberLasting grew another two weeks into the dry.”

e resilient super clover can also withstand heavy grazing, and recover from that grazing, faster than conventional white clovers.

Confidence all year round

Production paddocks have even seen tolerance to the Clover Root Weevil during their second and third years under pressure.

Pasture survival is an ongoing challenge for Helen Andrews and her family, who run a large pig and cattle

clover

farm in Canterbury.

eir 136-hectare property is subject to environmental extremes, limiting the type of pasture that can be planted.

“Changing the pasture into AberLasting, with its deeper root system, has enabled us to have con dence in its performance yearround,” says Helen.

“ ere is no need for a plan B or C.”

Contact Germinal on: 0800 171 825, or talk to your local merchant, to nd out how AberLasting could work in your farm system.

to continually re ne

prospect

More extreme weather events and warmer temperatures mean maize growers will need to continually re ne and adapt their maize production system to be more resilient or face the prospect of falling yields.

is is according to Foundation for Arable Research senior researcher maize David Densley.

FAR’s senior researcher maize David Densley.

Maize growers are facing the headwinds of increasing cost of production, extreme weather events and environmental considerations, says David, who led a series of FAR maize workshops throughout the North Island and in Canterbury.

Weather data to determine evapotranspiration rates during the 2021-22 maize production season showed the total ET was 469mm, compared with the 20-year average of 417mm. is means crops need 52mm more moisture to achieve the same yield.

During the critical grain ll period, the estimated maize yield loss when drought stress persists for four or more consecutive days is around 3-9 per cent yield loss per day of stress.

Weather data also showed that soil temperatures in October are not much higher than the longterm average.

“So, if growers’ strategy is to plant earlier to beat soil moisture stress during owering, the October soil temperatures aren’t helping much.”

e workshops discussed maize agronomy practices that could help growers improve pro tability and production system resilience.

e yield potential from modern maize genetics is signi cantly higher than what maize growers are currently achieving, with no yield improvement for maize grain or silage production over the last 10 years.

Anecdotally, grain yields of 16 to 18 tonne/ hectare and silage yields of 26 to 28t/drymatter/ha are being achieved.

Precision Seeding Solutions’ New Zealand representative Josh Raikes outlined at the workshops how maize planter technology allows growers to control seeding depth, spacing and uniform germination of the crop.

Canterbury farmers Mark, Helen, Eve and Honour Andrews.

Raise yield, erase weeds

Strong weed control improves yield in maize crops. Roustabout® 840 provides up to 10 weeks of pre-emergence weed control, without any compromise in quality or safety. To broaden control even further, add Atrazine 500 or Primiera ® to your tank mix.

Contact your rural supplier or Nufarm Territory Manager or visit us at nufarm.co.nz/roustabout

Being prepared for all eventualities

Covid and all the transport and logistics issues which came with it have reinforced that even the best laid plans can ounder, so plan ahead; order bought-in feed early so you can relax knowing you’re ready for whatever the environment throws at us.

Summer crops

Like most farmers, we’re looking at the paddocks which will grow summer and winter crops –we’ll shortly be spraying paddocks ready for sowing maize and summer crops in mid to late October. Soil temperatures are averaging around 12.08 so the spring ush must be just around the corner.

Stock e prices at the sale yards and the schedule are quite strong at present, some of that due to the higher than normal volume of stock which was processed last summer as a result of dry conditions.

If you have prime stock, it might be a good time to plan on sending them to the works.

Protecting our land

What a relief to nally hear Government recognising that it needs to act now to protect New Zealand’s most productive arable land.

In the past 20 years 35,000 hectares of highly productive

Brian Rogers RIP.

I was saddened to learn of the death of Brian Rogers, co-founder and owner of the BOP media company Sun Media.

I knew Brian very well, working with him and Claire before they formed Sun Media, I always enjoyed his dry wit.

He and Claire succeeded with print media where others have failed largely due to their dogged determination and innate understanding of their target audiences.

Brian was a much-loved husband, father, grandfather and leader across all of Sun Media’s subsidiary publications. I shall miss working with him and wish Claire, the family and sta my sincere condolences.

Weather

Has the weather ever been more unpredictable? We have been spared from the torrential rains which have blighted other parts of the country

but the rainfall statistics tell you that compared to this time last year, we’ve had our share of rain.

From September 1 to 18, 2021, the yards at Paengaroa had 88.5ml, this year rainfall was 148.5ml for the same period – an increase of 60ml.

e Ohauiti farm recorded 138.5ml for the same period last year, compared to 180ml this year. YTD at Paengaroa is 1340ml and farm 2120ml – both more than our average yearly rainfall.

Last year from January 1 to December 31, we had 847ml at the yard and 1401 at the farm, so we are already well over that – and we’ve got another three months to go!

e MetService and NIWA are predicting a third la niña event which means summer could be very dry – depending on how many tropical fronts come our way.

While we can’t control the weather, we can control how we prepare for it – so my advice is to get your feed organised now.

land has been carved up for urban or rural residential development while a staggering 170,000 hectares has been converted into lifestyle blocks.

Now I understand the need for housing in environments which are right for you and your family, but we need to get the balance right and must act now to protect our future food supply.

Orders are already owing in for grass silage bales and maize silage. It’s in your best interest to get your orders in early and get it directly from the paddock to save money.

Like I always say “Proper planning prevents pitiful performance”.

Benefits of maize to the farm system

e uent, and it can mine excess soil nutrients reducing the risk of milk fever and nitrogen loss to water.

For more advice on how maize can bene t your farm system this

season contact one of the dedicated VPMaxx team.

Contact Barry Smallridge account manager, Bay of Plenty, Manawatu, and East Coast on 027 801 9992 or Alan MacDougall account manager, Waikato, King Country and Taranaki on 027 204 4418.

If you are wanting to secure your summer or autumn feed supply, it is not too late to organise your maize for silage.

A growing number of farmers have built very pro table pasture based systems which incorporate maize silage to ll potential feed gaps experienced when grass growth fails to keep up with feed demand.

Not only do you get the bene t of a high yielding crop like maize, meaning you require less area to produce the same amount of tonnage compared with other summer crops, but you also have the advantages maize brings as a drought resistant, C4 plant that is able to be ensiled.

Below are just some of the bene ts maize can bring to your farm system:

Help control your pasture

Because maize silage is a forage, you can vary the amount fed to control pasture residuals, keeping

ryegrass in its most productive growth stage.

If pasture cover is low, increase the maize silage feeding rate and leave more pasture behind.

If you have plenty of grass on hand you can reduce the silage feeding rate and clean up paddocks better.

Eliminate feed shortages

Supplements deliver the greatest return when fed during genuine feed shortages or to increase days in milk.

While many crops must be fed when they are mature, maize silage can be stacked and fed when required.

Make the most of e uent

Applying dairy shed e uent to pasture often results in a build-up of soil potassium and a higher risk of milk fever.

It can also increase the risk of nitrogen leaching.

Maize thrives on the nutrients contained in

It’s all about how pH is constructed

Some published papers claim the “Albrecht System of Soil Fertility” does not work.

A better explanation is the authors of the papers and their publishers do not know how to make it work.

When it is used after all else has failed, there is no going back.

is article is about pH.

How the pH is constructed is more important than the pH itself.

It concerns an example near Brawley, California just north of Mexico and close to the Colorado River, which has 800ppm of sodium. (1 tonne of Na per acre-foot of water.)

Annual rainfall is 50mm. Crops do not grow without irrigation.

e owners had trouble growing crops for 40 years, and no wonder as the calcium was 46 per cent, magnesium 30.3 per cent, potassium three per cent and sodium 17 per

How the pH is constructed is more important than the pH itself.

cent of the soil Base Saturation. pH was 8.1.

In this valley, you are not going to get as low as 6.

Desired Base Saturation levels in this case are 80, 10, 5 and 3 per cent respectively.

Although these levels are extremely de cient or excessive, these gures are very common in Imperial Valley.

Predictions and mechanics

e principles for correction are the same for all soils, although the desired target range may change, depending on the soil Total Exchange Capacity.

e crop grown was sugar beet.

is part of the property did not perform at all. \Recommendations by an employee of Helena Chemical Co. who follows the Albrecht system includes 9,000kg/ha of lime. Potassium was also added along with trace elements, but the main thrust is to reduce the excesses, being Na and Mg.

Lime was incorporated into the soil and all Ca was released in 18 months. At that point, another soil test was taken, and the results were Ca 62 per cent, Mg 24.5 per cent, K 4 per cent, and Na 6.6 per cent.

e di erence is an increase in calcium of 16 per cent and a decrease of 16.2 per cent for Mg and Na.

is is exactly what was predicted would happen.

e pH had hardly moved from 8.1 to 7.9.

e Ca increase made little di erence to pH as K, Mg and Na have a greater e ect on pH than Ca. Many soil researchers get caught up in the pH trap.

At Kiwi Fertiliser, we want to know what the

pH is to inform us how available the trace elements are going to be to the plant. But the Ca:Mg per cent is the critical factor.

e soil mechanics are correlated to this percent.

New Zealand soils

Calcium pushes the soil particles apart, increasing pore spaces and Mg pulls particles together.

In these high Total Exchange Capacity soils there is a high percentage of Mg (a soil “tightener”) which makes it hard to leach the Na.

Good drainage is needed to accomplish the removal of sodium.

It would be great to teach our professors the importance of knowing the TEC’s, the Ca:Mg per cent and how they a ect the real-world farming situation.  An 80:10 per cent is appropriate for high TEC soils, but a 60:20 per cent is more appropriate for low TEC soils.

Most NZ soils do best at 68:12. ese gures relate to a PAL soil audit and are not relevant to other soil tests. If we could reach and teach everyone the importance of balanced soils, the production of our soils would skyrocket.

Proper balance and nutrition have the potential to reduce hunger and most health problems.

e crop looked extraordinary as the sugar beet touched between the metre-wide furrows for the rst time in 40 years.

Potassium fertiliser options

On September 1, Ballance lifted their Muriate of Potash price from $1350/ tonne to $1550/tonne and 12 days later, Ravensdown did the same.

is is a huge lift from the $660/tonne price two years ago.

However, this is not the result of price-gouging by the fertiliser companies, but is driven by international markets and supply.

Economic returns

e three main exporters of potassium have been Belarus, Russia and Canada, but with Belarus having a trade embargo against it for the past couple of years, and now with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and sanctions against it, the main supplier to the world is just one source – Canada,

Robin Boom CPAg MBSPC Independent Agronomy & Soil Fertility Consultant

hence the price lifts.

Potassium is a major element (K), and any type of harvestable crop removes signi cant amounts of potassium, and if not replaced, will markedly a ect yield.

For every silage or hay crop, about six to eight times more potassium is removed than phosphorus, and for grazed pasture on dairy farms, potassium requirements are almost twice as high as phosphorus (P).

In the early 1990s, I was involved in doing measurements on a MAF drystock monitor farm in the northern King Country, part of which had a low potassium level (MAF QT 4).

A capital application of potassium gave a 40 per cent increase in pasture yield, whereas a capital phosphorus application only gave a 10 per cent increase in yield, so the economic returns in this situation were four times greater for potassium than phosphorus.

Crops such as maize, lucerne and kiwifruit need signi cant potassium inputs to maintain yield.

A 25 tonne maize crop removes more than 250kg of potassium, equivalent to 500kg of Muriate of Potash, and repeat harvests of high yielding lucerne also remove similar quantities of K over a season.

Based on a price of $1550/tonne, a maize crop will need approximately $800/ha of potassium, $500/ha of

DAP as a starter at 250 kg/ ha and another $400 of nitrogen as a side-dressing, if levels are low.

Cheaper options

is is why I am suggesting to dairy farm clients to consider e uent paddocks this year to plant maize in, as cowshed e uent is high in both nitrogen and potassium, and this resource can replace arti cial fertiliser inputs.

ere are also some cheaper potassium options for maize growers. As I write, Ravensdown still have about 1000 tonnes of what is called ‘standard’ potassium chloride, which is ner particled and has four per cent less potassium than the normal granular product, which they are selling for $800/tonne.

Unfortunately, there is none in the upper North Island, and only in lower North Island stores based in Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Wanganui and Taranaki, so cartage will be more expensive, but it is currently the cheapest form of fertiliser potassium I know of. However, it’s not suitable for applying to pasture as it burns the grass badly.

I discovered this last spring when I applied it to my hay paddock when I shut it up. It burned the grass so badly, that rather than my normal 100 bales, I only harvested 40. But it should be ne to apply to bare ground.

ere are also a couple of smaller private importers selling granular MOP for around $200/tonne cheaper than the two co-ops, and in the past couple of years, there are two interesting potassium carbonate based products from Indonesia which have come onto the market - Phosta K and Grand K - sold by smaller importers which are by-products of the sugar cane and palm oil processing industries.

Potassium carbonate is slow releasing and not subject to leaching anywhere near as much as potassium chloride or potassium sulphate, and both of these options are very soil friendly and contain other useful elements in their makeup such as phosphorus, magnesium and sulphur.

Being slow release, they should be highly suitable for pasture, particularly leachable soils, but I would not recommend them for fast growing crops like maize where MOP is a much better option.

Muriate of Potash price raises are driven by international markets and supply.

Trial confirms positive impact

Zealand, mitigating numerous environmental variables that can come into play during the crucial pollination period. Pollen supply is extremely tight this year, so it’s extremely

important to maximise the value in its application.

On orchard costs have increased signi cantly hence it is crucial to e ectively pollinate to in turn create opportunity for

maximum pro ts.

Wet pollination as a system can become a signi cant insurance policy in creating quality results year in and year out despite many environmental challenges.

A recent Hayward trial has con rmed that wet arti cial pollination positively impacts yields, taste, size and shape of kiwifruit.

Bay of Plenty based All Terrain Pollination’s Grant Luscombe says wet pollination is an e cient and extremely e ective method of pollinating crops for kiwifruit farmers across the upper North Island producing consistent and excellent results.

“ e Hayward trial was run

alongside dry pollination application and demonstrated that wet pollination results in bigger and better shaped fruit and a larger number of rst-class trays with a positive impact on grower returns.

“In addition to fruit and crop attributes, wet pollination –contrast to dry pollination or bees – can be applied in most conditions and will work in instances where bees may not.”

All Terrain Pollination applies wet pollen directly onto the owers using a patented process which was designed and tested in New

Plan to sort your fertiliser

Kiwi Fertiliser eight step plan.

Step 1

Set up a production and nancial comparative monitoring plan.

Compare previous production and costs to projected outcomes.

Step 2

Albrecht-Kinsey Soil Program via Perry Lab Audit and specialist advice will direct the farmer to build soil to balance which is essential for clover growth and bene cial biological development.

Establish soil balance to enable clover to dominate the pasture sward.

Step 3 e addition of biological inoculants to a balanced soil plus other ingredients including sh and kelp activate and enhance a thriving biology.

Encourage microbial interaction with roots to develop synthesis to draw down atmospheric nitrogen into the soil.

Step 4

Gradually reduce synthetic nitrogen applications.

Demonstration farms in their rst year are achieving up to 60 per cent reduction of synthetic nitrogen applications with an increase in pasture grown.

Step 5

Continue to feed and activate a thriving diverse biological ecosystem. Continue six monthly soil monitoring with applications of solid biological friendly fertiliser and liquid biological additives, activators and feeders.

Take regular e uent tests with pH monitoring and respect the biology in the pond by keeping biological killers out.

Step 6

Seed, feed and activate a diverse interactive pasture sward, harmonious to the enhanced biological soil ecosystem.

Di erent pasture species encourage and sustain di erent biology and will create a more sustainable balanced growing feed throughout the season.

Step 7

Develop and phase in a strategic seasonal pasture management plan.

e di erent and diverse range of pasture plants and herbs will enable a longer rotation length without a ecting quality production.

Strategic seasonal pasture management will also protect the soil from the e ects of overgrazing.

Step 8

Activate an Animal Health Enhancement plan.

Supplement animals with trace elements and biological enhancers, to give them enhanced immunity to stress and disease.

Balance feed to reduce protein and add methane inhibiters into feed.

Respect the biological environment needed in the rumen to encourage the best feed utilisation.

More information can be obtained by looking at our website: www.totalreplacementtherapy.com and following us on Facebook by typing in Total Replacement erapy.

Ron McLean, Kiwi Fertiliser

Pond

Fred Kahu preparing to go to work on a kiwifruit orchard.

Our mission is to respect biological life in all areas of the farm

Our mission is to respect biological life in all areas of the farm

Gisborne council wins kiwifruit appeal

Golden kiwifruit growers in Tairāwhiti have received con rmation of increased rates following a successful High Court appeal by Gisborne District Council over the value of licences to grow the fruit.

In December 2020, the council deemed that licences to grow the golden variety should account for an increase in value to the land, justifying a rates rise.

Backed by the Valuer-General, it

believed the golden variety should be treated di erently from other kiwifruit because of the higher price it fetches on the market.

But on February 1, 2022, the Land Valuation Tribunal ruled in favour of local grower Tim Tietjen, who was objecting to the capital value of his small orchard increasing from $1.65 million to $4.1 million.

Tietjen’s Bushmere Trust argued that the property’s capital value, without the licences, should instead rise to $2,852,000.

On August 22, a High Court decision was released overturning the tribunal’s ruling.

Separate judicial review proceedings brought by NZ Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated are stayed pending an application from either party for it to be lifted.

SunGold valuable

In its submission to the court, the council indicated the tribunal’s decision was a double standard because it required the value of all plant variety licences to be deducted from the value of properties without deducting the value of the vines.

e growers maintained SunGold licences were neither land nor an improvement to the land, and therefore should not contribute to the capital value of the land.

ey argued it was a pro tmaking mechanism for the bene t of the grower, not an improvement to land.

e court found that under the Rating Valuations Act 1998, the rateable value of the property should include the value of the SunGold licence.

“Our interpretation of the text of the act is consistent with relevant case law and the purpose of the rating regime,” the judgement said.

e capital value of the property included the value of the land as enhanced by the licence which ran with the land in practice, the judgement said. It went on to explain SunGold was owned by Zespri and was a “highly valuable” commercial crop resistant to diseases which posed a risk to other varieties.

As at September 1, 2020, the value of the SunGold variety was around $800,000 to $900,000 per canopy hectare, compared to the approximately $300,000 to $450,000 for mature green kiwifruit.

In comparison, other crops such

as oranges, avocados and feijoa normally produced around $30,000 to $50,000 of crop per hectare.

Growing SunGold

Growers can obtain a SunGold licence by bidding at Zespri’s annual private tender process, buying an orchard that grows the variety, or buying a licence from an existing grower separate of land.

Tairāwhiti was the rst region to adjust land valuation for growers of the golden variety based on the value of the growing licence.

Changes to Gisborne’s valuation methods were the result of a meeting between the Valuer-General and valuers in August 2020.

e court’s ndings stated 49 growers could be a ected by the decision. e cost of the appeal was awarded to the appellant.

-Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air Matthew Rosenberg, Local Democracy Reporter

SunGold kiwifruit growers nationwide could be a ected by the result of a High Court appeal by Gisborne District Council which saw a Land Valuation Tribunal decision overturned.

More plan changes possible for growers

being appealed by Horticulture NZ to seek exemptions similar to Whakatāne district’s.

Mayor Judy Turner said that her concern was for existing rural homes of people who built there “in good faith” to suddenly have a big structure blocking their natural light which would a ect the health of the housing.

Preparing a discussion

“ ose are the ones where we need to be concerned. If the shelter was there rst, you buy it knowing what you are buying into. at’s another matter. at is going to be the tricky

thing for us. It’s great that people are adapting their farming and we need to be careful of not disadvantaging farmers. But at the same time there is this courtesy thing.”

e committee agreed to a recommendation by sta to prepare a discussion document and draft plan change that could be used for engagement with key stakeholders.

is engagement will inform a future report to the committee.

e increase in Rangitaiki Plains dairy farming land being converted to kiwifruit orchards has led Whakatāne District Council to look into another of its district plan rules.

Last month, the council agreed to lower the decibel level for audible bird scaring devices, pending public consultation, after rural residents complained about the noise; now it is arti cial crop protection structures that are causing issues for neighbours.

A report about the large, fence-like structures of shade cloth supported by wooden poles by policy, planning and consents compliance manager Nicholas Woodley was received at a strategy and policy committee meeting.

“In the past few years there has been a signi cant increase in horticultural cropping in the Whakatāne district,” the report said.

Rules around shade cloth

“ e Whakatāne District Plan allows ACPS to be placed on property boundaries with conditions that are limited to controls on height and colour.

“ e cloth must be green or black. e council has received several complaints about the e ects of these structures.”

Complaints mainly concerned the visual dominance and shading of dwellings near boundaries. e council commissioned Cogito Consulting to

investigate whether they should make changes to the plan rules for the structures.

A resulting scoping report evaluated Whakatāne district’s rules against those of ve other districts where horticulture was a signi cant activity.

ese were Western Bay of Plenty, Ōpōtiki, Hastings, Waikato and Tasman districts. is comparison showed that although these councils mostly had “highly enabling rules in place” for the structures, Whakatāne district’s rules were “less stringent than those of neighbouring councils”.

It concluded that there was “a reasonable case to consider a plan change to at least align the district plan rules with those of neighbouring councils”.

Comparing rules

Current rural zone rules allow for a maximum height of eight metres or 12m, depending on whether the lot is more than or less than 5000 square metres but are excluded from complying with rules for buildings including height-toboundary and distance-to-boundary rules and also excluded from fencing rules of no higher than two metres. is means orchardists can, in some cases, build a shade cloth structure of 12 metres on its boundary regardless of whether it is going to throw shade on a neighbour’s home.

Neighbouring councils have no height limit but Ōpōtiki district has a minimum setback of 5m from any lawfully established residential building.

Waikato district requires a 12m setback and has height-to-boundary rules, however, these are

MyNameisNeilWoodward

IamadirectorofZ-Contracting-wearefamilyrun business,ourteamconsistsofthree,beingmyself,my sonandmybrother.

Ourorganisationhasbeenestablishedforover18 years.Ihavebeeninvolvedin applyingcropprotection programmeswithinthehorticultalindustrysince1966.

Wespecialisewithinthekiwifruitindustry, We have theequipmenttosprayorchardswithour two Atomsprayers and one recently purchased Tracatom Formula tractor which is also available for mulching and mowing

accuracy. We also useaquadbikeforstripweedspray applications.

Weholdallcertificatesneededtomeet Globalgap compliance.

Welookatallchallengestohelpensureweprotect yourcropwithexcellence.

MyNameisNeilWoodward.

IamadirectorofZ-Contracting-wearefamilyrun business,ourteamconsistsofthree,beingmyself,my sonandmybrother.

Ourorganisationhasbeenestablishedforover18 years.Ihavebeeninvolvedin applyingcropprotection programmeswithinthehorticultalindustrysince1966.

Wespecialisewithinthekiwifruitindustry, We have theequipmenttosprayorchardswithour two

Atomsprayers and one recently purchased Tracatom Formula tractor which is also available for mulching and mowing

Our Atoms aresetupwithradarspeedsensors,this combined with fullyautomated sprayer controllers and three nozzle ringsenhancesapplicationef ficiency and accuracy.

We also useaquadbikeforstripweedspray applications.

Weholdallcertificatesneededtomeet Globalgap compliance.

Welookatallchallengestohelpensureweprotect yourcropwithexcellence.

Tocontactus: Phone:021907621 E-mail:zcl@zanadu.co.nz

-Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On

Diane McCarthy, Local Democracy Reporter

Avocado export season now well underway

e New Zealand avocado season is well underway, the rst small export volumes left for Asia in July and avocados are now being shipped to Australia and nine Asian markets.

South Korea, ailand, China, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong will likely take the most volumes this year, with good volumes to Malaysia, India and Japan.

“Orchards closest to the coast are usually rst to reach the 24 per cent dry matter required for export,” says Jen Scoular, New Zealand Avocado CEO and President of the World Avocado Congress Committee.

“We have a few orchards on islands around New Zealand and a number, across both the North and South regions that are close to the coast and reach maturity rst.

“Our crop is a little lighter than last year, which was a good volume crop

e rst small export volumes have already left New Zealand.

across all regions. We have some new production coming on, so overall we are forecasting being 10-15 per cent down for export on the previous year.”

In the previous season the Australian market crashed well before New Zealand avocados arrived in their market, so exporters quickly moved quite a signi cant volume to the Asian markets.

e result in 2021-22 was a trebling of volume going to Asia, which has been a strategic objective for the industry for some years.

“Freight is still very challenging. Exporters are needing to be very agile, and of course delays in ships arriving and departing and changes in the route just increase the challenge to deliver premium quality avocados to our customers and consumers.”

World Avocado Congress 2023

New Zealand’s growing avocado industry will take the spotlight in April 2023 when the country hosts the World Avocado Congress for the rst time ever.

e global avocado market was worth approximately USD$8 billion in 2020, and is expected to grow to USD$17 billion by 2025.

e World Avocado Congress has become the most prestigious global event to celebrate the sector.

“We are very excited to report that we have over 420 registrations so far, from 15 countries, with more than 200 registrations from outside New Zealand,” says Jen.

Expecting interest

“On top of that we have the sponsors and exhibitors tickets, so we are already at 500 attendees.”

e New Zealand sponsors are headed with the gold sponsorship by Darling Group, with Avoco and Radfords Software as silver sponsors and Seeka as a bronze sponsor.

Mission are a foundation global sponsor, with more to be announced very soon.

“Exhibition space opened up this week so we are expecting lots of interest from service providers to the industry and also from the countries intending to bid to host the 2027 congress.

“We will be attending Asia Fruit Logistica to promote the World Avocado Congress and hope to secure more registrations and exhibitions.”

Source: Freshplaza

New Zealand Avocado CEO and President of the World Avocado Congress Committee Jen Scoular.

Ty’s years of engineering at Kiwi Pollen

“I’ve often heard it said that there is no magic bullet for pollination. Herein lies the challenge working with growers to supply a tailormade solution for their unique application,” says Ty.

“Is there a better way of doing what we’re currently doing? I am convinced there is, look at the evidence by visiting any packhouse!

“ e kiwifruit industry has a promising future.”

Ty Hartnett started in the kiwifruit pollination industry with Kiwi Pollen in 2003 as an industrial engineer.

“Having been trained by a NZ division of the once largest private company in Great Britain, Imperial Chemical Industries, ingrained into me was the principal question: ‘Is there a better way?’”

Striving for better

is is more than a motto, says Ty, but the motivation to always strive to do better.

“Because of the positive environment at Kiwi Pollen, it’s been a wonderful place to apply this principal; always striving to improve our pollen application equipment,” says the production engineer.

“I’ve been re ecting on the changes I have seen and been directly involved in during these 19 years.

“Starting with the laborious handheld wet Cambrian sprayer, we then transitioned to the popular battery powered backpack sprayer.”

Kiwi Pollen then introduced the handheld dry pollen broadcasting system, which was supplemented by the mini duster for targeting owers.

No magic bullet

Last year saw the introduction of the ATV Mounted PollenAid Wet Sprayer – a userfriendly way for a grower to have control to achieve ultimate pollination in any weather, day or night – an answer to the question: ‘Is there a better way?’

Avocado seeds could become a tasty snack

Industrial production of cold-pressed avocado oil produces a large amount of avocado seed waste, but now Kiwi researchers have been able to extrude this waste into a porous pu ed snack.

is type of snack makes up around half of the ready-to-eat snack market, according to a post on the scimex website.

e extruded avocado seed product has a higher antioxidant capacity than brown rice or malted barley, and non-toxic levels of the toxins amygdalin and persin.

e authors of the study on ScienceDirect say the process looks promising, and now more work is needed to nd out if customers would nd the snack appealing.

Ty Hartnett, centre, with fellow Kiwi Pollen engineers Oscar Matías Yañez León, left, and Matt Davoren, right, with the rst ATV Mounted PollenAid Wet Sprayer they built in 2012.

Kiwi Pollen’s

Mounted

Orchard jobs in springtime

e correct timing of key orchard management practices is important to achieve high yields of good quality fruit.

e information below highlights some key orchard management activities with recommended timings within each season.

Growth stages

With September almost done and dusted, most ower buds should have started to swell and develop by now.

As we move into October and November, growers can expect owers to start to open, be pollinated and fruitlets start to become visible, according to NZ Avocado.

New red vegetative shoot growth is also produced at this time of the year.

NZ Avocado says roots are often ushing actively and carbohydrate stores begin to be depleted to support ower and new leaf development.

Trees with moderate to severe Phytophothora root rot will bene t from a spring application of phosphonate in

addition to the autumn application, says NZ Avocado.

Growers are recommended to root test before and six to eight weeks after injection.

If higher than 90mg/kg roots at 75 per cent moisture, don’t inject.

“Expect levels of 25 – 45mg/ kg at 75 per cent moisture after injection. Higher is ok,” says a post on the NZ Avocado website.

“Use 15 per cent working solution of phosphonate, 20ml per meter of canopy diameter and space syringes evenly.

“Don’t inject sick trees with more than recommended dose.”

Bring in the bees

Ensure you have your bees in the orchard no later than between ve per cent and 10 per cent open ower.

NZ Avocado recommends having ve to eight hives per hectare.

“ e more bees the better.”

Growers should remember that bees won’t y in less than 17 degrees celsius, windy or very cloudy days.

“Pollenisers can help with female/ male overlap if in marginal climate.”

Unopened owers are quite plump and rounded.

Flowers that have opened and closed are more pointed.

Female phase owers have stamen and anthers more at against sepals and petal, whereas male owers have more upright stamen and the anthers may have a feathery look as they present the pollen.

NZ Avocado says excess crop load reduces return crop with early intervention key to mitigation.

“Too much ower is not a good thing but is common if the trees hasn’t held much crop.

“Allowing the tree to set fruit will deplete value resources that could be used to support fruit sizing, spring leaf ush and next year’s owering.

“ e earlier you can prune excess ower o the better but it can be easier to leave until late September/ early October when new leaf ush is more visible. is will make it easier to target determinate in oresences that lack new leaf.

“A balance of 60 per cent determinate and 40 per cent indeterminate is ideal.”

What to target

Cut back to healthy foliage and target ower likely to set fruit in exposed area prone to sunburn and wind damage. NZ Avocado says 10cm is an ideal mulch thickness.

“Apply additional mulch if existing mulch is not adequate.

“Avocado leaf is best mulch type but chipped avocado pruning is great as well. Coarse wood chip, bark or shelter prunings is ok as well.

“Any non-avocado material to be used as mulch should ideally be aged for six – 12 months before applying to trees.”

It’s okay to plant trees anytime if protected appropriately from frost, sun and wind.

Growers should review the updated planting guide on how to take delivery of trees, inspect them, plant and care during early development.

NZ Avocados recommends growers to plant trees as soon as practical after delivery.

“Plants will get going once they have recovered from transplant shock and once temperatures are warm enough.”

A graph showing the sequence of avocado owering. Image: NZ Avocado.

Time to prepare for future seasons’ crops

Spring is an important and busy period on the avocado orchard; harvest is underway as is the owering, signalling the set of next season’s crop.

Andrew Cut eld, general manager of investor relations and supply for Darling Group, says the company’s NZ avocado supply arm, Just Avocados, encourages their growers to focus on harvest, pruning and nutrition strategies during spring to optimise owering and fruit set.

Pruning advice

“Practices we see as contributing to success across high performing orchards are harvesting 50-60 per cent of the current season’s crop by the time of owering, to ensure resources are put into setting the next season’s crop, regular seasonal pruning to ensure better production and more consistent cropping, and the provision of nutrients at the right time to balance resource use and encourage adequate ush after owering which becomes the following season’s owering and fruiting wood.”

Andrew says bud development looks strong currently and crop load management will be crucial this year to avoid the depletion of

resources within avocado trees.

“Ensure your pruning strategy is in place and contractors are lined up to carry this out.

“Crop load management may be a signi cant factor this year to ensure trees don’t get overloaded

Minister confirms govt review of RSE scheme

e Labour Inspectorate were conducting a full investigation into speci c concerns raised around RSE employer obligations with the process expected to be completed within six weeks, says Woods.

In the past few years, the Labour Inspectorate has recommended against 25 employers being accredited as RSE employers, he says.

Wood says he will also be conducting a review of the RSE employment standards to provide employers, workers and authorities with clarity around the obligations that should be enforced.

-RNZ.

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood has con rmed the Government will do a full review of the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme early next year.

It comes after the Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner witnessed conditions she described as modern day slavery.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner Karanina Sumeo says some RSE workers brought here from Paci c nations were being exploited, bonded to unreasonable debt and living in very poor conditions.

ose were the conditions workers faced under the government’s RSE scheme, according to an investigation carried out by the commissioner.

After meeting with Sumeo, Wood told Checkpoint the concerns raised will be treated seriously and the government has agreed to a full review of the RSE scheme, which would begin in early 2023.

“A key part of it will be making sure that the scheme is sustainable, and that we do have good labour standards for all of the workers concerned,” says Wood.

“ e RSE scheme is important to New Zealand.

“It’s important for the workers concerned, it’s important to Paci c island states, but it must be sustainable, and we must treat people fairly.”

with the current season’s fruit as well as a heavy set for next season which can trigger poor owering and fruit set in 2023.

Orchard health

“Just Avocados’ mantra is that orchard health should not be compromised because of what the market and returns are doing.

“It’s likely we have another good fruit set coming but we are looking at the following year now and we want our growers to ensure we have strong ower for spring 2023.

“ e practice we advocate is to get crop o , get the trees pruned and get repeatability of fruit set which is your best way to achieve sustainable longterm pro tability.”

Andrew says pruning o the exposed and spent wood and smallest fruit as part of the follow up structural prune will likely pay dividends in the future

“ e value of a better resourced tree and better tree architecture for this spring and more importantly the following spring will strongly outweigh any revenue from smaller fruit.”

Oct 4-6

Pioneer Fundays, Woodlands Estate, Taupiri near Hamilton, $2. See woodlands.co.nz

Oct 5-8

Matamata Historical Society Book Fair,

Memorial Hall. See: tinyurl. com/3ja3xk6w

Oct 8-9

Coromandel Open Studios Arts Tour, free.

See: tinyurl.com/yknnr35n

Oct 12-16

Escape Festival, Tauranga, theatre, writers and speakers.

See : taurangafestival.co.nz

Oct 15

Zine Fest, 10am3pm, Art Gallery, Tauranga, free. See: taurangafestival.co.nz

Okareka Mistletoe Project Work Day, meet 8.45am at Okareka, activities for

all ages and abilities. Ph/txt Paul at least a week before: 027 650 7264. Diwali Festival, 4-9pm, Historic Village, 17th Ave West, Tauranga, free. See: tinyurl. com/5dsnrz6m

Oct 22-24

Raglan Arts Weekend, 10am-5pm, Raglan. About 30 artists o ering studio visits. See: raglanartsweekend. nz/about-raw

Oct 27

Xanthe White, 7.30pm, a Waikato Horticultural Society talk, e Link (hall), 4 Te Aroha St, Claudelands, Hamilton. All welcome, $5 (nonmembers). Ph Carmel: 07 855 3404.

Oct 29

Bromeliad Sales Day, 8am-noon, Yacht Club, Keith Allen Dr, Tauranga. Ph:

07 571 1585. Plant display and sales, eftpos available.

Oct 30

Waipa Plant Sale, 8am-noon, Victoria Square, Cambridge. See tinyurl.com/4ya2b6dh Spring Migration Day, 1pm talk by Raewyn Peart, Environmental Defence Society, Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre, free. See: shorebirds.org.nz

Nov 5

Crop Swap, 9.30am-10.30am, 45 Beach Rd, Katikati. Ph: 07 549 2337.

Tauranga Rose Show, 11am, Wesley Hall, 13th Ave, Tauranga, $3. Includes plants for sale. Ph/txt: 027 222 6081.

Nov 6

Scarecrow Festival, 11am-2pm, Kitchen Garden, Hamilton Gardens, free.

Joining forces to improve wellbeing support

Fonterra and the Rural Support Trust have announced a three-year partnership to support rural New Zealanders by improving access to wellbeing and resilience services for farming families who are doing it tough.

Earning a living from the land comes with a unique set of challenges and research shows that a signi cant proportion of New Zealand farmers neglect their own wellbeing.

professional services

e rst priority for the partnership is to develop a rural speci c national strategy, which is expected to be in place early next year.

“For generations the RST has been standing by rural communities and have a long history of showing up and helping when times are tough,” says Farm Source group director Richard Allen.

“Fonterra has worked successfully with the RST for some time but more action is needed and this new partnership will help strengthen our wellbeing support throughout the country.

personal

“Developing a national, long-term strategy with clear objectives and actions that address mental health and other rural challenges is simply the right thing to do. “Farming is an animal and produce business, but it’s also very much a human business. It’s right to show up for communities during events and emergencies, but the partnership also recognises an ongoing need for support of, and commitment to, New Zealand communities.”

Farming is right up there when it comes to the most rewarding jobs in the world, but it can also be one of the most stressful and demanding.

According to 2020 research from DairyNZ, 62 per cent of dairy farmers said they or someone on their farm experienced mental health issues in the previous 12 months.

“Kiwi farmers and growers run pretty special businesses, but they’re businesses that are vulnerable to a bunch of signi cant external factors – many of which are out of their control,” says RST’s National Council chair Neil Bateup.

“A good example is the extreme weather and ooding experienced across parts of New Zealand recently. Farmers are also feeling increasing pressures due to things like rising on-farm costs, the labour pinch and increasing compliance obligations.

“We’ve come a long way in the past

decade or so, in that there’s more recognition that mind health is just as important as physical wellbeing, but we know there’s still a lot of work to do in this area.”

Examples

Earlier this year

Fonterra was one of the sponsors of Matt Chisholm’s nationwide Time Out Tour for RST.

Matt is an ambassador for RST and talked to rural communities about mental wellness, resilience, his own struggles and what he did to help overcome them.

In August 2021, a Fonterra and RST ‘Good Together’ Rugby Team played the Parliament Rugby Team to help raise more than $100,000 for the RST to help ood-a ected South Island farmers.

Where to get help

Rural Support Trust: 0800 787 254

Lifeline: 0800 543 354

Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)

Youthline: 0800 376 633 or text 234

Kidsline: 0800 543 754

Whatsup: 0800 942 8787 (12pm to 11pm)

Depression helpline: 0800 111 757 or text 4202

Anxiety helpline: 0800 269 4389 (0800 ANXIETY)

Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155

If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

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MADE IN SOUTH KOREA

RST’s National Council chair Neil Bateup.

Farm Source group director Richard Allen.