January 13, 2026 • 7 mins
DairyNZ’s chairwoman on what is ahead for the sector in 2026, and the upcoming levy vote.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right time now to be joined by the chair of
deiry en Z Tracy Brown.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Tracy, how are you great?
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Thanks? Famous? Happy New Years?
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Yeah, happy New Years. Has the year started well for you?
Speaker 3 (00:14):
Well, I know we got rain on the farm over
New Year's Eve about all those a few days over
New Year's Eve, so for about forty five mils. So
that's always a welcome sing at this time of the year.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
You were about to year in the country, Tracy, were you.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
If I've been on holiday up north of the bab Islands.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Oh, yeah, yeah, you're snug away. That's good right he o.
Big year ahead? Well, I suppose nice. We hiked to
the GDT to start the year. That's that was a
good thing too, as well as that rain you got
on New Year's Eve.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Yeah, well so that was I think it was after
about a five months streak of the GDT dropping, so
that was a really welcome start to twenty twenty six. Famish,
that would have was a big release to farmers.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yeah, and it seems to be most of the commentary
is that it wasn't just a blip on the radar,
that it might be a slight a good correction.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Right, Yeah, I'm not sure, but I know, you know,
the global supply has been increasing and so that's sort
of what's put pressure you know, later last year, that's
put pressure on the dirty te So hopefully this is
a turn in the right direction.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Yeah, absolutely right, the dairy en Z world. What's you know,
what's the focus for twenty twenty six.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Yeah, So our big priority is we've got our levy
vote coming up Hamish at the start of this year,
So I just really want to flag that for farmers
that only happens every six years, and we're really encouraging
everybody to get out and have their say on whether
they want darien Z to continue or not. You know,
we've got a really important role, you know, the way
(01:55):
we invest in on farm practical tools, research extent, farmer support, advocacy,
all of that kind of stuff. And so this is
that one and six year opportunity for farmers to say
if they want us to continue. So that the voting
so that will be open from the sixteenth effect till
with their length of March, so the voting packs will
go out next month. So that's sort of our big focus.
(02:17):
We'll be continuing on delivering our strategy. There's a lot
of work still to do in that space. We've also
got an exciting opportunity coming up for someone that would
like to become an associate director that's thinking about governance opportunity,
so applications for that are open shortly well.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
There have plenty going on now coming back to the
levy vote, of course, so that's a decent amount of time.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
No excuse for not having your say, so to speak.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
And we've got a lot of events coming up around
the country. We've got discussion groups, you know, We've got
Dairy Expo, We've got all those sorts of things the area,
sort of specialist topic groups and all that, and so
there'll be plenty of opportunities to engage with our team
on the ground, but they'll also be directors and members
of the leadership team out and about. So farmers have
(03:07):
got every opportunity to come and talk to us about
what they like, what they don't like, what else they
think we need to do, or just come and tell us,
you know that they want us to continue and give
us their support.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
So historically, traditionally, what sort of farmer input has there
been and are you expecting that to what are you
expecting this time.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Around well, we're looking for a strong mandate from farmers
to continue. We have to go to the Minister Minister
Tom McClay with a strong mandate from farmers that they
want us to continue to support because it has to
go through parliamentary processes as all everybodies do. To continue,
(03:51):
we would like to see a really good farmer turn out.
We've got to get a mandate by milk solids and
by number of farmers, so you know, we're really hoping
that we get a good turnout. We've had good turnouts
in the past for these bites, so we're really hoping
that that'll happen again. We were pretty active earlier in
(04:13):
twenty twenty five going out and getting feedback from farmers,
so we've made quite a lot of changes to things
and we've got you know, we've got really good people
in the farmer facing teams and we're really sort of
hoping that pharmacy that we're making some good, good changes
and we're really listening to what they want from us.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
What would you say the O the best things, the
strongest things that Dairy and Z brings into twenty twenty
six and beyond for New Zealand Dairy farmers.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
So we're really focused on tackling the problems that farmers
have got immediately in front of them, Hamish, but also
things that might be coming at us down the track.
So we've got a lot of investment going on, all
a lot, but we've got investment going on in reducing
greenhouse gas emissions, and we've got some work going on
(05:02):
around extended lactation, looking if that's viable or not. We've
got all our sort of business as usual information and
you know, transfer around efficiency, around past utilization, feed efficiency breeding.
You know, we've been quite active last year around workshops
(05:25):
with LC and Fonterra around getting best genetic results out
of farmer's heaths because it's been identified that there's quite
a big opportunity and that there's a lot of replacements
coming from the lower part of people's hearths and so
that's sort of low hanging fruits. So we've been doing
quite a bit of work collectively around then and just
(05:48):
trying to support farmers to make those good decisions, improve
their genetic gain and improve their productive performance of their herds. So,
I mean that's just a very light touch around what
we do. We're so quite involved of course with policy
and you know when it relates to things inside the
farm gate. So our teams are reviewing the RMA reform
(06:11):
at the moment that came out right before Christmas, so
you know, the indications are there's quite a bit of
positive stuff in there for farmers in terms of looking
like things will be. There'll be a more permissive approach
to production in rural areas, will be greater emphasis on
farm environment plans. They'll be more sort of consistency across
the regions, and there'll be more recognition of the work
(06:34):
the catchment groups do. But there will also be some
things around sort of tougher penalty for noncompliance, which is
fair in US. And you know, I guess the thing
we're most concerned about at the moment of seeing where
the MPs, which is the fresh Water Regulations land when
that comes out for consultation, you know, just in terms
(06:54):
of what that might look like. So we're working on
our teams working on a submission at the moment on
behalf of farmers. Our farmers want to have a say
around the RMA. Get in touch with serians because we
really want to reflect farmers' views and what we put
forward and our feedback.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Around that great stuff, great body of work happening there.
But if you don't, if you don't think so, you've
got an opportunity having your farmers. You can get in
there and have your say between the sixteenth of February
and the thirteenth of March and all the other events
happening around the country. Tracy Brown cheer darians it. Thank
you very much for joining us, thanks for having.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Me on the show, and I really just want to
wash everybody a great rest of the season and a
good twenty twenty six. I really hope people have had
a bit of downtime or at least in time to
relax over the fist of seasonless family and friends and
you know, just enjoy things a.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Bit too right. Thanks very much, Tracy cheers
Right time now to be joined by the chair of
deiry en Z Tracy Brown.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Tracy, how are you great?
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Thanks? Famous? Happy New Years?
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Yeah, happy New Years. Has the year started well for you?
Speaker 3 (00:14):
Well, I know we got rain on the farm over
New Year's Eve about all those a few days over
New Year's Eve, so for about forty five mils. So
that's always a welcome sing at this time of the year.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
You were about to year in the country, Tracy, were you.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
If I've been on holiday up north of the bab Islands.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Oh, yeah, yeah, you're snug away. That's good right he o.
Big year ahead? Well, I suppose nice. We hiked to
the GDT to start the year. That's that was a
good thing too, as well as that rain you got
on New Year's Eve.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Yeah, well so that was I think it was after
about a five months streak of the GDT dropping, so
that was a really welcome start to twenty twenty six. Famish,
that would have was a big release to farmers.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yeah, and it seems to be most of the commentary
is that it wasn't just a blip on the radar,
that it might be a slight a good correction.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Right, Yeah, I'm not sure, but I know, you know,
the global supply has been increasing and so that's sort
of what's put pressure you know, later last year, that's
put pressure on the dirty te So hopefully this is
a turn in the right direction.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Yeah, absolutely right, the dairy en Z world. What's you know,
what's the focus for twenty twenty six.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Yeah, So our big priority is we've got our levy
vote coming up Hamish at the start of this year,
So I just really want to flag that for farmers
that only happens every six years, and we're really encouraging
everybody to get out and have their say on whether
they want darien Z to continue or not. You know,
we've got a really important role, you know, the way
(01:55):
we invest in on farm practical tools, research extent, farmer support, advocacy,
all of that kind of stuff. And so this is
that one and six year opportunity for farmers to say
if they want us to continue. So that the voting
so that will be open from the sixteenth effect till
with their length of March, so the voting packs will
go out next month. So that's sort of our big focus.
(02:17):
We'll be continuing on delivering our strategy. There's a lot
of work still to do in that space. We've also
got an exciting opportunity coming up for someone that would
like to become an associate director that's thinking about governance opportunity,
so applications for that are open shortly well.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
There have plenty going on now coming back to the
levy vote, of course, so that's a decent amount of time.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
No excuse for not having your say, so to speak.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
And we've got a lot of events coming up around
the country. We've got discussion groups, you know, We've got
Dairy Expo, We've got all those sorts of things the area,
sort of specialist topic groups and all that, and so
there'll be plenty of opportunities to engage with our team
on the ground, but they'll also be directors and members
of the leadership team out and about. So farmers have
(03:07):
got every opportunity to come and talk to us about
what they like, what they don't like, what else they
think we need to do, or just come and tell us,
you know that they want us to continue and give
us their support.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
So historically, traditionally, what sort of farmer input has there
been and are you expecting that to what are you
expecting this time.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Around well, we're looking for a strong mandate from farmers
to continue. We have to go to the Minister Minister
Tom McClay with a strong mandate from farmers that they
want us to continue to support because it has to
go through parliamentary processes as all everybodies do. To continue,
(03:51):
we would like to see a really good farmer turn out.
We've got to get a mandate by milk solids and
by number of farmers, so you know, we're really hoping
that we get a good turnout. We've had good turnouts
in the past for these bites, so we're really hoping
that that'll happen again. We were pretty active earlier in
(04:13):
twenty twenty five going out and getting feedback from farmers,
so we've made quite a lot of changes to things
and we've got you know, we've got really good people
in the farmer facing teams and we're really sort of
hoping that pharmacy that we're making some good, good changes
and we're really listening to what they want from us.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
What would you say the O the best things, the
strongest things that Dairy and Z brings into twenty twenty
six and beyond for New Zealand Dairy farmers.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
So we're really focused on tackling the problems that farmers
have got immediately in front of them, Hamish, but also
things that might be coming at us down the track.
So we've got a lot of investment going on, all
a lot, but we've got investment going on in reducing
greenhouse gas emissions, and we've got some work going on
(05:02):
around extended lactation, looking if that's viable or not. We've
got all our sort of business as usual information and
you know, transfer around efficiency, around past utilization, feed efficiency breeding.
You know, we've been quite active last year around workshops
(05:25):
with LC and Fonterra around getting best genetic results out
of farmer's heaths because it's been identified that there's quite
a big opportunity and that there's a lot of replacements
coming from the lower part of people's hearths and so
that's sort of low hanging fruits. So we've been doing
quite a bit of work collectively around then and just
(05:48):
trying to support farmers to make those good decisions, improve
their genetic gain and improve their productive performance of their herds. So,
I mean that's just a very light touch around what
we do. We're so quite involved of course with policy
and you know when it relates to things inside the
farm gate. So our teams are reviewing the RMA reform
(06:11):
at the moment that came out right before Christmas, so
you know, the indications are there's quite a bit of
positive stuff in there for farmers in terms of looking
like things will be. There'll be a more permissive approach
to production in rural areas, will be greater emphasis on
farm environment plans. They'll be more sort of consistency across
the regions, and there'll be more recognition of the work
(06:34):
the catchment groups do. But there will also be some
things around sort of tougher penalty for noncompliance, which is
fair in US. And you know, I guess the thing
we're most concerned about at the moment of seeing where
the MPs, which is the fresh Water Regulations land when
that comes out for consultation, you know, just in terms
(06:54):
of what that might look like. So we're working on
our teams working on a submission at the moment on
behalf of farmers. Our farmers want to have a say
around the RMA. Get in touch with serians because we
really want to reflect farmers' views and what we put
forward and our feedback.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Around that great stuff, great body of work happening there.
But if you don't, if you don't think so, you've
got an opportunity having your farmers. You can get in
there and have your say between the sixteenth of February
and the thirteenth of March and all the other events
happening around the country. Tracy Brown cheer darians it. Thank
you very much for joining us, thanks for having.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Me on the show, and I really just want to
wash everybody a great rest of the season and a
good twenty twenty six. I really hope people have had
a bit of downtime or at least in time to
relax over the fist of seasonless family and friends and
you know, just enjoy things a.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Bit too right. Thanks very much, Tracy cheers
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