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From left, John Chapman, CEO of MATES in Construction; Lucy Waterreus, CEO of ClubsNZ; Barbara Kuriger, MP for King Country and Taranaki, deputy speaker of the house, and Patron of the Whatever with Wiggy Charitable Trust; and Craig Wiggins, meeting in Parliment in 2025. Supplied. Rising fuel costs are placing fresh pressure on rural New Zealand, adding to the growing burden of many local farmers. And Craig Wiggins, founder of the Mid Canterbury ‘Whatever With Wiggy’ mental h

Giving the finals a red hot crack The Woodbury Domain erupted with applause, when Coldstream local Jack Taggart was announced as the winner of the Aorangi Young Farmers regionals. “This is Jack’s year”, said Aorangi Chairman Mitch Aldrigre, cheering along with the crowd. “He really deserves this, we’re all rooting for him.” 26 year-old Taggart, a young dairy farmer from the Hinds Young Farmers Club, usually spends his days at Skibbereen Farm in Coldstream, where he manages th

Coldstream dairy farmer Jack Taggart was crowned Aorangi FMG Young Farmer of the Year on Saturday evening, earning himself a place in the 2026 Grand Final. Supplied. Under the hot Canterbury sun, the sound of a cheering crowd carries over the noise of chainsaws and drills. Fence posts are hammered into the ground with loud, echoing thuds. Sheep shears buzz, and a tractor whirs to life. Humming over it all: the sound of joy, excitement and proud support. “I’m just so stoked,”