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The Canterbury A&P Show’s return to its traditional Wednesday-to-Friday format has gained a significant vote of confidence, with farmer-owned co-operative Ravensdown signing on as naming-rights sponsor for the next two years. Now known as the Ravensdown Canterbury A&P Show, the partnership comes as the Canterbury A&P Association continues to strengthen the event’s financial position and sharpen its focus on agriculture, farmers and the rural businesses that have long been at

Ashley Rakahuri School pupils get behind the PTA’s ambitious Ford Ranger raffle fundraiser for a new playground. From left: Emmy Gregory-Hunt, Brody Gregory-Hunt, Stevie Dyer, Lucy Young, Zoey Gascoyne, Milla Dyer, Evie Clifford and Beaudan Clifford. Supplied. After five years of fundraising for a new playground, Ashley Rakahuri School parents realised they were facing a frustrating problem. They were raising money, but inflation was rising almost as quickly. “We were finding

South Canterbury farmer Colin Hurst says his new role as national president of Federated Farmers is about service, teamwork and ensuring farmers have a strong voice where decisions are made. The mixed arable and dairy farmer from the Waimate area was elected president at Federated Farmers’ annual meeting in June after serving three years as vice-president. For Hurst, the presidency continues a commitment to giving back to the farming community. “It is about community service

The back of The Rural Collective jersey carries the message: “Behind every farm is a mind that matters.” A group of Year 13 students from Christchurch Girls’ High School have launched a rural clothing business with a purpose, using their own farming backgrounds to support conversations around wellbeing in rural communities. The Rural Collective was founded by Lucy Honeywell, Grace McKnight, Maddy Judd, Millie McAlistair and Georgia Henderson, who all board at Acland House and

BetterMan founders Ryan Astle, Todd Astle and Ged Robinson are taking their popular Quiz and Some Other Shizz format rural, with the first Rural Edition being held at Terrace Downs in partnership with Mid Canterbury and North Canterbury Rural Support Trusts. Mid Canterbury and North Canterbury Rural Support Trust is teaming up with men’s wellbeing charity BetterMan for a different kind of rural mental health event, one built around quizzes, competition, humour and a good nig

“We know the average outcome of El Niño, but no El Niño is average.” That is the message from Earth Sciences New Zealand Chief Scientist Weather and Seasonal Forecasting Chris Brandolino, as farmers begin preparing for what could be one of the strongest El Niño events on record. Earth Sciences New Zealand has confirmed El Niño conditions have developed in the tropical Pacific and expects the climate driver to strongly influence New Zealand’s weather through spring, summer and

Howdy founder Mia Ryan launched the rural-focused dating app after struggling to meet like-minded people while living and working in regional Australia. Supplied If you’ve spent any time on modern dating apps, chances are you’ve seen it all before. Dead pig photos. Fish photos. Gym selfies. Bios demanding “someone who doesn’t take life too seriously”. Conversations that start with “hey” and end in ghosting. Now imagine trying to navigate all of that from the middle of rural N

Rosa Power (right) and Margo Flanagan say the idea behind Two Raw Sisters has always been about simplifying wellness and helping people feel good through practical, nourishing food. How Two Raw Sisters are helping New Zealanders rethink food, wellbeing and the cost of living For Margo Flanagan, the answer to feeling better was never found in another diet, wellness trend or expensive health hack. It was found in simplicity. In slowing down. In learning how to use what was alr

West Otago dairy farmer Luke Kane receives the 2026 Rabobank Dr John Morris Business Development Prize from Rabobank’s Elio Pegorer at the Executive Development Programme awards evening. Supplied. West Otago dairy farmer Luke Kane has taken out a prestigious trans-Tasman farming award, winning the 2026 Rabobank Dr John Morris Business Development Prize. The award is presented through Rabobank’s Executive Development Programme (EDP) and recognises an outstanding business devel

Amy Po-Ching says financial confidence starts with understanding your position, knowing what you own, what you owe and where you want to go financially. Supplied. When Levridge founder and financial adviser Amy Po-Ching stood in front of a room full of women at the Women in Seed Forum in Christchurch last month, the discussion quickly turned from KiwiSaver and investing to women can feel uncomfortable talking about : financial independence. But it’s a conversation worth havin

Glen Thurston speaking at the NZDA conference as part of ongoing conversations around mental health, firearm safety and help-seeking within the hunting community. Supplied. For MentalHunts co-founder Glen Thurston, the conversations around mental health and firearms legislation deeply personal. The father, builder and passionate hunter has spent much of his life navigating depression, burnout and alcohol abuse. Those experiences eventually led him to launch MentalHunts alongs

Kylie Dorr (center) receiving her award for Supreme Winner of the 2026 NZI Rural Women Business Awards at Parliament from NZI’s Christina Chellow (right) and Kylie’s supporter and mother Sandy Dorr (Left). Kylie Dorr admits she was in shock when her name was called as the Supreme Winner of the 2026 NZI Rural Women Business Awards. The owner of Southern Reproductive had already taken out the Emerging Enterprise category at the awards before being named the overall winner at

For years, rural New Zealand has been told to “speak up” and “reach out” when things get tough. But for many people living and working in the country, asking for help is rarely that simple. Isolation, workload pressure, financial stress, relationship strain and the deeply ingrained culture of simply “getting on with it” can all become barriers long before someone ever reaches crisis point. That is where Fiona McCracken believes things need to change. After years working acros

Lynton Downs homestead sits beneath the towering inland Kaikōura ranges, surrounded by mature trees, gardens and rolling farmland. There is a quiet kind of magic about Lynton Downs. Maybe it is the stillness of the hills. The creak of an old homestead staircase. The sight of sheep moving through the paddocks beneath mountain ranges that seem to rise straight out of the earth. Or perhaps it is the feeling that this is a place layered with stories. Built in the 1860s and added

When Anna King entered the NZI Rural Women Business Awards, she did not quite realise the scale of what she was stepping into. A client had suggested she apply, and King, founder of Pilates and movement business AnnaFit, decided to give it a go. “I didn’t even know about the Rural Women Business Awards. It was one of my clients who told me about it,” King says. “When I applied, I actually didn’t realise how big it was. I just thought, that looks really cool, and off I went.”

Emmy Maxwell says Rural Women New Zealand should have consulted members before lodging its submission on the Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill. Supplied. Rural Women New Zealand says its opposition to the Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill was a board-led advocacy decision, but one rural woman says members should have been consulted before the organisation spoke publicly on their behalf. Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) is facing q

Anna Munro (left) Abbey Mackenzie, and Pete Wilkinson bring a country sound to rural stages across Mid Canterbury. The Landgirls are not trying to be a big band. The Mid Canterbury trio, made up of Anna Munro, Abbey Mackenzie and drummer Pete Wilkinson, play the kind of music that fits where they live. Country leaning, harmony driven, and built for rural halls, pubs and paddock gatherings. “It’s definitely got a bit of a country vibe… just songs that people like hearing. It i

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon presents Tom Slee with the FMG Young Farmer of the Year trophy at the Season 58 Grand Final in New Plymouth. Otago Southland dairy farmer Tom Slee has become the third member of his family to win the FMG Young Farmer of the Year title after a dramatic late comeback at the Grand Final in New Plymouth. The reality of winning New Zealand’s most prestigious farming competition had still not fully sunk in for Slee when he returned south. “It’s pret

Canterbury Young Grower of the Year winner Amber Davy (right) with Canterbury Growers Association chair Rob Lindsay. Photo: Supplied Amber Davy may have fallen into the potato industry by accident, but seven years on she has firmly established herself as one of horticulture’s emerging leaders. The 29-year-old Eurogrow quality and field manager has won the 2026 Canterbury Young Grower title after competing against six other contestants at Lincoln University on June 25. Davy wi

Awapiri Station owners Eric and Sally Smith are balancing high country farming with diversification and planning for the next generation. There are easier ways to farm than how Eric and Sally Smith do it at Awapiri Station. But easier isn’t the point. Set deep in the Awatere Valley, Awapiri stretches long and narrow across high country, climbing from valley floor to hilltops where access is often old-school. Here, farming still happens largely on foot, on horseback, or increa