The Country Full Show: Thursday, April 10, 2025

Jamie Mackay talks to Shane Jones, Andy Borland, Amy Blaikie, Andrew Gibson, and Chris Russell.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Catch all the latest from the land. It's the Country
Podcast with Jamie mckue thanks to Brent the starkest of
the leading agriculture.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Brands Catanie's Eland.

Speaker 3 (00:27):
Welcome to the Country.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
I'm Jamie McKay back in HQ and Dunedin after a
couple of days in Timaru for the South Island Air event.
What a great event it was too. I was impressed
by Timaru. As I said, I think on the show
to Rowena on Tuesday, or was it to ryan Bridge
when I used to go there in the eighties and
play forhead. I thought it was a bit of a dive.

(00:50):
Sorry South Canterbury, but I must say, what a lovely,
what a lovely I don't think it's a city big
town anyhow, very good. Caroline Bay is fantastic anyhow. Shane
Jones is kicking off the show today, the self titled
Prince of the Province's Martua Shane Wall and government buildings

(01:12):
pine trees were planting them in the wrong place. Simon
Upton doesn't want us to plant them at all. Trump
of course, and the Greens what a disgrace. The Greens
are Andy Borland talking about rugby in the eighties I
used to play rugby in the eighties with this guy
at Lincoln College. While they're having a big reunion coming
up next month, but more importantly today he's in Shanghai

(01:37):
for the tenth anniversary of the primary collaboration New Zealand Limited.
And we'll tell you all about that in the big
banquet that's happening tonight. No doubt Trump will be on
the menu there. Amy Blakey, South Otago Farmer wall Advocate.
Finally we got some action on wall in government buildings.
Andrew Gibson from PGG Rights in livestock and the Taranaki.

Speaker 3 (01:58):
Is the drought over?

Speaker 2 (02:00):
Russell's our assie correspondent. It's all on the country today
and it's all brought to you by Brandt Up. Next
Shane Jones. He is the Prince of the Province's Marta.

(02:27):
Shane Jones, Woolen Government buildings and schools. It's in New
Zealand first and this should have wonderful Shane Jones. But
is it virtue signaling? I see that the timber and
industry now wants some love from you and Winston.

Speaker 4 (02:42):
Well, look we've got to find brighter ways to use
Mother Nature's endowment. That we actually rely upon to make
a living in New Zealand. Uncertainty overseas means we should
be using more of our resources ourselves, and I'm not interested.
I'm not interested in these abacus dwellers who say that

(03:02):
we have to continually rely on overseas products because they
might be cheaper. So big ups, Mark Patterson. The next one,
obviously is forestry, and as you and I, I was the
forest minister in the part. But there there's one thing
I'm going to say. The world has changed. Things have
been inverted. And even if mister Trump is a negotiator

(03:26):
more in the Capone style than some sort of PwC character,
the world has changed the rules pertaining to trade that
you and I have taken for granted, they're up in
the air, but nothing changes where self sufficiency and resilience state.
That's why walls have goods.

Speaker 2 (03:45):
Okay, I'm not knocking you, and I think it's a
good initiative, but it kind of flies in the face
of let's try and save government money.

Speaker 4 (03:52):
It depends how you conceive value over the life of
a product. Often when the government looks at an initiative,
do you look at four year funding cycle? Or do
you look at the thirty to forty year period of
time that a material has to serve a purpose. And
it's really important when you look at procurement that you
go to the long term, not just the short term cash,

(04:14):
because over the life of an asset you shell peas
on r and m and other things. So no, no, no, no,
I think it's perflexible, mature approach.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
Will your epatah on your grave? Here lies Shane Jones.
He planted too many pine trees.

Speaker 4 (04:28):
Every time I talk to you, do you remind me
that the Countess of Austria came and started gobbling up
land as a consequence of my profligacy. That's a good
word for your farmers.

Speaker 3 (04:38):
I need to learn that one.

Speaker 5 (04:39):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (04:39):
Well, the reality is we made a point at point
in time, we made a decision to enable farmers to
convert their land to forestry for production purposes, and a
lot of it has gone into long term sequestration. And
I'm abiding by the new rules and regulations at Minister
Todd is shipping through the system. I had mister Upton
in my office and he is endeavoring to school me.

(05:03):
Is it's quite a sort of esoteric sort of fellow,
but I don't mind him at a personal level, and.

Speaker 3 (05:09):
He uses bigger words than you.

Speaker 4 (05:11):
Ah, yes, I can talk mouldy at him and has
to shut up.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
Hey, he is the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and
he came out yesterday and said we can't plant our
way out of climate change and carbon farming via pine
forests is not the way to go.

Speaker 4 (05:29):
Look, you can't have a situation where people who have
invested their buney, they've swept their equity into existing carbon forests.
I'm I'm going to tolerate them being written out of
the script. So if there's a change in the future,
you have to protect the rights and the investments that
people have already made. And I think what he's saying is, Okay,
what's the steps into the future if it's not blue

(05:50):
carbon or more pine trees. And look, the high tide
mark of pine trees dotting the landscape in my view,
has changed anyway, because Minister Todd is bringing all his
new world and relations reflective of a commitment and the
coalition agreement to pass.

Speaker 2 (06:04):
Yeah, but that doesn't stop all the ones that have
already been planted just for carbon farming. Are we going
to be the California wildfire capital of the South Pacific
in twenty or thirty years time.

Speaker 4 (06:16):
Most of the people that I've met in that space,
even our mary Land owners, they know that there's going
to be growing duties on them to manage their forests
or they're going to have the liability going forward. And
quite frankly, in some areas, we're not going to be
able to plant any more pine forests, certainly not at
the scale historically we have done. So. Subjects such as
the East Coast and New South Islanders are very very

(06:38):
leery about many more pine trees down there because of
wilding pine. The issue is, whilst it's topical, I think
people should give a bit of credit to Minister Todd maclay.
He is trying to tidy it up.

Speaker 2 (06:51):
And I know you've got to trade warily on this one.
But Trump it changes daily. We wake up this morning
there's a ninety day halt on tariffs, or they're keeping
them at ten said. The script changes on an hourly basis.
Even while one of his officials is tariff Man's making
a speech, Trump's changing policy while the poor bug is speaking.

Speaker 4 (07:10):
Oh okay, I'm not down at that level of granularity.
But come on, who should not be surprised. We know
mister chump. We've seen as television programs, We've read his background,
we know the pedigree of the man. He is a
deal maker. He's a negotiator. Now, whether or not you
feel that's appropriate and appropriate in terms of presidential power,

(07:33):
deal with what we've got. And at the end of
the day, we're five point two million people and we
can do a hell of a lot more to boost
our own resilience. We should be using our own natural resources,
our own minerals, growing our own food, and for God's sake,
move away from this climate catastrophization. Climate policy has hit
its high tide mark New Zealand first is more motivated

(07:56):
to solve the problems of plastic pollution rather than plastic
politicians threatening and intimidating Kiwis about climate catastrophization. You know
that I'm a doubting Thomas and the vast majority of
stuff that passes under the rubric of climate.

Speaker 2 (08:12):
Drill, baby drill. Just to finish on, I like the
Minister of Police Mark Mitchell. I've never actually met him,
but I like the cut of his cloth. If you wanted,
but Tamotha Paul says, she's much more intelligent than him,
and people don't like the police. It's abhorrent to what
she's saying. And I haven't even started on that other clown,
Benjamin Doyle.

Speaker 4 (08:32):
This is the story of three monkeys. One monkey looking
for a brain, other monkey looking for character character. The
third monkey ie the leader of co leader of the
Green Party, looking for a backbone. No backbone. They would
not stand up for decency foundation values. Secondly, Benjamin Doyle

(08:59):
a young man who should never have come into public life,
one of these deluded souls who thinks he can colonize
the English language and stop them much. We are using
the word he or she. You are either a man
or a woman. End of story. And with Talitha looking
for a brain, it is a brainless assertion to make
that the community or the public do not want the police.
Come with me to Kaiko here where meth is out

(09:21):
of control. And I've put that young lady in the
main street of kaikohere and she would quiver and she'd
be in need of nappy's.

Speaker 3 (09:28):
I'd vote for that.

Speaker 2 (09:29):
Shane Jones, Prince of the Province's thanks is always for
your time on the country.

Speaker 4 (09:33):
See her Buddy Bye.

Speaker 2 (09:36):
Sixteen after twelve Shane tell us what you rarely think
about the Greens. Special guest in the studio today is
the national fundraiser for the IHC Rural Scheme, Greg Muller.
And Greg, you live in Wellington. You're not in Wellington
Central her chance? Are you?

Speaker 3 (09:54):
Did you vote for Tamotha Paul.

Speaker 6 (09:56):
As I said, job, I'm just out.

Speaker 2 (09:58):
I'm in Mona, So no, right, but yeah, police do
a wonderful job and for her to bad mouth and
double down on it is absolutely shocking. Did you vote
for Tory? Far Nour was the mayor?

Speaker 3 (10:14):
You're gonna plead, You're going to please?

Speaker 2 (10:16):
Right? That was Greg Miller from the ih Card's scheme.
He's going I would have pleaded the Fifth Amendment if
I was. Big mistake, Greg, big mistake. We'll see if
you can. If you can, you know, save yourself when
you do the sports news, we're going to talk about
the HC CARF and Rural scheme as well. But up
next it's off to China. I won't say China because

(10:37):
that really annoys Bill and Bill really annoys me. So
we're a bit like Bill and I are a bit
like Donald Trump and President She were clashing swords at
the moment. So I'll leave well alone. But Andy Borland's
over there from Scales Corps. Big dinner on tonight in Shanghai.
We'll tell you all about it next in Shanghai tonight

(11:13):
there will be a magnificent banquet and Donald Trump, I'm
assuming won't be invited. But one man who is is
Andy Borland, Managing director of Scales Corp.

Speaker 3 (11:23):
Andy.

Speaker 2 (11:24):
This is a dinner to celebrate ten year or the
ten year anniversary of the primary collaboration in New Zealand
Shanghai Company Limited.

Speaker 3 (11:34):
What's all this about?

Speaker 7 (11:36):
Yeah, well, look at a it's a it's a that's
an engy that we started ten years ago, Jamie, to
help get I guess, boots on the ground in China
and direct insights from this massive market up here. And
it was a you know, an inter should have borne
out of a group of us being at stamped you
know experience, getting getting stories of how difficult it was

(11:57):
in China. So we we took good advice and the
company's done well over the ten years, representing over twenty
exporters from New Zealand. So we're pretty proud of that
and it's a really good model.

Speaker 3 (12:08):
So were you wearing your scales ten years ago?

Speaker 7 (12:12):
Yes, I was, but I was really out there looking
looking for ways to get mister Apple, to get people
in the market in China, and so that was what
my motivation was.

Speaker 8 (12:24):
And you know, we've we've.

Speaker 7 (12:26):
Sort of helped these other exporters along the way join
us in a very proper legal structure, you know. And
we have a China company, you gave it the long name,
we call it pcn Z, but that employs twenty odd
people here in Shanghai, and you know, we get around
the market mister Apple team. You know, there's two excellent people.

(12:52):
They're working for us, you know, finding markets for us,
solving problems, you know, working with our team when they
come over. So it's it's been incredibly beneficial for those
that have been part of it.

Speaker 2 (13:04):
Are all those six original shareholders from ten years ago
still in because there was the likes of Silver Fern Farms,
Sea Lords and lave Villa Maria Pacific Pace.

Speaker 7 (13:15):
Yeah yeah, well Pacific Places, the Apple collaboration that's with
mister Apple, John Bostock and Kiwi Krunch.

Speaker 4 (13:22):
So we're there.

Speaker 7 (13:23):
Villa Maria is still there within the BYN now. The
Silver Fern is still a shareholder, but are sort of
a sleeping one as our Sea Lord and Cono was
an original and I think they sold their shares to Rocket.
So you know, it's just as the companies get bigger,
they graduate out, but then the other ones just come
in as members.

Speaker 2 (13:42):
James. So the big banquet's on tonight, no doubt, talk
of the talk of the dinner will be Trump.

Speaker 7 (13:49):
Yeah, look, I think you definitely will be.

Speaker 8 (13:51):
We've got all our government agencies here.

Speaker 7 (13:53):
Ambassador Jonathan Austin's coming, so we get great support from
the New Zealand government agencies up here. And look, the
message we'll be giving to the team and you know
and to everybody is that you know, you've got to
work on what you can control. And you know, I
say you know that since these tariffs are announced from
a scales perspective, Jamie, two of our customers in the

(14:16):
juice world in America contact contacted us and said, hey,
please keep sending the juice.

Speaker 4 (14:22):
We'll pay the tariff.

Speaker 7 (14:24):
And you know, we're going to have those discussions with
all of our customers and you know, see where the
where the cost lands, if you like. But we've just
got to be the best we can be. Control what
you can control by being a better operator, you want.
He's got to be more efficient, more determined to win
and get on with a job. That's sort of my
message to my team here and to all of the

(14:47):
other Scales companies that I deal with.

Speaker 2 (14:49):
Andy, it would be revers of me not to mention
the Lincoln College Rugby reunion coming up on the twenty
third and twenty fourth of May. I was at the
South Island Airy Event dinner on Tuesday evening. I invited
along an old monitor farmer of mine, John and his
better half Car Gregan. John's an old Lincoln rugby player.
He's looking forward to the reunion.

Speaker 7 (15:11):
Yeah, excellent, excellent. I was. I was, you know, I
was hoping you'd raised that one, Jamie. I've been. I'm
still everywhere I'm going, I'm bumping into old Lincoln College
rugby club colleagues and I'm imploring them to come along.
I'm just going to say it's it's going to be
a great weekend. It's for a fantastic cause, which we
all know is you know, helping the young people at Lincoln.

Speaker 8 (15:34):
You know, you.

Speaker 7 (15:35):
Know probably second and third generations of those gone by,
you know, coming along and having a great weekend to
support rugby at you across all ages, genders and and
you know, social and serious.

Speaker 8 (15:49):
So we'll be we'll be.

Speaker 7 (15:50):
Putting on a great show to raise some money to
keep that Good Rooks Wrong rugby club going.

Speaker 2 (15:55):
Well, John and I were chatting on Tuesday evening. We
were talking about the rugby teams for second and third fifteen.
You know, the good under twenties teams, an under nineteen
or under ninety under eighteen team, but they were far
out numbered by the social teams.

Speaker 7 (16:10):
That's right. Yeah, and there's some hard case names out
there which I.

Speaker 2 (16:13):
Probably you can't say those Andy that was that was
the eighties, Yes.

Speaker 8 (16:18):
Exactly, no, but exactly.

Speaker 7 (16:20):
So we're got I know, some guys that are coming
that were in those social teams, and you know where
a group of us are playing golf on Friday, you know,
actually to remember a couple of fantastic guys that haven't
made it to Toy twenty twenty five. So you know
it's a chance to remember you know, older friends and
past friends and just generally get together and have a

(16:42):
great weekend.

Speaker 3 (16:43):
Fantastic.

Speaker 2 (16:43):
If you want to find out more about the Lincoln
College Rugby Reunion before it changed to Lincoln University University,
where do you go, Andy.

Speaker 7 (16:51):
Well, you can just google Lincoln College Rugby Football Club
Reunion or even yes, the Lincoln Alumni site and you'll
quickly find a link there that you can get going
with the registration.

Speaker 2 (17:02):
Okay, enjoy your banquet tonight. Don't eat and drink too
much in Shanghai.

Speaker 7 (17:06):
No, now, we'll keep it free change, Jamie, thanks very
much for hearing the story.

Speaker 3 (17:11):
It's been our pleasure.

Speaker 2 (17:12):
Andy Borland and Shanghai does a great job. He's, of
course the managing director of Scales, one of our biggest
horticulture companies. Gee, I'll tell you what you love a
martuas Shane out there in the country, land Amen says
mus the highlight of my week listening to the great
martu of Shane Jones says another. That was bloody brilliant.

(17:33):
Go Shane Jones, afternoon, Jamie, love Martua Shane. He has
a backbone and a brain, and yeah, I think he
has got both of those. Think I might have played
rugby with you as I played with Andy Borland in
eighty three eighty four from Jewels, I was only there
in eighty two. Andy was there a bit longer. He
was a bit smarter than me. Steve from Tekawddy, I'd

(17:56):
love to see Shane do that. This last laugh I've
had in the lone long time. And he's talking about
Shane sending tammitha Paul greg Miller's mate to Kaikoe and
putting her on the main street with all the meth
heads there, and see what she says about the police.
Then here's a couple that I can't read out, so
I won't read them out. Are we going to go

(18:18):
to the other big story? And Martua Shane referenced it
the fact that yesterday the government came out and said
that when it comes to new government buildings of refurbishing them,
we're going to use wool carpets and insulation. We're going
to talk to a woman who five years ago petitioned
the government to do exactly that. Her name is Amy Blake,

(18:39):
South Otago farmer up next.

Speaker 3 (18:42):
On the country.

Speaker 2 (18:59):
Yesterday heard from the government that they're going to support
the wall industry big time by putting wall carpets and
insulation into government buildings and refurbishments, while five years ago,
a South Otago farmer by the name of Amy Blakey
presented a fifteen thousand strong petition to the House of

(19:20):
Representatives which requested all publicly funded buildings and key we
build homes be built or refurbished with New Zealand wall
carpets and insulation. Amy, that you must have been very pleased.
Had you given up hope on this one?

Speaker 5 (19:34):
Oh yeah, a little bit. Yeah, you know, but I
suppose I say, good things take time, don't they. But
you know, brilliant, brilliant to hear that yesterday.

Speaker 2 (19:40):
Now, I did say to Shane Jones earlier in the
show playing Devil's Advocate, was this virtue signaling? And I'm
totally supportive of what they're doing. But in a time
when we're trying to save money, is this going to
be end up being more expensive for us?

Speaker 5 (19:55):
What it can be like? You know, allan products good value,
they last longer, they're healthy for us, they're better for
the environment. So you know, you've got to think long term.
You can't just think that the initial short term.

Speaker 2 (20:09):
Absolutely not to mention the landfills with the synthetic carpets.

Speaker 5 (20:14):
Oh absolutely, that's just yeah, yeah, brilliant. I'm just start
with the result.

Speaker 2 (20:18):
I picked up a comment or comment that you'd made
in the media where you did have some reservations about
what practical and appropriate might mean, because where it's almost
a where possible, let's use wool.

Speaker 5 (20:33):
You're going to read the fine prints, an't you? In
any any sort of legislation or contract. You've learned as
a farming you prepare your hope for the best, but
you prepare for the worst as well, So let's just
be just be mindful. But fingers crossed.

Speaker 2 (20:45):
Wool, despite having a bit of a renaissance at the
end of last year in the beginning of this year,
is still I'm talking about strong wool here is still
in a very sad place. You know, we're in a
place where in some cases not getting enough from the
from the fleece to pay the sharers. So we do
need some kick in the pants, we do need a catalyst.

Speaker 5 (21:06):
Yeah, absolutely, And then things have picked up even this year.
A price of strong war is improved, you know, I
believe it's covering costs now, and some are gonna be
mindful also to prepare. They will properly. You know, you
put out a good product and then you'll get a
good price for it, so yeah, it shouldn't you know,
it's all good good news.

Speaker 2 (21:25):
I'm glad to hear you've had rewards for your efforts
five years on. Just to wrap it, how's the season
going in South Otago because I know, like a lot
of the country, you guys were getting pretty dry.

Speaker 5 (21:38):
Yeah, we were, and we're not. We're not used to that.
We don't we don't farm for dry, but personally ourselves,
we've had a really good season. Things were you know,
we missed out a lot of the rain in the
early spring which left a lot of Southland and places
in Otaga are really wet, so where we cut really
well with that. So no, we've you know, a brilliant
season for us, so may may continue.

Speaker 8 (21:57):
Well.

Speaker 2 (21:57):
Good on you, Amy Blakie, Thanks for some of your
time and thanks for the conviction of your ways hanging
in there. You got there in the end.

Speaker 5 (22:05):
Not just me, Jamie, I'm just one person. It's everybody,
everyone you know, over fifteen thousand signatures and there's a
lot of people pulling in some hard work behind the scenes.

Speaker 2 (22:13):
So not just me, Jammy the government.

Speaker 3 (22:16):
Listen, thanks for your time. I thank Jamie, Thank you again.

Speaker 2 (22:20):
Amy twenty six away from one, you're with the country.
We're going to throw out the question for today. It's
the final day, isn't it. Michelle Yep of our PGG
rights and on the fence, primo, Well that's what I'm
calling it. Yesterday's question was was South Island is better
than the North Island?

Speaker 3 (22:41):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (22:42):
No?

Speaker 3 (22:42):
Or on the fence?

Speaker 2 (22:45):
Fifteen percent said no, they reckon the North Island was better.
Twenty five percent said on the fence, and sixty percent
here God bless you said the South Island was better.
Greg Miller doesn't agree from the id Car rural scheme
because he voted for Tori far Now in Wellington. Obviously
you've got a much better set up there.

Speaker 3 (23:05):
Greg.

Speaker 2 (23:06):
Sorry, I'm just persecuting your publicly. You Mike's not on,
you can't respond. We're going to talk to you in
a tick. You're going to do the sports news and
see if you can redeem yourself. So yesterday's winner was
Julie Shanks in Canterbury. And I'm sure Julian Canterbury. There's
no more one eyed province than Canterbury. She would have
voted for the South Island. We'll throw out today's question,

(23:28):
the final question this week with PGG Rights and after
the break no welcome back to the country. I'm onto

(23:49):
a good line in length today. This is the exponents
and Victoria. Just for Greg Miller from the AHD Calf
and Rural Scheme. He does a great job national fundraising
Managery voted for Victoria.

Speaker 3 (24:03):
Far now, but.

Speaker 2 (24:05):
What the heck Michelle? Right have you You want to
have a crack at that? Oh? Yeah, I can give
that again, right right? That's a promo, a final promo
or your chance to win five hundred dollars of five
hundred dollars to spend on the PGG Rights and Online
store for all your fencing requirements.

Speaker 9 (24:26):
Yeah, which will be really handy coming into this time
of year, i'd imagine. So are you on the fence?
Is it a firm yes or no? All you have
to do is go to the country dot co, dot
m Z and tell us which side of the fencer
if you're in the middle, that you're on, and you
could be in to win a five hundred dollars voucher
online to spend with PGG writes and this question, which
Jamie's already mentioned earlier. The question today is Super Rugby

(24:48):
is preferable to the NRL? Which one are you on?
Are you on the fence? Are you yes or no?

Speaker 2 (24:53):
Well, I would I would like that question to be
but I didn't write the questions Super Rugby or NPC.
That would an interesting one.

Speaker 5 (25:02):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (25:03):
No, I've got to go with Super Rugby, but a
lot of people will go the NRL.

Speaker 3 (25:09):
So there that is today's question.

Speaker 2 (25:11):
As Michelle said, go to our website and answer that question.
There's no right or wrong answer and you're in to
win that five hundred dollars voucher to spend. At PGG
Rights and z online store, you can enjoy savings on
top quality brands trusted by farmers and fencing professionals such
as Speed Right, Cyclone, Gallagher, Stockade, strain Right and Hayes.

(25:35):
All your fencing needs are at PGG Rights and if
you enter the promo, you could get five hundred bucks
to spend on them. Here's the latest and rural news.

Speaker 1 (25:44):
The country's world news with cub Cadet, New Zealand's leading
right on lawnbower brand. Visit Steelford dot co dot NZ
for your local stockist.

Speaker 9 (25:54):
And congratulations to Tracy and Andrew Patterson on being crowned
the Otago Regional Supreme Winners the Otago Balance Farm Environment
Towards last night. They were now joining the other Supreme
Regional winners at the national showcase in June. There's only
one more regional award left to announce, was Southland taking
place tonight in for Cargo. And that's rural news.

Speaker 2 (26:14):
Yeah, and they're good friends, the pattersons of Stu Duncan,
the mayor of Wedderburn, who will be on the show tomorrow.
Great many are Toto Farmers. Well done you guys, We
are proud of you. Here's sports news. I've gotten Gregg's
doing sports news. I forgot hang on, let me put
up a week bit of Victoria for you.

Speaker 3 (26:32):
Greg.

Speaker 2 (26:33):
You can just say that was a mistake and you
actually misspoke. You didn't actually vote for Tory. I'm never
going to live this down. M mean no, well all
I can say, do you, Agregs. I'm worried because if
you live in Wellington Central you probably would have voted
for Tamitha as well.

Speaker 6 (26:51):
I didn't at the election.

Speaker 8 (26:52):
Toad.

Speaker 3 (26:53):
We've boothed out there but yeah.

Speaker 2 (26:56):
A lot of people are moving out of Wellington too.

Speaker 3 (27:00):
As Sports News sport.

Speaker 1 (27:04):
We do the po since nineteen oh four, he hasn't.

Speaker 2 (27:07):
Got a headset on we've got to play a line
or we've got to pay the bills.

Speaker 3 (27:10):
Away you go.

Speaker 6 (27:10):
Greg An admission from All Blacks captain Scott Barrett that
his form has been below standard and super rugby. The
Crusader's luck returns to action against the Hurricanes tomorrow after
a week off and one more an Olympic first for
the twenty twenty eight Los Angeles Games. If they all
the teams get there, female athletes will be the majority

(27:31):
for the first time.

Speaker 3 (27:32):
That's it.

Speaker 2 (27:33):
Jamie Scott Barrett, former's temporary classes permanent.

Speaker 3 (27:37):
Don't worry.

Speaker 2 (27:39):
I don't worry if he's not playing that well for
the Crusaders. As long as he plays well on captain's
the All Blacks, he's a great player anyhow. Up next,
Andrew Gibson or talking about Scottie Barrett's home province of Taranaki.

Speaker 3 (27:51):
We're going there next. Is the drought over? We'll ask?

Speaker 2 (27:54):
Andrew Gibson from PGG writes on monthly Here on the Country,
we catch up with the team from PGG Rights and
have a look at the state of the rural livestock market. Today,
we're heading to the Taranaki region where we find Andrew Gibson,

(28:16):
the livestock manager. Is the drought over Andrew.

Speaker 8 (28:20):
Hey, Jamie, Yeah, we had some pretty good rain in
there last week. Most of the province that have got it.
The south and the North really needed it. The central
boys are coming along pretty good. It's all on top
of the air season production of the last few years.
But yeah, the South and the North really needed it.
But unless I've had some so it should change pretty quick.

Speaker 2 (28:42):
In Greenham, Yeah, well, I hope you can build up
a good feedbank before winter, maybe just in time. Beef
pricing col cows at this time of the year, dairy
farmers are getting rid of their cole cows. They're like gold.

Speaker 8 (28:57):
Yeah, there's the prices have been through the roof and
it's really pushing demand, you know, to go to the
sale yards. A lot of competition in the yards from
all all works seem to be there trying to compete
for the same kettle and fill the chaine up. And
the prime market too is obviously very strong. But you know,
the cattle numbers will soon fall away really quickly. So yeah,

(29:19):
we're just just trying to clean up the last of
those cold cows and then guys that have been in
those tough positions in the draw. I just moving pretty quickly,
so yeah, sort of still coming through a little bit
and still and just obviously making big money.

Speaker 2 (29:32):
Yeah yeah, Well it's good that they can quite them
in a dry season for really good money. What do
I need to pay? Talking about really good money, what
do I need to pay for a big holsting dairy
cow and the taranaki At the moment.

Speaker 8 (29:46):
We've got it, we've got to dispersal today, Mark have
got their whole sting dispersal. You know, some of the
cows we haven't had the option yet, but it should
go pretty strong. Made the cows that presented so well,
and if people do want to get on like and
have a look at but look, normal commercial cares are
going to be making between sort of twenty five and

(30:07):
thirty five hundred bucks. I'd imagine it at option for
a decent care year, just with a shortage around.

Speaker 2 (30:14):
See, that is good money. It has improved quite a bit.
So putting Trump and his tariffs to one side, because
that's the orange elephant in the room. No one knows
what's happening there. I don't think he even knows, to
be perfectly honest. But if the world would just calm
the farm are we But things are looking really positive
for pastoral farmers here in New Zealand.

Speaker 8 (30:34):
Yeah, everything's positive. It's looking really good. The futures look
so good, Like you know, the lamb and the u
kills look strong going forward, the dairy market strong, the
beef looks strong.

Speaker 4 (30:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (30:46):
Look, Trump will do what he does. I think we
just got to carry on with what we know best
and let the world just happen around us. But yeah,
I think it's looking real good. There's some real positive
to talk around here, which is awesome.

Speaker 3 (30:57):
It is good.

Speaker 2 (30:58):
I hope you get some more good follow up and
you can break the back of that drought well and truly.
Andrew Gibson from PGG Rights and Taranaki Livestock Manager, thanks
for your time.

Speaker 8 (31:09):
Thanks Jamie, cheers Mate eleven.

Speaker 2 (31:12):
Away from one year with the Country, brought to you
by brand Remember if you want to win that five
hundred dollars voucher to spend at the PGG Rights an
online store on all your new seasons fencing.

Speaker 3 (31:24):
Needs.

Speaker 2 (31:26):
Just go to our website and answer this question. Super
Rugby is preferable to the NRL Yes? No, or sit
on the fence. There are no correct answers. I don't
even know the answer to that one. Up next to
our Ossie correspondent Chris Russell.

Speaker 1 (31:48):
Coussie update with Ecolab, Solid Range, solid products, solid partnership,
solid results.

Speaker 2 (31:56):
He's our guy across the ditch. Australian correspondent Chris Russell.
What are you guys making of Trump and this tariffs?
It's a moving feast or a moving nightmare, Chris Well.

Speaker 10 (32:07):
I was just going to say you saw about five
minutes ago or just now or you know, I mean
this thing moves, you know, with a weather. So the
latest thing where he's reversed all the tariffs on everyone
except China, and then he's added another fifty percent of theirs.
So that's the thing that's going to affect us the most,
of course. But you know, there's so many lies being

(32:29):
told as well, and there's no way of answering them.
For example, one of the lies that was this idea
that we don't allow us beef into Australia. Well, of
course we don't need it, but under a free trade agreement,
we have always allowed US beef into Australia, but we
don't allow them to send to Australia beef which has
been brought in from Mexico, South America and Canada remixed

(32:53):
with US beef and then send to Australia because we
don't know anything about their bisecurity. So as long as
they guarantee it's all you US beef, they've been able
to bring it here for donkeys years now. They haven't
brought it in because pure US beef is not competitive here,
so no one would buy it. So the last time
I could find where US beef had been imported was
back in two thousand and five when we had a

(33:14):
chain of steakhouses here called Sizzlers, which was American owned
who prior to themselves by having US beef, so they
bought a thousand tons in. But there hasn't been anything since,
not because it's been banned, but because we won't allow
them to bring in rebadged beef from other countries, which
I would have thought was eminently sensible.

Speaker 2 (33:34):
Jamie, how is this uncertainty and that's a mild word
to describe it. Over Trump and the tariffs going to
effect the Australian election, which is what coming up in
early May.

Speaker 3 (33:47):
Isn't it.

Speaker 10 (33:48):
Well, that's right, it's coming. Yes, it's exactly right. And
the thing with that is that I think the biggest
effect that I've seen so far is that they're not
the government is not unabled who answer or provide information
about its climate change and emissions policy, because they're claiming
that's all been thrown into disarray as Trump has thrown

(34:10):
out all of Biden's targets, so the whole world situation
is uncertain. So the Climate Change Authority which we have
here in Australia has been unable to provide advice to
the government about that, and that's what they have to
have before they confirm up on their policy. Now I
actually think that's done of them a favorite because I
think their policy is going to be hugely unpopular. It's

(34:31):
going to involve much higher energy costs. That's going to
be involved shutting down the coul fired stations earlier, which
is going to mean that we don't have reliable power.
There's so many downsides, So I think it's really worked
in their favor not being able to announce that. So
and of course the other thing that's going to have
the effect is interest rates. Now, I see you cut

(34:52):
your interest rates caught of a percent. The other day
the Treasurer called in the head of the Reserve Bank
and pretty much told them that they to think about
doing the same. There's even rumors they may do a
double cut because of the effects on the stock market.
But then this morning the stock market's gone up couple
of thousand points in America, so maybe they won't. And look, really,

(35:12):
the uncertainty in the financial markets and the uncertainty in
terms of what's going to happen with targets for emissions control,
those two things mean a lot of those policies are
just going to be completely meaningless.

Speaker 2 (35:24):
Jamie, I know you've had your first leader's debate hitting
into the selection. All the pundits are saying, Elbow's got it.

Speaker 3 (35:31):
Is it that clear cut?

Speaker 10 (35:32):
No, it's definitely not that clear cut in my view.
I think probably the informed opinion is that a minority
government is still the likely outcome, which means although he
says he will never work with the Greens, the Greens
are running around more or less telling everyone what they're
going to insist on when they form a minority government

(35:54):
with the Labor Party. So I think that's still the
most lightly But what has changed is the chances of
Dunton coming up with a minority government have definitely gone backwards.
He just has not run a clever campaign as far
as I can see. I'm no politician, but you know,
he seems to have been stymied in the good policies.
He's had people jumping in with hip pocket nerve policies

(36:18):
from the Labor Party which have on the surface looked
like they're quite good, and you know, he just hasn't
run a good show. He hasn't got the TV time
for some reason. They haven't spent as much money on
some of the TV stations as what the Labor Party had,
So for that reason, I think the change has occurred.
But you in can't pick whether it's going to be

(36:40):
a Labor or a liberal minority government. To most likely
result as a labor minority government with some chance of
a Labor government in their own right, which wouldn't have
even been thought as a possibility at the beginning of
this campaign.

Speaker 2 (36:53):
Joony Chris Russell, thanks very much for your time. As always,
we'll catch the same time, same place next week. Com rain, hail, snow,
or maybe even the Wallaby's winning the leaders Low Cup.

Speaker 3 (37:01):
Gotta go, thanks mate.

Speaker 2 (37:04):
Right, we're going to wrap it with Greg Miller, National
Fundraising Manager for the IHC Calf and Rural Scheme. I
see you spent some time with our good mate Craig Hickman,
dairy man. What a great supporter of the IHC Calf
scheme he is.

Speaker 6 (37:17):
He's brilliant, Jamie. It was great spending time with three
or four farmers coming down from christ Church to see
you today driving down and Craig Hickman has been a loyal,
generous supporter for many years now.

Speaker 2 (37:32):
I note that you're back up to pre COVID levels
in terms of farmer donations for the IHC Calf Scheme,
which is fantastic, but we really want to give it
a bit of a shake along this year, especially with
the well with the dairy farmers and the beef farmers
doing so well. So honestly, folks out there, if you
can spare a calf, you just rear it and it
goes to a great cause because nearly every family I

(37:53):
know has some connection with people with intellectual disabilities. Greg Miller,
it's been great having you in the studio. I've forgiven
you for voting for Tory and I look forward to
catching up with you again at field Days. We'll see
you tomorrow.

Speaker 5 (38:09):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (38:13):
Catch all the latest from the land, It's the Country
Podcast with Jamie Mgue. Thanks to Brent, you're specialist in
John Deere machinery.