The Country

The Country

Jamie Mackay delivers your daily fix of everything going on in NZ's biggest industry, along with a generous side-serve of news, sports and politics. The Country from Newstalk ZB, Hokonui and Gold Sport.

Episodes

December 15, 2025 36 mins

Jamie Mackay talks to Ray Smith, Damien O'Connor, Nadia Lim, Carlos Bagrie, Mark de Lautour, and Peter Newbold.

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The Director General of MPI reviews the December Situation and Outlook for the Primary Industries (SOPI) that was released this morning. Kiwi farmers, growers, and primary producers are driving New Zealand’s economy with food and fibre exports set to reach a record $62 billion for the year to June 30, 2026. The sector now accounts for 83% of all NZ goods exports. 

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Labour’s Trade Spokesman joins us for our final argument of 2025! Plus, we discuss SOPI, an FTA with India and O'Connor's Ag Person of the Year.

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A celebrity cook and a celebrity farmer discuss Nadia’s Farm Kitchen and Carlos’ Nuffield Scholarship thesis in what has been a very busy 2025 for New Zealand’s power farming couple. 

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The chief executive of Open Country Dairy has been on the acquisition and soothsaying trails in 2025.

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The GM of PGG Wrightson Real Estate and Livestock wraps a good year for both divisions of his company.

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Jamie Mackay talks to David Seymour, Mike Casey, Riley Kennedy, Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, and Phil Duncan.

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The Deputy Prime Minister and Act Party leader makes his final appearance for 2025 as we discuss tomorrow’s Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update (Hyefu). Plus, who is his Ag Person of the Year?

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The founder of Cromwell-based Electric Cherries plays Santa on The Country.

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The rural editor at BusinessDesk names his Ag Person of the Year, and he’s gone for Mark Wynne, the former chairman of the Alliance Group.

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One of New Zealand’s leading primary sector academics talks rubbish, nitrates in drinking water, getting dry in Waikato, and her Ag Person of the Year.

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Monday’s weatherman has a spring-like forecast and his Ag Person of the Year.

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Jamie Mackay talks to Lorin Clarke, Emma Higgins, Professor Will Happer, Kate Acland, and Winston Peters.

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Jamie Mackay talks to Chris Brandolino, Tim Dangen, Hugh Jackson, Blair McLean, Jane Hunter, and Hamish McKay.

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Friday’s Weather Guy, and native New Yorker, on the dry in New Zealand and his favourite American President.

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Today’s farmer panel features the 2022 and 2025 Young Farmers of the Year, respectively. 

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We head to Marlborough to give you the chance to win some cherries and bubbles for Christmas. 

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It’s McKay on Sport as we head to the Feilding stock sale yards to ponder Hamish’s 2025 Ag Sports Person of the Year.

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Jamie Mackay talks to Emma Higgins, Winston Peters, Kate Acland, Hayes Garland, and Chris Russell.

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The global dairy market is expected to face a period of weaker commodity prices following "stunning" global milk production growth across the second half of 2025, according to Rabobank, in its Q4 Global Dairy Quarterly Report. So is a $9 milk price now on the cards?

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