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by Andy Bryenton
The coalition government has proposed another hard-hitting change to local government for 2026; a rates rise cap, which has met with a mixed response.
“The bottom line is that councils need to be focussed on the mustdo, not the nice-to-do stuff,” said prime minister Christopher Luxon. “You can’t have inflation at three per cent and rates going up, up over 12 per cent. That’s just not acceptable.”
The nation’s lowest rates rises for 2025 sat at just over eight per cent, with many exceeding double digits, fuelled in part by the need to prepare for Local Waters Done Well. This would still be more than double the amount MP Simon Watts says could be the upper limit of the cap.
“Analysis suggests a target range of two to four per cent per capita, per year. This means rates increases would be limited to a maximum of four per cent,” Watts said. “A minimum increase is necessary, so councils can continue to provide essential services like rubbish collection, council roads maintenance and the management of parks and libraries.”
The cap will apply to all sources of rates; general rates, targeted rates and uniform annual charges. However, it will exclude water charges and other nonrates revenue like fees and charges. Opponents of the scheme have pointed out that this could mean that userpays fees and charges are on the way, or on the way up, for using amenities
like boat ramps, sports fields, libraries and pools.
There’s also been a response from civic councils around the country saying that such a cap ignores the prime drivers of rising council costs. These are inflation, which heavily impacts the number one council expenses, roading and infrastructure maintenance, and regulatory changes imposed by the same government now proposing the rates cap scheme.
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If you would prefer to transport your animal yourself or have your horse or cow put down on the farm then we can arrange this with a No Hassell guarantee.
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Welcome back to an exciting year of the Manawatū Farming Lifestyles. Now owned by Rural Matters Ltd, our team looks forward to keeping our farming community up to date, heard and seen with local stories and news that affect them.
Happy New Year, we are excited to do 2026 with you. Looking forward to the future, we as a company want to keep you informed with relevant news, information and uplifting stories.
Last year, we faced challenges. This publication, once owned by Integrity Community Media, was put into administration and subsequently liquidated. Amid our team’s loyalty in believing that what we do matters, we kept moving forward, with Rural Matters stepping to the fore to own the mastheads.
Emerging victorious, the Farming Lifestyles family is thriving and striving to ensure we bring our readers great content. New opportunities and challenges await us all, but as ever, the farming community keeps going, no matter the situation, and we will continue with you.
As always, our team will scrutinise and inform on political issues, solutions and policies facing farmers this election year. This year, we hope to share the wonderful journeys people have been on, their passions for agriculture and their success in the industry. We will print the latest and upcoming wheels and vehicles in farming, amongst other technologies.
This year, our editor Andy Bryenton has shaken things up with his vision for the paper. In this month’s publication, you will discover feature stories, automotive
successes, local news and other pieces we think you will like — it is a refresh we think our readers will love.
Celebrating more than 30 years of Central Districts Field Days in March, we encourage you to attend the show, make connections, witness inventions and technology benefitting the rural sector and other opportunities. If there is anything you’d like to see covered this
The Rural Matters team is ready to go for another year, ensuring people in businesses and the farming community are heard year, any great stories about farming ingenuity, local news or issues, we welcome you to email us at info@rml.nz. If you wish to advertise, we invite you to call our sales team (contact numbers on page two).
We wish everyone a happy, safe and prosperous new year!
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by Amy Fifita
Established as a public-private partnership, Mānuka Farming NZ was designed to grow the mānuka honey industry through the identification of science-led best practices.
The company continues to help the industry’s recovery, while also advising landowners on the integral role of mānuka as a cornerstone of native planting for land retirement and ecological restoration. It leads the way for farmers to diversify their revenue streams and look after the land for future generations.
“Plantation mānuka honey is still in its infancy,” said client relationship manager Bronwyn Douglas. “The honey industry grew quickly, resulting in an explosion of hives across the country.
“That led to a glut of honey and a fall in prices, driving many beekeepers
away from mānuka. There’s no honey glut, and we‘re seeing prices move upwards sharply.”
Founded more than 12 years ago, as part of MPI’s Primary Growth Partnership programme, Mānuka Farming NZ led trials of purpose-bred mānuka cultivars derived from wild stands throughout New Zealand. The project successfully built a set of protocols to improve the quality and quantity of high-UMF mānuka honey. It includes the use of the mānuka cultivars bred for vigorous growth, increased floral density and fitness for use in various climate conditions.
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The company recommends specific cultivars based on the land location to be planted, and site-specific challenges like propensity for drought or frost.
“The field research was delivered by Massey University, which also produced three PhD projects from the findings and a wide range of information,” said senior ecologist Maggie Olsen.
“We tested different mānuka cultivars at plantation sites throughout New Zealand. We concentrated our research on a wide variety of important factors for plantation establishment success: tree growth, disease resistance,
planting operations, nectar quality, flowering period, honey outcomes and environmental interactions.
“The seed lines developed have improved growing characteristics compared to the wild types. With our cultivar collections, we can match these according to ecotype and region.”
With eight cultivars to select from, farmers from across the country can diversify their revenue streams by adding honey production to the mix. Matching the flowering time and the bees’ activity time ensures the bees can successfully harvest nectar for honey production.
“We provide our clients with a customised planting plan to meet their specific needs and goals. In addition to recommendations about mānuka cultivars, we also advise on non-mānuka support species suitable for specific locations and integral to bee health.
“By acting as pollen and nectar sources when the mānuka is not flowering, it ensures a diverse diet for the bees’ health. Everyone benefits from diversity in their diet, even the bees.
“We also advise on the optimal number and placement of hives to maximise the time the bees are on the mānuka flower exclusively. It adds to the quality and value of the honey. This scientific approach brings much greater certainty and reliability of outcomes for landowners.”
The variety of traits found in specialised mānuka cultivars is not only useful for landowners looking to establish honey
production. They are also ideally suited as a cornerstone of land retirement and restoration projects
“For the hard-to-farm steep back country where radiata is unsuitable, mānuka is usually the most cost-effective option. There’s so much erosion-prone land in New Zealand, and mānuka is a great way to anchor those slopes, whether alone or in concert with other tree species. The low-cost option benefits the land,” said Bronwyn. “Having seed orchards for our special cultivars, we select that seed, grow it in our nurseries and plant out following the plan, normally planting during winter. We also do the essential preparation and post-management for the site — weed and pest control.”
Maggie says many farmers are at the mercy of commodity prices. Mānuka honey prices aren’t closely tied to those products, which is useful as a
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complementary source of revenue. “It creates a carbon revenue, too. It’s a way for farmers to maximise returns from unproductive pastoral land and even beautify their property with trees. You will see the benefits of the native biodiversity, an increase in birds, bees, erosion management and water quality.
“Honey prices are stabilising and increasing steadily. The industry would benefit from having a more stable supply based on purpose-built plantations, rather than relying heavily on the wild supply.
“Our goal is to help landowners meet their economic and ecological goals with maximum reliability and minimum cost. Whether that means establishing a mānuka plantation or retiring unproductive hill-country grazing land, we’ve the practical experience and science-led backing to deliver.”
by Denise Gunn
Central Districts Field Days is just around the corner, showcasing the latest in rural innovation, agricultural displays, demonstrations and exhibits on-site at Manfeild Park in Feilding.
Now in its 33rd year, the Central Districts Field Days has grown to become a regular highlight on the rural calendar.
Since its early beginnings with 230 exhibitors setting up their sites in 1993, the field days now sees close to 500 booked well in advance each year.
Over the week leading up to the event, the 33ha Manfeild Park is transformed from a paddock into a small town as exhibitors set up on-site.
The Central Districts Field Days has also evolved into New Zealand’s largest regional agriculture event, drawing a crowd of around 26,000 visitors to the region.
With cutting-edge technology and machinery, the latest rural innovations and product launches, along with a range of merchandise and services for the farm, home and lifestyle, the field days have something for everyone. The family-friendly event also provides visitors with an opportunity to view product demonstrations, go shopping, sample gourmet food and beverages, watch competitions and enjoy live entertainment.
The Civil Contractors New Zealand Cable Price National Excavator Operator Competition, the New Zealand Fencing Contractors Central Districts Doubles Fencing Competition, and the Southern North Island Wood Council Golden Loader Competition will be held during the field days. These competitions always draw large crowds keen to watch the action.
Gates open on Thursday, March 19 through to Saturday, March 21 from 9am until 4pm each day. Visitor entrances are off South Street and Kawakawa Road.
A limited number of mobility scooters are available for hire during the event. Bookings are essential by phoning 06 357 7943 or emailing shop@ mobilitymanawatu.co.nz. Hireage is $30 for half a day or $50 per full day.
Tickets are available online now at cdfielddays.co.nz, saving money and time standing in queues. Tickets can be purchased at the gates on the day, too.
Further information is available at cdfielddays.co.nz.
by Denise Gunn
Interest from the community in sunflowers the Stewart family planted around a maize crop in 2022, led them to open a sunflower field on their Hiwinui farm each year.
More than 200,000 sunflowers are now planted each season in a four and a half acre paddock along Ashhurst Road.
Julia Stewart said her entire family pitched in to help.
“We aim to plant early November. Germination is normally about a week and takes on average 12 weeks until they flower, lasting two to three weeks.
“We design the field on paper first and once plants are about shin height, we go in and mark out our paths. This year, we invested in a drone so that’s made things a bit easier.”
Last year, a large path following the shape of a love heart was created within the sunflower field.
“This year, we have stepped it up with a flower, so we wanted to make sure that it looked right. We also carve in the walking tracks.”
As a working farm, the family has most of the machinery required to cover the majority of the work.
“Dad, my brother James, and husband Gian can do this. We do our own ploughing, discing, then a fertiliser company comes in to apply that. We get back on to power harrow and then a contractor comes in and plants with a precision planter.
“From there, it’s a waiting game, and it’s all on in the New Year getting the field ready for opening. Lots of props go
in and Gian is busy building new things. This year, we have a new site office,” said Julia.
A pick-your-own sunflowers option is available at a small cost. With each sunflower picked, the Stewart family donates $1 to Arohanui Hospice.
“We have got a mixture of standard sunflowers with a plum and white variety this year.”
Over the winter, Julia grew around 150 dahlias from seed. These dahlias have been planted in the field’s newly extended picnic area, which features a large marquee with seating.
Seeing the looks of enjoyment on the faces of visitors experiencing the sunflower field is one of the highlights for the Stewart family.
“Everyone is so happy. It’s the best experience and very fulfilling to offer the experience. On peak weekends, we saw an average of over 900 people a day.”
When the field closes, the sunflowers are put into feed for cows.
“Sunflowers provide a good source of fat for them and make their coats all beautiful and shiny.”
The Hiwinui Sunflower Field opened around Wellington Anniversary weekend. The family will also have a barrel train operating on Saturday, January 24 to Sunday, January 25 to drive children
around the sunflower field. Social media pages keep the public updated.
“This year, we had a fairly good start to the season. It wasn’t as wet as last year and the sunflowers have really taken off,” Julia said.
by Andy Bryenton
The second world war was over, and the mechanisation of farming had come, spurred by the importation of farm machinery from the US, which Kiwis used to feed hungry troops. When Harry designed the TE20, soon to be known as the ‘little grey Fergie’, his plan was to standardise implements and make tractors versatile.
Since 1928 Ferguson had been working to combine his ideas of a threepoint hitch, PTO and suction-side valvecontrolled hydraulic system into one machine. The TE20 popularised this combination worldwide, to the extent that examples sit in museums as far apart as Poland and Canada. With its small size, tight turning radius and reliable, simple motor, the Fergie could outperform horses and access areas too small to be ploughed by bigger machines.
The ability to use one tractor to undertake a whole range of jobs on the farm was game-changing. By 1950 there were more than 60 official implements which could be used with the TE20,
With
the little grey Fergie became a bestseller.
It also became a legend. In Australia, there’s a monument to this small utility tractor where the Darling and Murray rivers meet. During a huge flood in 1956 the levees burst and the two huge waterways threatened to destroy the town of Wentworth. A fleet of TE20 tractors rebuilt the stop banks and saved the settlement.
A TE20 named Betsy, from Britain, circumnavigated the entire coastline of that island nation in 2003, securing a Guinness World Record for the longest ever journey by tractor, of 5,111 kilometres without a breakdown.
Then there’s the fact that the TE20 is the only tractor ever to feature on a New Zealand bank note. Between 1992 and 2015, the little Fergie was pictured on the bottom left corner of the five-dollar bill, next to the portrait of Sir Edmund Hillary. It was there because in 1958 the intrepid Sir Ed converted six TE20s to cross Antarctica. They became the first machines to drive to the south pole, and cemented the legacy of the little grey Fergie as a machine which could tackle any task.
by Denise Gunn
Palmerston North’s Festival of Cultures returns in February, bringing three days of food, music and culture to celebrate the diverse cultural communities in this city.
The festival opens on Thursday, February 19 with a new addition to the programme — a Multicultural Family Movie Night from 6–8.30pm in Te Marae o Hine/ The Square. Families are invited to bring a picnic blanket or chairs to relax and enjoy an evening of entertainment. There will be a children’s activities zone and plenty of food trucks on-site, too.
Manawatū Multicultural Council programme/event coordinator Yuanindya Inggita said there are also a couple of other new initiatives.
“We are introducing Threads of the World, which is an area at the World Fair where there will be a selection of costumes from different countries, with blurbs to learn about each costume.
“Another initiative is called Sharing Stories. This will feature a number of community members from different parts of the world. It will be like an open discussion, talking about food, cultures, Kiwi customs and places in Palmy that remind you of home. The general public
can sit down and listen to these discussions,” said Yuanindya.
The World Fair, which is to be held on Saturday, February 21, from 10.30am–3.30pm in Te Marae o Hine/The Square, will showcase global flavours, cultural performances, art, dance and activities for children. This is an ideal opportunity for visitors to experience cultures from all around the world in one venue.
A relaxed afternoon at the Teas, Coffees and Beverages of the World will conclude the festival on Sunday, February 22 from 2–5pm at Caccia Birch House in Te Awe Awe Street. Visitors are invited to enjoy conversations over a cuppa while sampling various teas, coffees and other hot and cold beverages.
Yuanindya said there is normally quite a large range of ethnicities represented at the Festival of Cultures.
The annual, free and family-friendly event, which has been held since
A large range of ethnicities are represented at the Festival of Cultures 1993, usually draws a crowd of around 10,000 visitors.
Since 2017, the Palmerston North City Council has hosted this event in collaboration with the Manawatū
Multicultural Council and other community groups.
“It has always attracted a good audience from Palmy and out of town,” said Yuanindya.
by Andy Bryenton
There’s an entrenched housing crisis to beat, and new laws which came into effect last week will do their bit, says a triumvirate of parliamentarians.
‘Granny flats’ will now be able to be constructed in New Zealand backyards without building or resource consents, meaning that flexible choices for housing multiple generations on one property just became simpler to access.
The new rules mean it could cost thousands of dollars less to construct a small building, and they also slash up to 14 weeks from the building process.
That’s critical in areas where accommodation is needed badly, and will have an impact on both residential and rural properties. Small, standalone dwellings with a footprint of
up to 70 square metres fall under the new rule.
“We know Kiwis have been feeling the strain of the cost of living, so it’s great to see this long-awaited change, which will provide practical housing solutions that reduce costs for extended families, small communities and even businesses that provide staff accommodation, such as farms,” said Shane Jones, who has strongly advocated for this red-tapebeating measure.
“For too long, it has been overly difficult and expensive to provide the housing solutions New Zealanders need. Red tape
has increased the workload for local councils and blocked simple, affordable dwellings that meet families’ housing needs,” said building and construction minister Chris Bishop.
The government expects 13,000 new granny flats to be built in the next ten years, which is not just a boost for housing stocks, but also for the building industry itself. New jobs all along the supply and construction chain will be generated by this simple law change.
There’s the potential, too, for some of those new jobs to be apprenticeships. With the nation looking at a skills shortage, matching up young people in need of work and a viable long-term career path with those trades in need of helping hands should be a no-brainer. Bridging that gap with education, and support for businesses
who do the right thing and take on young apprentices, should be a priority for the government, and an election-year issue, say those in the building trade.
by Andy Bryenton
This year marks the 60th birthday of a real Kiwi battler; the little off-road machine they called the Trekka.
It was bold and boxy, innovative and ahead of its time. The crossover SUV before either of those terms existed, the Trekka was the brainchild of Phil Andrews and Noel Turner, who saw the Kiwi public being squeezed by hard-line vehicle importing laws in 1966. Their answer was to build vehicles here, and the recipe they cooked up combined a knowledge of local conditions with tech from behind the iron curtain of the Soviet Bloc.
Under its skin, which resembled a Land Rover in more ways than one, the Trekka was built on the mechanicals of a Skoda Octavia station wagon. A Czech product, in a time when that nation lay under the red empire of cold-war communism, the Skoda was not a common sight on western roads. However, it was built to be simple and tough. These qualities lent themselves well to the design philosophy of the Trekka.
Trekka team acknowledged the reality of Kiwi roads in 1966, and called for a light but capable machine. They aimed for the exact qualities, which have made Toyota’s Rav 4 a bestseller in 2025; economy, practicality and the ability to tackle a range of surfaces.
interior locally meant that 70 per cent of the Trekka was Kiwi, and that sidestepped the crushing import rules holding 1960s New Zealand in a kind of automotive limbo. Rural folk who had been forced to carve up Morris Minors into utes or thrash Prefects and Wolseleys down gravel roads were delighted.
The Australians took 50, in exchange for Holdens. The Indonesian government took 100, but allegedly then lost their wallet. Five Trekkas served with distinction at Quy Nhon during the Vietnam War, as part of New Zealand’s civilian hospital mission. All the while, people were buying the little go-anywhere machines in their hundreds. In the end, 2,500 were made.
museum in the Czech Republic, as an example of how innovation could span the rifts of the cold war. Oddly, the police drive Skoda Octavia station wagons of a more modern type today.v
The body design, which was mated to that Czech running gear, was purely Kiwi; in fact, it originated in Kawerau. The
The styling was unapologetically an homage to the ‘landy’, because that’s what worked. Making the entire body and
The 1973 oil crisis, the relaxation of import laws, and the Japanese car boom that followed signalled the end for this bold experiment in local design. Rust and time took their toll, and 60 years on the Trekka is an elusive beast, coveted by collectors. One sits in the Skoda factory
by Amy Fifita
From fitness to dancing to mediaeval knights, Levin is an adventure of interests for
town this summer.
There are three upcoming events in February set to fascinate audiences and bring families together. Each different in nature, there will be fun to be had by people with varied interests.
The Mediaeval Market will transport people back in time to a world of sword battles and castles. Knights dressed in chain mail and mediaeval reenactments are just some of the activities for audiences to experience on Saturday, February 14, from 9am to 4pm.
The portal to ‘ye olde times’ will be at the Levin Showgrounds at 33 Victoria Street, Levin. The mediaeval theme even extends to the marketplace, where browsers can purchase trinkets and other
handmade crafts. The following weekend, on Sunday, February 22, is an opportunity for youth to get moving and warm up for the year at the Let’s Move Together Triathlon. A great way to get back into active sport after the Christmas holidays, the event is for children, young and old, even overgrown children (adults) can join.
A three-day series, Levin is the hump in the fitness fun from 9am–1pm at the Levin Domain. With a $5 fee across all ages, children, and even caregivers, are encouraged to run, cycle and swim.
Also, check out the Sensory Sessions every Sunday at the Levin Aquatic Centre for people with sensory processing challenges. A calm space with blinds drawn and lighting dimmed, the hour-long session from 9am to 10am, the service provides people with time and care to spend time in the water.
Finally, on Friday, February 27, The Movement Foundation is beginning its Fundraising Showcase. With three shows
available, the performances will feature dancers from 6–17 years old taking the
stage with their moving artistry of ballet, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, lyrical and acro acts.
Proceeds will go towards empowering young dancers in Horowhenua to access top-quality training through workshops and seminars. Shows are on Friday, February 27 from 7pm–8pm and Saturday, 28th 3pm–4pm and 5pm–6pm at the Levin Little Theatre.
by Paul Campbell
The Whanganui River is a gateway to the past and trips afloat are a hugely popular tourist as well as local activity adventure
one of the major New Zealand settlement pathways for both Māori and the later colonial arrivals.
Rich in history, it was vital to early transport networks and mostly remains as it was a century and more in the past. In fact the Whanganui urban and rural areas have generations of settlement and thus myriad stories to tell.
Originally known as Petre, the town was established 4km from the river mouth in 1840 with the official Wanganui arriving on 20 January 1854. The spelling has since been officially corrected to Whanganui, interpreted as “big bay or big harbour”. Declared a city in 1924, it was New Zealand’s fifth-largest until 1936.
The river or Te Awa O Whanganui, is the essential heartbeat for oral, visual and written creative expression over many centuries. It rises in the central North Island and begins its journey of nearly 300km to the Tasman Sea.
Along its length, Whanganui Iwi have had custodianship, emphasising the
affinity with their ancestral landscapes and culture. Negotiation for purchase of land with Whanganui Māori started as early as 1840 and was finalised in 1848 with 80,000 acres purchased. In 1841, the first settlers from England, Scotland and Ireland arrived.
Many had already bought land from the New Zealand Company, but until land sale issues were resolved, most settlers were confined to town. Tensions between Māori and settlers saw the installation
of a military garrison in 1846 and the British Army was in residence until early 1870.
By the early 1900s business in Whanganui was booming. The Whanganui River tourist trade took off, with thousands of passengers being transported on Alexander Hatrick’s riverboat fleet. Hatrick made the river accessible to everybody: rich tourists, farmers in the interior and Whanganui citizens.
Whanganui thrived as it serviced a huge fertile agricultural catchment area, rearing sheep and cattle, as well as growing barley, wheat, oats, maize, fruit and timber. For the visitor, a stop at the Whanganui Regional Museum is a great place to start, with its collection of 350,000 objects that celebrate the natural and cultural history, with collections dating from 1890. It is famed for its exceptional Taonga Māori Collection. It is home to the largest permanent collection of Moa bones in the world (over 1,000
well as housing an extensive collection of Lindaur paintings.
by Andy Bryenton
The end of 2025 saw a major trade deal inked between New Zealand and India,
leaving for the Indian market.
The deal capped a year in which tariffs were the buzzword, thanks to sometimes unpredictable moves from the US government, which caused instability in some spheres of international trade. New Zealand proved to be nimble and well positioned to take advantage; other deals with the United Arab Emirates and the EU deepened economic ties.
In January the talk shifted from tariffs to quotas, with China announcing strict beef import numbers, designed to help its own domestic market with a form of protectionism. New Zealand has been allocated a quota of 206,000 tonnes of beef each year, rising to 214,000 tonnes. Any tonnage above this figure would face duties.
On the face of it, this sounds like a return to some of the restrictive policies of yesteryear, but the devil is in the details of this potentially $1.75 billion development.
“This quota, whilst unwelcome, is larger than the last two years’ beef exports to China of around 150,000 tonnes per year, and New Zealand exports are unlikely to face restraint under the arrangements,”
says trade and investment minister Todd McClay.
“I’ve been able to make the case to my Chinese counterparts on three occasions last year that New Zealand exporters are not harming the Chinese beef market and therefore should not be adversely affected by any safeguard measures. Our quota allocation means beef exports under the China NZ FTA are, in practice, unaffected.”
This means that Kiwi beef headed for China will not be impacted unless output grows; good news for Mr McClay to deliver, as he’s also responsible for the agriculture portfolio. That export tonnage may be needed, though; other nations may well exceed their quotas, meaning that the headroom New Zealand has been afforded could be a blessing.
China is New Zealand’s second-largest beef market after the United States. In the 12 months to November 2025, 19 per cent of New Zealand’s beef exports by value, $961 million, went to China, representing approximately 4 per cent of China’s total beef imports. The appetite for high-quality meat in China continues
to grow along with that nation’s growing middle class, with 11 million tonnes of beef destined for Chinese supermarkets and restaurants this year.
We’re here for the good of the country. 8