The Country 05/02/26: Jane Smith talks to Jamie Mackay

North Otago sheep and beef farmer and award-winning environmentalist. She talks about the demise of fake food, the food pyramid being turned upside down and the woke school grading system. Plus, why she won’t be voting for Damien O’Connor in the Waitaki electorate.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
She is a North Otago farmer, former, wonder of the
Balanced Farm Environment Awards and a bit of a favorite
here on the country. The punters lap her up. Her
name is Jane Smith. What a great intro that is, Jane.
I don't know whether you're caught up with Paul Jiles
from Rabobank, who I talked to on yesterday's show about
fake chocolate or coco free chocolate coming into vogue because

(00:20):
the cost of cocoa beans is so high. It's good
to see that things like fake meat are failing around
the world because there's nothing like the real thing.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Is that exactly, Jamie. And it's been really fascinating to
see Italy taking an actual legislative stance against synthetic food
a Frankenstein food or Franken food. They call it so
lab grind synthetic. You know, it's almost something like out
of a really bad science fiction movie. And this decision
that does made is is quite world leading. Really, it

(00:52):
effectively blocks the entry of cultivated so using animal cells
by the way, meat or milk, not that they should
be allowed to use those terms, I believe so, and
as well as they talked about ultra processed food they're
really wanting to push that out. And also they've mentioned
anything to do with gmo food, you know, be chemicals
beat seeds. So it's really fascinating and the most interesting

(01:15):
thing I found as a farmer, if you look deeper
than the decision itself, it's the reason that they made it.
They said it was one to protect public health and
two to protect traditional natural farming systems. So you know,
again that's a wake up call for New Zealand, who
seem you know, some of our sector leaders in large
corporates and hell bent on you know, bringing gmo food additives, intensification,

(01:38):
and that fake food sort of ties into all of
that as well, Jamie. So again I think that's a
really great turn of events. And also at the same time, Jamie,
I don't know if you saw that that the food
pyramid so has actually been turned up upside down, so
the way that it used to be, you know, when
our parents and grandparents were learning home economics. So basically
they're saying, actually, let's go back to all foods. Let's

(02:00):
go back to high value, high nutrient dense proteins and
good fats Jamie. So you know that again bodes well
for traditional farming like New Zealand pasture raised protein. Jamie.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
That is back, Jane, the latest from the education system.
And this really grinds my gears, and I think it
does yours as well. Look, the trouble with schooler is
you should either pass or fail, because when you get
out of school or university and you hit the real world,
you either pass or you fail. You get the job
or you don't get the job. We're not hardening young

(02:33):
people up enough to the realities of the real world.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
Exactly, Jamie, and I thought so. Eric Stanfod and her
team are doing some good work in terms of standardization,
et cetera. But to see the new grading system. So
it is, and I just off my top of my
head is emerging, developing, consolidating, and then you're either proficient
or you're exceeding. I mean you need a degree to

(02:57):
even understand what are your those grades mean. And then
we've failed up to date over the last twenty years
with failed kids to read and write. And now you know,
to try to decipher that what's wrong with her, As
you said, part will fail ABC ord or even the
achieved not achieved or possibly you know, going above that.
So Blair was yelling something at me today while I
was on the drafting gate this morning, Jamie in the yards.

(03:20):
I'm pretty sure it wasn't that I was proficient or
exceeding at my job, Jamie. So maybe I was just failing.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Or it might have been another word starting with an F. Anyhow,
I won't get in the road of a husband and
wife debate in the stockyards, Jane. I see you've got
a new candidate in the White TACKI electorate who you
may choose or not choose to vote for, Damian O'Connor.

Speaker 2 (03:41):
That's interesting, Yes, the old ghost from the coast, Jamie.
When I heard the news, it was both both interesting
and disturbing, and equal parts, given that the the economically
unpalatable socialist smagas board that the Labour Greens served us
up last time. And you know, I've had it quite
a bit to do with Damien, particularly lately, and now

(04:01):
I understand why he was hanging around the wa Teki area,
but I guess you know, as Egg Minister and Trade Minister,
Damien consistently failed to stand up for farmers when his
mate David Parker treated as environmental tourists and people literally
left exited our sector because of that, and the mental
health strain on farmers was huge, And it's interesting. The

(04:24):
Wa Teki Electric is a really dynamic area. And of
course it was the birth place of social welfare just
up the road in Kourou in the Wa Teki Valley
in nineteen thirty eight when they were building the Wa
Teki Dans. But also at the same time, you know,
the birthplace of farming innovation with Thomas Brydon back in
eighteen eighty two with the first export of frozen meat Jamie.

(04:44):
So you know, it's a large electate. It's incorporates just
south of Tamrou obviously, Omoru, Palmerston twice or Wanaka. You know,
truly is upsta Ocean. And I don't know like it
really consumes me. If we did get to a Damien in,
I sort of want to live in North Itago Amy,
not in North Korea.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
Shots fired mind you, Miles Anderson, your local bloke from
what I'm seeing anyhow, is doing a pretty good job.
But good luck to Damien. Interesting times as we count
down to the November seventh election. In election here, Jane Smith,
good luck in the sheepyards stockyards. This afternoon with your
long suffering husband Blair.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
Thanks Jennie,