The New Zealand Rural General Practice Network is disappointed at the lack of specific reference to the needs of rural communities in the health sector reform announcements by the the Minister of Health yesterday. The changes focus on improved primary and community healthcare and a simplified national structure to ensure fairer access to healthcare for […]
Compliance
Musings from the couch – a cautionary tale for other farmers
Federated Farmers Golden Bay Meat & Wool Chairperson Pax Leetch missed out on attending the National Council in Wellington earlier this year because he was couch-bound. We’re going to leave his story in his own words – a episode he re-told in the province’s newsletter with a view to inspiring other farmers to stay safe. […]
Call for seat belts on school buses
Federated Farmers transport and health & safety spokesperson Karen Williams is asking rural residents to sign a petition calling for a law change requiring seat belts in school buses. Philippa (Pip) Cameron, who farms on Otematata Station in the Waitaki Valley, lodged the petition with Parliament on 6 April. The closing date for signatures is […]
Arguing the case for extra dairy workers to cross border
By Chris Lewis, Federated Farmers national board member With the developing and serious workforce shortage on dairy farms top of mind, Federated Farmers and DairyNZ have combined to put the case to government for 500 migrant staff to be allowed into New Zealand to head off critical animal and human welfare issues. A survey conducted […]
Get up to speed on the minimum wage
With the adult minimum wage increasing on 1 April 2021, it’s timely for farmers and others in the agricultural sector to ensure employees are paid at the correct rate. Erin Anderson, an Associate with Norris Ward McKinnon (Federated Farmers legal partners), outlines the obligations…. An employer must pay its employees at least the relevant minimum […]
Animal welfare front of mind for trucking industry
by Nick Leggett, CEO, Road Transport Forum OPINION: Live animals trapped in a truck for six hours in Auckland’s summer heat is not acceptable in anyone’s view. Sadly, this is what happened in the most recent Covid-19 Level 3 lockdown when the road border crossing could only be described as a shemozzle. This highlighted a […]
High five to the essential services workers everywhere
There’s so many people to thank on Essential Services Day. When Federated Farmers and many other agencies and organisations in the Team Ag/primary industries ‘family’ came up with the idea of saluting all those others who worked through last year’s Covid-19 lockdown, enabling us to continue producing top quality food and fibre, we soon realised […]
Feds proud to back NZ Dairy Story
Sip that fresh glass of New Zealand milk, cut a wedge of our cheese, and know the farmers behind it are world leaders in animal welfare and climate change. And unlike producers in many other nations, they do it without direct, free-trade distorting subsidies. Federated Farmers is proud to endorse the messages in The New […]
Humble dung beetle potential game changer for landowners
Marlborough landowners and the Council will be as happy as dung beetles in muck if an ambitious programme to improve the region’s waterways achieves its objectives. The humble little critters themselves could also prove to be a game changer for Marlborough landowners, assisting in the quicker conversion of manure back to pasture. Did you know […]
Government agency thirsty for more water rules
A new government agency charged with improving national drinking water standards is trying to find more than 50,000 water suppliers, many of whom will be farmers supplying a handful of households. The new agency called ‘Taumata Arowai’ opened its doors on March 1. It wants to register water suppliers so they can be monitored and […]