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Women working and living on farms across Aotearoa New Zealand are being urged to take part in a national survey researchers hope will help fill a long-standing gap in rural wellbeing data. The Health and Wellbeing of Women in Farming survey is being run by researchers from Massey and Lincoln Universities and is open to women who work and/or live on-farm. Massey University’s Nicky Stanley-Clarke says while rural mental health has become a much more visible issue in recent year

Laura MacDonald says modern homesteading is less about perfection and more about learning practical skills over time. Supplied There is a loaf of fresh bread cooling on the bench, children collecting eggs outside and herbs growing in pots by the door. For many New Zealanders, that kind of life once felt old-fashioned. Now, amid rising food prices and growing interest in slower, simpler living, homesteading is making a comeback. But according to Waikato mum Laura MacDonald of

A harvest from the garden. What began as a small project has become a steady source of food and flowers. There is something quietly powerful about turning a patch of lawn into something that feeds you. Not in a grand, self-sufficient, off-grid kind of way. Just a few raised beds. A handful of herbs. A couple of rows of vegetables. Enough to change how you cook, how you shop, and how you think about food. That is exactly what Holly van Dam has done. Through her growing online

Cheyne Gillooly says young people still want to farm “as much now, if not more than ever”, but are looking for new ways into ownership and modern farming systems. Supplied. As New Zealand heads towards the 2026 general election, New Zealand Young Farmers chief executive Cheyne Gillooly says one of the biggest frustrations for the next generation is not a lack of passion for farming, but a lack of policy that supports them to succeed. Gillooly says young people remain deeply c

Rural Women New Zealand chief executive Sandra Kirby said uncertainty around fuel supply and pricing was creating anxiety for many rural families already dealing with significant transport demands. As New Zealand heads towards the 2026 New Zealand general election, Rural Women New Zealand says rural families are continuing to face growing pressure around cost of living, fuel, isolation and access to basic services. Chief executive Sandra Kirby said many of the issues affecti

A new partnership between Farmlands, Rural Support Trust and digital wellbeing platform ignite is set to make it easier for farmers, growers, farm workers and their families to access mental health and wellbeing support, without leaving the farm gate. Announced at the Rural Industry Leaders Dinner on the opening night of Fieldays 2026, the three-year partnership comes as the Government’s draft Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2026–2036 identifies rural communities as a gr

A red shed sits against the hills near Parnassus (photograph). Bruce Mortimer Bruce Mortimer does not describe his work as rural. But his landscapes will feel familiar to anyone who spends time in open country. Wide horizons, open space, and a single element holding its place against something much larger. It is not farming, but it is the same land farming sits in. Originally from England, and raised in the Netherlands and South Africa, Bruce Mortimer has called New Zealand

No matter which government comes to power after the 2026 New Zealand general election, it may make little difference to farmers if the people speaking on their behalf are not getting it right. That is the view of Groundswell spokesperson Jamie McFadden, who says the biggest issue facing the sector is not just policy, but a growing disconnect between farmers, advocacy groups and government. “The biggest challenge is the disconnect,” McFadden said. “It’s a disconnect from the r

Marty (left) and Ollie Ashby, balancing experience with new approaches as the farm transitions through succession. Marty and Jo Ashby have been farming at Alkington, just out of Fernside, long enough to see the industry change more than once. What sits there now, a 172-hectare milking platform running around 600 cows, didn’t start out that way. Like much of North Canterbury, the turning point came with water. “When irrigation came in through Waimakariri Irrigation Ltd, that w

Justin Klar with one of his largest works on display at the Wānaka A&P Show. What started as a way to fill an empty driveway has quietly turned into something much bigger for Wānaka-based sculptor Justin Klar. The German-born artist, who now calls Central Otago home, only began working with metal just over a year ago. At the time, there was no grand plan. “My driveway was looking boring, and it just needed something,” he says. What came next wasn’t expected. Neighbours notice

More than 120 women from across New Zealand’s seed and arable sectors attended the annual Women in Seed Forum in Christchurch. Claire Inkson More than 120 women from across New Zealand’s seed and arable sectors gathered in Christchurch for the annual Women in Seed Forum, a day focused on leadership, innovation, wellbeing, business and connection within the industry. Hosted by Seed and Grain New Zealand on May 28, the event brought together women working across the sector for

The Next Chapter Bookshop has become a destination in its own right, drawing in readers from Wānaka and beyond Tucked behind the bustle of Wānaka’s lake-side main street, The Next Chapter Bookshop has become as much a destination as the town itself. “One thing we didn’t anticipate was becoming a visitor destination,” says owner Sally Battson. “We get a lot of travellers buying books. I’m constantly surprised by how many.” In an era where print media is supposedly being swallo

For Luke and Nicole Kane, entering the Ballance Farm Environment Awards was as much about taking stock of their business as it was about recognition. “Coming off the back of doing the Rabobank Executive Development Programme, we kind of thought we might have our ducks in a row better than we thought,” Luke Kane said. “So, we thought, let’s give it a go.” For Kane, who is also Otago provincial president of Federated Farmers, the process was a chance to step back and take a clo

Fresh apricots prepared for sampling at local markets, where the Wilsons connect directly with customers. On a hillside above Clyde, the rows don’t look quite how you might expect. Instead of big, spreading orchard trees, everything is trained tightly onto wires, more like a vineyard than a traditional fruit block. It’s deliberate, and it says a lot about the way Tammy and Trent Wilson approach farming. They didn’t come into horticulture through generations of orchardists. T

Men’s champion Jay Reeve and Women’s champion Abbey MacDonald celebrate after earning their place at the World Stone Skimming Championships in Scotland. Photo Deanna Gerlach An icy start on the shores of Lake Hāwea did little to deter the crowds gathering for the inaugural Aotearoa Stone Skimming Championships. The event, held on May 16, was presented by Novus Glass supporting Melanoma New Zealand. Wrapped in puffer jackets and beanies, spectators lined the lake edge while c

Arthur Burkes’s John Veale (left) and Tim McCracken with the new JAC ute at the Amuri A&P Show. Claire Inkson Chinese-built utes are gaining momentum in the New Zealand market, offering buyers a new value-driven option and beginning to reshape a segment long dominated by familiar brands. At Arthur Burke Ltd, which has its main branch in Amberley and a second workshop in Waikari, sales manager Tim McCracken says interest in the JAC T9 has been strong, particularly among tradie

Nathan and Joy Dodd at the Wānaka A&P Show in March. Claire Inkson On a clear Southland day, with Stewart Island visible off the back of the property, Nathan and Joy Dodd’s Glenham farm does what it has always done - just gets on with it. There is no big pitch, no grand claims. Just stock that performs, year in, year out. The Dodds run Glenvale Texel Stud with their son Ted on around 600 hectares of rolling hill country near Wyndham, alongside a self-contained sheep and beef

Tony and Michelle Roberts with Kate Roberts and Mark Lieshout, recognised as Southland Regional Supreme Winners at the Ballance Farm Environment Awards. Tony and Michelle Roberts, alongside daughter Kate and her partner Mark Lieshout, run their Merino Downs farm near Gore as Top Deck Trading, a family operation built on long term thinking, hard decisions and a willingness to adapt. This year, that approach saw them named 2026 Southland Regional Supreme Winners at the Ballance

Scott and Stacey Mackereth were named the 2026 New Zealand Share Farmers of the Year at the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards in Rotorua. Supplied. Southland couple Scott and Stacey Mackereth say people, relationships and creating opportunities for others have been central to their success after being named the 2026 New Zealand Share Farmers of the Year. The couple took out the national title at the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards in Rotorua on May 9, alongside three merit

Why local, seasonal shopping is finding its place again Becks and Dryden Power at The Country House Greengrocer in Woodend. Greengrocers are quietly making a comeback. Rising food prices and a growing focus on seasonality are pushing more people to think about where they shop and what they’re buying. In the small town of Woodend in North Canterbury, one store is leaning into it. At The Country House Greengrocer, people aren’t just moving in and out. There’s a coffee from next