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23 Uncertain outlook shades confidence Vol 24 No 37 | September 21, 2026

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Water worries leave HB high and dry NEWS

Land use

UNDREDS of hectares of Hawke’s Bay vineyards will be pulled out this year, but a question mark hangs over what the land can be used for, and its value. Water uncertainty is a big factor, with water consenting in the region paused for years as the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s TANK Plan Change works its way through the courts. Leith Ashworth, who owns Ash Ridge in the heart of the Bridge Pa Triangle, has watched as 30ha of vines on his boundaries have been pulled out.

Every week you hear about another winery shutting down, or moving out of the region, people being made redundant. Leith Ashworth Ash Ridge Ash Ridge itself has managed to grow sales by cultivating a diverse range of varieties and focusing on domestic sales, particularly its wine club offering, tastings, events, and cellar door sales. But Ashworth said the constant negativity in the industry is hard to ignore. “The hardest thing with the

current situation is every week you hear about another winery shutting down, or moving out of the region, people being made redundant.” Just last week it was reported that prestigious Hawke’s Bay winery Sileni will close after 30 years. Booster Wine Group, which owns the wine brand, did not respond to a request for an interview. Water security is a big concern. Under TANK, Ash Ridge was offered half its existing water allocation. The organic system it operates requires more water, but not more than what its current consent allows. “It does limit vineyards to only being vineyards, because we’re the lowest user of water. It limits a lot of land use in Hawke’s Bay. What else is this land suitable for, other than vineyard?” Colliers Rural Hawke’s Bay director Hadley Brown said there is little optimism in the market for viticulture, with recent sales of vineyards well below rateable value, and more in line with pastoral prices. Brown recently sold two vineyards in Hawke’s Bay for Vinarchy, both slated for land use change. A third 30.7ha vineyard on Aorangi Road, Maraekakaho, was sold by Bayleys at public auction in July. It had a rateable value of $2.8 million and sold for $800,000. Continued page 3

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South shivers through spring The wettest southern South Island spring for nearly 50 years just got wetter and colder with more than 10cm of snow falling last week. There are anecdotal reports large numbers of lambs have died, while soil is saturated and pasture reserves are tight. Photo: Stardust Gallery, Naseby

NEWS 3

Win caps passion for horticulture

S FOECT CU OR S

Rebecca Greaves

New Zealand Young Grower of the Year James Blair was initially reluctant to enter the competition. Now the 29-year-old AS Wilcox agronomist is determined to make the most of his success and build towards being the best at what he does.

HORTICULTURE 20-21 Waikato community feels steamrolled by wind farm plans.

Farmers urged to prepare for a financial hit from El Niño.

Farming more than the ‘economic backbone’ politicians cite.

NEWS 4

NEWS 5

OPINION 19

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EDITORIAL

SALES CONTACTS

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News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13

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Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . 18-19

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Rural Women . . . . . . . . . . 22

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Contents Special Report . . . . . 14-16 Sector Focus . . . . . . . 20-21 Federated Farmers . 23-26

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Livestock . . . . . . . . . . 32-35

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PRICING PRESSURE: An abundance of manufacturing beef in the US, due to US President Donald Trump giving tariff-free access to 300,000 tonnes of imported beef, will see farmgate prices soften.

ISSN 2463-6002 (Print) ISSN 2463-6010 (Online)

STORY P8

That means our focus stays ﬁrmly on Kiwi farmers. Through continued investment in our people, plants and operations, we’re building a stronger business and a stronger future for New Zealand’s red meat industry.

Grower involvement Growers need to be factored in to any move to change the country’s supermarket landscape, New Zealand Vegetable Council chief executive Mike Brown says. National and Labour have announced policies regarding supermarkets. National will pursue the structural separation of Foodstuffs. Labour has vowed to crack down on companies that charge New Zealanders excessive prices for essential goods and services.

Māori internship

Farmers Weekly is Published by AgriHQ PO Box 529, Feilding 4740, New Zealand Phone: 0800 85 25 80 Website: www.farmersweekly.co.nz

As more New Zealand meat processors move into overseas ownership, AFFCO remains proudly 100% New Zealand owned and operated.

Goodman Fielder has launched an expansion of its Meadow Fresh Christchurch manufacturing operations, part of a $100 million-plus investment strengthening dairy manufacturing and export capability. The new Meadow Fresh High Value Dairy Centre will increase its manufacturing and distribution capability, supporting growing domestic and international demand for higher-value NZ-made dairy products.

Adverse weather conditions across much of the country contributed to the reduced offering, creating favourable outcomes for sellers at the N11 national wool sale in Christchurch. The restricted auction volumes generated strong competition, with prices lifting across all wool categories. The National Strong Wool Indicator lifted 20 cents on the sale, with 96% of the offering sold.

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News in brief

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

South shivers through cold, soggy spring Neal Wallace and Gerald Piddock

It is textbook El Niño.

NEWS

Weather

Philip Duncan Weather Watch

HE wettest spring in the southern South Island for nearly 50 years just got wetter and colder with more than 10cm of snow falling last week. There are anecdotal reports that the weather has killed large numbers of lambs, while soil is saturated and pasture reserves are tight. A 20degC-plus day on Tuesday offered a brief reprieve before snow fell on northern Southland, and the Otago and Canterbury high country on Wednesday. Weather Watch head forecaster Philip Duncan warned that the cold, wet weather would continue for the next couple of weeks. Low-pressure systems in the Southern Ocean and high-pressure systems north of New Zealand have created wet and windy westerly weather. “It is textbook El Niño,” Duncan said. That could bring a further 80mm to 100mm of rain to Southland in the next two weeks and 300mm to south Westland, while northern Continued from page 1 With the pullback of Wattie’s and McCain, there is cropping land on the Plains that will also be looking for a new use. AgFirst horticulture consultant Sarah McArley said water security is a major factor that potential investors will weigh up when deciding to commit to new permanent horticulture development, like apples or kiwifruit. She pointed out that new permanent horticulture takes significant capital investment and a long time to realise return on investment. As long as the water

NEIGHBOURS: Taieri dairy farmer Matt Luke says people need to look out for each other as they battle a wet and cold southern spring. areas will remain warm with 1060mm of rain expected. Environment Southland rainfall records reveals this was the wettest winter since 1980 – with rainfall 62% higher than average – and the second wettest since 1970. In the three months to the middle of September, 200-340mm of rain has fallen in Southland. Beef + Lamb NZ Otago Southland extension manager Clair Teutenberg said it is too too early to quantify stock losses, but notes

ewe scanning rates were high. The toll on farmers is a concern as is the lack of grass cover for ewes feeding lambs, prompting the Rural Support Trust and other groups to arrange events for farmers. Ben Dooley, Southland Federated Farmers meat and wool chair, said the weather is unsettling ewes, so he is checking them only once a day. Just four days in the past three weeks were without rain, which has saturated paddocks.

security issue exists, McArley sees no opportunity for land use change within the horticulture sector.

Many of the vines left in Hawke’s Bay sit on the lighter, stony soils of the highly productive Heretaunga Plains,

REMOVED: Leith Ashworth, who owns Ash Ridge in the heart of the Bridge Pa Triangle, has watched as 30ha of vines on his boundaries have been pulled out. Photo: Isabella Beale

Wyndham farmer Dean Rabbidge has been lambing for a month and said his losses are about normal, though other farmers could be higher, he said. Tuesday’s warm weather was the only day since lambing started that he did not wear leggings and a rain jacket. Southland Federated Farmers chair Kass Rauber said this is the third wet spring in a row, so farmers were prepared. Cows are being kept off paddocks, and farmers have plenty of baleage and silage. Jono Cochrane, who farms near Clinton in south Otago, has recorded 320mm of rain since the start of August, hindering spring grass growth and access around his farm. “I wouldn’t want to tow a lambing trailer around the farm.” Taieri dairy farmer Matt Luke said the soil is saturated and cold, which hinders grass growth, so his priority is animal welfare and ensuring they are well fed. and viticulture is one of the most efficient water users. It was always believed the Heretaunga aquifer was plentiful, and consents were given freely on this basis. Science now says the aquifer is depleted, and there is a projected widening gap between supply and demand for water. HBRC has moved to address the water woes on the Plains, but growers said its TANK Plan Change, slashing water allocations, would render many businesses unviable and rip the heart out of the Plains production-wise. Modelling shows a worst-case scenario cost of $4 billion to the local economy.

His cows have received a daily grain ration and he is considering buying a mixer wagon to provide a hay, lucerne and silage mix. Luke said the weather is taking a toll on people and animals, and Fonterra and the Rural Support Trust have held events for farmers. Ōwaka farmer Warren Burgess said ground conditions are the wettest since the late 1990s and feed is getting short. Jared Stockman, DairyNZ’s lower South Island regional manager, said rotation rounds have been shortened, which could have implications later on, and farmers are monitoring for salmonella. Most of the North Island is having a favourable spring, with regular rain and warm temperatures, a contrast for the last two springs in regions like Hawke’s Bay. Waikato Federated Farmers meat and wool chair Reon Verry said while they will not know for sure about lamb survivability until tailing gets underway, most farmers are pretty happy with how lambing has gone this season. Taranaki Federated Farmers president and drystock farmer Nick Brown said there is good feed availability, and ewes have lambed in excellent condition. The Plains are key to the economic prosperity of Hawke’s Bay, with 80% of the region’s Gross Domestic Product coming from Heretaunga, and 85% of the population living there. Water in the catchment is overallocated, and growth has stagnated. Council chair Sophie Siers said TANK is one of a number of measures being taken under its Regional Water Plan, which includes natural and managed aquifer recharge, addressing leakage in pipes for municipals (towns and cities) and recycling waste water.

SPECIAL REPORT:

National is ﬁxing the basics and building the future for rural New Zealand

National keeps its promises to farmers •

Scrapped the Ute Tax

•

Replaced the RMA

•

Delivered the UAE, Gulf Cooperation Council, and India FTAs

•

Removed unworkable winter grazing, stock exclusion and SNA rules

•

Created Investment Boost – tax deductions on assets to turbocharge your productivity

•

Tackling wilding pines and pests across the country

•

Banned farm-to-forestry conversions

•

Removed Agriculture from the ETS

Authorised by J de Joux, ps@national.org.nz

national.org.nz/farming

14-16

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

News

Turbine project chops up community trust Richard Rennie

TECHNOLOGY

Wind

ARMERS in a small north Waikato rural community are feeling steamrolled by a Mercury wind farm proposal they claim is being forced on them through a divide-andconquer approach. The proposed Waikokowai wind farm would be located near Glen Afton, 16km west of Huntly. Consent is being sought across a broadly defined area of about 3000 hectares of private farmland extending west, north and south from the tiny township. The project is one of seven wind farm projects proposed through the fast-track schedule.

The details make me think this may well be a bit further along. They must have spent millions to get it to this point. Tim Orlando-Reep North Waikato Local farmer Tim Orlando-Reep told Farmers Weekly many locals maintain Mercury has been less than open about the project’s size and its impact both during and after its construction. “From the start there has been a lack of detail about this project, with it varying in size between 50 and 70 turbines,” he said. Mercury told the Weekly that the project is planned to have 60 turbines, but a decision on the final number or location of them has not yet been confirmed. A project of that size makes for a substantial wind farm in the New Zealand generation landscape, equalling Turitea in the Tararua ranges, and the West Wind project on Wellington’s south coast. Mercury’s GM for generation development, Matt Tolcher, said the company is preparing its

consent application, but the final investment decision to build the project has not yet been made. The government’s fast-track schedule site lists Waikokowai as only in the first stage or “listed”, with the next step being “applied”. Tolcher said full lodgment is planned for 2027. Orlando-Reep said there has been a history of wind farm projects promised but not delivered along Waikato’s west coast, and he initially questioned whether this may be another. “But the details make me think this may well be a bit further along. They must have spent millions to get it to this point.” Mercury’s website contains an extensive breakdown of the project, dated February this year. Geo-tech assessment appears to have been done across 50km of ridges, test pits and bore holes have been dug, and hundreds of kilometers of roads have been reviewed for their ability to cope with turbine construction. It says Mercury has spent over a year talking and listening to local communities about the possibility of constructing the project. But Orlando-Reep said so far, the consultation has felt light, and limited to a Ruawaro school dropin and two other sessions. Fellow community member and Waikato District councillor Caro Eyre farms across the road from where the project would be. Speaking as a farmer, she said a lack of detail on the project’s scale and impact has caused much anxiety in the community. “We feel the only people who are happy are those ultimately benefiting from having turbines and their income. “It is creating a real division in the community between the haves and have-nots.” Tolcher said Mercury is planning additional informationsharing opportunities and will communicate those when it has set dates.

“Our project team has made themselves available to meet one on one with people to discuss questions or concerns.” The Whangape Catchment society, which represents 200 farms over 35,000ha, has written to Mercury expressing its concern, claiming the energy company presented factually incorrect information in its application. “They claimed the project was largely remote with few dwellings, when in fact the Pepepe Valley, which is most affected, has 50 dwellings through it,” said Eyre. The group also disputed the application’s claim that the project is close to Raglan and Kawhia harbours, when in fact it is well inland from there. Eyre said there has also been no consultation with the extensive catchment group in a district where the project could have significant impact on its waterways during construction.

BLOWN: Farmers in the north Waikato district near Huntly believe Mercury has lost the trust of locals before its wind energy project has even commenced. Photo: Pexels

Accept Bremworth offer, directors advise Hugh Stringleman

NEWS

Food & fibre A SUBCOMMITTEE of the Bremworth board of directors has recommended that shareholders accept the partial takeover offer from David Ferrier’s Mangawhai Collective. The 90c offer price is within the independent adviser’s valuation range of 87c to $1.07 and Mangawhai already has ownership or lock-up deeds totalling 55% of the company’s shares. Chair of the subcommittee Trevor Burt has already tendered his resignation effective at the end of September, along with two other directors, and the way is clear for Ferrier to appoint new directors. “In managing Bremworth’s response to this offer and to

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the Floorscape proposal, the committee has sought to maximise value and preserve choice for all Bremworth shareholders,” Burt said. “This is a pragmatic outcome that provides all shareholders the

CLEAR: The way is now clear for David Ferrier to appoint new Bremworth directors.

opportunity to realise cash value for a portion of their shares now.” The target company statement said that when the offer becomes unconditional, control of Bremworth will pass to Mangawhai and the liquidity will likely go down. “While the initiatives to improve Bremworth’s operating performance are well advanced, trading conditions remain challenging and there is no certainty as to Bremworth’s future performance or the future market price of shares.” The offer is open until October 2. “Accepting the offer allows shareholders to realise certain cash value for a portion of their shares now, at a price that is within the independent adviser’s assessed value range, at a time when the future market price of Bremworth shares is uncertain.”

Everyone who has worked alongside us and helped us to create a positive impact, whether to plant natives, create wetlands, or work within a local catchment group or collective.

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News

El Niño set to blow through farm expenses

RESCUE: Without the extraordinary cheddar price rise the GDT index would have fallen deeper, in the first downward move since early July.

Gerald Piddock

NEWS

Ragged results in latest GDT auction Hugh Stringleman

MARKETS

Dairy

THE Global Dairy Trade market dropped 1.1% in the second September auction, delivering a dog’s breakfast of dairy commodity prices. The largest movements were in cheddar, up 16.5%, mozzarella down 6%, butter down 5.7% and anhydrous milk fat down 3%. Milk powder price movements were comparatively subdued. Skim milk powder was up 0.1% and whole milk powder down 0.8%. Without the extraordinary cheddar price rise the GDT index would have fallen deeper, in the first downward move since early July. The overall results point to a more mixed market following the recent strengthening of prices during July and August, NZX head of dairy insights Cristina Alvarado said. “Current product availability remains relatively strong, while the impact of drought and heatwaves on northern hemisphere milk production has yet to be reflected in published production data. “The extent of any resulting

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

supply impact therefore remains uncertain. “At the same time, the potential for an El Niño event in New Zealand has yet to materialise, while higher fuel prices amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran have increased cost pressures. “These factors may have contributed to greater caution among buyers as they assess both future supply conditions and higher input and logistics costs.” Regional buying was shared evenly between north Asia (China) and southeast Asia/ Oceania, both on 37% share, and Africa pushed up the cheddar prices across all five contract delivery months. The continued strength in skim milk powder is driven by demand for dairy proteins and whey, versus full-strength powder and milkfat products. Fonterra will comment on GDT prices when it revises its farmgate milk price forecast on September 24, along with the FY2026 financial results. Rabobank senior agriculture analyst Emma Higgins believes there is room for improvement from the mid-point of $9.25/kg milksolids closer to $10, because of the underlying strength in milk powders.

Dairy

ARMERS are urged to prepare for tighter margins and potential feed shortages as new DairyNZ modelling says the El Niño weather pattern could push farm working expenses to $6.78/ kg MS and the national breakeven milk price to $9.07/kg MS. Dairy farmers are now facing the prospect of weather-related challenges on top of existing cost pressures around fuel, fertiliser and feed, DairyNZ head of economics Mark Storey said. “While those pressures remain, another challenge has emerged in the form of the strong El Niño. We now need to consider what the weather could mean for pasture growth and feed supply on farm.” DairyNZ has modelled two El Niño scenarios in its EconTracker Quarterly Update: strong and very strong. These were compared against a baseline non-El Niño season. The modelling shows the national breakeven milk price could increase from a baseline $8.62/kg MS to $8.90/kg MS under a strong El Niño, and $9.07/kg MS under a very strong El Niño. Farm working expenses are modelled to increase from $6.18/ kg MS under the baseline scenario to $6.57/kg MS under a strong El Niño and $6.78/kg MS under a very strong El Niño. “Pasture will take the first hit, creating the biggest driver of the additional cost pressure, with national feed expenses modelled to increase from $1.56/kg MS under the baseline scenario to $2.02/kg MS under a very strong El Niño,” he said. Those feed expenses include both homegrown supplementary

TROUBLE: DairyNZ’s latest EconTracker shows that a strong El Niño weather pattern this summer could push the national breakeven milk price to over $9/kg MS. feed such as maize as well as imported feeds such as PKE. Modelled pasture deficits reach around 2 to 3 tonnes DM/ha across Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and the East Coast, increasing to 3 to 4.2t DM/ha under a very strong event as the effects extend into autumn. Irrigation partly protects Canterbury from this, although water restrictions and stronger winds may still constrain growth. On the West Coast and in Southland, wetter soils and fewer sunshine hours create deficits ranging from 0.1 to 0.8t DM/ ha and may also reduce pasture quality. Impacts in Taranaki, the lower western North Island and parts of Otago are less certain. Milk production is also expected to dip to 2.1% lower under a strong El Niño and around 3.3% lower under a very strong El Niño, Storey said. While the dairy sector is in a relatively strong financial position, and is experienced at managing volatility, farm expenses have

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increased significantly in recent seasons before allowing for significant El Niño impacts, he said. “We are not expecting these expenses to fall significantly in the 2027-2028 season either. Profit margins are forecast to remain very tight as we look ahead.” DairyNZ farm systems team manager Steve Veix said the biggest risk for many farmers will be seasonal feed availability. “The key is to keep feed budgets up to date, monitor pasture growth and cover, and set clear trigger points for action if conditions get tougher.” Storey said it is all about preparation, but he emphasised its impact on the breakeven milk price is a scenario. “It’s not a prediction of where the milk price will go. It’s saying if we do have a severe El Niño event, these are the impacts of what it will be on production and the financial expenses.” On the brighter side, fundamentals on the revenue side for farmers are still looking positive, he said.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

Top dollar as yearling bulls strut their stuff Hugh Stringleman

MARKETS

Livestock

HE market for yearling beef bulls in spring sales has set records for vendors as they have cleared their catalogues. Average prices are well up on last year as buyers compete for low birth weight, high growth genetics. KayJay Angus, Masterton, set an

Angus yearling bull price record of $50,000 when selling Lot 2, KayJay Captain W901, to Jeremy and Kate Cullwick, Tapahia Angus, Hawke’s Bay. W901 was described as a perfect bull for yearling heifer mating and semen has been retained by KayJay as well as proposed for sale to Australian studs by the bull’s new owners. KayJay Angus principal Roddy Kjestrup said he was a wellbalanced bull that had a great data

CAPTAIN: Lot 2 of KayJay Angus’s yearling sale, KayJay Captain W901, sold for a record $50,000.

package including calving ease, growth and carcase. “The bull himself is quite unique in the yearling calving ease market because there is a lot of substance to him, a lot of bone and meat – he had everything going for him.” His low birth weight and early growth indexes and carcase substance make for a rare combination, Kjestrup said. KayJay sold all 19 of its yearling bull offering and the average price was an excellent $13,580. McFadzean Cattle Company, Carterton, had a complete clearance of 79 bulls and a top price of $20,500, paid by Logan Evans, Mt Peel Station, Gore. It sold 30 Meat Maker and Super Angus bulls, averaging $9883, and 49 Cruizy Calve, averaging $6796. These averages were $1600 and $600 higher than last year, respectively. Stokman Angus, Rotorua, sold 113 bulls out of 116 in the catalogue, with a top price of $19,500 made twice by commercial buyers. The Stokman average was $9323, some $2300 ahead of last year. Kairaumati Polled Hereford, Thames, sold 33 out of 34 18-month bulls, averaging $5058 with a top price of $9000 paid by

LEADER: Shadow Downs Leap Forward 4069 made $7400 for Daniel and Rae Smith when sold to Aiken Farm Limited. Photo: Andrea Mansfield a commercial farmer. Kairaumati also sold 15 of 18 yearling bulls, averaging $4406 with a $8700 top. Mahuta Hereford Stud, Glen Murray, sold all 69 bulls, averaging $7370 with a top price of $17,500 paid by Maranui Herefords, Waihi Beach. Craigmore Herefords, Ōhaupō, sold all 95 bulls with an average of $4588 and a top price of $12,500 paid by Waimaire and Otengi Herefords, Kaeo. Totaranui Angus, Pahiatua, sold 63 of 76 bulls offered, averaging $7140 with a top price of $16,000. Valda-Rose Herefords, Walton, sold 62 of 64 yearling bulls for an average rice of $3990. The highest price was $6500,

paid by Twinstar Herefords, and three other transfers were to Daks Land Holdings, Sea View and Silverado Herefords. Shadow Downs Poll Hereford Stud, Waverley, had a complete clearance of 53 bulls in two age classes. Two-year bulls averaged $4885 across 40 lots sold with a top price of $7400 for Lot 19, Shadow Downs Leap Forward 4069, to Aiken Farm Limited. Yearling bulls averaged $3946 with 13 sold and a top of $4600 for Lot 8, Shadow Downs Hendrix 5106 to Hayley Goodwin, Ōakura, Taranaki. Mt Mable Angus, Manawatū, sold eight of 10 bulls with an average of $8500 and a top of $15,000.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

US tariff move will pare farmgate prices Neal Wallace

MARKETS

Sheep & beef

N ABUNDANCE of manufacturing beef in the United States market will put further pressure on New Zealand farmgate bull beef prices in the coming months, said AgriHQ senior analyst Mel Croad. US imported beef prices have been falling in recent months, and Croad said the pressure will only increase with US President Donald Trump giving tarifffree access to 300,000 tonnes of imported beef. “We have seen the imported beef price come back a lot faster in the past fortnight,” said Croad. The US access is only for 90 days and the beef will primarily be supplied by countries using the “other countries” tariff-rate quota,

such as Brazil and Paraguay, said Croad. She said the recent easing in US imported beef prices is not being fully reflected in NZ farmgate values, but that could change later in spring. Since the start of the year, the US price for imported 95CL beef has fallen from around $US4/lb to a current price of $US3.42/lb. The North Island bull price peaked in August at $9.95/kg but was at $9.70/kg this week. The South Island price was slightly lower, reflecting fewer bulls available. “Current farmgate prices are not reflecting the downside in the US imported beef market, but we will see those farmgate prices come back to align with what is happening in the US market when the cattle start flowing into processing plants,” said Croad.

PRICING PRESSURE: An abundance of manufacturing beef in the US, due to US President Donald Trump giving tariff-free access to 300,000 tonnes of imported beef, will see farmgate prices ease. The uncertainty created by the US government’s decision to accept tariff-free beef is more

damaging than the volume being allowed in. “We are seeing imported beef

prices come back more now than in recent weeks, which is the result of the confusing message of allowing tariff-free beef into the market at a time when US beef demand seasonally eases.” The reality is that supplying such a large volume of beef in the 90-day window directed by the US government will be difficult to achieve, especially as countries like Brazil start to focus in the reopening of valuable quota markets such as China. “It is possible they may not utilise all the 300,000 tonnes,” said Croad. With dairy calving coming to an end, most bull calves that hit 100kg liveweight from October to December will be sold at a contracted price to beef finishers. Prices for non-contracted laterborn calves may be impacted by less demand due to changes in the beef price, she said.

Ruapehu mayor hopeful empty mill will live again Richard Rennie

NEWS

Agribusiness THE Ruapehu district mayor is hoping to see another business take the place of the empty Karioi mill site, with its owners working to keep consents in place for a future owner. In late 2024 Winston Pulp announced that due to the high cost of electricity, the Karioi mill that had operated for 40 years would be closing. It closed in October of that year, in a double blow for the district, coming with the closure of the Tangiwai mill. Between them the mills employed over 300 people. At the time Winston executives cited the crippling cost of electricity contributing to the

shutdown, with a 600% increase since 2021 and coming over a winter when spot prices soared. Consent documents lodged with Horizons Regional Council by Winston to keep the plant’s wastewater discharge rights in place indicate a torrefied wood pellet processing plant is possible for the site. The technical papers lodged indicate the project will produce about 180,000 tonnes of solid biofuel a year, sourced from 500,000 tonnes a year of pine feedstock in the surrounding forest area. This amount is similar to that used by the earlier pulp processing mill. The site’s existing log yard, debarking, chipping and storage facilities used in the previous process are likely to also be used in

the new proposed project. The documents indicate the project is being undertaken in collaboration with EECA (the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) as part of its emissions reduction goal. Ruapheu district mayor Weston Kirton cautioned there is no definitive announcement at this point but said interested parties are still looking at options with existing consents in place. Any move into the mill site would come on the back of some better news for the district since the mills closed. The district has also just received consent for a 200 hectare solar farm operation, and the military camp at Waiouru has also been given the go-ahead for new military housing construction. Torrefaction of wood pellets

POTENTIAL: Ruapehu District mayor Weston Kirton says a buyer for the Karioi mill site has not been confirmed, but parties are interested in the site’s potential. involves evaporating moisture from wood chips by applying heat, increasing the energy density of the wood to the point it can easily replace coal as boiler fuel.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

Kiwi farmers’ hard yakka fuels Maccas Gerald Piddock

NEWS

Food & fibre

CDONALD’S used over half a billion dollars’ worth of ingredients sourced from New Zealand farms in 2025 to supply its restaurants both domestically and abroad. Its annual shopping list of ingredients sourced for its local restaurants shows it spent more than $256m with New Zealand suppliers, compared with $235 million in 2024. New Zealand-produced ingredients supplied to overseas markets were valued at $324m, compared with $287m the previous year. Combined, the value of NZ ingredients supplied for McDonald’s restaurants here and overseas was $580m, compared with $522m in 2024. McDonald’s New Zealand head of impact and communications

Simon Kenny said the lift in the global commodity price of beef was the main driver behind that $58m increase. “A beef patty in a cheeseburger would be over 20 cents more expensive now than it was at the start of the year.” At a global level, McDonald’s is a big purchaser of New Zealand beef trim, which mainly goes into North America and Asia.

A beef patty in a cheeseburger would be over 20 cents more expensive now than it was at the start of the year. Simon Kenny McDonald’s New Zealand “There’s a few reasons for that: the surety of supply, the grass-fed pasture-raised leaner beef going into their systems where it’s grainfed and it’s fatty beef.”

The New Zealand beef ensures there is the right balance of fat levels in patties, he said. There are more than 170 McDonald’s restaurants across New Zealand, 85% of which are owned and operated by locals. It employs over 11,000 people in restaurants nationwide and is one of New Zealand’s largest employers of young people. Around 90% of its ingredients are sourced locally. They range from potatoes grown in Canterbury to tomatoes harvested in Pukekohe, baked goods made in Auckland and beef produced throughout New Zealand. “That local supply underpins the meals we serve to more than 1.5 million customers each week, while New Zealand-produced ingredients are also enjoyed by McDonald’s customers around the world,” Kenny said. The remaining 10% of nonlocal ingredients include flour for hamburger buns (which are made

REALLY BIG MAC: The value of ingredients supplied from New Zealand farms to McDonald’s restaurants locally and overseas in 2025 was $580 million. locally), pickles, sauces and pork products. In 2025, McDonald’s sourced: More than 6.5 million litres of milk from dairy farms across Aotearoa through Fonterra. Over 17 million kilograms of potato products from Canterbury. Over 103 million buns, muffins and bagels baked in Wairau Valley, Auckland. Almost 10.5 million free-range eggs from Otaika Valley and Zeagold Farms. 816 tonnes of cheese and other dairy products produced by

Fonterra for local restaurants. 6415 tonnes of beef and 401 tonnes of Angus beef for beef patties. 2656 tonnes of chicken products supplied through Ingham’s. 841 tonnes of lettuce grown in the Bombay area of Franklin. 156 tonnes of tomatoes grown in Pukekohe. New Zealand ingredients supplied to McDonald’s markets overseas included: 28,194 tonnes of beef, 80.9 tonnes of chicken products, 419,081 kilograms of cheese.

PGG Wrightson sees strong outlook for ag Hugh Stringleman

NEWS

Agriculture NEW Zealand’s agricultural sector has begun the 2027 financial year in a position of relative strength, driven by healthy international demand and favourable conditions. PGG Wrightson’s FY2026 annual report said strong returns in red meat, dairy and horticulture continue to provide positive momentum. Chair John Nichol and chief executive Stephen Guerin said conditions are expected to remain favourable with enhanced

farm and orchard profitability increasing investment and driving growth. “Election year dynamics may contribute to a degree of caution in parts of the rural economy, particularly the rural property market. “However, quality listings continue to come forward and, with momentum across several key sectors, market activity is expected to remain steady through the spring and summer selling season.” Some challenges remain in a more complex operating environment with geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions

and higher input costs pressures. “However, NZ producers have consistently demonstrated an ability to adapt to changing conditions, and many businesses are expected to focus on improving efficiency, managing costs, and responding to evolving market opportunities.” PGG Wrightson will hold its annual meeting on October 13 at 9.30am, both in the Sudima Christchurch Airport Hotel and online. Nichol is to be elected a director after serving one year following board disruption at the 2025 annual meeting initiated by 44% majority shareholder Agria

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

Lodestone seeks capital for solar growth Richard Rennie

TECHNOLOGY

Solar

S SOLAR panel generation in New Zealand grows, demand for growth capital to fund it is also starting to lift as companies work to follow through on projects that are consented or about to start. Last week one of NZ’s largest solar generators, Lodestone Energy, announced it would be dipping its toe in the water to explore the possibility of an initial public offering to fund the company’s next growth stage. At this point Lodestone has five commissioned solar farms operating throughout the country, with the latest commissioned at Clandeboye, Canterbury. The company’s chair, Jack Matthews, confirmed no firm decision has been made yet on the IPO proceeding. “At this stage we are simply inviting people to register their interest so we can better understand the potential level of investor support,” he said. The company operates as a

GROWING: With multiple fast-track projects in the pipeline, more solar farm developers are starting to seek out funding options. Photo: Lodestone Energy vertically integrated business, combining solar farm development and generation, and retail capability. Gareth Williams, chief operating officer for Solar Energy Association of NZ (SEANZ) told Farmers Weekly the demand for capital is growing with the increase in generation capacity. “It is easier for large gentailers [generator-retailers] to raise funding when they can source

it off their own balance sheets. But for other investors seeking offtakes from customers, it can be more challenging,” he said. At present there are 10 solar farm projects listed in Schedule 2 of the country’s fast-track approvals list. Lodestone’s Haldon solar farm near Lake Benmore was approved for the fast-track process last month, after lodging its application last September.

This project is likely to cover 320 hectares, about 1.5% of the station’s 22,000ha area. Most of the other projects on the fast-track schedule are of a similar area. These include a concentration of projects in the Mackenzie-South Canterbury area, accounting for 1830ha of the approximate 3500ha earmarked for panels. Lodestone managing director Gary Holden said the company’s

vision is to build a solar farm in every community. “If the IPO proceeds the capital raised is intended to support the construction of additional solar farms and expansion of our customer base and general corporate purposes.” Williams said projects will often require on-selling electricity generated to gentailing, in deals that are not always easy to come by. He said while there has been a slight slowing in the growth in demand for electricity, partly through small scale solar projects going into business and farm operations. For farmers, the likes of ASB bank offers specific solar loans with zero percent interest fixed for five years up to $150,000 as part of a policy to provide farmer clients with land-use earning options. The average electricity bill for last season on a dairy farm was estimated to be $28,000 for owneroperated dairy farms. A Rewiring Aotearoa survey with Federated Farmers in 2025 indicated 70% of farmers were interested in adopting solar power generation on their farm.

Regional economies intensely reliant on forestry Richard Rennie

NEWS

Forestry AN NZIER report on forestry’s economic contribution has highlighted the significant variances that exist across New Zealand in its contribution to regional economies. Forestry was a $5.4 billion contributor to the NZ economy in 2024, accounting for about 1.4% of the country’s GDP. However, its contribution has a jagged profile, accounting for as much as 8% of Gisborne/

Tairāwhiti’s regional GDP, for example. The report’s broad reaching interpretation of the industry covers the entire process from initial logging to final processing, with forestry and logging activity accounting for $2.18bn, and wood processing $2.5bn. That regional dependence on forestry in the central North Island, Marlborough and East Coast has the sector contributing more to Gisborne and Nelson’s economies than beef cattle. In Hawke’s Bay it outstrips dairy in its regional contribution.

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To highlight the impact of forestry in the East Coast region, the report authors have modelled the impact of a 10% reduction in forestry output on that region. This inflicts a decline in regional GDP of 1.19%, compared to only a .0006% decline nationally in GDP. The report’s authors note that they may be understating the regional impact of a forestry decline, particularly in areas like Gisborne where its steep, erosionprone land and a skills mismatch can make transition to other areas of employment difficult.

The Gisborne region has identified 100,000 hectares of high-risk erodible land to be retired from commercial forestry, and as a region accounts for almost 70% of the country’s highest-risk erodible hill country. The increased costs of forest operations in NZ is also noted in the report, which was commissioned by the NZ Forest Owners Association. Forest Owners Association CEO Dr Elizabeth Heeg said small growers can be hit with high consent costs that can add 2050% to the original consent

cost in some regions. Forest owners and Gisborne District Council are currently at loggerheads over costs and constraints stemming from felling and replanting of legacy pine forests in the region, and how they will be transitioned to alternative forest plantings, including natives. Ex-Bay of Plenty Regional Council chair Doug Leeder has been appointed to help facilitate the East Coast’s land use transition to manage the 100,000ha of high-risk land requiring retirement on the coast.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

Small steps make a big difference to the land Staff reporter

NEWS

Environment

OSITIVE environmental action can begin with just one or two people starting a conversation, says NZ Landcare Trust’s Nardene Berry. For almost two decades Berry has worked as the Waikato regional coordinator for the trust, a not-forprofit that is celebrating its 30th birthday this month. Her role centres on working alongside landowners, rural professionals and community groups to improve sustainable land and water management through voluntary action. She is one of a team of regional coordinators around the country. Berry said much of that work comes down to helping people take the first practical step. “It’s not about trying to solve all the problems in one day. One step at a time can add up and make a valuable difference. A great example is planting Carex species along watercourses – it’s one action that can have many benefits,” Berry said. Across the wider Waikato, Berry’s

work has included walking farms with landowners, discussing restoration and planting options, organising field days and supporting farmer-led catchment projects. She said the role has shown her how small actions can build into long-term change.

It’s not about trying to solve all the problems in one day. One step at a time can add up and make a valuable difference. Nardene Berry NZ Landcare Trust “I feel very privileged in my role. I love working with farmers, catchment groups and rural professionals. Knowing that it is creating a legacy of positive change for decades to come is satisfying,” Berry said. One of the farms Berry has been involved with is Andrew and Jenny Hayes’ Horsham Downs property in northern Waikato. The Hayes family has extensively restored the lake margins on two Department of Conservation lakes

beside and within the farm with support from the DoC, Waikato Regional Council and the NZ Landcare Trust. The work focused on Lake Kaituna, a 22 hectare lake in the middle of the farm, and nearby Lake Komakorau, an 8ha lake on the farm boundary. Both sit in the catchment of the larger Lake Kainui, known locally as Lake D. Andrew Hayes said restoration work began in the mid-1980s, slowed because of regulatory delays, and restarted in the late 1990s. Berry first came to the farm in early 2004 to run a field day. “Nardene turned up here in early 2004 to hold a field day and from then on, her help has been amazing. She could just connect everyone,” Hayes said. Hayes said the trust helped connect landowners with the right agencies and gave farmers confidence the work was being done properly. “The trust just knows how to bring people together. As an independent organisation they also bring together the science, the agencies and the right people that you need to make things happen,” Hayes said. The restoration included

LAKES: Nardene Berry has worked with Jenny and Andrew Hayes of Horsham Downs in northern Waikato. The couple have extensively restored the lake margins on two lakes beside and within the farm. Photo: Supplied removing pest willows, fencing off from stock and allowing riparian margins to regenerate naturally from seed already in the soil. Hayes said the lakes that were once covered in green slime and surrounded by pest willows, and had a tiny margin of water in the middle, are now flourishing with lush borders and a strong, sustainable margin. Ongoing upkeep requires only a walk around to check for a rogue willow, and mowing a track once or twice a year.

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Hayes said the work has brought biodiversity and farm benefits, including more birdsong, improved soil life, healthier pasture, lower fertiliser bills and better animal health. “It’s a case of the better environmental changes being better for everyone – the land, the animals and the bottom line of the farm. “So why wouldn’t you, especially when you have people like Nardene and NZ Landcare Trust who can help?” Hayes said.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

News

Launch of new apple variety an Asian affair Richard Rennie

NEWS

Horticulture

IETNAM was chosen to launch a new apple variety in T&G Global’s portfolio of designer apple brands. T&G managing director of apples Shane Kingston told Farmers Weekly the recent Joli apple launch represents a decade’s worth of product development, culminating in a fruit pitched more at the premium fruit sector than just the apple sector. “We know the premium fruit sector is set to enjoy good growth and is already worth US$89 billion.” This puts Joli up against the likes of durian, blueberries and gold kiwifruit. Overall global apple consumption is enjoying only moderate growth, but the premium global apple category is expected to

TOP PICK: Joli apples’ bigger size means they target the sliced, sharing market, often for family occasions. grow from US$13bn to US$19bn between now and 2030. Sitting alongside T&G’s Envy and Jazz apples, Kingston said, the larger sized Joli is aimed towards shared family consumption, a fruit to be sliced on occasions that

could include after dinner or on family picnics. “We know that the family shared eating occasion is a part of the market underserved by apples at present.” There are now 270 hectares

of Joli planted in New Zealand, including 150ha in Canterbury. The company has plans to grow 1500ha of Joli globally by 2035. At this stage the Joli is being grown only in NZ but in the longer term, northern hemisphere supply orchards could come on stream. “It has proven very favourable with respect to tonnage and yield, and not an overly onerous apple to grow, with a good pack out percentage and good returns in market.” He said growers can expect to generate $200,000-$250,000 per hectare return off Joli, which has an estimated licence fee of about $100,000 a hectare once fully established, similar to the other premium licensed brands. The Vietnam launch is being run through one longtime retailer and as fruit supply grows supplies, it will be rolled out through Hong Kong, China and Thailand. In consumer testing Joli scored highly with blind taste testing

rating it a seven out of nine for how close it came to consumers’ ideal apple eating experience. Kingston acknowledged there is often a degree of skepticism among growers towards any new variety launched to market, but he said he is confident T&G has invested sufficiently in fruit, market and logistics to ensure its success would convince them of its potential. The Envy brand reached NZ$1bn status as an earner in global retail sales this year. As Joli’s market develops, Kingston said, T&G will be seeking out new growers. It is particularly interested in the apple’s potential in the Marlborough area. He noted that recent land use changes there as growers pull out unprofitable grape vines could make for good timing of new apple plantings. At this stage the Joli is not available in NZ retail markets.

Telford campus freshen-up gets underway Staff reporter

NEWS

Education A MULTIMILLION-dollar refurbishment has begun at the Southern Institute of Technology’s Telford campus in South Otago, the country’s only remaining large-scale residential agricultural training facility. The $2.3 million taxpayerfunded refurbishment will enable extensive re-roofing, re-cladding and painting across campus buildings, with double glazing installed throughout the student accommodation as well as new curtains and drapes, significant electrical upgrades and recarpeting using New Zealand wool. Further developments include completing restoration work on

the historic stone homestead. Once refurbished with new electrical systems and carpeting, the building is expected to become a fully functioning teaching and learning space, with plans that include classrooms and the campus library. Four new accommodation prefab units are scheduled for 2027, including two designated for international students. Two solar panel farms will be built to offset electricity costs. SIT took over the campus following the collapse of the Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre, which went into liquidation in 2018. Minister for Tertiary Education Penny Simmonds was chief executive of SIT when it took over the running of Telford. She said this latest investment in the campus shows the

government’s commitment to expanding opportunities for students at Telford. “We want to grow Telford and see more domestic students, and also more international students.” Minister for Rural Communities and Associate Minister of Agriculture Mark Patterson said securing Telford’s future has not been easy. “It has been a constant battle to ensure Telford’s viability, through no fault of the hard-working and dedicated team, but through forces beyond its control. It’s been a tumultuous and emotional ride.” The government has commitment additional funding beyond the capital works, with an extra $1.75m per year for two years allocated to support its long-term sustainability.

NEW ERA: At a function marking the beginning of a significant redevelopment at SIT’s Telford agricultural training campus were, from left, Tertiary Education Minister Penny Simmonds, Telford campus manager Allen Roxburgh, Associate Minister of Agriculture Mark Patterson, and SIT board chair Rex Chapman. Clutha District mayor Jock Martin said the latest investment represents more than improvements to buildings. “The real assets are the students

who come here, live here, and use these facilities for their learning. “The biggest investment is in the young people who pass through Telford.”

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14 HB Hort & Viti

Special Report Beneath the surface: a new future for Hawke’s Bay The Heretaunga Plains in Hawke’s Bay are known for having some of the most fertile soils in the country. The ideal climate and abundance of sunshine make the region perfect for growing fruit, vegetables and grapes, garnering taglines like Fruit Bowl of New Zealand and Wine Country. And the lifeblood that runs through it all? Water. Ongoing uncertainty over water security on the Plains, coupled with the global wine downturn and companies likes McCain and Wattie’s pulling out of production locally, has created a reluctance to invest in land on the Plains, and left a question mark hanging over potential land use change. In this special report, we visit the region to talk about changing land use, security of water, and where the opportunities lie.

Vineyards cling on amid wineland woes Rebecca Greaves

NEWS

Viticulture

ITH the global downturn in wine being felt in Hawke’s Bay as a rebalancing of supply and demand takes place, about 600 hectares will come out of vineyards this year – and Hawke’s Bay Wine CEO Brent Linn fears there may have been an overcorrection in response to market signals. HB Wine is a member-based organisation that supports and promotes the Hawke’s Bay wine story. Despite the headwinds, Linn believes the region is still poised to deliver a quality product both at home and on the world stage. “Land use is quite fluid. It follows the demands and signals that come to owners around alternatives that they could consider, and we have seen the wine estate fluctuate in response to those signals,” he said. There are 4500ha of land in vineyards, with 600ha of that set to be lost this year. He said that, in the context of the entire region, it is not a huge land area. “I’m worried we will get an overcorrection to market signals. The sticking plaster has been ripped off. I think the adjustment has happened; the result of the adjustment is yet to happen.” Linn said Hawke’s Bay is fortunate to have the ability to grow a wide range of varietals, and is particularly strong in red as the largest red wine producing region in the country. “We have got out of step with demand and, for Hawke’s Bay, there is also a compounding factor around wine preference and style, which is moving to lighter, white varietals. We are well placed and have the tools to diversify, though.” The correction in terms of matching supply to demand is happening at an institutional level, he said, and is being driven more by corporations. Intergenerational businesses have more flexibility and an ability to manage the rebalancing. Linn said the cycle is nothing new, and has happened before. Most vineyards on heavier soils have already gone to apples or cropping, which means much of the current estate sits on lighter soils. “Land-use options are a

challenge because of the class of land. Some pullouts have already gone to pastoral.” Viticulture is an extremely efficient water user, Linn said, and growers are being penalised for their efficiency, which becomes a risk when considering alternative land uses. These would be limited if the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s TANK Plan proceeds. While there is no doubt that water has been overallocated on the Heretaunga Plains, the method proposed to fix it is flawed, he said. Linn believes Hawke’s Bay will continue to succeed on its critical strengths, which remain unchanged. “It’s a fantastic place to grow grapes with the soils, climate, water and our people. We have the ability to grow a diverse range of varietals and we have a focus on quality. None of these things have changed.” Still, the certainty around reasonable and reliable access to water remains the key link to the productive capacity of the soils. Growers spoken to were universally concerned about water access and market conditions, while fighting to stay in the game as the realignment takes place. At Ash Ridge winery, owner and winemaker Leith Ashworth has watched as 30ha of vines on his boundary have been pulled out, while he has managed to grow sales. Ash Ridge is an 8.5ha organic certified vineyard, winery and cellar door situated in the heart of the Bridge Pa Triangle wine district in Hawke’s Bay, owned by Leith and his wife Tracy. He takes care of everything from the day-to-day running of the vineyard to winemaking and sales.

TWO SIDES: Ash Ridge winery owner Leith Ashworth has watched as 30ha of vines on his boundary have been pulled out, while he has managed to grow sales. Photos: Isabella Beale He also runs the family’s Junction Vineyard, owned by his parents, at Takapau. The business has adapted and stayed flexible with its wine club providing a big slice of its market, along with direct-to-consumer sales, events and trade, mostly at the cellar door. The wine is all made at Ash Ridge and between the two vineyards, they grow 14 varieties. “The hardest thing with the current situation is every week you hear about another winery shutting down, or moving out of the region, people being made redundant. Constantly hearing the bad stories doesn’t help,” Ashworth said. Being small and focused on the domestic market gives him confidence they are well-placed to ride out the storm and he is optimistic about the future. “Hopefully, we have been able to adapt and, actually, we have grown

QUALITY: Hawke’s Bay Wine CEO Brent Linn believes the Hawke’s Bay region is still poised to deliver a quality product.

sales.” The growth in sales is a good news story, but there have been challenges. Last year, in the middle of harvest, their distributor went into liquidation, and they had to take over the job themselves. “It opened our eyes that maybe it wasn’t the best model for us anyway. We have replaced that with two different distributors, one in Christchurch and one in Wellington, and are covering the upper North Island ourselves, spreading the risk,” Ashworth said. Ashworth believes there is always opportunity, it’s just a matter of harnessing it. He works closely with the cruise ships that bring tourists into Napier Port and he said there’s untapped potential there. Like many others on the Plains, water security is a big concern. Under TANK they were offered half their existing water allocation. With the organic system they require more water, though not more than what their current consent allows. He believes the allocation should be calculated on a case-by-case basis, based on each site and what the land-use potential is. “I thought the calculation should be based on what the land is currently being used for. It does limit vineyards to only being vineyards, because we’re the lowest user of water. It limits a lot of land use in Hawke’s Bay. What else is this land suitable for, other than vineyard? “If they did cut our water we would probably have to stop doing organics. We would probably survive as a vineyard, but it

would limit us to a conventional vineyard, and it would test us.” Down the road at Alpha Domus, co-founder Paul Ham said a focus on quality and diversifying its offering has put it in a strong position. Alpha Domus is a 20ha vineyard and winery growing a combination of red and white varietals with a strong emphasis on chardonnay, syrah and merlot cabernet. Wine is predominantly sold domestically, with some international sales. With organic certification and through targeting premium markets, Alpha Domus has maintained a focus on quality, and diversified its offering with the likes of sparkling wine. “No one thing is going to be the be all and end all, but a whole string of things makes a difference. For example, we moved into producing some sparkling wines, which is helpful to balance out our portfolio.” Water is an important consideration for Ham and under the TANK Plan Change they are slated to lose some water allocation. “It’s been delayed and delayed, which is fortunate. Viticulture is a low water user and we would be disadvantaged by the change. It would rip the heart out of what could be produced on the Heretaunga Plains.” At Crownthorpe, grower Pete Hyslop has 135ha in grapes, and a further 8ha lease block. He bought more land across the road three years ago, planning to plant more grapes. With the current market conditions, he’s opted to fatten lambs and cut silage on the 60ha block instead. “We went as far as spending quite a bit of dough, deposits on grape plants and Geotech work. My partner in the vineyard at the time, Constellation, felt it wouldn’t be a good look planting more grapes and it got canned.” His preference is for the land to be in grapes, and he hopes that can still happen in the future. With Constellation then exiting Hawke’s Bay, Hyslop has a new vineyard partner, and he feels buoyed by their positive and confident outlook for the industry. Like everyone else, water is a concern and his allocation under TANK was cut significantly. Without the water, the land is pretty poor, he said. The best solution he can see would be building his own storage dam and being self-sufficient.

Special Report

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

Market shows little appetite for vineyards Rebecca Greaves

MARKETS

The returns from wine sales globally are so subdued it’s hard to make big profits at the moment.

Viticulture

HERE is little optimism in the market about viticulture, with recent sales of vineyards well below market average, and more in line with pastoral prices, says Colliers Rural Hawke’s Bay director Hadley Brown. The good news is that other sectors are enjoying much more positive outlooks. Sheep and beef farmers are having their time in the sun and the dairy market is solid. “In sheep and beef there’s a lot of confidence because product prices are so strong and the outlook is good. It appears there may be a limited supply of sheep and beef farms on the market this spring. “Dairy is still positive, although the payout is not where they were hoping it would be.” With forestry all but exiting the green fields market, that does have an impact on the value of hill country farms, where forestry had been underpinning values. Brown believes the rise of virtual fencing and wearables could be a game-changer for hill country farmers, and could have a positive impact, particularly for farms where infrastructure is limited. Horticulture, putting aside the high-profile issues with Rockit and the collapse of Kiwi Crunch, is in good heart, Brown said. “The horticulture industry is good, and returns have been encouraging. “If you take those two red herrings out, the market is in a good space.”

Hadley Brown Colliers Rural Hawke’s Bay

TECHNOLOGY: Hadley Brown believes the rise of virtual fencing and wearables could be a game-changer for hill country farmers. Photo: Halter It’s viticulture where, Brown said, there is little optimism. “Not many wine companies are in growth mode. “The returns from wine sales globally are so subdued it’s hard to make big profits at the moment. A lot are in a pretty good holding pattern.” Brown recently sold two vineyards in Hawke’s Bay for Vinarchy, which was established in 2025 following the merger of Accolade Wines and Pernod Rickard Winemakers. Both vineyards are slated for land use change. The largest, a 215 hectare block on Matapiro Road, Crownthorpe, was sold to Rimanui, which owns the adjoining Whakamarumaru Station.

It is understood Rimanui plans some land use change on the newly purchased block, but declined to be interviewed for this story. The second Vinarchy vineyard was a 30ha block on Omarunui Road, Napier. Brown understands the purchaser intends to remove vines and return the land to pasture. He said both properties sold for “well below” rateable value, and more in line with pastoral values than their previous values as vineyards. He pointed out that there is a cost associated with removing vines, which has to be factored into the value. A third vineyard, 30.7ha on Aorangi Road, Maraekākaho, was

sold by Bayleys at public auction in July. It had a rateable value of $2.8 million and sold for $800,000. Colliers currently has the distinctive Elephant Hill winery listed for sale. The winery is located at Te Awanga, and the listing comprises four different vineyards, a 20ha block with the winery on it, a 12ha block with a lodge on it, 19ha at Gimblett Gravels and a lease vineyard at Bridge Pa. If land is not profitable growing grapes, what else might it used for? It’s a conversation that quickly turns to water. “Years ago, a large portion of the heavier soil types went back into apples and cropping. “The apple industry supported a

Lambs roam where grapes once grew Recent popularity of livestock in fertile region is putting pressure on the supply chain. Suz Bremner

NEWS

Analysis THE fertile soils of the Heretaunga Plains have produced some of the best fruit and cash crops in the country, and lambs have often been seen grazing between the vines and trees, or on the lush new grass sown between crops. However, vineyards and orchards are being pulled out at an alarming rate in Hawke’s Bay and the paddocks returned to pasture. The reduction in profit from the vines has landowners considering alternatives, and the strength of the red meat industry has many pondering bringing the mouths on to make a margin, with the focus mainly on lambs and Friesian bull calves. For the lamb industry, this is putting added pressure on

a supply chain that is already feeling the effect of major landuse conversion over the past few years. The lack of supply but strong overseas demand has meant that New Zealand farmers have just completed one of the most profitable years on record for lamb. Processor prices have reached record levels, and that has flowed down to the farmgate. This has led to many landowners eyeing this as a very viable option for land previously used for viticulture and horticulture. Lambs may have been more expensive this year than any other, but they have the lowest entry point out of any stock class, comparable only to feeder calves. The 2025-2026 season reached record levels at saleyards around the country. The peak of the store lamb season at North Island yards

MOUTHS TO FEED: Demand for lambs is set to increase as vines and trees are pulled out of fertile soil on the Heretaunga Plains.

Vineyards and orchards are being pulled out at an alarming rate in Hawke’s Bay and the paddocks returned to pasture. covered by AgriHQ’s LivestockEye was in June, when the average lamb price crept over $6/ kgLW and was 54% of the lamb schedule.

At this time, male lambs at Stortford Lodge averaged $225$232 per head at $5.95-$6.04/kg. Extra demand heading into the 2026-2027 season will only exacerbate the situation, and push prices to levels where margins are squeezed, even up against record schedule pricing. However, some good news to come out of the latest Beef + Lamb New Zealand Stock Number Survey is that the lamb crop is forecast to remain stable at 19.75 million-head.

lot of wine country when it went through the last downturn. Now, we have large parcels of land on lighter soils, which are not suitable for horticulture, and availability of water is a factor,” Brown said. “Unfortunately, while the majority of vineyards have enough water to grow grapes, it’s not enough for other land uses. Traditionally viticulture water consents have been in the range of 15 to 20 litres per second, while horticulture is more like 25-30l/ second.” Brown said lamb finishing is key as there are limited crops that can be grown in Hawke’s Bay that will show a reasonable return, especially with the pullback of McCain and Wattie’s. But even with water, the question remains – what to grow? “The challenge is to come up with something else we can do with that land that produces a satisfactory return.” For Brown, instead of cutting water allocations and taking water away, he would like to see water storage projects used to address the issue and unlock Hawke’s Bay potential. “It’s not only people who currently have water, it’s dryland farmers and what could that land be growing, if there was water? We need new high-value crops; we need other options.” This is despite the nation breeding ewe flock falling 1.9% (approximately 268,000-head), and is attributed to an increase in scanning percentages. While it is too early as yet to gauge how the added demand will impact the new season store lamb market, the ewes with lambs-atfoot market has given a glimpse into the potential strength. To date, the early arrivals at the Stortford Lodge and Feilding saleyards have been trading at $160-$180 all counted, up $20 per head on last year. That equates to $320-$360 per unit for an ewe and single lamb, and $480-$540 for a ewe with twins. Another viable option is the Friesian bull market, and in particular 100kg calves. With the black and white colours popular not only on the rugby field in the region, in a typical year a lot of Friesian bull calves head to Hawke’s Bay from dairy regions. This year, contract prices look set to be around $750-$850 depending on delivery date, though a much larger supply of feeder calves have been reared this year, and along with an El Niño forecast, supply may outstrip demand and bring prices down.

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

Special Report

Water worries curb taste for thirsty orchards Rebecca Greaves

NEWS

Horticulture

ATER security is a major factor potential investors will weigh up when deciding to commit to new development like apples or kiwifruit, AgFirst horticulture consultant Sarah McArley says. The strong headwinds felt by the sector in the form of covid, the climate and Cyclone Gabrielle have mostly abated, although cost of production and labour remain challenges. McArley said the sector is “cautiously optimistic”. Post-cyclone was a particularly challenging time for growers and for many the recovery has been slow, but the geographic spread around New Zealand is a strength of the sector, she said. “The cyclone was bad for the North Island but for Nelson growers, for example, it was a good year. We are lucky as a country to have a wide geographic spread of growing regions.” Climate and market conditions have also improved, but water security is an ongoing concern. “There is a lot of uncertainty in terms of water and that has a big impact on people’s risk profiles and appetite for potential land use change and development.” McArley points out that new permanent horticulture takes significant capital investment and a long time for a return on investment to be realised, so people want to be sure about water allocations. For an apple orchard, it’s a 15-to20-year timeframe from a ROI perspective. “If you don’t have water, you will never get the returns. It creates uncertainty and that’s a risk to people and their confidence in that land for that land use, rather than a lack of confidence in the sector itself.” It’s not only the total amount of water available, but the ability to access water at critical times of the season when it is most needed. As long as the water security issue

exists, McArley sees no opportunity for land use change within the horticulture sector. “Overall, I would say the outlook is cautiously optimistic. There’s definitely uncertainty in the world around things like fuel, politics, and tariffs, but returns seem to be holding well.” Zespri, she said, is a real success story, recording an increase in volume and revenue, and that’s after a record high last year.

market recognises and rewards. The opportunity for the sector lies in increasing productivity, particularly lifting the volume of Class 1 fruit. Looking to the sheep and beef sector, the farmer’s ability to innovate should never be underestimated, AgFirst consultant Lochie MacGillivray said. There are about 6000 hectares of land in the area that will go out of cropping due to factors such as the withdrawal of McCain and Wattie’s,

BACK: Mark Johnson says this year the margin on lambs is back to about $60 a head due to the high buy-in price and rising costs.

Options narrow as lamb finishing margins tighten Rebecca Greaves

MARKETS

Sheep & beef

WATER: AgFirst horticulture consultant Sarah McArley says as long as the water security issue exists, there is no opportunity for land use change within the horticulture sector.

If you don’t have water, you will never get the returns. Sarah McArley AgFirst New Zealand’s cost of production and labour costs continue to go up, and there’s little relief in sight with either. “We have a premium product in a global market and we are one of the more expensive producers, so we need to get that premium. Chile and South Africa are our big competitors and they have completely different labour, and, therefore, cost structures.” New Zealand is well regarded inmarket, with a premium product the

INNOVATION: Looking to the sheep and beef sector, the farmer’s ability to innovate should never be underestimated, says AgFirst consultant Lochie MacGillivray.

but in the context of the overall region, this is a drop in the ocean, he said. While the closures and uncertainty impact hugely on the growers involved, in terms of the overall area, he does not see it shifting the dial when it comes to livestock numbers. “Some of it could go into forage and one positive is that it is always good to have more grass, for the pastoral guys,” he said. “There will be a use for that land. If you don’t have water, the land has a negative value, livestock is an option. “There could be an opportunity to leave it fallow over summer and do winter crops for lambs. There could be enough water to get pasture established in autumn, allowing for early sowing of forage crops for winter.” Modelling has shown that, based on current conditions, hill country land in Hawke’s Bay can outcompete forestry when it comes to returns, he said. “Livestock or pastoral farming is favourable. Under current conditions, when compared with forestry for Class 6 and even Class 7 country, we can out-compete it. We should not be losing any more land to forestry.” He said the decline in livestock numbers is slowing and noted a shift in sheep to cattle ratios, with more farms moving to a 50:50 ratio. He puts this down to both labour constraints and the rise of drench resistance. Cattle are easier from a labour perspective and MacGillivray gets particularly excited about the role virtual fencing will play.

SQUEEZED margins and intense competition to buy are making it barely worthwhile for Hawke’s Bay lamb finisher Mark Johnson. Johnson, who also owns an apple orchard at Haumoana and works as a rural real estate agent with PGG Wrightson Hawke’s Bay, trades about 1000 lambs annually, spread around nearby lifestyle blocks.

There is more intensive competition to buy in a store lamb and other pressures. Mark Johnson Hawke’s Bay “When they were all in vineyards, we would share equipment and gear and I kind of became the sheep guy. I got up to about 2000 lambs in winter. “Now, with the transition from grapes to apples, many guys are reluctant to have sheep.” Fifteen years ago, Johnson could bank a $100 margin on lambs. This year that margin is back to about $60 a head due to the high buy-in price and rising costs. “There is more intensive competition to buy in a store lamb and other pressures, like worm burden and transport costs going up. We have to shear them to get the premium and there’s no return on the wool. A few years ago, it cost us money to shear them, and that’s with me on the broom and pressing,” he said. “I sold a bunch of lambs yesterday and the gross margin was just under $46.50,

before transport and animal health costs. “That’s pathetic. We paid far too much for our lambs at the start of the season, massively, and all based around increased competition from everybody wanting to trade lambs.” Johnson believes the pendulum will swing back, and the money now is in breeding ewes. “People are buying ewes and lambs at foot or scannedin-lamb ewes. Breeding is a no-brainer now. I think we will see a move back to breeding.” In his 10 hectare orchard at Haumoana, which he has owned for 23 years, Johnson has observed the cycles of land use change in the region. Previously a dairy farm, the land was in vineyard when he purchased it. In the 2008 Global Financial Crisis they lost their growing contracts and pulled the grapes out. The land was then leased to a neighbour who grew tomatoes, sweetcorn and squash on rotation for Wattie’s. In 2015 a relationship with Rockit was created. On their 11th birthday, every Rockit apple tree on the orchard was chopped off and regrafted. “We were in Rockit for 10 years. It progressed well at the start. It’s a well set-up orchard in terms of infrastructure, good soils, good water consent, and we will continue to grow apples. “I’m absolutely keen that the apples grown now are a non-licensed variety so that, should the current tenant bow out, we have options and are not constrained.” Johnson points out that everything goes in cycles. He says there is some interest showing up for growing kiwifruit in Hawke’s Bay.

Next week: What happens when the water runs out?

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18 Editorial

Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

Letters of the week Getting the governance right Lloyd Downing Morrinsville

From the Editor

Spoiling the party Neal Wallace

Senior reporter

T IS said there are but two certainties in life: death and taxes. Taking a shorter time frame, it appears a certainty the coming season will be more challenging than the previous one. Military tensions continue to cloud the global economy, disrupting trade, fuel supplies and prices, but this year it appears the weather will also be disruptive. It was too much to hope for two excellent growing seasons in a row when we have global consumers who, by all forecasts, remain hungry for our meat and dairy products, keeping prices above historic levels. Rabobank reports dairy prices are likely to stabilise, new season lamb prices should be underpinned by demand outstripping supply, and a global shortage of beef has firmed values, United States tariffs and trade policy aside. Spring always brings variable weather, and as we report this week, conditions can be characterised as rags and riches: the

south has been wet and cold while most of the rest of the country has been warm and relatively dry. Farmers in parts of Otago and Southland report the worst spring conditions in 45 years with sodden paddocks after constant rain while parts of Central Otago are so dry some farmers are offloading capital stock. Waiting in the wings is the impending – and predicted to be unusually strong – El Niño weather pattern. While these weather events do not follow a regular pattern, conditions are generally drier in the east and north and wetter in the west and far south. The forming El Niño has justifiably spooked farmers, businesses, bankers and policymakers. Westpac reported last week that agriculture would be the sector hit hardest by this weather phenomenon. Citing a worst-case scenario, senior Westpac economist Michael Gordon said the heightened risk of drought could potentially wipe 1% from GDP, adding the weather system was so widespread, it could affect agricultural production in Australia and parts of Asia. It is not just the weather creating challenges. The Strait of Hormuz effectively remains blocked to shipping thanks to the Iranian conflict, as it has since February. Further south, threats from the Iranianbacked Houthi Rebels in Yemen are

LAST WEEK’S POLL RESULT Almost 60% of those who took the poll are supportive of Labour’s plans for an urgent review of the Emissions Trading Scheme. “Unfortunately continued government interference has destroyed market confidence to the point the price cannot get any traction to be an effective tool for reducing emissions. If the price was the same as the European price, the ETS would operate far more effectively and achieve what it was set up to do,” said one voter. Another said: “The carbon price is too low. To lock land up for carbon sequestration is a long-term commitment and landowners need to be rewarded properly. In saying that there should be tougher rules around what land can be in the ETS.” Of the 40.7% who voted no, many were skeptical that Labour would follow through on its promise – saying it might be swayed by potential coalition partners such as the Greens. “I lack the trust that they would actually do this. Their partners may negotiate this out,” said one voter. “They absolutely cannot be trusted and who they would partner with, will see farmers shut down, taxed and ruined,” said another.

disrupting shipping access to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, causing ships to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope. In correspondence with shareholders and suppliers, Silver Fern Farm chief executive Dan Boulton highlighted the logistical challenges facing exporters. He said Panama Canal operators have introduced precautionary vessel draft restrictions for ships due to concerns over lower water levels from the developing El Niño pattern.

The forming El Niño has justifiably spooked farmers, businesses, bankers and policymakers. Boulton warned that further restrictions are possible if water levels keep falling. Typhoons linked to El Niño are also causing problems for shipping in the northern Pacific, bringing longer and lesspredictable transit times. These impacts are expected to prevail for the rest of 2026 as the El Niño weather system continues to strengthen before peaking towards the end of the year. Fortunately, with prices expected to hold at values close to last year, the financial impact on farmers from an El Niño may not be as extensive as it could be, but neither will the ability to fully utilise opportunities.

Last week’s question: Do you support Labour’s plans for an urgent review eltiT tTrading rahC Scheme? of the Emissions

I DON’T want to see us simply rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. This idea has been on my mind since around 2015, when I came back from a trip to Louisville, Kentucky, and suggested to the then-mayor of Hamilton that we amalgamate the whole region into one province. He wasn’t keen. Ten years on, I think the conversation is finally catching up. Look at the numbers. Hamilton City is carrying $1 billion of debt. Waipa is around $400 million. If you want to see how not to do things, drive through Cambridge and count the empty cycleways and speed bumps that help to slow ambulances and fire engines down. Meanwhile, rates keep rising at twice the rate of inflation. The current system isn’t working, and simply building bigger versions of the same council won’t fix that. My proposal is a unitary authority for the wider Waikato catchment, run more like Hamilton Airport: a small board of appointed professionals with real qualifications in the areas that matter. Too many people get elected on to councils because they’re well liked and well-known, not because they know how to run a billion-dollar operation. Nice people don’t like making hard decisions, and that’s exactly the problem. Democracy doesn’t disappear under this model, it moves. Local community boards, elected by residents, would appoint the unitary authority and act as its watchful eye. They wouldn’t run the province, but they would do the groundwork on local projects, from advocating for facilities to helping fund them, and take proposals to the authority. Where a project affects one community, like sewerage in Hamilton, target the rate to Hamilton. Where it benefits the whole region, like a stadium roof, spread the targeted rate across everyone. I’d also put a limit of around nine years on how long anyone should sit on a council, and I believe mayors should be elected by their council, so they actually have the backing of their colleagues to get anything done. Get the governance right, and one strong, well-run region beats a patchwork of small, indebted councils every time.

Best letter WINS a quality hiking knife Send your letter to the Editor at Farmers Weekly P.0. Box 529, Feilding or email us at farmers.weekly@agrihq.co.nz

59.3%

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OpEd 19

Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

More than a backbone, ag is a beating heart Eating the elephant Clare Bradley

Bradley, a 2026 Nuffield Scholar, is CEO of AgriSea

N MY day job, I think about things you can’t see from the road. AgriSea makes biostimulants from seaweed, based on the premise that a plant isn’t a single organism responding to a single input, but a network of soil biology, root exudates and microbial partnerships. You can’t understand a paddock by looking at one number. You have to look at the relationships. I’ve been turning that idea over this Nuffield year, for reasons beyond seaweed. My Nuffield Scholarship has taken me through Africa, Asia, Australia, the United Kingdom and the Americas, into packing sheds, onto boats, into utes and around tables with policymakers. Somewhere around the fourth country, I stopped listening only to what people told me about their farms and started listening to how they talked about them. Every country has a phrase, feeling, culture or sometimes just one word that farming gets folded into. Once you notice it, you can’t stop. The word I kept hearing in Japan was “nature”. It took me a while to get my head around because it’s not how we talk about farming at home. Much of Japan is concrete or mountainside, so any patch of ground with soil and plants can be seen as natural, and caring for nature is respected. If New Zealand had less green space, or more landscape was concreted over, would we, too, remember that farming is part of nature? Africa gave me “breadbasket”, and nobody said it lightly. Zimbabwe has faced challenges feeding itself, let alone other nations. Farming there felt foundational, providing nourishment, live-

CONNECTIONS: We’ve become so accustomed to describing farming as an economic machine that perhaps we’ve forgotten the living system around it, says Clare Bradley. Photo: Supplied

A narrow view gives us a simple story, but misses the connections that make the system work. lihoods and a pathway to lift communities. The UK circled back to “tradition” and “hard yakka”. Two episodes of Clarkson’s Farm, mud and swearing included, tells you why. Australia talked about “resilience”, the grind of making a living from a landscape that fights you most days. South America called farming an “opportunity”: a chance to build something, create a future and have a stake on the map. The Americas served up “entrepreneurship”, “family legacy” and “status”, sometimes all three in one sentence about the same paddock. Then I flew home, jet-lagged, and turned on the radio. “Backbone of the economy” from the prime minister at Fieldays. “Engine room” from the minister of agriculture. Search either phrase

Low Input High Profit Genetics

and you’ll find them hundreds of times, in select committee transcripts, conference keynotes and our own conversations. It feels like it may have become the only tune we know. We’re 5 million people, with a small market and tax base. We need export dollars to keep the lights on. I run a business; I know financial viability matters. But a single tune played on repeat starts to sound like the whole song. I’ve started wondering whether the way we talk about farming has become too narrow. Language doesn’t just describe what we value; it helps determine what we measure, invest in and ultimately what kind of food and fibre sector we build. If we mostly describe farming as an economic engine, economic performance becomes the measure of health. Everything else risks becoming secondary or invisible. I got part of an answer in Chile, looking at a scallop sector doing it tough. There were big commercial operations that make the export statistics, alongside small family outfits, gear innovators, processors

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and training institutions preparing the next generation of divers and technicians. Nobody treated the small end as competition for the big end’s story. It felt more like one ecosystem than one industry: every part doing a different job, none redundant. What if we talked about our own food and fibre sector the same way? Not instead of the economic story, but alongside it. We’d talk about jobs spinning out from the farm gate into engineering sheds, freight yards and processing lines: the accountant in town, fert truck driver and vet on call at 2am, all part of farming even though none grows anything in a paddock or the ocean. We’d talk about the privilege of working in nature: a culture of love of place, and pride in what we produce and who we are. We’d acknowledge that farming shapes every catchment, for better and worse, and that owning the “worse” is part of the story. We’d notice how intertwined our wild and worked landscapes are, to the point visitors can struggle to tell where one ends and the other begins, and that this is part of what they come here for. We’d recognise rural towns’ role in holding knowledge and infrastructure the country relies on, while cities send skills, capital and fresh eyes back the other way. None of that competes with “backbone” or “engine room”. It just refuses to let those be the only words in the song. An ecosystem doesn’t run on apex predators alone, and you don’t grow a forest with nothing but big trees. Every function matters: canopy and understory, fungi doing invisible work in the soil, insects nobody photographs for the annual report. Each plays a role and feeds the others. Cut most of it away and call what’s left “efficient”, and you haven’t built a forest; you’ve built a monoculture with good PR. A narrow view gives us a simple story, but misses the connections that make the system work.

40 Years selecting for tolerance to facial Eczema. Like winter, it’s coming.

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We don’t measure a plant’s health by yield alone; yield is often the last thing to show trouble, not the first. If the only number we’re watching is export return, we may be the last to notice what’s quietly running down underneath, until one day it isn’t quiet anymore. This isn’t an argument for PR. It’s an argument for thinking honestly about the health of the sector and country that depends on it. We’ve become so accustomed to describing farming as an economic machine that perhaps we’ve forgotten the living system around it. I keep wondering whether the person overseas buying our butter, wool or seaweed is shopping for an economic pitch. Or looking for something with more roots: a place that stands for something, alongside being good at what it sells. Maybe I’ve got that wrong. I’ve still got paddocks to walk and countries to visit before this Nuffield Scholarship is done. But I’d love to know what you think we’re not talking about. What’s the part of our farming story that never makes the speech at Fieldays, but that you’d tell a stranger if they asked you what farming in Aotearoa New Zealand is really like?

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20 Hort Focus

Sector Focus

Horticulture

Niche crop turns out to be worth a fig Isabella Beale

PEOPLE

Horticulture

HREE hundred fig trees and a stall at the local farmers market: that was the retirement plan for Murray Douglas and Helen Walker. Instead, their modest idea has grown into Te Mata Figs, a thriving Hawke’s Bay business with thousands of trees, about 20 permanent employees and a growing range of fig products. After careers in corporate roles in Australia, the couple were looking for something different to pursue in early retirement. They considered meat goats in Australia, then growing olives in New Zealand, before ultimately asking themselves what they enjoyed. “We like figs. So we decided we’ll grow figs. Simple as that,” Douglas said. Getting started was the hardest part for the couple. Neither had a

rural or horticultural background, and they were taking on a crop that few people in NZ knew much about. “It’s been trial and error. We made a lot of errors about how you prune the tree, what tree you put in and which ones work best,” he said. After planting their first trees in

We put our little sign up saying ‘fresh figs’ and sold the whole lot in half an hour. Murray Douglas Te Mata Figs 2007, the couple drew on overseas expertise. They chose Hawke’s Bay for its warm, Mediterranean climate, which is well suited to growing figs. In 2012, they applied to sell their produce at the local farmers market and were initially turned

LONG LIFE: Creating value-added products has also helped the business extend beyond the short fresh fig season, with each fig only having a shelf life of just three to five days.

down. A week later, Douglas said, the organisers had a change of heart and gave them a chance. “We took 19 trays of figs [to the market], that’s all, and we thought we’d bring some home because we had too many. We put our little sign up saying ‘fresh figs’ and sold the whole lot in half an hour.” It was the start of a lasting relationship with the market – which Douglas now chairs. But as their fig business grew, the couple soon faced another challenge: not every fig was good enough to sell fresh. A significant proportion of their commercial crop would be second grade. Rather than let the fruit go to waste, they turned it into fig jam, entering the preserve in the Cuisine Artisan Awards in 2012 and taking out the top prize. Processing the fruit into products with a longer shelf life opened up another revenue stream and provided a use for fruit that might otherwise go to waste. That has since become a key part of the Te Mata Figs business model. Douglas said fresh figs have a shelf life of just three to five days, so fruit is dispatched to consumers and restaurants soon after picking. Second-grade and surplus figs are dried, frozen or made into products such as jams, chutneys and fig salami. Creating value-added products has also helped the business extend beyond the short fresh fig season, while giving the couple room to experiment with flavours and products inspired by

NEWBIES: Getting started was the hardest part for Murray Douglas and Helen Walker. Neither had a rural or horticultural background, and they were taking on a crop that few people in NZ knew much about. Photos: Supplied traditional fig-growing regions they have visited overseas. The couple have also continued to diversify their business, opening the Figgery Café on the property in 2020. It provides an opportunity to show visitors different ways to cook with and use figs, while property tours and workshops have added an agritourism element to the business. Douglas said there is real potential in New Zealand for more niche crops, particularly on small blocks of land or underutilised areas of farms. Figs, walnuts, almonds, persimmons or other niche crops could provide an additional

income stream, he said, but growers needed to think beyond simply selling the raw product. “If you just do it for fresh, don’t bother, you’ll never make any money out of it,” Douglas said. He believes opportunity lies in combining production with valueadded products, direct marketing and collaboration between smaller growers. While niche crops such as figs will not suit every farm, he said producers should remain open to alternative opportunities such as markets, growing conditions and climate change. “We’ve got to start thinking [about] what is the next best way of doing things.”

Uncommon blooms can fill a growing gap Isabella Beale

NEWS

Horticulture FOR farmers and growers looking to diversify, a gap in New Zealand’s flower market could offer an opportunity to turn a small area of land into a highvalue crop. Provenance Brokers founder Lissie Johns said smaller growers could help meet demand for niche flower varieties that are difficult to source or in short domestic supply. After more than three years working as a commercial flower buyer, Johns saw an opportunity to use her industry connections to help smaller growers enter the commercial market and connect with florists. She recently launched Provenance Brokers, a consultancy and brokerage business that helps growers develop commercial crop strategies, from deciding what to plant and meeting industry grading standards to finding buyers. Johns said New Zealand has established commercial flower growers, but production often

focuses on standard varieties such as roses, lilies and snapdragons, leaving gaps for more niche products. “It’s all the smaller, niche sort of products that we want to get a bit more variety happening ... and so we actually rely on a lot of imports into New Zealand,” she said. The gap was clear last wedding season, she said, when strong demand for white calla lilies ran

up against a lack of local supply. Johns said about 99.7% were imported from Colombia. The opportunity is not necessarily about growing more flowers, she said. Instead, growers could focus on one to three crops with clear demand and produce them to a high standard. “The biggest thing I found when I was buying commercially was that a lot of people would plant products and then come to us

CONNECTIONS: After working for more than three years in the industry, Johns saw an opportunity to use her connections to help smaller growers enter the commercial market. Photos: Supplied

once it was ready,” she said. “That’s when you can end up with a worthless crop. Unfortunately quite often a lot of people’s product would be ready then and what people were hoping to receive and what was really happening are two different things.” Before planting, Johns said, growers should consider their market, transport and packaging needs, local trends and any climate advantages. Shoulder seasons could also offer opportunities to supply flowers earlier or later than other regions. Through Provenance Brokers, Johns works with growers to develop crop and variety strategies suited to their farm size, climate, soil and existing production. She said one of the biggest challenges for smaller growers was making the step from selling flowers at the farm gate or through local outlets to supplying the commercial market. “If we can get growers up and confident and producing well and we can forward them on into direct wholesale and directly to auction, then we’ve done our job.”

DEMAND: Provenance Brokers founder Lissie Johns says smaller growers could help meet demand for niche flower varieties that are difficult to source or in short domestic supply.

It’s all the smaller niche sort of products that we want to get a bit more variety happening. Lissie Johns Provenance Brokers

Horticulture

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

Win caps passion for horticulture Gerald Piddock

PEOPLE

Horticulture

INNING New Zealand Young Grower of the Year is still sinking in for James Blair. The 29-year-old AS Wilcox agronomist expects it will become real as more people congratulate him. He put a lot of work into the competition, Blair said. “I really wanted to push myself and see how well I could do and test myself against the best. It definitely means a lot to win it and I’m extremely proud to have won it. “Equally, even if I hadn’t won it, it was the whole process, the connections and the people you meet through the process, which is the really cool part. Winning was just the cherry on top.” Blair said he was initially reluctant to enter but was encouraged to do so by his employer. He was the Pukekohe regional champion and competed against six other regional winners in the national final in Cromwell on August 27-28. Runner-up was Amber Davy, the Canterbury regional champion, and third place went to Nelson

regional champion Amelia Marsden. The contest had seven regional finalists who competed in a series of practical and theoretical horticulture modules, testing their vegetable- and fruit-growing knowledge and the skills needed to be successful growers. “It was very tough competition, the calibre of the other contestants was unbelievable, but it was a lot of fun,” Blair said. “It’s been great to meet many like-minded young people from across the industry, talk to people working with different crops and make some good friends.” Blair grew up on a dairy farm in the UK before gaining a degree in agricultural crop science. Farming did not hold much interest as a career when he was 18-19, he said. He “fell” into agronomy and worked with mixed farmers who grew cereals and potatoes. After working for two years as an agronomist in the UK, he worked in Australia before heading for New Zealand where he joined AS Wilcox firstly as a technical crop supervisor for potatoes and now as an agronomist – and along the way discovered a passion for horticulture. “You’re constantly learning and there’s so many different aspects, from soil health through

We’re here for the good of the country.

DRIVERS SEAT: New Zealand Young Grower of the Year winner James Blair in action during the competition’s practical challenge in Cromwell. to pests and disease, varieties and constant innovations in new technologies. “You’re always trying to do better than the previous season and learn as much as you can, which is the cool part. You never know it all, but you’re trying to get better.” The most enjoyable part of his job is harvest time, when he gets to see the fruits of an entire year’s work. “When you get a good result

from that, it’s really satisfying because you know how much work has gone into that crop.” He gives technical support in four regions, from Pukenui in the Far North to Ohakune, as well overseeing the seed programme for the South Island. The key to growing a good crop is planning. “For my role, it’s about just trying to be as detailed and as planned as possible, making sure that the soil’s in really good

condition, the crop’s got fantastic nutrition and trying to set the crop up in the best way possible that if you do get adverse conditions, hopefully it can withstand it.” Looking ahead, Blair plans to keep building on his career in agronomy and keep being the best at what he does. “I want to keep learning, I’m still relatively young in my career. It’s about tapping into the knowledge of other people and do the best job you can.”

22 Rural Women

RWNZ ready to fight for issues that matter

VER 100 years on, Rural Women New Zealand is still striving for better outcomes for rural women, their families and communities. The organisation has launched its 2026-2029 policy manifesto, outlining the key issues rural women members would like decision-makers to prioritise, as it enters its second century. It focuses on five areas; Community and Social Inclusion, Connectivity and Business, Environment and Land Use, Education, and Health. Rural Women New Zealand National President Heather Sorensen said the issues at the heart of why RWNZ was created in the first place are still woven into the fabric of the causes the organisation champions today. “Thanks to the amazing work of the women before us, we have come a long way. But when you read our new manifesto you might be surprised to see we are still championing many of the same issues Florence Polson and our founding members stood up for over 100 years ago. “Things like access to support services, social inclusion, education and health outcomes. Our rural communities are still behind many of our urban friends in essential areas, and we need to change that,” she said. Heather breaks down the five priority areas, starting with community and social inclusion. “Our members have told us that strong rural communities

depend on access to community services, social support and a safe environment. We want to see rural women, families and whānau able to live, work and raise their children with confidence that the services and support they need are there when it matters most.” The next area covered is connectivity and business. “Members consistently tell us that connectivity is the foundation for so much of daily rural life, from accessing telehealth appointments and the kid’s school, to running businesses and staying connected with whānau and community. “We want to see reliable digital connectivity, mobile coverage and electricity supply so rural communities can stay connected and thrive. It’s challenging for many of our urban family friends and business colleagues to actually understand and appreciate the many challenges still affecting so many in the rural sector,” said Heather. Environment and land use is also highlighted. “Rural communities want a balanced approach to environmental protection, urban growth and productive land use. “With climate events disproportionately impacting rural communities, decisions about land, water and climate policy must be made together with us and our communities.” Up next is education. “As a grandmother and former teacher, this one really hits home. Our members want all rural learners to have the same

THE SAME: Heather Sorensen says the issues at the heart of why RWNZ was created in the first place are still woven into the fabric of the causes the organisation champions today.

Members consistently tell us that connectivity is the foundation for so much of daily rural life. Heather Sorensen Rural Women New Zealand National President opportunities as those living in urban areas.” RWNZ is advocating for equitable access to education at all levels, including addressing barriers created by distance, school transport, boarding costs and access to learning opportunities. “And last but not least, access to quality healthcare remains one of the strongest concerns raised by our members. Our members want to see sustained investment in all rural health services, workforce capacity and infrastructure so rural women, whānau and communities can access timely care close to home,” she said. “Back in the day we provided medical care to isolated rural women through our Bush Nurse Scheme. “While our rural communities

aren’t being treated by nurses on horseback anymore, access to mobile and locally delivered health services is still just as important for rural families.” Heather said the priorities within the manifesto are what guides the organisation’s submissions, campaigns, and conversations with decision makers ahead of the election. “They reflect the practical realities facing rural communities and ensures rural women’s voices remain part of policy discussions at both local and national levels. While we focus on five areas it is important to note that there are many connections between the areas and we need to emphasise that our manifesto is very much a holistic approach to the wellbeing of rural communities throughout the country. “Strong rural communities need to be supported in all ways, to ensure that all the families and whānau are able to experience and enjoy positive and successful outcomes wherever they may be. “We surveyed our members earlier this year, asked them what they need, what is important to them and what issues are pressing

in their rural communities. Our manifesto priorities are a direct result of this survey, as well as input from our Policy Action Advisory Groups and elected board members. “We started sharing our manifesto with members at Fieldays and are now sending it far and wide.” Heather said advocating for rural women and communities has been a key part of her life, and to be the National President during an election year is a huge privilege. “I have been a member of Rural Women New Zealand for over 40 years as a newly married woman settling into a rural area, as a new mother, involved in an agricultural training facility out of Bulls with my husband, and now as a grandmother and leader in the organisation. “While over the years my life has changed, the issues that matter to rural communities remain and are still very much worth fighting for. “We still have a long way to go to improve health outcomes, we are still isolated and access to essential services, like the post and bank, is still challenging,” she said.

FEDERATED Feds 23

FARMERS Vol 4 No 37, September 21, 2026

fedfarm.org.nz

Uncertain outlook shades confidence

rofitability is the highest it’s been in a decade, but farmers are worried about whether the good times will

hold. Federated Farmers’ latest Confidence Survey shows 72% of farmers are making a profit, with fewer than one in 20 making a loss. “That’s an incredibly positive result and the highest since we started asking about profitability back in 2016,” Federated Farmers president Colin Hurst says. “High interest rates, low commodity prices and sky-high input costs were making it really hard for farmers to earn a living just a few years ago. “Dairy, sheep and beef farmers are now getting strong returns again, meaning farming has been one of the main bright spots in an otherwise sluggish New Zealand economy.” The July survey of 634 farms found farmers are feeling confident about wider economic conditions right now. However, confidence about the next 12 months moved sharply in the opposite direction. Nearly 30% of farmers expect conditions to worsen, compared with only 12% expecting improvement. “Most of that concern about the year ahead is coming from dairy farmers, with 39% expecting a downturn versus 18% of meat and wool farmers,” Hurst says. “Nearly 8% ticked ‘don’t know’, suggesting genuine uncertainty rather than settled pessimism.” When asked to name their top concerns, the reasons for declining

forward confidence are clear, Hurst says. “Farmers who answered our survey describe a sector that’s currently well paid at the farmgate – arable farms a notable exception. “But even though returns are good, they’re feeling squeezed by high costs, over-regulated, and politically anxious.” Farmers’ top three concerns are rising input costs/on-farm inflation (33%), the election and domestic politics (30%) and regulation, compliance and red tape (23%). “In farmers’ written comments, we can see a recurring theme that fuel, fertiliser, freight, insurance and other costs are ratcheting up faster than returns. “They have limited ability to pass those costs on, so that means profit margins could be eroded.” Worries about commodity prices and weather, such as a potential El Niño-driven drought, are well back at 12% and 11% respectively. Despite net pessimism about the year ahead, more than half of the survey respondents plan to increase on-farm spending, and many expect to lift production. Two in five farms expect to reduce debt against one in nine expecting they’ll have to borrow more. “Set against rising profitability, it appears our sector is investing and repairing balance sheets while the cash flow is there,” Hurst says. Unfortunately, while for dairy and meat and wool farmers many of the indicators are holding or positive, that’s not the case for arable farmers. The arable sector is the only group

UNCERTAIN OUTLOOK: Current farmer confidence in the economy is high but far less so for the 12 months ahead, with 39% of dairy farmers expecting a downturn versus 18% of meat and wool farmers.

that expects to have to increase debt rather than pay it down, and the only group negative on current profitability at net -2.6%. “It’s incredibly concerning that only one in five arable farmers report making a profit, and nearly one in four report a loss,” Hurst says. “The current conditions lifting the pastoral sector are not reaching our cropping farmers and that’s bad news for all of us. “Arable farmers supply the platform of seeds, grains and feed required to run the nation’s multi-billion dollar livestock industry.” Hurst says for political parties wondering what farmers want most from the Government, the clearest single instruction is to finish what has been started. “The Government has done a good

job of slashing red tape and trying to get Wellington out of farming. “Even so, nearly a third of farmers say cutting regulation and compliance costs is their top priority for the Government. “What we need is for the Resource Management Act reform to be completed, alongside simplifying consents and audits, and reducing council powers. “Our election platform lays out a five-point plan to double farm productivity, cut costs and improve the environment, and we encourage all parties to take it on board.” Other key findings from the July survey: Current profitability has risen at every survey January and July survey since a July 2024 trough. In the 2026 July survey, fewer than

one in 20 farms report making a loss, compared with roughly one in three at the depth of the 2022-2024 downturn. Dairy farmers report strong current profitability, at a net +74.5, with 77% making a profit. Yet they are by far the most pessimistic about the year ahead: 39% expect economic conditions to worsen and 40% expect their own profitability to decline, against 18% and 14% among meat & wool farmers. Asked whether pressures such as economic conditions, weather, or government policy and regulation are affecting their mental health and wellbeing, just under one-third said yes, with a further 8% unsure. When first asked in January 2023, at the depth of the downturn, the figure was just over 70%.

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fedfarm.org.nz 14/01/2026 9:56 AM

fedfarm.org.nz – September 21, 2026

Federated Farmers

Hunters active, but pests are still winning in Canterbury

outh Canterbury sheep and beef farmer Lesley Roy has already taken more than 1500 wallabies and 40 pigs off her farm this year. That’s on top of the 2000 wallabies and 48 pigs removed last year, but despite that effort, she says the numbers have barely changed. “It’s an ongoing job that we are constantly battling,” said Roy on the Federated Farmers Podcast. “I went back through some of our numbers and pretty much nothing’s changed in the last decade. We’ve taken around 1700 to 2000 wallabies yearly, and we’ve become much more active on the pigs too. “At the moment, all we’re doing is maintaining; we aren’t reducing numbers and we’re not getting on top of the problem.” Roy’s experience illustrates the scale of the pest problem facing farmers – and why Federated Farmers believes the answer must be bigger than simply getting more people out hunting. The organisation’s latest pest survey found farmers are spending an average $6.18 a hectare on pest control, up 13% in two years, while nearly one in three are reducing stocking rates because of pests. Federated Farmers pest management spokesperson Richard Dawkins says the true cost is much higher once lost production is included. “The actual cost to the farmer, when you consider the production impact, is closer to $50 a hectare,” Dawkins says. “So, when you’re getting up towards 50 bucks a hectare in terms

of costs due to pests, it’s almost three times your council rates bill if you’re on Class 2 South Island hill country.” The survey estimated pests are costing primary industries around $466 million a year, including the direct cost of pest control, damage to infrastructure, lost or damaged crops, biosecurity risks, and loss of stock. “We’re restricted on when we’re lambing and where we can put our ewes because pigs will come in and eat or mismother lambs,” says Roy. “They’ll not just take a newborn lamb, but they’ll actually have a go at a ewe if she’s down lambing.” Roy says, in their worst year, pigs were responsible for a loss of 10% to 15% of twin lambs through mismothering and attacks. Wallabies continually damage fences and, once they foul the pasture, sheep don’t want anything to do with it. Wild pigs also rip up newly planted

STEEP CHALLENGE: Malcolm Roy on the South Canterbury farm he runs with wife Lesley, where rugged terrain makes pest control particularly challenging.

They’ll not just take a newborn lamb, but they’ll actually have a go at a ewe if she’s down lambing. Lesley Roy South Canterbury Feds meat and wool chair pasture and crops. “The more we look after our land, the more we actually make it attractive to those pigs to come in and destroy it,” she says. Roy says there’s only so much an individual farmer can do on their own property. “As a landowner, if you’re really active in your pest control, but

FOUL: Wallabies continually damage fences and, once they foul the pasture, sheep don’t want anything to do with it.

“Feds contracts are the best you can get on the market.” - Sam Ebbett Taranaki dairy farmer Federated Farmers sharefarmer chair

The trusted voice of farmers

you’ve got a neighbour that’s not, it’s pretty frustrating because you’re just going to be reinfected.” She says her worst neighbour is the Department of Conservation, on whose lands the pests breed freely with very little control. Dawkins says that’s one of the fundamental problems. “Our pest survey showed pests are eight times more likely to come from forestry or Crown land,” he says. “There’s no overarching responsibility across land tenures, and the department doesn’t have the resources to properly manage around 58,000km of boundary fence.” More than 90% of survey respondents were involved in recreational hunting or pest control, while half had also engaged external recreational hunters. “There is absolutely no shortage of hunting going on,” Dawkins says. “But it doesn’t actually address the root cause of this issue, which is those cross-land-tenure responsibilities, the differing priorities of all of those landowners and just what’s practical and what’s not.” That doesn’t mean hunting has no role, with Roy saying hunting is “in our DNA”, while Dawkins describes recreational hunters as a key stakeholder. Dawkins says the answer is a coordinated national approach with

someone clearly responsible for the outcome. “We’ve been calling for a national pest strategy around this issue, with an initial focus on deer,” he says. “We want that to be led by MPI and the Department of Conservation, simply because pests are costing $466 million a year to the primary industries. “But when we actually look at the overarching acts and legislation – the Wild Animal Control Act, the Biosecurity Act, even local government reforms – nothing dramatically has changed. “Until something structural changes, we’re not actually going to see progress with deer or other species.” There are already some signs of progress, he says. MPI and DOC are developing a national introduced wild animal management framework, while MPI’s Feral Browser Programme is testing different deer management approaches in three catchments. Feds is pushing for the Conservation Act to be modernised so DOC can be more of a ‘good neighbour’ and support active pest management on public conservation land. For farmers like Roy, the measure of success will be fewer pests, less damage and less time and money spent fighting the same battle next year.

Federated Farmers

25 fedfarm.org.nz – September 21, 2026

Sharemilking law stuck in the past: Feds

ederated Farmers is calling on political parties to commit to a review of the Sharemilking Agreements Act, saying the legislation has failed to keep pace with the way dairy farming operates today. The organisation has made the review one of its top priorities for whoever forms the next Government. Federated Farmers sharefarmer chair Sam Ebbett says the current framework creates an increasingly difficult distinction between two forms of self-employment. “Contract milking is now a major part of the dairy progression pathway, but contract milkers sit outside the Act because they’re paid a negotiated rate rather than a share of returns,” Ebbett says. “So, even though contract milkers perform essentially the same role as variable-order sharemilkers, they can have quite different protections under the law because of how they’re paid. “We don’t think that’s a good outcome – and a review of the law is needed.” There were 1367 herds operated by contract milkers in the 2024/25 season, representing 13.2% of all herds. Unlike variable-order sharemilkers, contract milkers aren’t guaranteed the minimum terms and disputeresolution process provided by the

ENTRY: Brendan Attrill says sharemilking and contract milking are critical entry points into dairy farm ownership and succession pathways.

Act and Sharemilking Agreements Order 2011. Instead, they rely on their individual agreements and general contract law, even where there’s a significant imbalance in bargaining power. Ebbett says that is increasingly out of step with the role contract milking plays in helping young farmers establish themselves in the industry. “The Sharemilking Agreements Act was designed almost 90 years ago to provide a statutory floor for sharemilkers, but the industry has changed hugely since then. “Contract milking has become a really important first step into self-employment for a lot of young farmers, and we need a framework that gives them confidence in those arrangements. “The current legislation doesn’t include specific protections for contract milkers. “Federated Farmers wants to see this reviewed to modernise our dairy sector, protect young farmers, and reduce legal disputes between contract milkers and farm owners.” Federated Farmers sharefarm owner chair Brendan Attrill says the issue also matters for farm owners, particularly those using sharemilking and contract milking as part of succession and business planning. “Sharemilking and contract milking are critical entry points into dairy farm ownership and succession

Even though contract milkers perform essentially the same role as variableorder sharemilkers, they can have quite different protections under the law because of how they’re paid. Sam Ebbett Federated Farmers sharefarmer chair pathways,” Attrill says. “They allow the next generation to build capability and capital while providing established farmers with a practical way to transition out of the business.” Attrill says the Sharemilking Agreements Act also predates modern arrangements such as hybrid contracts, processor incentives and environmental payments. “We’ve got a dairy industry operating in a very different commercial environment from what this legislation was originally designed for back in the 1930s, especially with the increase in contract milking since the 2010s. “We need the legislation to reflect how farming businesses actually operate today, while keeping the flexibility that makes these different progression pathways work so well.”

FARM PATHWAYS: Federated Farmers sharefarmer chair Sam Ebbett (right) and sharefarm owner chair Brendan Attrill say the right settings are needed to support the next generation of dairy farmers. Federated Farmers wants a review to consider whether the framework can provide appropriate and consistent minimum protections for comparable dairy operating arrangements, without converting operators into employees. It also wants coverage to reflect the nature of the work rather than simply how an operator is paid, greater clarity around new revenue and incentive payments, and clearer, more accessible and proportionate dispute-resolution mechanisms. Ebbett says the ultimate goal is to strengthen contract milking and sharemilking as pathways into farm ownership. “We want to make it easier, not harder, for the next generation to get a foot on the dairy farming ladder,” he says. “That means having contracts and legislation that provide certainty for

both the farmer and the farm owner.” Attrill says modernising the framework would benefit the wider dairy sector. “Farm ownership is a significant step, and these arrangements give people a chance to build the skills, experience and capital they need to get there,” he says. “Making those pathways more secure is good for individual farmers and good for the future of dairy farming.” Federated Farmers represents farm owners, sharemilkers and contract milkers and says it is ready to work constructively with officials on a review. The organisation has written to the major political parties asking for them to commit to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act 1937 and Sharemilking Agreements Order 2011.

Federated Farmers

fedfarm.org.nz – September 21, 2026

Farmers face big costs for deer repellent

ederated Farmers supports proposed aerial possum control operations in Hawke’s Bay and Otago next year but says farmers should not be footing the bill for deer protection. In two areas of Hawke’s Bay, the 1080 bait used will be coated in a deer repellent, adding about $100,000 to the cost. “Aerial drops of 1080 in areas under movement control because of livestock TB-infection is absolutely vital work,” Federated Farmers pest management spokesperson Richard Dawkins says. “Using helicopters with GPS to target possums across large, hardto-access areas is definitely the most efficient and cost-effective option. “So we support OSPRI’s proposed operations in four areas of Hawke’s Bay and two in Otago next year. “But farmers shouldn’t be expected to pick up the tab for extra costs involved in protecting deer.” In two of the Hawke’s Bay drops – Kaweka East Tutaekuri and Kaweka South Timahanga – the biodegrad-

able 1080 will be coated in Prodeer repellent. This is because a Sika Herd of Special Interest (HOSI) is present in the Kaweka Range.

Herds of Special Interest serve a purpose, and we recognise the view that deer repellent be used, but that extra cost shouldn’t be borne by farmers. Richard Dawkins Federated Farmers pest spokesperson Ospri says field trials in Hawke’s Bay and on Molesworth Station show only 5% of deer were killed when bait was coated with Prodeer, versus often higher mortality rates when standard bait is used. Importantly, possum kill rates stayed at 95-100%. Dawkins says Federated Farmers recognises the Sika HOSI in the Kaweka Forest Park is important to

EFFICIENT: Richard Dawkins says using helicopters with GPS to target possums across large, hardto-access areas is definitely the most efficient and costeffective option.

recreational hunters and supports maintaining a high-quality herd and hunting experience. “But the Biosecurity Act puts eradication of bovine tuberculosis, and management of vector animals like possums, as a primary objective. “There’s huge costs to farmers from TB livestock testing, movement restrictions and lost production – never mind the risk to New Zealand’s reputation as a food exporter. “So, any delays to effective possum control jeopardises decades of investment by farmers, industry and taxpayers. “We’re adamant that where recreational hunting and TB control can’t be done together, TB control has to come first.” There’s also a question around appropriate cost-sharing, Dawkins says. Farmers fund around 60% of Ospri’s TB-free programme, and taxpayers pay the rest. “When deer-repellent bait or other measures are used to protect deer for recreational hunting, it means farmers and other people funding

VEXATIOUS VECTOR: With TB-infected herds in the Hawke’s Bay down to five, the disease is on the run and Anthea Yule says nothing should be allowed to get in the way of stamping out its main vector – possums. the TB programme are effectively picking up the bill. “We’re calling on Ospri to identify those extra costs and work with the Government and Game Animal Council on a way to recover them without putting the cost on farmers.” Hawke’s Bay Federated Farmers president Anthea Yule says most farmers in the province are itching for the possum control work to be done. The 2019 TB outbreak first detected in cattle in northern Hawke’s Bay eventually ballooned to 46 infected herds. “There was a feeling here that Ospri had dropped the ball by getting onto possum control too late. “Covid and Cyclone Gabrielle also got in the way, and owners of the 15,000-hectare Tataraakina property would only allow possum control from the ground.” Yule acknowledges there is opposition to 1080, even among a few landowners, but says possum numbers must be dealt to – and fast. “Infected herds in Hawke’s Bay are now down to just five. We’ve finally got this cattle disease on the run. “1080 is the best tool we’ve got for controlling possums across large areas. In these four rugged areas,

spreading bait from the ground just isn’t practical or efficient.” Yule says that if any large-property owner refuses 1080 control work under the 2027 programme, the Government should step in and use its powers under the Biosecurity Act. “We can’t afford to have untreated areas undoing all the work done by surrounding farmers.” As well as the two Kaweka sites, aerial drops are planned at Kokomoka and Takahiapo, on the eastern edge of the Waipunga Forest and Whirinaki Te Pua-a- Tāne Conservation Park, and on Willow Flat – Waitara Valley. The two Otago sites are Clear Stream, south of Otematata, and on Department of Conservation and private land in the upper Benmore Range. Dawkins says Federated Farmers will vigorously defend the planned aerial 1080 drops. “That’s our number one concern – that this control work is done. “But we also want a national conversation about who pays when extra costs are added under the TB-free programme to protect deer. “Herds of Special Interest serve a purpose, and we recognise the view that deer repellent be used, but that extra cost shouldn’t be borne by farmers.”

Bigger than hunting Lesley Roy and Richard Dawkins discuss why farmers are ﬁghting the same pest battle year after year – and what the solution could look like.

EP 105

Listen on iHeart, Spotify, Apple & other platforms

Real Estate 27

Whatawhata 44 Lindsay Road Auction

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Versatile 98 ha block

98.81ha

In close proximity to Hamilton City is this versatile block, that would suit cropping, finishing or dairy support. Approx. 70-75% flat with the balance easy, with some steeper sidlings. Previously milked on, the old dairy now forms part of a robust cattle management platform with cattle crush and load-out facilities, while most paddocks are accessed from the internal raceways allowing for easy access. The home is a four-bedroom brick and iron roof, 60's dwelling with good bones, and is well positioned to take in the surrounding rural view. A double garage is attached with a large American barn nearby an added bonus. Blocks of this size and contour in such a handy location are hard to find and rarely available. The farming future continues to look rosey. This is a must view property that demands inspection from a range of buyers, so get along to one of the open days or arrange a private viewing.

Auction 12.00pm, Thu 8th Oct, 2026, (unless sold prior), Property Brokers, 141 George Street, Te Awamutu View Tue 22 Sep 11.00 - 12.00pm Tue 29 Sep 11.00 - 12.00pm Web pb.co.nz/TWR235245 John Sisley M 027 475 9808

E john.sisley@pb.co.nz

Paul Wheeler M 027 336 6158

E paul.wheeler@pb.co.nz

Ohaupo 1270 Paterangi Road Auction

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Blue chip farm, prime location A substantial rural holding with scale, versatility and serious potential. Set across 38.6 ha of flat to gently rolling, highly productive land, 1270 Paterangi Road is an outstanding opportunity in a sought-after location. Currently operated as an organically certified runoff, the property boasts free-draining Mairoa ash soils, reliable bore water and excellent infrastructure, making it ideally suited to horticulture, cropping, dry stock, horses or lifestyle living. The well-equipped property includes a large lockable workshop, four-bay implement shed, hay barn, disused cowshed and cattle yards with loading race. The well-presented four bedroom, twobathroom brick home delivers comfortable family living, with spacious open-plan kitchen, dining and living, separate lounge, two heat pumps and double internal-access garage. Established gardens, post-and-rail fencing and stunning views towards Mount Pirongia add to the appeal.

Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008 | pb.co.nz

38.6ha Auction 12.00pm, Thu 15th Oct, 2026, (unless sold prior), Property Brokers, 141 George Street, Te Awamutu View Tue 22 Sep 11.00 - 12.00pm Tue 29 Sep 11.00 - 12.00pm Web pb.co.nz/TWR235152

David McGuire M 027 472 2572

E david.mcguire@pb.co.nz Proud to be here

Dannevirke 235 Otope Road Tender

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Hirawai - Exceptional intensive finishing property Hirawai is an exceptionally well located intensive finishing property just 5 km east of Dannevirke, offering scale, versatility and outstanding production. The property features exceptional contour, with nearly 500 ha of tractor country developed through cropping and regrassing programmes, including approximately 70 ha of highly productive alluvial flats adjoining the Manawatu River. Its combination of soil types, contour and location places Hirawai among the Lower North Island's most highly regarded farming properties. An aesthetically pleasing landscape includes well tended woodlots, juvenile pines and native plantings, with approximately 65 ha ETS registered to provide a diversified income stream. Infrastructure includes a centrally located five stand woolshed and covered yards, two cattle yards, two smaller woolsheds and satellite sheep yards, all serviced by a central laneway. Three homes provide accommodation, including a superior refurbished five bedroom, two bathroom main home.

Tender closes 2.00pm, Wed 21st Oct, 2026, Property Brokers, 4 Stanley Street Dannevirke View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/DR235663

Jared Brock M 027 449 5496

E jared@pb.co.nz

Dannevirke 558 Pukeatua Road Tender

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Pukeatua - Fertile, productive and well located Located just 12 km from Dannevirke in a highly sought after farming district, Pukeatua combines a prime location, diverse fertile soils and proven production. The property comprises approximately 40 ha of cultivatable land, with the remaining 435 ha of effective area predominantly easy to medium limestone and red metal hill country. Approximately 35 ha is planted in ETS-registered juvenile pines. Pukeatua has proven its versatility, wintering significant numbers of trade cattle alongside a high-performing ewe flock, supported by excellent natural water, fertility and a reliable farming climate. Infrastructure includes a four stand woolshed and yards, new cattle yards, satellite sheep and cattle yards, plus a large implement shed/workshop. The five bedroom, two bathroom main home is set in well maintained grounds and features an inground pool. Pukeatua is offered with Hirawai, a 603 ha intensive finishing property located 5 km away. Hirawai is also available as an optional purchase. Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008 | pb.co.nz

Tender closes 2.00pm, Wed 21st Oct, 2026, Property Brokers, 4 Stanley Street Dannevirke View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/DR235662

Jared Brock M 027 449 5496

E jared@pb.co.nz Proud to be here

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

Pahiatua 493 Scarborough Road Auction

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Versatile former dairy unit This former dairy unit presents a range of options, located just 5 km from Pahiatua and under 30 minutes from Palmerston North. The property has undergone significant development over the past six years, with all pastures renewed and substantial investment in fertility and fencing. The property is well catered for, featuring a centrally located decommissioned, 2002 built 50 bail rotary, serviced by a central concrete race. Improvements include ample shedding and a newly constructed cattle yard with modern handling facilities. Approximately 62 ha is flat, with the remaining 54 ha of effective area comprising easy hill country, utilised in recent years for cattle finishing and maize production for the dairy industry. A four bedroom home has been modernised, including updated decor, kitchen, carpet and fireplace, providing a comfortable family residence. With multiple titles and a versatile land base, the property offers options. Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008 | pb.co.nz

RURAL | LIFESTYLE | RESIDENTIAL

AUCTION

Auction 11.00am, Tue 20th Oct, 2026, Property Brokers, 141 Main Street Pahiatua View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/PR234164

Jared Brock M 027 449 5496

E jared@pb.co.nz

Accelerating success. Iconic Olrig Station

For Sale

1233 Kereru Road, Maraekakaho, Hawke’s Bay

For Sale by Tender closing 2pm Wed 14 October 2026 (plus GST, if any)

ASHBURTON 49 Dobsons Road, Lowcliffe Well Located Dryland Dairy Support • • • • •

101ha dairy support unit located approx 10km from Hinds and 28km from Ashburton town Presently used primarily for wintering of dairy stock – up to 800 head total Secondary use of growing supplement feed for dairy farm use Dryland property with effectively a blank canvas for the next purchaser Seldom do opportunities come along to purchase affordable dairy support properties in prime location

AUCTION

11.00am, Tuesday 20 October at Hotel Ashburton 11/35 Racecourse Road, Allenton

Dan van der Salm M 021 918 233 Mark Hanrahan M 027 432 4028

Sheep & Beef ﬁnishing unit

Stunning homestead

Irrigation & storage consents

Rich in history and exceptionally well developed Olrig Station offers an excellent balance of contour, ranging from high-quality cropping flats through to easy rolling hill country, creating a versatile and highly productive farming platform. With its combination of productive scale, substantial infrastructure, irrigation potential, diversified income opportunities and impressive accommodation this property is an exceptional Hawke’s Bay holding.

Hadley Brown 027 442 3539

pggwre.co.nz/ASH43966 PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited, licensed under REAA 2008

846.95 hectares (more or less)

colliers.co.nz/p-NZL67042087 Helping grow the country

CRHB Limited Colliers Licensed REAA 2008

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

Takapau 3962 State Highway 2

Scale, soils and water security

338.85 ha

Positioned on the fertile Takapau Plains, this substantial 338ha farming operation is offered across two titles, with 237ha on the main block and a further 101ha directly opposite State Highway 2. Predominantly flat and highly productive, the property features fertile Takapau silt loam and heavy silt loam soils, with a proven history of maize, pea, cereal and livestock production. Two Valley centre pivots irrigate 57ha and 70ha, providing reliable, efficient irrigation for cropping. A substantial 200,000 cubic meter storage dam provides excellent water security, with consent in place to expand capacity to 385,000 cubic meters. Farm infrastructure includes a three bedroom home, a four-stand woolshed with covered yards, large four-bay implement shed, cattle yards and supporting outbuildings.

Price by Negotiation View by appointment Andy Hunter 027 449 5827 andy.hunter@bayleys.co.nz EASTERN REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2871316

SELLING YOUR FARM? Mt Lyford 3717 and 3429 Inland Kaikoura Road A statement property with further upside Sited in a spectacular location near Kaikoura, this statement property boasts exceptional scale, location, balance of contour and excellent infrastructure. Currently operating with a manager in place, showing if required the property has the scale to produce a profit with a manager. At 1,844ha (more or less), the property is well-suited to sheep and beef breeding and finishing, with large areas of workable country, an extensive laneway system and wellsubdivided paddocks providing ease of management. Two homes, plus a single man’s cottage, provide plenty of accommodation.

bayleys.co.nz/5531431

1,844.8074 ha Asking Price $14,000,000 + GST (if any) View by appointment Ben Turner 027 530 1400 ben.turner@bayleys.co.nz Peter Foley 021 754 737 peter.foley@bayleys.co.nz WHALAN AND PARTNERS LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Your agent may suggest you advertise in their brand publication. We suggest you remind them that this is the publication you, and every other farmer you know, reads.

Call 0800 85 25 80 realestate@agrihq.co.nz

Marketplace

Marketplace 31

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

100™

The Automated Bait Station

That saves hours of reluring and checking

Spaces available on High Country Heritage Tours in 2027

One unit can control 24ha per year when rotated. Contact Shane Hyde Mobile: 021 326 563 A/H: 09 405 1376 Email: enviromate100@gmail.com automatedbaitstation

fredsfencing.co.nz Ph: 027 22 88 190

Broadlands Station is a 1650ha Sheep and Beef breeding and finishing operation close to Palmerston North. We are seeking an experienced fencer/ general farmhand for fencing, tractor work and to help out in the yards. Competent fencing skills and handpiece experience is a must. Must be able to work unsupervised. A 3-bedroom house is available for accommodation. Only 3km to early childhood education centre, kindergarten and primary school in Ashhurst, 14km to Palmerston North. Remuneration dependent on experience. References required. Contact: Will Akers 027 460 7342 akers.will@gmail.com

www.enviromate.co.nz

Catchment Groups Lead - Wānaka jobs

Join WAI Wānaka and help shape the future of freshwater in the Upper Clutha. We’re looking for an experienced rural professional to lead and support our rural and urban catchment groups. Working alongside farmers, landowners and communities you will help identify priorities, develop action plans and deliver projects that improve freshwater health, biodiversity and catchment resilience. Experience in agricultural extension, community engagement or catchment management would be an advantage. For more information and to apply go to www. waiwanaka.nz/jobs/ Contact: Sarah Taylor 021 474 849 sarahtaylor@waiwanaka.nz

List your job with us Call Julie Hill 027 705 7181 classifieds@agrihq.co.nz farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz

LK0125499©

EXPERIENCED FENCER / GENERAL

LK0125490©

CONNECTING RURAL EMPLOYERS AND JOB SEEKERS

4X4 TAGALONG TOURS Bring your own 4X4 on a guided small group tour to discover Marlborough’s high country. Tour 1 Molesworth, St James, Rainbow and other stations. Meet farmers, 4-star farm accommodation, hot tubs, chef cuisine. NEW ITINERARY

Molesworth Cycle Tours for group bookings by arrangement

Dates: Feb 8-12, Feb 24-28, March 20-24, April 3-7

Tour 2: Central Otago, Maniototo, historic pubs & trails, local guides to unique places. Meet farmers, farm visits, quality accommodation Dates: March 4-8, March 16-20

Ph: 0274 351 955

E: info@southislandtoursnz.com • www.southislandtoursnz.com

Leading Provider of Generator Sets Nationwide Sincro 16 to 93 kVA Inmesol 40 to 360 kVA

Contact Dean Shaw CALL 027 403 3960 marineindustrial.abequipment.co.nz

• 1 x 6 foot bale • 2m diameter • 15 feed positions • 15 - 30 animals

$1200

LK0125428©

Call Julie 027 705 7181

This pest control tool continuously offers lures and baits from secure on-board storage; overcoming the need for daily replacement. Once pests are feeding from it bring in traps or add poison pellets to the lure mix.

LK0125223©

Contact Fred today

www.nzadventures.co.nz

Advertise with us

LK0124776©

For a cost effective portable steel solution to your stock handling needs.

LK0125397©

info@nzadventures.co.nz Ph: 027 550 6727 or 027 435 4267

Set and leave.

32 MPlace-LStock

Marketplace

Livestock

CLASSIFIEDS

FENCER WANTED

We are a small fencing contracting business based in Methven, delivering high-quality fencing solutions for rural, lifestyle, and commercial clients in the wider mid Canterbury area. We are after an experienced and motivated fencer who takes pride in their workmanship and can hit the ground running.

FLY OR LICE problem? Electrodip – the magic eye sheepjetter since 1989 with unique self adjusting sides. Incredible chemical and time savings with proven effectiveness. Phone 07 573 8512 w w w. e l e c t ro d i p. c o m

ANYTHING CONSIDERED. Hawke’s Bay - Manawatu districts and surrounds. Phone 027 255 8595.

CRAIGCO SHEEP JETTERS. Sensor Jet. Deal to fly and Lice now. Guaranteed performance. Unbeatable pricing. Phone 06 835 6863. www.craigcojetters.com

ATTENTION FARMERS

80¢ BALES / 70¢ FADGES per kg for dags. Replacement woolpacks. PV Weber Wools. Kawakawa Road, Feilding. Phone 027 458 2727.

DOLOMITE NZ’s finest BioGro certified Mg fertiliser

We offer: • Competitive pay package based on experience • Modern tools, vehicles, and equipment • Supportive team environment • Variety of work across interesting projects • Option to study Level 3 and/or Level 4 New Zealand Certificate in Fencing

For a delivered price call ....

0800 436 566

WE BUY MILK! Got rejected milk or surplus milk? Call us today on 027 871 5075. We collect within 1.5 hours drive from Te Awamutu. Farrelly Calves Limited. LK0125534©

Or call Henry on 027 658 6393 for a confidential chat.

LEASE LAND WANTED

IF YOU HAVE too many deer, Northland farmer is looking for deer hunting. Mostly harvested and processed to needy families. Phone 021 283 1600.

You’ll need: • Proven experience in rural/lifestyle fencing (post & wire, post & rail, netting, deer, electric, etc.) • Strong practical skills and attention to detail • Ability to read plans and work to specifications • Physical fitness and willingness to work in all conditions • Full NZ driver’s licence (WTR endorsements an advantage) • A strong work ethic and reliability

Apply now by sending your CV and references to: threeriversfencing@gmail.com

ANIMAL HANDLING

DOGS FOR SALE BORDER COLLIE strong eyed pups. Born to work. Bred from International world champion dog trialling bloodlines. Phone Somerton Park Kennel Canterbury. Phone 021 264 6250.

FLOOR COATING HIGH-IMPACT POLYUREA. Seamless floor coating, chemical resistant bonds to multiple surfaces. Closedcell spray foam ideal for large sheds and warmer drier buildings. Phone 021 217 4428.

Call Julie 027 705 7181

COUNTRY COMPANIONSHIP. Looking to meet someone special? Meet genuine people from country, rural and regional communities seeking friendship, companionship and a meaningful relationship. Introductions are made via a phone call. No compute required. Call 0800 446 332 today.

PUMPS HIGH PRESSURE WATER PUMPS, suitable on high headlifts. Low energy usage for single/3-phase motors, waterwheel and turbine drives. Low maintenance costs and easy to service. Enquiries phone 04 526 4415, email sales@hydra-cell.co.nz

SALE TALK A MAN WAS eating his lunch in the local park. He is intrigued by the municipal employee he saw working there. There were several cut outs in the sidewalk. The man would approach each cutout. He would then dig a hole, wait two or three minutes, then fill the hole. The man thought he must be missing something so he went over to talk to the guy. “Why are you digging a hole, waiting, then filling it back in?” “I see why you are confused. There is usually someone else with me, but he has a day off.” “What does HE do?” “He plants the tree”

WANTED SCRUB CUTTERS WANTED for approx 2 weeks for 2 men. Scattered scrub North Waikato. Phone David 07 826 7779.

HORTICULTURE

Spring Bull Sale Featuring progeny by $81,000

Kincardine Rainstorme Well proven calving-ease sire with 450 progeny recorded.

PERSONAL

GOATS WANTED

NZ KELP. FRESH, wild ocean harvested giant kelp. The world’s richest source of natural iodine. Dried and milled for use in agriculture and horticulture. Growth promotant / stock health food. As seen on Country Calendar. Orders to: 03 322 6115 or info@nzkelp.co.nz

OPAWA DOWNS ANNUAL ON FARM CATTLE SALE

ARVIDSON WILTSHIRES Annual ram auction Taupo Saleyards 24th November. On-farm sales available. Phone David 027 277 1556.

FERAL GOATS WANTED. Pick-up within 24 hours. Prices based on works schedule. Phone Vicky Le Feuvre 07 893 8916 or 027 363 2932. GOATS WANTED. All weights. All breeds. Prompt service. Payment on pick up. My on farm prices will not be beaten. Phone David Hutchings 07 895 8845 or 0274 519 249. Feral goats mustered on a 50/50 share basis.

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LIVESTOCK FOR SALE

WANTED TO BUY SAWN SHED TIMBER including Black Maire, Matai, Totara, Rimu, Mac, Redwood, Western Red Cedar etc. Also buying salvaged native logs. Phone Richard Uren. NZ Native Timber Supplies. Phone 027 688 2954. WHAT’S SITTING IN your barn? Ford, Ferguson, Hitachi, Komatsu, JD. Be it an excavator, loader or tractor, wherever it is in NZ. Don’t let it rust. We may trade in and return you a brand new bucket for your digger or cash for your pocket. Email admin@loaderparts.co.nz or phone Colin 0274 426 936.

Advertise with us

1653 Mount Nessing Road, Albury Tuesday 13 October 2026 Commencing 11am • 280 Ylg Simmental x Steers • 220 Ylg Simmental x Heifers • 85 Ylg Simmental & Simmental x Bulls • 45 Ylg Hereford Simmental x Bulls Bulls are tested BVD free. This will be a hybrid sale with Bidr. Enquiries: David & Jayne Timperley 03 6855785 or 027 4375881

Greg & Liz Russel (Riverview) 027 220 3288 Rory & Charlotte Moore (Opawa) 027 782 5344

Cameron Gray (PGW) 027 494 0572

NZ’s Virtual Saleyard bidr.co.nz Helping grow the country

You work hard to get the stock right. We help you get the timing right. AgriHQ livestock reports turn market data into trusted insight. See the signals early at agrihq.co.nz Subscribe from $35/month*

agrihq.co.nz/livestock-reports *PRICES ARE GST EXCLUSIVE

Call 0800 85 25 80 wordads@agrihq.co.nz

LIVESTOCK REPORTS

Livestock

Livestock 33

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

BEXLEY HEREFORDS Yearling Bull Sale

LK0125362©

Friday 25th September 2026 at 12.00 noon To be conducted at Bexley Station, 3715 State Highway 3, Awakino Gorge, Mokau 4376 Registered and Unregistered Bulls comprising of: 45 Yearling Pedigree Herefords, 7 Yearling Herefords, 5 Purebred Registered Speckle Park, 14 Yearling Angus Top yearlings grown to suit heifer mating, cow mating or beef mating. VENDORS: Colin & Carol King P: 06 752 9863 | E: ccking@farmside.co.nz NZFL Stud Stock - Brent Bougen M: 027 210 4698 NZFL Agent - Stephen Sutton M: 027 442 3207 Carrfields Agent - Grant Ross M: 021 174 8403

YEARLING AND TWO-YEAR-OLD BULLS BY PRIVATE TREATY

Traditional moderate animals bred for exceptional temperament, enhanced carcass quality, and hill country resilience Elevate your herd with proven genetics today. DICKIE SANSOME: 0274 888 629 475 Wilton Collieries Road, Glen Massey

GLEN R ANGUS Spring Sale 2026 WED. SEPTEMBER

1:30PM

RUGGED 2-YEAR-OLD

BULLS

THURSDAY 24th SEPTEMBER 2026 12 NOON ON-FARM & ONLINE NEW LOCATION 633 Waterworks Road, Rd 1, Morrinsville (Te Miro end) (opp. Te Miro woolshed wedding venue)

25 SPECKLE PARK & 15 MURRAY GREY BULLS WILL SELL!

Sandown 445 Deans Rd (SH72), Darﬁeld Call Peter Heddell on 027 436 1388

Derek Hayward ✆ 027 226 6686 *derek.premier@farmside.co.nz www.premiercattleco.co.nz

SCAN TO FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR THE LATEST SALE INFORMATION

Kelly Higgins ✆ 027 600 2374

LK0125182©

Bulls available are sired by Matauri Reality, Black Rock of Stern, Tangihau Topgun and Millah Murrah Rembrandt

Livestock

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

ECZEMA TOLERANT ROMNEYS

GLENGYLE ANGUS BULLSALE

RAMGUARD TESTING SINCE 1985

Sam & Emma Mann 52 Reiri Road, Dannevirke Viewing 11am, Sale 1pm

• 5 star rating • Bred on challenging hill country • Robust functional sheep that survive • Structurally sound • Selecting for parasite tolerance and less dags • No ewes worm drenched, dipped or vaccinated

HALLMARK BULL SALE FRIDAY 2ND OCTOBER

WEDNESDAY 30THSEPTEMBER

Max and Lucy Tweedie 133 Heays Access Road, Tutira Viewing 10am, Sale 12pm > 42 R1 Angus Bulls

> 26 Angus Yearling Bulls Suitable for both heifer & cow mating.

Bidr® online bidding option available if you cannot attend the auction. Register at www.bidr.co.nz.

Further enquiries: Callum Dunnett (Hazlett) 027 462 0126 Chris Johnston (Hazlett) 027 421 3197 Will Maxwell (Redshaw) 027 539 4140

Bidr® online bidding option available if you cannot attend the auction. To register for Bidr® please go to www.bidr.co.nz. Further enquiries: Callum Dunnett (Hazlett) 027 462 0126 Duke Loe (Hazlett) 021 363 755 Sam Mann (Vendor) 021 0256 6101

KEITH ABBOTT, RAGLAN 027 463 9859 | www.waiteikaromneys.co.nz @waiteikaromneys

VERMONT ANGUS ALFORD FOREST CANTERBURY

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Tuesday 6th October Viewing 11am, Sale 1pm > 35 Yearling Angus Bulls

A top line of well-grown, low birth, calving ease and growth EBV’s. All bulls are DNA-HD50K. Genetically defect tested free. Semen fertility tested.

Call Andrea 027 602 4925

Bidr® online bidding option available if you cannot attend the auction. To register for Bidr® please go to www.bidr.co.nz.

YEARLING BULL SALE

BREEDING STRUCTURALLY SOUND, FERTILE ANGUS CATTLE THAT PERFORM IN COMMERICAL FARMING ENVIRONMENTS

OPEN DAY

ON FARM SALE

FRIDAY 2ND OCT 2026 – 2PM

WEDNESDAY 23RD SEPT 2026 1- 3PM

VIEWING FROM 12:30PM

1912 POHANGINA VALLEY EAST RD, ASHHURST, MANAWATU TEMPERAMENT Quiet, easy to handle bulls that are a pleasure to work with

AGENTS

CAM WAUGH 027 480 0898 BEN WRIGHT 027 241 4570 MARK ANDERSON 027 469 1004

CALVING EASE Designed to get calves off to the best start every season

MATERNAL FOCUS Strong maternal traits for fertile cows and thriving herds

FERTILITY Fertility tested for confidence in every purchase

DAVE & NICOLE STUART 027 422 7239 STEVEN HARRIS 027 442 3546 CHRIS HAY 027 632 7177 SIMON SMITH 027 444 0733

ALEX STEWART 027 461 1215 TOM SUTTOR 027 446 9967

AVAILABLE ON SALE DAY

LK0124603©

994 Victoria Rd, RD 7, Hamilton 3287 028 258 14890 | kivell.lean@xtra.co.nz Kivlean Limousin Beef Cattle limousin.co.nz/kivlean-limousins/

Further enquiries: Callum Dunnett 027 462 0126 Charles Keenan 027 462 2489 Russell Berquist 027 478 5981 Kim Berquist 027 487 5411

36 Markets

Markets

Proudly sponsored by

Wairoa opens the gates for spring cattle Known for its top notch, well-bred annual draft traditional cattle, the first spring fair of the year didn’t disappoint. MARKETS

Livestock

PRING is on the doorstep and that means a lift in the availability of store cattle as farmers bring them outside the other side of winter and ready them for sale. The spring markets have got off to a good start on the western side of the North Island, as grass has started to move and buyers are keen to secure cattle early. The eastern side is still a few weeks behind, as a late winter run has meant that grass growth has been slower and in turn the grassdriven demand has not yet been established. Also hanging over the market is the El Niño risk, with local buyers preferring to wait to see the grass first rather than anticipate it. Support from the western and southern regions for eastern stock has helped bring some spring feel, and any reputable annual draft lines are being chased by those on both sides of the island. One sale that ticks that box each year is the annual spring cattle fair at the Wairoa saleyards, which was held on Thursday, September

10. The gates of these yards don’t open as often as they once did (the last fair held was the weaner fair at the end of March), but when they do, buyers are eager to get through them, knowing that what will be offered will be top notch, well-bred annual draft traditional cattle. This year’s first of two spring fairs didn’t disappoint, with wellknown station names and vendors featuring on many of the pen cards of the 1470 cattle available. While cattle are not weighed, their reputation often precedes them, having come into the yards each year with good temperaments and a breeding history that rivals royalty, and buyers know the cattle and understand how they grow. A good crowd was in attendance, and sales here will always stand on their own merits, without the modern-day additions of weighbridges and online bidding. The fairs are often built around consignments from large local stations such as the Tahora blocks group of farms, Shannon, Cricklewood, Te Tiki, Okare and Tangihau Stations. A major drawcard is the opportunity to buy big-tallied lines of a consistent

READY AND WAITING: A big crowd always gathers at the Wairoa saleyards for an annual fair, and the first 2026 spring cattle fair was no exception. A yarding of 1470 top quality mainly traditional cattle were offered, and a widespread buying bench covered most of the North Island.

Support from the western and southern regions for eastern stock has helped bring some spring feel, and any reputable annual draft lines are being chased by those on both sides of the island. type of cattle beast farmed on steep hill country with a reputation to shift. PGG Wrightson regional livestock manager Jamie Hayward

said there were plenty of return buyers. “We had annual buyers from Manawatū, Bay of Plenty, Central Hawke’s Bay and local, but there were also a few new faces in the crowd. Our vendors were happy with the results of the sale.” And so they should be, with prices up on the previous exceptionally strong year. The 2-year traditional steers averaged $2950 per head, which was an increase of $410 on the previous year. The top seven pens were Angus from Te Tiki and Tangihau Stations, with the top Te Tiki line reaching $3400. All these lines sold to one buyer from Marton.

Two-year heifers had a bigger presence this year, with Cricklewood Station selling a big consignment of Angus for $2260-$2580, while HerefordDevon from Karamu Station made $1880-$1900. A lot of the crowd had gathered for the yearling steer section, and it did not disappoint. Prices were up $190 per head on last year and averaged $2000 per head, and the top price reached was $2450 for a line of Angus from Cricklewood Station. Most of the section, which included some later-born cattle, made $1480-$2320 and sold to mainly Bay of Plenty and East Coast buyers.

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Markets

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

Cattle

Sheep

Deer

Beef

Sheep Meat

Venison

Slaughter price (NZ$/kgCW)

Last week

Last year

North Island P2 steer (300kg)

10.00

9.05

North Island M2 bull (300kg)

9.70

8.55

North Island M cow (190kg)

7.65

7.25

South Island P2 steer (300kg)

9.90

9.00

South Island M2 bull (300kg)

9.45

8.20

South Island M cow (190kg)

7.70

7.30

Last week

Last year

North Island AP stag (60kg)

11.40

10.10

5.30

South Island AP stag (60kg)

11.40

10.10

12.15

10.35

8.15

5.25

Fertiliser Last week

Last year

DAP

1874

1519

Potash (MoP)

947

922

Super

629

507

1344

995

July

Last year

China

1,608,775

1,576,392

Last week

Last year

North Island lamb (18kg)

12.20

10.25

North Island mutton (25kg)

8.15

South Island lamb (18kg) South Island mutton (25kg)

US imported 95CL bull

13.11

12.39

US domestic 90CL cow

16.36

16.01

NOTE: Slaughter values are weighted average gross operating prices including premiums but excluding breed premiums for cattle.

China lamb flaps

12.66

10.52

11.0

10-Sep

Last year

Crossbred fleece

6.60

3.66

Urea (Coated)

Crossbred 2nd shear

6.33

3.60

Forestry

Courtesy of www.fusca.co.nz

Exports NZ Log Exports (m3)

13.0 12.0

10.0 9.0 8.0

NZ average (NZ$/tonne)

(NZ$/kg clean)

Lamb slaughter price ($/kgCW)

Steer slaughter price ($/kgCW)

Slaughter price (NZ$/kgCW)

Fertiliser

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

Wool

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

7.0

Slaughter price (NZ$/kgCW)

Rest of world

196,195

165,190

11.0

Carbon price (NZ$/tonne)

Last week

Last year

10.0

NZU

51.5

57.3

9.0 Sep

Nov Jan North Isla nd

Mar May South Island

Jul

Sep

8.0

Source: AgriHQ

Sep

Nov Jan North Isla nd

Mar May South Island

Jul

Sep

Source: AgriHQ

NZ lamb exports (Jun - Aug, thous. tonnes)

NZ beef exports (Jun - Aug, thous. tonnes)

Stag Slaughter price ($/kgCW) 12.0 11.0

10.0

9.0

8.0

30 20

10 0

China

Japan

S. Korea

Rest of Asia Last year

Other

China

EU Mid. Ea st Last yea r

This year

US This year

Sep

Nov Jan North Isla nd

Other

Mar May South Island

Jul

Sep

Source: AgriHQ

Data provided by For more visit www.agrihq.co.nz

Disclaimer: Data published on these pages is licensed and may not be redistributed, republished, or used for commercial purposes without the written permission of the data owners.

Dairy

Data provided by

Milk price futures ($/kgMS) 10.5 10.0

Grain

Listed Agri shares

Canterbury feed wheat & feed barley ($/tonne)

Company

YTD High YTD Low

600

ArborGen Holdings Limited

0.069

0.132

0.059

The a2 Milk Company Limited

8.56

11.9

6.25

Comvita Limited

0.8

0.84

0.505

Delegat Group Limited

4.59

4.78

3.6

Fonterra Shareholders' Fund (NS)

7.93

8.539

6.138

Foley Wines Limited

0.535

0.63

0.43

Livestock Improvement Corporation Ltd (NS)

1.11

1.22

1.0

NZ King Salmon Investments Limited

0.23

0.255

0.189

PGG Wrightson Limited

2.14

2.4

2.0

Rua Bioscience Limited

0.036

0.042

0.028

Sanford Limited (NS)

6.15

8.17

6.06

Scales Corporation Limited

6.68

7.5

5.59

Seeka Limited

5.38

5.55

4.4

450

Synlait Milk Limited

0.38

0.66

0.35

400

T&G Global Limited

2.2

2.79

2.17

350

S&P/NZX Primary Sector Equity Index

16992

17292

15511

S&P/NZX 50 Index

13623

14013

12702

S&P/NZX 10 Index

13474

13863

12194

550

9.5 500

9.0 8.5

450

8.0

400

Sep

Nov

Jan

Mar

Sep-2027

May Sep-2028

Jul

Sep

Source: NZX

Nov

Jan

Feed Wheat

Mar

May

Feed Barley

Jul

Sep

Source: NZX

Waikato palm kernel & maize ($/tonne)

Dairy Futures (US$/t) Nearest contract Last price*

Sep

Prior week

4 weeks prior

600 550

WMP

3560

3580

3590

SMP

3665

3670

3505

AMF

5960

6070

Butter

4990

4950

Milk Price

10.00

9.84

9.68

* price as at close of business on Wednesday

500

300

Sep

Nov

Jan

PKE

Mar

May

Maize

Jul

Sep

Source: NZX

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

Markets

Weekly saleyard results These weekly saleyard results are collated by the AgriHQ LivestockEye team. Cattle weights and prices are averages and sheep prices are ranges. For more detailed results and analysis subscribe to your selection of LivestockEye reports. Scan the QR code or visit www.agrihq.co.nz/livestock-reports Tuakau | September 16 | 301 cattle

Kaikohe | September 16 | 429 cattle

$/kg or $/hd

$/kg or $/hd Mixed-age cows, 471kg

3.74

2-year steers, 453kg

5.19

2-year heifers, 346kg

5.13

Wellsford | September 14 | 540 cattle

$/kg or $/hd

Aut-born weaner dairy-beef heifers, 145kg

945

Boner Friesian cows, 510kg

3.64

Te Kuiti | September 11 | 208 cattle

Prime dairy-beef steers, 670kg

5.32

Prime traditional heifers, 515kg

5.33

Prime dairy-beef heifers, 520kg

5.22

2-year dairy-beef steers, 465kg

5.47

Boner Friesian cows, 515kg

3.76

2-year dairy-beef heifers, 395kg

5.09

Boner crossbred cows, 455kg

3.50

Yearling traditional steers, 270kg

5.95

Yearling dairy-beef heifers, 275kg

5.43

Frankton | September 15 | 1007 cattle

$/kg or $/hd

2-year dairy-beef steers, 435kg

5.03

$/kg or $/hd

Prime dairy-beef steers, 625kg

5.30

Yearling dairy-beef steers, 285kg

5.56

2-year dairy-beef heifers, 430kg

5.15

Boner Friesian cows, 545kg

4.24

Yearling traditional heifers, 290kg

5.14

Aut-born R2 dairy-beef steers, 395kg

5.30

Wairoa | September 10 | 1469 cattle

Yearling dairy-beef heifers, 265kg

5.27

Yearling dairy-beef steers, 290kg

5.62

Aut-born weaner dairy-beef steers, 130kg

1060

Yearling traditional heifers, 265kg

5.47

2-year traditional steers, all

2945

Aut-born weaner dairy-beef heifers, 135kg

1065

Yearling dairy-beef heifers, 280kg

5.14

2-year traditional heifers, all

2395

Prime dairy-beef heifers, 480kg

5.08

Prime dairy-beef steers, 680kg

5.31

Yearling traditional steers, all

2010

Prime dairy-beef heifers, 500kg

5.28

Taranaki | September 16 | 275 cattle

Boner Friesian cows, 525kg

3.68

Pukekohe | September 12

$/kg or $/hd 2-year steers, 540kg

5.00

Yearling steers, 251kg

5.60

Yearling heifers, 289kg

5.15

Prime heifers, 481kg

5.05

Frankton | September 16 | 628 cattle

$/kg or $/hd

$/kg or $/hd Yearling dairy-beef steers, 265kg

5.71

Yearling dairy-beef heifers, 255kg

5.22 4.24

2-year dairy-beef steers, 480kg

5.39

Boner Friesian cows, 545kg

2-year dairy-beef heifers, 420kg

4.97

Stortford Lodge | September 14 | 482 sheep

$/kg or $/hd

Yearling dairy-beef steers, 330kg

5.49

Prime ewes, all

160-228

Yearling dairy-beef heifers, 270kg

5.40

Prime ewes, all

Prime lambs, all

215-278

Aut-born weaner crossbred steers, 130kg

640

Stortford Lodge | September 16 | 731 cattle, 5651 sheep

Prime dairy-beef heifers, 495kg

5.24

Tuakau | September 10 | 800 cattle

$/kg or $/hd 2-year dairy-beef steers, 546kg

5.40

2-year dairy-beef heifers, 431kg

5.22

Yearling dairy-beef steers, 276kg

6.18

Yearling dairy-beef heifers, 267kg

5.41

Tuakau | September 14 | 700 sheep

$/kg or $/hd

Rangiuru | September 15 | 354 cattle

174-290

$/kg or $/hd 2-year Friesian bulls, 580kg

5.42

$/kg or $/hd

2-year dairy-beef heifers, 440kg

5.08

Yearling dairy-beef steers, 255kg

5.97

Yearling traditional steers, 230kg

7.32

Yearling traditional bulls, 195kg

6.03

Yearling dairy-beef steers, 290kg

5.71

Yearling dairy-beef heifers, 235kg

5.01

Yearling traditional heifers, 190kg

6.38

Yearling dairy-beef heifers, 270kg

5.27

$/kg or $/hd

Aut-born weaner traditional steers, 140kg

1050

2-year dairy-beef heifers, 385kg

5.07

Aut-born weaner traditional heifers, 135kg

980

Taupo | September 14 | 303 cattle

Store lambs, most

165-205

2-year crossbred heifers, 400kg

3.97

5-year Romney ewes & lambs, all

166-179

Prime ewes, most

206-248

Yearling dairy-beef steers, 300kg

6.06

Mixed-age Romney ewes & lambs, all

145-162

Prime lambs, most

236-297

Aut-born weaner Friesian bulls, 165kg

1205

Store male lambs, most

201-300

For you, the right information changes everything. AgriHQ livestock reports keep you across store, slaughter, and export markets, including forecasts and widespread saleyard coverage. Make every decision count, visit agrihq.co.nz

LIVESTOCK REPORTS

Markets

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 21, 2026

Store ewe lambs, all

173-300

Prime ewes, most

200-280

Charolais-dairy heifers, all

105-165

Store mixed-sex lambs, most

202-309

Prime mixed-sex lambs, most

220-340

Angus-dairy heifers, all

30-90

Temuka | September 10 | 889 cattle

Feilding | September 11 | 1141 cattle, 2029 sheep

Frankton | September 15, 16 | 953 cattle

$/kg or $/hd

$/kg or $/hd 2-year traditional steers, 465kg

5.82

2-year traditional steers, 460kg

2-year dairy-beef steers, 445kg

5.67

2-year dairy-beef heifers, 390kg

4.85

2-year dairy-beef heifers, 400kg

5.27

Yearling traditional steers, 290kg

5.73

Aut-born R2 dairy-beef steers, 380kg

5.61

Yearling dairy-beef steers, 270kg

5.27

Yearling traditional steers, 350kg

6.54

Yearling Friesian bulls, 230kg

5.29

Yearling dairy-beef steers, 315kg

5.81

Yearling exotic-beef heifers, 250kg

5.71

Yearling traditional bulls, 250kg

5.99

Temuka | September 14 | 410 cattle, 2512 sheep

Yearling Friesian bulls, 255kg

5.81

Yearling dairy-beef heifers, 270kg

5.46

Mixed-age ewes & lambs, most

158-180

Store ewe lambs, most

151-250

Feilding | September 14 | 87 cattle, 5330 sheep

$/kg or $/hd Boner Friesian cows, 550kg

3.84

Prime ewes, most

160-298

Prime cryptorchid lambs, all

324-379

Prime male lambs, all

260-371

Prime ewe lambs, most

200-361

Prime mixed-sex lambs, most

220-378

Coalgate | September 10 | 212 cattle, 2915 sheep

$/kg or $/hd Yearling dairy-beef steers, 290kg

5.37

Prime dairy-beef steers, 660kg

4.78

Prime traditional heifers, 495kg

5.01

Prime dairy-beef heifers, 495kg

4.93

Mixed-age ewes & lambs, most

162-167

Store ewe lambs, most

184-247

Store mixed-sex lambs, most

Friesian bulls, all

25-160

Hereford-Friesian (black) bulls, all

110-380

Charolais-dairy bulls, all

15-350

Hereford-Friesian (black) heifers, all

50-270

Charolais-dairy heifers, all

100-270

Angus-dairy heifers, all

20-120

$/kg or $/hd Prime traditional steers, 505kg

5.08

Prime dairy-beef steers, 580kg

5.10

Prime traditional heifers, 540kg

5.08

Boner Friesian cows, 525kg

3.37

Store mixed-sex lambs, most

Cambridge | September 15 | 522 cattle

$/kg or $/hd Hereford-Friesian (black) bulls, all

190-370

Hereford-Friesian (red) bulls, all

40-105

Charolais-dairy bulls, all

160-280

200-246

Angus-dairy bulls, all

8-175

Store Merino mixed-sex lambs, most

190-209

Hereford-Friesian (black) heifers, all

75-125

Prime ewes, most

200-280

Charolais-dairy heifers, all

140-340

Prime mixed-sex lambs, most

220-320

Te Awamutu | September 10 | 326 cattle

$/kg or $/hd

Balclutha | September 16

$/kg or $/hd

Friesian bulls, all

10-190

Store lambs, most

170-220

Hereford-Friesian (black) bulls, all

190-460

Prime ewes, most

190-266

Hereford-Friesian (red) bulls, all

90-245

Prime lambs, most

240-300

Charolais-dairy bulls, all

20-320

Angus-dairy bulls, all

10-340

Hereford-Friesian (black) heifers, all

40-320

Hereford-dairy heifers, all

50-100

Charolais-dairy heifers, all

40-220

Angus-dairy heifers, all

40-300

Lorneville | September 15

$/kg or $/hd Yearling dairy-beef steers, 325kg

1660

Prime dairy-beef steers, 480kg

4.80

Boner cows, 575kg

3.46

Store lambs, most

130-180

Prime ewes, most

220-400

190-222

Prime lambs, most

140-310

Store Halfbred ewe lambs, all

152-216

Feeder Calf Sales

Prime ewes, most

209-332

Tuakau | September 14 | 393 cattle

Prime lambs, most

249-358

Canterbury Park | September 15 | 416 cattle, 969 sheep

$/kg or $/hd

5.18

$/kg or $/hd

Tirau | September 16 | 569 cattle

$/kg or $/hd Friesian bulls, all

10-170

Hereford-Friesian (black) bulls, all

200-435

Hereford-Friesian (red) bulls, all

80-240

Hereford-dairy bulls, all

80-150

Charolais-dairy bulls, all

90-450

Friesian bulls, most

40-110

$/kg or $/hd

Hereford-Friesian (black) bulls, all

170-430

2-year dairy-beef heifers, 360kg

4.41

Hereford-Friesian (red) bulls, all

110-170

Angus-dairy bulls, all

85-240

Yearling traditional steers, 245kg

5.64

Hereford-dairy bulls, all

95-120

Hereford-Friesian (black) heifers, all

30-180 35-85

Yearling traditional heifers, 255kg

5.09

Charolais-dairy bulls, all

110-305

Hereford-Friesian (red) heifers, all

Prime traditional steers, 550kg

5.19

Angus-dairy bulls, all

65-200

Hereford-dairy heifers, all

40-80

Prime dairy-beef heifers, 490kg

4.89

Hereford-Friesian (black) heifers, most

110-310

Charolais-dairy heifers, all

100-220

Store mixed-sex lambs, most

150-166

Hereford-dairy heifers, all

10-50

Angus-dairy heifers, all

15-160

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Weather

In partnership with ruralweather.co.nz

Drier trend starting to emerge for many Philip Duncan

NEWS

Weather

S WE get closer to October we’re now at the time of year when things can dry out fast due to more daylight hours, higher temperatures and more windy westerlies. New Zealand is still getting frequent rainmakers but from week to week the soil moisture deficit maps show constant change. Back in the depths of winter one week to the next didn’t tend to see much difference, unless heavy rain fell. Now we’re seeing the drier areas emerge a little more, especially around the North Island. In recent weeks two things have been occurring climate-wise. The highs around southern and eastern Australia have been large in size and powerful in air pressure, bringing significantly widespread dry weather to large parts of the continent. Air pressure has been higher than normal for this time of year, and that isn’t too surprising considering El Niño tends to do

this to our side of the Pacific. While air pressure has been higher than the historical norm for this time of year around Australia and the Tasman Sea, we’ve seen the opposite occur over the Southern Ocean. Air pressure over the past month has been lower than normal there. So between higher air pressure to our west, and lower pressure to our south, that puts NZ between it all – bringing us the surges in westerlydriven weather since August.

The highs around southern and eastern Australia have been ... bringing significantly widespread dry weather to large parts of the continent. As we head towards the end of September we see even more high pressure in the NZ area. Most highs have not been centred over NZ – most have been to our west or just to our north. By mid to late this week high pressure from the Tasman Sea may move further into the NZ area, with a chance of it tracking over the upper North

Island late week – but at the same time another surge of windy westerlies kicks back into the South Island. By next week we may again be back to high pressure right across the subtropical region to our north, and more high pressure out over the Tasman Sea and southern and eastern parts of Australia. I said a few months back that one of the things to look for as we go into spring is for high-pressure zones to all connect up – with no lows in between. When this happens we tend to get a ceiling of high pressure north and west of NZ, which keeps the cold fronts still coming into the South Island but limits how much wet weather makes to northern NZ and some eastern parts of both main islands. This means Southland is likely to continue leaning windier, colder and wetter this month – and likely going into October. Northland, however, leans drier, calmer and milder. There is no immediate end in sight to this pattern or the uptick in these high-pressure zones to our north and west all connecting and limiting rain makers. Put short, it appears we’re now

OPTIONAL: Rainfall for the rest of September – not totally dry, but not super wet for many either. Image: WeatherWatch.co.nz entering drier phases of weather for more places. The west to sou’west flow means the West Coast and Southland still have rain and the western North Island still has showers. The long range rain maps to early October show the bulk of the rain (300mm+) coming to Fiordland and maybe south Westland. A hundred millimetres or so is

expected for the top half of the West Coast. Southland and Otago have between 100mm (coastal Southland) and 60mm (Western Otago). The western North Island has generally 20-40mm while eastern areas from Northland to Canterbury look to have between just 5mm and 30mm on the way through to October 2.

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