The Country 02/05/25: Dr Jacqueline Rowarth talks to Jamie Mackay

A leading primary sector academic disagrees that it's time for a rethink for New Zealand's meat and dairy brand.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Last night. Of course, we spoke to the twenty twenty
five dairy Woman of the f Fonterra dairy Woman of
the Air, Joe Sheridan. Someone who was there and entertaining
the troops at the gala dinner was doctor Jacqueline Roweth. Jacqueline,
I got a text last night from Rowena Duncan, who
said Peter Kelly, who was adjudicating the debate, said in
his speech that when referencing you, he said, I'm not

(00:23):
going to say anything bad about you, Jacqueline, because I've
got a bit of a man crush on you thanks
to Jamie Mackay's effing show. And I'm not sure whether
that was a compliment to you and an insult to me,
but I'm glad I got to mention in dispatches.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
And I felt it was a compliment. I felt very
heartformed by his statements.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
No, but I'm worried about him calling my show an
effing show. I suppose that's a farming show.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yes, yes, yes, that's a very good way of putting it.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
She's very eloquent. Joe Sheridan.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Yes, she did a good talk. Thank you people for
all the support that they've given her. In giving this
remarkable role with ol Farm. It was very good.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Yeah, now you have sent me or you do us
a wonderful favor. You're write a fortnightly column for us.
You can read it on our website Thecountry dot co
dot nz. It's also on the Herald website. And this
week's or this fortnight fortnightly offering is titled New Zealand's
Meat and Dairy brand. Time for a rethink question Mark

(01:29):
Jacquelin And this comes from rethink X, an independent research
group with officers here and in the United States focusing
on global technology disruptions. What's wrong with our current brand exactly?

Speaker 2 (01:44):
And that's what I've tried to prove. And it is
always possible to do a bit of adjusting, which might
be and now is a good time because now it's
always a good time to think about the future. But
I was a bit perplexed by the concept that we
should just change from meat and dairy when we're so
good at it. So I was hardened by the chief

(02:05):
executives saying things like there will always be a place
for red meat, and the boat last night was rather
dismissing me oat milk as anything but wet moosely, and
my point was it didn't even make that definition of moosey.
So are we going to change away from meat and milk?
We have a pre eminent brand's valuable. Read the article.

(02:26):
It's really important for New Zealand in what we do.
So maybe some fine tuning is the idea not showing
out babies and bar swaters.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
So just remind me. Sorry at the celebrity debate last night,
what was the.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Moat that oat milk is just wet moosely.

Speaker 1 (02:44):
Well, it's not even oats milk chequell and a milk
has to come from a memo that's oat juice.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yeah that Hamish ma who's lovely Lincoln graduate and now
the Special Voice of Trade and Agriculture, didn't point out
that because coconut nor which is on processed when you
get it out of their coca nut, is called it's
accepted to be called milk, we rather lost it on
the other sorts of areas. And we do talk about
maize and the milk line as it dries down. But

(03:14):
oats are all the ingredients for little tiny oat plants,
not little tiny mammals. So let's go back to what
was created for mammals, and that's what comes out of another.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
Hey, just picking up on some commentary in your excellent
column rethink X. Did I get it right? Or is
it called rethinks?

Speaker 2 (03:36):
Well, I don't know. I don't know. I think X,
but makes it clearer.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
Well suggesting New Zealand meat and dairy could be the
next Codak, and we all know what happened to the
Kodak brand, and they're suggesting could be made redundant by
new technologies such as precision fermentation and cellular agriculture.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
There's a lot of talk about this, but when Derry,
when Daisy lad says, actually it's not going to take
over from from terror, I think we need to take
heart from that or take note of it. Because they've
done the calculations and we don't grow enough sugar in
this country. We'd have to be reconforming all of that,
I suppose. But actually what they all acknowledge is that

(04:21):
it's not nearly as easy as people think to start with.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
Okay, hey, Jack, anything else to add? Check one? Because
I've got a busy show. I've got lots of people
to check to. They're all cued up, they're lined up
outside the door here in the Queenstown studios for you.

Speaker 2 (04:38):
Well. Today was Warren Parker's education in Holcombe, so Landcork
trading as PAMU had an event where lots of people came,
not as many as expected because of the terrible weather.
People got stuck in christ Church. But Warren's eldest son
Bradley did a great little talk about his father and
Michael r He who's chair of Spring Sheet which works

(05:00):
of course with Landcorp. It always did the married dedication.
It was a very moving event, notwithstanding the fact that
the wind gusts were so strong people were being knocked
off their feet. We were there because we care about
Warren and his legacy. What a great brand.

Speaker 1 (05:18):
I was just going to say, a wonderful contributor to
New Zealand agriculture, Dr Warren Parker, Doctor Jaquil and Rowa.
Thank you very much for your time and enjoy your
weekends and hope the weather settles down on the North Island.

Speaker 2 (05:29):
For you and for you. Thanks a lot