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Sponsored content An on-farm pilot trial investigating calcium and magnesium supplementation in late-pregnancy and lactating ewes has recorded encouraging results, with ewes offered Vitalise gaining 4.8kg more liveweight than the control group from pre-lambing to weaning. Vitalise is a pelletised mineral supplement produced by CP Lime and originally developed for dairy cattle. The formulation used in the pilot supplied calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and trace elements.

Waipara Springs celebrates 36 years of wine, food, family and community. Thirty-six years and three generations is a legacy worth celebrating. Waipara Springs marked the milestone on October 16 with an intimate gathering at its historic winery restaurant. In typical Waipara Springs style, the evening was beautifully executed, without a hint of pretence. Among the guests were loyal customers, current and former staff, family, neighbours and friends. Everyone had played some pa

1. How has your rural upbringing and background shaped the person you are and the path you have taken? I grew up with an intergenerational interest and involvement in rural artisan crafts, including embroidery, patchwork and basketry. I was taught to knit, crochet and tat by my maternal grandmother and mother. Growing up on a farm also taught me to use initiative, make decisions, solve problems, get up early, do a job and finish it. There were plenty of fun times too, includi

Marie Black is Mayor of the Hurunui District, a role that places her at the heart of one of Canterbury’s most strongly rural communities. With deep ties to farming and community life, she brings a grounded understanding of the challenges and strengths that shape rural people and places. 1. As mayor of a largely rural district, how has your connection with rural people and communities shaped the way you lead? Living and farming in Hurunui District has given me a

From a high-country farm near Twizel, Kate Ivey has built a nationwide fitness business focused on helping women become stronger, healthier and more confident. Through Kate Ivey Fitness and DediKate, she has turned the realities of rural life, motherhood and limited access to gyms into a business with reach well beyond the farm gate. You built Kate Ivey Fitness and DediKate from a farm near Twizel. How much did rural life shape the business you eventually created? It is

Kate Acland is Chair of Beef + Lamb New Zealand, a Mid Canterbury farmer and the inaugural 2026 Rural Woman of the Year. A strong advocate for rural communities and the red meat sector, she brings both practical farming experience and national leadership to the table. You’ve reached one of the most influential governance positions in New Zealand agriculture. What has shaped the way you lead? I’ve been lucky to have some fantastic mentors along the way and a great network

Karen Williams is Chief Executive of Irrigation New Zealand and a long-time advocate for farmers and rural communities. With a background spanning farming, industry leadership and agricultural advocacy, she brings a practical voice to some of the sector’s biggest conversations around water, land use and the future of food production. 1. You’ve worked across farming, advocacy and irrigation leadership. What has kept drawing you into roles where rural voices need to be heard? M

As National President of Rural Women New Zealand, Heather Sorensen is helping steer one of the country’s longest-standing rural organisations into its next century. Her focus remains firmly on the women at the heart of rural communities and the connections, advocacy and support that keep those communities strong. Rural Women New Zealand has more than a century of history behind it. What does the organisation need to be for rural women now?          Interestingly, when I consi

My daily commute is filling up with glittering signs proclaiming pointless slogans from airbrushed, friendly-looking wannabe politicians angling for my vote. The news is full of stories about the Opportunity Party, while Labour is saying very little, presumably hoping National will lose before they put their foot in their mouth. Election season must be upon us. Most policy announcements from the major parties seem to focus on health and the cost of living, which is presumably

Recently, I had an experience that reminded me that not everyone is happy for you when you reach important personal or professional milestones. This particular milestone was proof that I had worked hard, studied hard and pushed myself to my limits. The person in question, through their dismissive, cutting comment, showed me something important: living with meaning will sometimes provoke people who aren’t living with theirs. It also reinforced some of the findings in my recent

Hinehou Timutimu is General Manager of Te Tawa Kaiti Lands Trust and the 2026 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year. Her leadership brings together farming, whenua, mātauranga Māori and a strong focus on creating a better future for the generations coming behind her. 1. Your leadership brings together people, whenua, farming and mātauranga Māori. How do those elements influence the decisions you make? Every decision begins with whakapapa — who we come from, who we stand for, and w

Another question from our European Rural Exchange students that stopped me and got me thinking. What is a good bugger? I don’t think it is the same thing as being nice. Nice can be manners. Nice can be smiling, saying the right thing, being pleasant to deal with. A good bugger can be blunt, scruffy, sarcastic and not especially polished. I think the thing with good buggers is that they notice. They notice what is happening around them, what other people need, what is about to

Stacey Hoets is part of a new generation building a future in dairy through equity partnership and a clear pathway towards farm ownership. Based at Akitu Dairies in Mid Canterbury, she and husband Jonathon were among three equal winners of the 2026 Fonterra & ASB First Farm Award at the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA), recognising first-generation farmers working towards farm ownership. 1. You and Jonathon have taken a first-generation pathway into equity partn

You’ve had another successful year on the farm: your accountant does the maths, tells you how much belongs to IRD, and you (willingly? begrudgingly?) write the cheque. Sound familiar? That’s certainly one option. But farming income is rarely consistent from one year to the next. The milk price moves, the next “100-year” weather event hits, or perhaps the price of diesel teeters at $3.80 a litre. Fortunately, our tax system contains provisions designed with that volatility

GateShare founder Em Nesbit with her children, Anthony, 7, and Layla, 6, at their Kekerengu lifestyle property. For two months, Em Nesbit watched thousands of vehicles pass her roadside stall on State Highway 1 near Kekerengu. Only one stopped. The sale was a meagre two seedlings, for $6. A few weeks later, she packed up the same produce and drove an hour to a growers’ market, where she sold out before lunch. “That was when I could see it wasn’t a problem with the produce,” N

Selwyn MP Nicola Grigg is Minister for the Environment, Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Minister for Women and Associate Minister for ACC. Raised on a sheep and beef farm at Mt Somers, she brings a strong rural perspective to national decision-making and remains closely connected to the communities she represents. 1. How much does your own connection with rural New Zealand influence the way you approach your roles in Parliament? It's at the heart of everythi

Corina Jordan is Chief Executive of both Fish & Game New Zealand and the New Zealand Game Animal Council, bringing a career that has crossed conservation, freshwater and farming advocacy. A former senior leader with Beef + Lamb New Zealand, she has spent much of her career working across the sometimes contested space between agriculture and the environment. Your work sits at the intersection of freshwater, conservation, recreation and rural communities. What has shaped the

Michelle Ruddell is Chairperson of the Rural Support Trust National Council and a dairy farmer, bringing both governance experience and a strong understanding of the realities facing rural families. Her work is focused on strengthening rural communities and ensuring support is there when people need it most. Rural Support sees people at some of the hardest points in rural life. What have those experiences taught you about rural communities? No one is immune to the challenges

Give farmers more certainty, and less impractical regulation, and they’ll continue to deliver for export earnings and New Zealand’s economy. I think that’s the headline message to take from our latest Farm Confidence Survey. It’s telling that a third of farmers named cutting regulation and compliance costs as their number one priority for the next government to deal with. That level of concern outstripped the second and third-ranked priorities, economic and fiscal policy chan

Regret starting to kick in, after the fourth round at the chilli eating competition last year. Event host Jay Madgwick-Pamment says the regret is “in the name!” Ashburton’s chilli lovers should prepare for a serious test of their taste buds when the Great Ashvegas Chilli Eating Competition returns to the Ashburton A&P Show. The competition, which proved a crowd favourite at last year’s show, will return for its second year at 11am on Saturday, October 31, with $500 on the lin