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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

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

Ashburton deputy mayor Richard Wilson, who chairs the stockwater transition group, described the decision to partially close the Pudding Hill stockwater race network as “a significant decision in our district's history". SUPPLIED The oldest stockwater scheme in Mid Canterbury has become the first domino to fall in a “significant decision in the district’s history”. The Ashburton District Council is working to exit the stockwater service delivery by June 30, 2027. The council

Hemp New Zealand business manager Nigel Hosking shows Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour around the Ashburton Hemp facility. Anisha Satya Hemp is not a drug – that was the message Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Regulation David Seymour shared while announcing a reform of growing rules at the Hemp New Zealand Ashburton facility. Industrial hemp will no longer require a licence to grow if the plants contain less than 1% of THC (the cannabis compound). Seymour said the

North Canterbury farmer Roger Johnson says it makes little sense for New Zealand to rely so heavily on imported nitrogen when a rich natural source already exists within farm systems. Supplied. Āmua, a Canterbury start-up based on a farm near Waiau in the Hurunui district is developing world-first wearable technology for cows that could change how farmers manage nitrogen on farm. For Āmua co-founder and chief executive Roger Johnson, a North Canterbury farmer, the idea grew f

Farmer David Clark said the overhaul was a "tremendous success" for rural communities and their farmers. Anisha Satya A six year extension on farming consents has ended “a period of uncertainty” for Mid Canterbury farmers. The extensions were revealed as part of the Resource Management Act (RMA) replacement announcement, which saw the Act ditched for two new bills that separately regulate land use and environmental impacts. The expiry date for current consents has been extend