August 10, 2026 • 38 mins
Jamie Mackay talks to Stephen Guerin, Sandra Faulkner, Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, Steve Wyn-Harris, and Scott Hunter.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Catch all the latest from the land. It's The Country
Podcast with Jamie McKay thanks to Farmlands delivering solutions for
strong productive crops.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
So good afternoon, New Zealand. Welcome to the Country. I'm
Jamie McKay. The show's brought to you by Farmlands and
I Suzu.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
And I'm broadcasting for the second day in a row.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
And well it's looking out at the stunning remarkables from
the studio here beside the biggest traffic jam in Queen's Down.
More about that later, got a lot on the show today.
I'm working my sources or I have been this morning
to see if Christopher Luxen is indeed in any trouble.
The NAT's a meeting tonight. Apparently it was arranged, but
(00:59):
there's a lot of noise about maybe a leadership spill,
although Chris Bishop, who would probably be the leading contender,
says it's not on the agenda. We'll wait and see
Chris Luxon Christopher Luxon on the show tomorrow hopefully right
We're going to kick it off with Stephen Gerin very
very shortly. He's the chief executive of PGG Rights and
(01:21):
it's the announcing season for a lot of these rural
companies and I guess if you can't make money this
year and rural supplies, you'll never make it. So a
pretty good result I think from PGG rights. And we're
going to talk to Sandra Faulkner from Federated Farmers on
these local body amalgamations. I think the deadline was like
Sunday night or yesterday morning. They've got to make their
(01:42):
mind up who they want to amalgamate with and if
they don't, the government will decide for them. It's all
been rather rushed. What does Federated Farmers make of that?
Doctor jaquilln Roweth more on those nitrates in the water
in Canterbury. Stevewin Harris, he's not nutty, he's just enthusiast.
He is a Hawks Bayed sheep and beef farmer and
(02:04):
a meteorite obsessive. He's been chasing meteor rights around. So
we catch up with Steve plus we'll see how things
are going in the Hawks Bay where his family runs
a very successful sheep and beef operation. And Scott Hunter
Well join us. He's a member of the New Zealand
dog trialing team. They're going to take on the Aussies.
Are wee but later in the month. But it's meat
(02:26):
matters week here on the country.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
That is, we on the country with PGG Rights and
Livestock delivering trusted advice and nationwide livestock expertise.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
The bloke with the good voice got into it ahead
of me.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
More about meat and attack.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
But as I as promised, Stephen Ghren, chief executive of
PGG Rights and you guys reported this morning, Stephen, pretty
good numbers to be expected, i'd.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Guess, thanks sure, and thanks for having me Jamie, But
I like you, I'm looking out for something else put
through the north of you. But she's a beautiful day
here in Canterbury.
Speaker 5 (02:58):
So yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Underpinning the performance of the sector, you know, we're really
pleased to crack that billion dollar figure since the sale
of the c's business. So revenue up ten percent one
point one billion and flowed through the bottom line as well.
Their profit after tax up forty six percent. So that
always keeps this yearholders happy. But a lot of hard
(03:22):
work that goes on in the sector that produced our results.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Well you aware or you have many sectors within your company,
what has been the most profitable for us?
Speaker 4 (03:33):
You'd have to say, it's been the rurals supply stores,
so the supported by that's a store network that supports
the dairy clients of red meat clients. They are the
ones that cently drove the result from a from a
retail perspective, the new drop down through to the livestock
(03:54):
business and thy strong volumes and from a dairy heads
perspective and the ondlying price movement and sheep and and
cattle strong mall season to finish out the year. So yeah,
they were the two. They were the two big standouts
as far as the business to concerned. The third one
(04:15):
would be horticulture and respect to what the quy for
executive are with the returns that our armqure free growers
are met receiving through the through through the z business.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Is it money for jam if you're a stock agent
or in the stock and station business, when you know
you look at meat prices, they've effectively doubled in the
past couple of years. You're doubling your commission. You can't miss.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
Stephen Well, our team would say that that's that's certainly
a strong factor. That's good for our customers. But equally
we've got to you know, the number of sheep that
are actually been on farm. Now that those numbers have
the cliented and certainly there was it was hard to
get cattle through that lay. It's autumn window. Everyone with
(05:01):
tation kettle, so the team have to get out there
and work pretty hard. Color of the team from the
perspective those bull tales, they take a lot of effort
and from us and from our clients putting all that
calog information together and been running those sales. So yes,
yes we've been the beneficiary of that, as have our customers.
But the teams will still work very hard, long days,
(05:24):
are really committed to their clients, and you know that's
what I think them for.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yeah, it is Meat Matters week here on the country.
We're going to dig in a wee bit deeper for
the rest of.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
The week on meat issues.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
But of course it's brought to you by PGG Rights
and Livestock, so that's obviously being driven a lot by
what's happening on the ground. You've been in this game,
Stephen Gerin, for jeez, about as long as I've been
in the broadcasting game, it has never been better for
red meat.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Can we say that safely?
Speaker 4 (05:57):
I think we could say that safe, Jane. But equally
I said that the positive positive sides into the future
as well, both in terms of price are and the
genetics that are coming through that investment of the genetics
from the ball sales. We saw more cars being reared
last year and we're seeing that again this year with
(06:17):
the demand that we've we because we're a full full
service business, the likes of McCartney will replace of products,
you know, the strong demand in that place. So people
are seeing a good, positive future of read meat and
that's good for the customers, that is good for the country.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
And it would appear to me that the prospects for
beef just seems to be really good into the medium term.
There are one or two clouds hanging over the lamb
and obviously, you know this lamb investigation, whatever they're calling
it in the US, it's a bit trumped up, if
you don't mind me saying so that could have a
negative effect because the US, as we discussed yesterday Stephen Garrett,
(06:54):
is the biggest export market now for red meat. It
has overtaken China.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
That's right, and it's good phrase dropped up. Use the
word nebulist, but I think I like that phrase a
bit better, and I know that the trade teams are
trying to battle that one back. It looks a bit
of a tough story, even though the underlying reasons I've
give be given her aren't that Aren't that good form
of perspective, aren't they down it from the disimal perspective,
(07:21):
I should say, and that US market is really is
really important for us. The good thing I think is
that we've continue to see some strong demand there so
but if that price point becomes becomes such such that
we do see resistance, that that's a challenge for us.
As you say, those headwinds are should do there Just a.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Couple to finish on where Kate Aklan kicking off Meat
Matters Week yesterday and she was showing beef and land.
New Zealand are concerned with it. We're still losing good
pastoral land. It's a forestry, particularly carbon farming. What are
you saying, because you've obviously got your real estate division
as well.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
That's right, Jamie, and I saw Kate's comments in that
regard and old endorser comments there. From a property sales
transaction perspective, we the sales that are going on right
at the moment, they're not. From our perspective, there's not
huge numbers going into the forest. What we're seeing is
those forests transactions that have taken place, and then you're
(08:23):
starting to see that the plane trees are up here.
I drive through the king Country regularly for personal reasons,
and you know it's a huge change in that space.
You know, we've seen dairy sales and property sales up
thirty percent. We've seen horticultural demand up sixty percent year
on here. So you know there's still there are still
(08:44):
good transactions taking place and things are going to add
add value to the country from our production perspective. But yeah,
we are worried about those numbers and case numbers. We're
concerning to see that if that trend continues, because there's
no long m economic better fit to our rural communities
and that's really important for us as the country.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Hey, yeah, we're talking about stock agents commissions. I just
want to give your agents on the ground a bit
of a pat on the back for everything they do
without commissions and start as I'm aware, totally without commissions,
and that is for the IHC CARF and rural scheme.
You guys have been behind it for forty or more years,
and your agents do a great job because there's a
(09:24):
lot of work to raise that money.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
That's right. Forty four years technically, I think is what
I've been told and the discussions we've had with the
I team and forty four million, I mean, those numbers
are fantastic. And we had a session with the IIC
team just about six weeks ago, and the teams up
(09:48):
and down the country. We've seen growth of numbers. We've
seen the intergenerational family support the scheme, we've seen the
corporate support the scheme, and we just love being part
of it. And the volunteers is my acts perspective, our
own team. You know, they are out there doing a
great job and they're really proud to be part of that.
We've tried to also had abition of aggressive years to
(10:11):
bring that through the real store networks as well. So
that's that's to board the fund raise that we do
for the A great course.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Yeah, it is a excuse me, A fantastic course.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Steven Gerran, thank you for supporting the IHC CARF and
Rural scheme for all of us that are involved with
it as well, and also congratulations on a really good
result for your company reporting out this morning.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
Thanks very much to me.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
There we go Steve Geran.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
From PGG Rights and he is, of course the chief executive. Yeah,
like I said, I've been working my sources. I'm actually
I'm talking myself up atwey that I dropped the text
into Barry's soper about you know, there's a bit whispers
about a rolling Christopher Luxon. I hope not because I
want him on the show tomorrow. And I said to Barry,
(10:55):
as Luxeon in any danger in his comeback, and said,
not that I can detect. Although some of the MPs
are naturally very worried that they're going to lose their seats,
especially if you're a List MP, no matter what happens
between now and the election. I think quite a few
National List MPs. I don't know how many there are,
probably not that many, because they win most of their
seats in the electrics, electorates could miss out. Potentially, potentially
(11:21):
National could get no List MPs and that would leave
some of their very high profile and high performing MPs
out of a job. But Barry goes on to say,
I've talked to ministers close to the action and they
say there's not the appetite, So there you go. Whispers
(11:42):
going around today about that. No doubt Barry Soaper will
have more when he talks to Heather Duplessy Allen twice
today on her drive show, and we'll bring you all
that action on newstalks. He'd be as we blow out
one hundred candles. Looking forward to the celebrations in Auckland
on Friday. But in between times, we've got a show
(12:03):
to do from Queenstown up next, we're going to go
to Gisbon all over the place. Sandra Faulkner. Sandra Faulkner,
get it right now. She is Federated Farmer's spokesperson on
local government. What do all these amalgamations mean for the
farming community? You're already paying through the nose for your rates.
How good or how bad is this going to be
for you? And has the government rushed this omoncline to
(12:25):
think they are. Before the end of the hour, we
will also catch up with doctor Jacquillan Rowe with Steve
when Harris and Scott Hunter. Scott Hunter as a part
of the New Zealand Dog Trial team going over the
Tasma to take on the ossies at the end of
the month.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
We'll be back after the break that is twenty one
up to twelve.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Well, you're with the country almost spilt coffee over the
Queenstown desk, or they in trouble if.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
I do that and may.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
The government gave councils or local body councils three months
to pitch a head start plan for creating larger unitary
councils or have one forced on them under the backstop process.
For that deadline has now passed. What a Federated Farmer
is saying about this, they're strongly advocating for a reorganization
(13:19):
model that creates separate metropolitan and provincial unitary councils. To
tell us more, their spokesperson Sandra Faulkner, and you're right,
we do need to separate town from country on this
because they're two different beasts.
Speaker 5 (13:32):
Sandra, Hey, Jemmy, how are you?
Speaker 6 (13:35):
And yes, you're probably right. What we're looking at is
what the needs are of those rate players, what their
expectations are of their local council, and just the services
and infrastructure that we all need outside of those metro
areas and paying for them accordingly.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Well as it stands at the moment. And I've always
thought this. I thought it back of the days when
I was a farmer myself. I think farmers pay a
lot of rates and often don't get that much for it.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
A greater up the.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Road maybe once or twice a year. And I'm comparing
to townies like myself these days under and if I
want to I've got a swimming pool, I've got a library,
I've got all sorts of things that may not be
readily available to rural ratepayers. So how do you differentiate that?
How do you make it fair, because especially our metropolitan
(14:30):
areas and our towns, often the small ones have really
serious issues around water reticulation. For example, the government's kind
of kicked that one to touch and it seems to
have landed in the lap of the local bodies.
Speaker 6 (14:44):
Yeah, well that was always a case where water services,
of course have always been delivered by local authorities, so
that but hasn't changed. But you're absolutely right what we
need from the point of view of roading, drainage, flood protects,
although that also applies in your metro areas as well,
feast and wage monitoring and destruction. You know, these are
(15:07):
things out in the rural communities that really matter to us,
along with things that people possibly don't see so much,
like the local hall. Quite often here's an involvement with
the local authorities as well. These are the hubs, the
social hearts of communities, and it's really important that we're
able to focus on them. So yeah, but equally for
(15:30):
those living in a metro area as well, really important
public transport through water services. You know, all of those
sort of things really matter. And if I was a
rate payer in a big city, I'd want to know
that my council was concentrating on those things that matter
to me.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Some of these local bodies are natural bedfellows, and I
think down on south And where I originally came from
and still have like farming interests, the Gore District Council
and the Southland District councils.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
And obvious pairing.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
They're what you do with closer and some of the
others around the periphery is a bit more interesting. But
what's happening, for instance in Gisbone, who do you buddy
up with?
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Hawkspay? Do you? No?
Speaker 6 (16:09):
We're already a unitary authority. We're thirty seven years ahead
of the rest of the country. So we're already there.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
But are you a big enough unitary authority to keep
Shane happy?
Speaker 7 (16:20):
I think so, you know, there's there's If.
Speaker 6 (16:23):
It ain't broke, don't fix it is basically the message
I think here, however, we will face along with every
other unitary authority that's developed up and down the length
of this country. It's where and how we partner with
central government and prim private interests to see the best
delivery in our in our areas. So remembering that your
(16:44):
rates are just another form of tax at the end
of the day. So if you you know, people sort
of feel, oh yeah, it should only be rate payers
maybe that are commenting on all of this, but we're
all tax payers as well. This is the long arm
of central government, that is what local governments think is
and the two can't.
Speaker 5 (17:02):
Be split up.
Speaker 6 (17:03):
So this is always going to be a partnership and
it's about making sure that we can get the best
outcomes for our communities.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
So does your unitary authority work quite well? Because obviously
around the rest of the country we have regional councils.
Shane Jones wants to get rid of those and it
seems logical to have unitary authorities has yours been a
good role model for what could happen for the rest
of us, You obviously would say yes, well.
Speaker 6 (17:30):
There's a former counselor here in Grisban, I would say yes.
And that's just for the simple reason that the expediency
of having the decision makers and management all in the
same building when it comes to both natural and built resources,
it just made it so much easier to reach the
(17:50):
natural conclusion of those conversations. It's not perfect that we're
all human at the end of the day, and there
will always be aspects where you look back and go
jee suid, we quite get that right. But I'll tell
you what, when I came in over the hills, you know,
either from north or south into Gisbon, I was always
deeply relieved to know that we had one council working
(18:13):
out one building in order to deliver my rate payer services.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
There you go, spoken like a politician. Sandra Faulkner, Thanks
for some of your time on behalf of Federated Farmers,
appreciate it.
Speaker 6 (18:24):
Thanks for them, Thanks Davy.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
There we go. So it is, so, what is the time?
It's twenty six half to twelve.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Years with the country, I Suzu and farmlands make it possible.
Up next, Doctor Jaqueline Roweth, we're going to have a
look at the nitrates in the Canterbury groundwater. It's a
bit of an issue and an arable farming friend of
mine got up in arms yesterday at the suggestion that
it was the fault of the arable farmers in Canterbury.
(18:51):
Is it the fault of the dairy farmers. We'll ask
Jacqueline that next before the end of the hour, it's
back up North Central Hawks Bay Steve Harris Hawks Bay
Sheep and Beef Sheep and Beef Farmer. Meteorite obsessive fireballs
a row is the name of the group and Steve's
he's been chasing meteorites all around the country. And then
(19:11):
we're going to have a yarn to one of our
four members of the New Zealand dog trilling team that's
gone across the Tasman to have a crack at the
Aussies and the whaler go Cup Scott Hunter around out
the country.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
It's never.
Speaker 6 (19:28):
Funny.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
A shadow wiskey.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
There's a party downtown you ftreem.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
She is a leading primary sector academic. Her name is
Dr Jaquelin Roweth. I want to talk about night trades
and water and cant but before I do, Jacqueline Fortnightly,
you're kind enough to write a brilliant column for us
on our website, The Country dot co dot in z.
This is about the cost of living and the cost
of food. You're suggesting food is now becoming too expensive
to eat and from a farming point of view, too
(19:59):
expensive to reduce.
Speaker 8 (20:01):
Right, so I can do the calculations for the farmers.
What is concerning me is that people are putting together
all the cost of living and saying the problem is
food because that's what they pay every fort well every
week or even earlier, you know, more frequently. And actually
we've got some good data from Australia saying it's electricity
(20:21):
and gas bills, fuel and transport costs and rent to
mortgage hikes which don't leave enough at the end to
buy the sorts of food people used to buy. But
on farm we're facing all those costs and I see
data from the UK where they've had a thirty or
forty percent decrease in yields, and the farmers are saying,
we're making one penny from every loaf you're buying. We
(20:45):
can't survive like this, so can farmers keep going unless
people accept that food is going to cost a bit more.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
When you look at what the punters or those polled think,
cost of living is the number one concern healthcare to
economy three. So interesting that climate change now comes in
a number eight. And I reckon Trump, rightly or wrongly
in this case, wrongly, has changed the way.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
We think in this world.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
I think we've become dere I say it may be
more insular, may be more selfish, where in many cases
justly more concerned about ourselves than saving the planet.
Speaker 8 (21:21):
I make the decision about what goes out of my wallet,
and make the decision whether it's going to be a
lot or a little this week, whereas a lot of
people seem to think that climate changes somebody else's responsibility.
And so I see people complaining about the cost of
living in general. But there was an awful lot of
traffic on domestic and international flights and indeed in driving
(21:45):
around the country during the school holiday. So people make
decisions about where they're going to spend their money, and
some of them are having a great impact on everybody
as opposed to personal Let's talk.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
About this issue the nitrates in the drinking water in Canterbury,
and you're not allowed a duck for cover on this one.
On I stress that you'll wear your scientist hat, not
your dairy and z hat. Now is the problem intensive
dairy farming in Canterbury or as one text has suggested
on yesterday's show, and that raised the ire of an
(22:18):
arable farming friend of mine, that it might be the
cropping farmers who's responsible for the high nitrates and the
water in Canterbury.
Speaker 8 (22:25):
They've been there for a very long time, so I
don't think anybody who's alive now was actually responsible in
the way that people are trying to point a finger.
What happened on the Canterburry planes is that people have
started living there. And I look at some data from
ESR what used to be called Environmental and Scientific Research,
and see that eighty three percent of the groundwater samples
(22:48):
that crossed the Canterbury planes had caffeine, sucralose, ibuprofen, steroidal
hormones that's contraceptive or skin some lot in them. Don't
think that's cows. What's tended to happen on the Canterburry plane.
So is that people have decided this is a good
place to produce food, so they come in. There are
more septic tanks, there is more activity. Certainly more fertilizer
(23:13):
has been used on the Canterbury planes. But when we
look at the dairy cow, she is producing more food,
the essential amino acids that humans need, for the greater
number of people, for the least impact in terms of
nitrogen loss to groundwater, fewer s, greenhouse gases, escaping and
best water use efficiency. And we have those bakers. So
(23:36):
it's not the dairy cow per se, which is where
you started remembering. I did a lot of work on
the Canterbury planes during the late eighties and nineties. What
we have is a whole series of things which includes
the gorse and the broom and people well environment. Canterbury
has actually said this is a very complex issue and
just saying we'll get rid of the dairy cow will
(23:58):
not fix what people see the problem. But they should
be able to relax because an awful lot of the
statements that have been made about the dangers of nitrate
are actually creating fear rather than based on anything. But
if it was true, this would happen, and there are
a lot of data around pre term babies or early
(24:23):
liked babies, or colorectal cancer that simply aren't supported by
the geographical distribution of the people affected and the nitrate
in the water. So let's relax and sort out how
do we best use the canterby planes. We've got research
that supports what is happening.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
Hey really quickly to finish on a social bit of
social commentary for me. And I know you were down
in Queenstown at the behest of our great friend Brews Dickens,
the dodgy hedgecutter from m the Cargo and June, and
you saw for yourself the congestion, the gridlock and this beautiful,
beautiful part of the world. I'm looking out from our
studio at snowcap remarkables, but I'm also looking out at
(25:01):
the Frankton Roundabout.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
It's the balls up. I don't know how long this
is taken.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
And as I walk from where I'm parking to the
studio each day, or I have for the past two days,
I have seen workmen and women standing not on the end,
not leaning on their shovel like they used to in
the good old days with the ministry works are these people.
Young people are sitting on their phones. How's that productive?
We have a productivity issue. The Chinese would build this
at a month, but the.
Speaker 8 (25:28):
Chinese wouldn't have the health and safety concerns that we have,
and the regulations about getting home safety and all of
those sorts of things. We might have gone a little far.
I hope that the young people are doing some study
while they're there and aiming to pass some new qualifications,
because we've had a fuss about that. But it's possible
they're not. And one of the things we've done I
(25:48):
think is probably over compensate in terms of what we're
trying to do in New Zealand to make sure, like
the road cone issue, that people are safe and we
need to be not looking at phones, actually looking at
the taffic to ensure that we don't walk in front
of it.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
Well, too many people standing around doing nothing. See that
we haven't got that productivity issue. On the farms of
New Zealand, they get out and go hard anyhow. That's
just my observation. Thanks for some of yours today, Jacqueline, see.
Speaker 7 (26:15):
It lovely, Thank you five Good on you.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Jacqueline's twenty twenty What is it twenty three away from
I'm just reading some of your text feedback, but it's
quite a bit of support out there from you farmers
for Christopher Luckson. Here's one talking about PGG rights and
real estate agent Peter Wiley.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
I know Peter.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
He's up in the king Country there. He's apparently hit
the billion dollars in rural sales.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Good stuff.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
And Jeremy Roxs is calling me a climate change shell. No, Jeremy,
you misunderstood me. I'm not saying that I buy into
all the hysteria around climate change at all. I just
think Trump has changed the game, not only for the US,
but for the world, and US included. Climate change has
sneaked down, has dropped down the priority list of people's
(27:03):
in people's worlds, simply because we've got other stuff to
worry about more immediate than saving the planet in fifty
years time. Rightly or wrongly, I'm not really defending or denying.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Does that make sense? Not really?
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Up Next Rural News with Michelle and Dunedin, Mark Kelly
with sport before the end of the hour, Steve Wynn
Harris chasing meteorites in Central Hawk's Bay, and Scott Hunter
we're going to talk dog trilling.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
That's all before the end of the hour.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
On the country. It is twenty away from one. You're
with the country. Some of your feedback BP round about
a bloody joke that's here in Queenstown and another one
Hi Jamie. Look at Groundswelle's latest post regarding high note
nitrates and Canterby bored at dating back to the nineteen thirties.
(27:51):
There was no artificial nitrogen being used back then. It
hadn't even been invented. Keep your feedback coming in. On
five dob O nine, here's Michelle Watt with the latest
and news for the.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Country's rural news with cub Cadets, New Zealand's leading right
on lawn Bower brand. Visit steel Ford dot co dot
nz for your local stockist.
Speaker 9 (28:11):
By Security Minister Andrew Hogart has announced a new one
million dollar community fund to help tackle wildling pines across
New Zealand. Speaking at the National Wilding Pine Conference in
Southland today, Hoggard says the two year fundel support community
lead control projects through the National Wide and Conifer Control Program.
The funding is an addition to one hundred and nine
million dollars already committed over the next three years to
(28:32):
increase wilding pine control nationwide. And that's for aural news.
Just a quick note here for those living in Oa
Coney just remember to boil waters of boil water notice
there for you guys. And here's Mark with Sport.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
Sport on the country with Alfco qu owned.
Speaker 10 (28:49):
That's rare, thank you. Michelle forecast whether could make your
black trip to the so called shark tank even more dangerous?
Overnight in Durban rained all day date local times with
a swept over South Africa and was forecast to continue
throughout game day. Get them. Luke Jacobson SyES they must
play smart rugby in the wet and don't forget. We'll
(29:10):
have live commentary here on News TALKSB Sport and iHeartRadio
from five o'clock. Back to you, Jamie.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
Yeah, thank you, Mark Kelly and Auckland and Michelle Watt
and Dunedin. It's a show coming from three places today
after the break. Steve Wan Harris who's been all around
the country looking for meteorites and as fourteen away from
one the country coming here from Queenstown.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Beautiful day here.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Heavy rain warning issued by the Way for Northland and Auckland.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
More about that at the top of the hour.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
But Steve one Harris Hawks Bay or Central Hawk, space
sheep and beef farmer. Steve, you're taking time off a
lambing beat to talk about meteorites.
Speaker 3 (29:50):
I thought you'd retired from.
Speaker 7 (29:51):
Lamming see me retired sheet and beef farmer, but more importantly,
an unpaid junior shepherd.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
So I don't blame your son Jason for wanting you
on the job.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
Steve, You'll be the cheapest labor he can find.
Speaker 7 (30:05):
Yeah, we king to heared me back because I suddenly
handed in my notice about ten days ago. I said
I was going to go away for a few days
down to the wider rappo looking for meta rightes nh.
I was searching for ten days. So he had to
carry the laid on his own, which is fine.
Speaker 5 (30:19):
I did it for forty years.
Speaker 7 (30:20):
That won't kill him.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
No, do you enjoy searching searching for meteorites? And I
know you're passionate about it. Some would say obsessive. Is
that a lot more fun than a landing beat? I
assume it is for you.
Speaker 7 (30:31):
Yeah, I get so. I've done forty five years at
leading beat. When you say some would say I was obsessive.
Everyone says I'm obsessive, even though I think that might
be the case. So, yeah, that's what I've been doing.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
So what is the interest with the meteorites, Because you're
in an association called Fireballs at Rower, aren't you.
Speaker 7 (30:49):
Yeah, well, you know that little relics of the formation
of the Solar System. Most of them come from the
asteroid Belt, which was a sort of proto planet that
didn't form between Mars and Jupiter, and these little bits
we intersect with them occasionally and they come screaming through
the atmosphere, and the big ones when they come in,
and if they come on steeping up an angle, some
(31:11):
fragments of it can survive and land on the Earth.
It's a meteor. When it's in the air or a
big one, it's called a fireball, and when it's on
the ground it's called a meat right, And that's why
I shot down. In fact, i'll tell you the story, Jamie.
I was sitting in the spar pool at ten twenty
six pm on the twenty eighth of July doing stargazing
because I'm a sort of amateur astronomer, and suddenly the
(31:32):
whole sky lit up with two sort of flashes in
the second apart, and I thought, oh my goodness, that
that can't have been a fireble surely, you know. I
jumped out of the spa and checked my phone, and
we were starting to get reports and already from my
witnesses and more importantly people around the Hurrepaneu and the
Wirerappa area who heard a sonic boom, which means it
got low enough for pieces to fall on the ground.
(31:54):
So that's when I handed in my notice. I said
to Jason, I'll be back at some stage, and you know,
about ten days later before I came back.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Yeah, you might may have been over sharing with the
sauna story. But anyhow, Steve, that's what do you do
when you actually find a meteor right? Are they valuable?
Do you give them to a museum? What happens to them?
Speaker 5 (32:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (32:12):
Theyre not. These ones are stone called stony chondrites. They're
quite quite common. So the ones we were finding very
small ones, a few hundred dollars at most people think that.
So I had to be very careful because I organized
set that I didn't create a meteorite rush, and half
of masters and thinking that they were going to get
rich quick because they might have read a piece that
(32:35):
where a marsh and met ride had sold at some
other beasts for two million dollars or something like that.
Those ones are extremely rare. These ones are less so.
But I shot down to do a reki on the
friday because it came in on the Tuesday. And I
went to the area that I was going to get
my searchers to have a look at at some stage
during the search, and within forty minutes I spotted this
tiny little eight gram met ride on the ground, got
(32:57):
down on the hands and these had a very very
close look and thought, I think that might be one.
So I begged this and then I did a video
that evening with my geologists to the specialists and they confirmed.
So that told us that we had fragments on the ground.
But it didn't prove to be as easy as that
after that, because probably we were finding one every second day,
and in the end we found five and then a
(33:19):
whole lot of fragments of one that hit someone's driveway
and it ended up as seventy five gram so sort
of six meteorites only totaling seventy five grams. And to
answer your question, we're doing this for science and then
these fragments will be handed into a institution to go
on public display. As I'm sure you know the one
we found two years ago at taka Po. We called
(33:41):
it takapaw. We found it at taka Po. It's in
the Tahara Otaga Museum. Jamie and I strongly recommend you
go and have a look.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Well, who needs to play golf for fun when you
can go searching and looking at meteorites. Steve got to
go enjoy the rest of your lambing. Hope the weather
treats you well. We're going to take a break. We're
going to wrap the country with Scott Hunter.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
He's one of four.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
Dog trialists representing us in the whaler Go Cup later
in the month, Marks or Scott Hunter? Should I say
to wrap the country?
Speaker 3 (34:13):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (34:14):
Wrapping the country from Queenstown, breaking news, lux and calls
urgent in person caucus meeting amid and inverted commas, increased
speculation about my leadership. More to come throughout the day
on news talks, There'd be no doubt Heather and Barry
will have that one rap. Scott Hunter joins us. He's
one of four blokes heading across the Tasman later this
month to represent us in the whaler Go Cup along
(34:37):
with Mark Copeland, Ben Miller himself and his father in
law Lloyd Smith is representing us as well, Scott. I
know your father in law Lloyd. He's originally a Clinton
bloke and he's a legend.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
What chance in the whaler Go Cup.
Speaker 5 (34:54):
If we's a chance here, Jenie? Yep, yep. We'll head
over on the twenty eighth of this mon and then
have a credit with three tests.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
Yere, So your father in law, veteran TODG trial are
seventy three years old these days in North Otago, no
stranger to the game. He's been trialing for forty three years.
He's achieved seventy two Ireland and that's North and South
Island and New Zealand placings, including five New Zealand titles
with twenty.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Five different dogs.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
What a career, hey, So what is the format for
the Test match against the Aussies. It's not your typical
two hunter away two heading dog events like we have
here in New Zealand?
Speaker 3 (35:34):
Am I right in saying that?
Speaker 5 (35:36):
That's right? Jamie? We've got a trans Tasament course set
up over there which has got a part of a
two New Zealand sections and then two Australian sections and
you have a New Zealand judge which is our team manager,
Pat Cougan from Temenui and then the Australian President which
will be the judge for them, and then they aggregate
(35:56):
the points after that year.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
So what are the two New Zealand events?
Speaker 5 (36:01):
So where we drive were then on events that they're
incorporated in one course Jamie. So there's two dry New
Zealand drives and then then what they call two Australian
carries and we have a Moldy Cross and a bridge
as well.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Yeah, so was this all for heading dogs only or
the hunter Way's got to go as well?
Speaker 5 (36:18):
She's all just heading dogs over there in Jamie. Yet
they don't have a hundaway is sucked over there. They've
got kelpies and stuff they have there and yard dog
troll so this is just a heading event.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
Yeah it Well, so how do you train for this?
Speaker 5 (36:29):
We've had a couple of trainings. I'm here here at
home in America. Everybody's turned out down here because we're
all from the South Island, so it's been pretty handy
and we've just we've set up a course like we're
going to be competing on over there, and and and
you had a few few goes here and just practicing
on marinos sheep here in America, which has been quite
handy because we deal with marinos when we're over there.
Speaker 7 (36:51):
Now.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
The Aussies have held the Whalergo Cup for a couple
of years.
Speaker 5 (36:55):
Yep, that's right, Jamie, Yep, yep, they've They've given us
a bit of a towel in the last couple of years.
So we're hopefully going to go over and wreck for that.
Speaker 9 (37:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
And I note that's an old rugby mate of mine,
Brian Dickerson is the first reserve. I don't think he
ever likes sitting on the bench much when he was
playing rugby. How does he go as a reserve?
Speaker 5 (37:14):
Yeah, Brian's a reserve this year, So yeah, know just
what it is. But everybody has the turn it there,
I guess.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
All right, Well, anything else we need to add to
this conversation about the dog trolls. Give us those dates
again so we can follow it more closely.
Speaker 5 (37:30):
Yeah, we're leaving on the twenty sixth of August and
we head over there. In our first on the twenty eighth,
and then there's one for the next two days of
twenty eight, twenty ninethe and thirtieth. We're on Staying, which
is three hours southwest of Brisbane and we'll find the
Brisbane and head down there. So yeah, well when we
get there, we'll know who we're competing against, because they
don't choose their team until they've had the ted Gabi
(37:53):
Supreme Trial over there. We'll know when we get there
who we're versing.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
Okay, well, sorry, Scott, we're just about out of time.
We're going to keep a close eye on you. In fact,
we've got your phone number now, so you bug it.
I'm going to ring you up when you're in the
middle of that test series and you can.
Speaker 3 (38:07):
Let us know how you're getting on. There we go.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
Scott Hunter a member of the four man New Zealand
Test team along with Mark Copeland, his father in law
Lloyd Smith, and Ben Miller. All South Island is representing
New Zealand and the whaler Go Cup. We'll catch you
tomorrow back at Dunedin HQ.
Speaker 3 (38:24):
Take care.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Catch all the latest from the Land. It's The Country
Podcast with Jamie McKay. Thanks to Farmland's delivering solutions for
strong productive crops.
Catch all the latest from the land. It's The Country
Podcast with Jamie McKay thanks to Farmlands delivering solutions for
strong productive crops.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
So good afternoon, New Zealand. Welcome to the Country. I'm
Jamie McKay. The show's brought to you by Farmlands and
I Suzu.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
And I'm broadcasting for the second day in a row.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
And well it's looking out at the stunning remarkables from
the studio here beside the biggest traffic jam in Queen's Down.
More about that later, got a lot on the show today.
I'm working my sources or I have been this morning
to see if Christopher Luxen is indeed in any trouble.
The NAT's a meeting tonight. Apparently it was arranged, but
(00:59):
there's a lot of noise about maybe a leadership spill,
although Chris Bishop, who would probably be the leading contender,
says it's not on the agenda. We'll wait and see
Chris Luxon Christopher Luxon on the show tomorrow hopefully right
We're going to kick it off with Stephen Gerin very
very shortly. He's the chief executive of PGG Rights and
(01:21):
it's the announcing season for a lot of these rural
companies and I guess if you can't make money this
year and rural supplies, you'll never make it. So a
pretty good result I think from PGG rights. And we're
going to talk to Sandra Faulkner from Federated Farmers on
these local body amalgamations. I think the deadline was like
Sunday night or yesterday morning. They've got to make their
(01:42):
mind up who they want to amalgamate with and if
they don't, the government will decide for them. It's all
been rather rushed. What does Federated Farmers make of that?
Doctor jaquilln Roweth more on those nitrates in the water
in Canterbury. Stevewin Harris, he's not nutty, he's just enthusiast.
He is a Hawks Bayed sheep and beef farmer and
(02:04):
a meteorite obsessive. He's been chasing meteor rights around. So
we catch up with Steve plus we'll see how things
are going in the Hawks Bay where his family runs
a very successful sheep and beef operation. And Scott Hunter
Well join us. He's a member of the New Zealand
dog trialing team. They're going to take on the Aussies.
Are wee but later in the month. But it's meat
(02:26):
matters week here on the country.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
That is, we on the country with PGG Rights and
Livestock delivering trusted advice and nationwide livestock expertise.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
The bloke with the good voice got into it ahead
of me.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
More about meat and attack.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
But as I as promised, Stephen Ghren, chief executive of
PGG Rights and you guys reported this morning, Stephen, pretty
good numbers to be expected, i'd.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Guess, thanks sure, and thanks for having me Jamie, But
I like you, I'm looking out for something else put
through the north of you. But she's a beautiful day
here in Canterbury.
Speaker 5 (02:58):
So yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Underpinning the performance of the sector, you know, we're really
pleased to crack that billion dollar figure since the sale
of the c's business. So revenue up ten percent one
point one billion and flowed through the bottom line as well.
Their profit after tax up forty six percent. So that
always keeps this yearholders happy. But a lot of hard
(03:22):
work that goes on in the sector that produced our results.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Well you aware or you have many sectors within your company,
what has been the most profitable for us?
Speaker 4 (03:33):
You'd have to say, it's been the rurals supply stores,
so the supported by that's a store network that supports
the dairy clients of red meat clients. They are the
ones that cently drove the result from a from a
retail perspective, the new drop down through to the livestock
(03:54):
business and thy strong volumes and from a dairy heads
perspective and the ondlying price movement and sheep and and
cattle strong mall season to finish out the year. So yeah,
they were the two. They were the two big standouts
as far as the business to concerned. The third one
(04:15):
would be horticulture and respect to what the quy for
executive are with the returns that our armqure free growers
are met receiving through the through through the z business.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Is it money for jam if you're a stock agent
or in the stock and station business, when you know
you look at meat prices, they've effectively doubled in the
past couple of years. You're doubling your commission. You can't miss.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
Stephen Well, our team would say that that's that's certainly
a strong factor. That's good for our customers. But equally
we've got to you know, the number of sheep that
are actually been on farm. Now that those numbers have
the cliented and certainly there was it was hard to
get cattle through that lay. It's autumn window. Everyone with
(05:01):
tation kettle, so the team have to get out there
and work pretty hard. Color of the team from the
perspective those bull tales, they take a lot of effort
and from us and from our clients putting all that
calog information together and been running those sales. So yes,
yes we've been the beneficiary of that, as have our customers.
But the teams will still work very hard, long days,
(05:24):
are really committed to their clients, and you know that's
what I think them for.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yeah, it is Meat Matters week here on the country.
We're going to dig in a wee bit deeper for
the rest of.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
The week on meat issues.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
But of course it's brought to you by PGG Rights
and Livestock, so that's obviously being driven a lot by
what's happening on the ground. You've been in this game,
Stephen Gerin, for jeez, about as long as I've been
in the broadcasting game, it has never been better for
red meat.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Can we say that safely?
Speaker 4 (05:57):
I think we could say that safe, Jane. But equally
I said that the positive positive sides into the future
as well, both in terms of price are and the
genetics that are coming through that investment of the genetics
from the ball sales. We saw more cars being reared
last year and we're seeing that again this year with
(06:17):
the demand that we've we because we're a full full
service business, the likes of McCartney will replace of products,
you know, the strong demand in that place. So people
are seeing a good, positive future of read meat and
that's good for the customers, that is good for the country.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
And it would appear to me that the prospects for
beef just seems to be really good into the medium term.
There are one or two clouds hanging over the lamb
and obviously, you know this lamb investigation, whatever they're calling
it in the US, it's a bit trumped up, if
you don't mind me saying so that could have a
negative effect because the US, as we discussed yesterday Stephen Garrett,
(06:54):
is the biggest export market now for red meat. It
has overtaken China.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
That's right, and it's good phrase dropped up. Use the
word nebulist, but I think I like that phrase a
bit better, and I know that the trade teams are
trying to battle that one back. It looks a bit
of a tough story, even though the underlying reasons I've
give be given her aren't that Aren't that good form
of perspective, aren't they down it from the disimal perspective,
(07:21):
I should say, and that US market is really is
really important for us. The good thing I think is
that we've continue to see some strong demand there so
but if that price point becomes becomes such such that
we do see resistance, that that's a challenge for us.
As you say, those headwinds are should do there Just a.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Couple to finish on where Kate Aklan kicking off Meat
Matters Week yesterday and she was showing beef and land.
New Zealand are concerned with it. We're still losing good
pastoral land. It's a forestry, particularly carbon farming. What are
you saying, because you've obviously got your real estate division
as well.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
That's right, Jamie, and I saw Kate's comments in that
regard and old endorser comments there. From a property sales
transaction perspective, we the sales that are going on right
at the moment, they're not. From our perspective, there's not
huge numbers going into the forest. What we're seeing is
those forests transactions that have taken place, and then you're
(08:23):
starting to see that the plane trees are up here.
I drive through the king Country regularly for personal reasons,
and you know it's a huge change in that space.
You know, we've seen dairy sales and property sales up
thirty percent. We've seen horticultural demand up sixty percent year
on here. So you know there's still there are still
(08:44):
good transactions taking place and things are going to add
add value to the country from our production perspective. But yeah,
we are worried about those numbers and case numbers. We're
concerning to see that if that trend continues, because there's
no long m economic better fit to our rural communities
and that's really important for us as the country.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Hey, yeah, we're talking about stock agents commissions. I just
want to give your agents on the ground a bit
of a pat on the back for everything they do
without commissions and start as I'm aware, totally without commissions,
and that is for the IHC CARF and rural scheme.
You guys have been behind it for forty or more years,
and your agents do a great job because there's a
(09:24):
lot of work to raise that money.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
That's right. Forty four years technically, I think is what
I've been told and the discussions we've had with the
I team and forty four million, I mean, those numbers
are fantastic. And we had a session with the IIC
team just about six weeks ago, and the teams up
(09:48):
and down the country. We've seen growth of numbers. We've
seen the intergenerational family support the scheme, we've seen the
corporate support the scheme, and we just love being part
of it. And the volunteers is my acts perspective, our
own team. You know, they are out there doing a
great job and they're really proud to be part of that.
We've tried to also had abition of aggressive years to
(10:11):
bring that through the real store networks as well. So
that's that's to board the fund raise that we do
for the A great course.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Yeah, it is a excuse me, A fantastic course.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Steven Gerran, thank you for supporting the IHC CARF and
Rural scheme for all of us that are involved with
it as well, and also congratulations on a really good
result for your company reporting out this morning.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
Thanks very much to me.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
There we go Steve Geran.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
From PGG Rights and he is, of course the chief executive. Yeah,
like I said, I've been working my sources. I'm actually
I'm talking myself up atwey that I dropped the text
into Barry's soper about you know, there's a bit whispers
about a rolling Christopher Luxon. I hope not because I
want him on the show tomorrow. And I said to Barry,
(10:55):
as Luxeon in any danger in his comeback, and said,
not that I can detect. Although some of the MPs
are naturally very worried that they're going to lose their seats,
especially if you're a List MP, no matter what happens
between now and the election. I think quite a few
National List MPs. I don't know how many there are,
probably not that many, because they win most of their
seats in the electrics, electorates could miss out. Potentially, potentially
(11:21):
National could get no List MPs and that would leave
some of their very high profile and high performing MPs
out of a job. But Barry goes on to say,
I've talked to ministers close to the action and they
say there's not the appetite, So there you go. Whispers
(11:42):
going around today about that. No doubt Barry Soaper will
have more when he talks to Heather Duplessy Allen twice
today on her drive show, and we'll bring you all
that action on newstalks. He'd be as we blow out
one hundred candles. Looking forward to the celebrations in Auckland
on Friday. But in between times, we've got a show
(12:03):
to do from Queenstown up next, we're going to go
to Gisbon all over the place. Sandra Faulkner. Sandra Faulkner,
get it right now. She is Federated Farmer's spokesperson on
local government. What do all these amalgamations mean for the
farming community? You're already paying through the nose for your rates.
How good or how bad is this going to be
for you? And has the government rushed this omoncline to
(12:25):
think they are. Before the end of the hour, we
will also catch up with doctor Jacquillan Rowe with Steve
when Harris and Scott Hunter. Scott Hunter as a part
of the New Zealand Dog Trial team going over the
Tasma to take on the ossies at the end of
the month.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
We'll be back after the break that is twenty one
up to twelve.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Well, you're with the country almost spilt coffee over the
Queenstown desk, or they in trouble if.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
I do that and may.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
The government gave councils or local body councils three months
to pitch a head start plan for creating larger unitary
councils or have one forced on them under the backstop process.
For that deadline has now passed. What a Federated Farmer
is saying about this, they're strongly advocating for a reorganization
(13:19):
model that creates separate metropolitan and provincial unitary councils. To
tell us more, their spokesperson Sandra Faulkner, and you're right,
we do need to separate town from country on this
because they're two different beasts.
Speaker 5 (13:32):
Sandra, Hey, Jemmy, how are you?
Speaker 6 (13:35):
And yes, you're probably right. What we're looking at is
what the needs are of those rate players, what their
expectations are of their local council, and just the services
and infrastructure that we all need outside of those metro
areas and paying for them accordingly.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Well as it stands at the moment. And I've always
thought this. I thought it back of the days when
I was a farmer myself. I think farmers pay a
lot of rates and often don't get that much for it.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
A greater up the.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Road maybe once or twice a year. And I'm comparing
to townies like myself these days under and if I
want to I've got a swimming pool, I've got a library,
I've got all sorts of things that may not be
readily available to rural ratepayers. So how do you differentiate that?
How do you make it fair, because especially our metropolitan
(14:30):
areas and our towns, often the small ones have really
serious issues around water reticulation. For example, the government's kind
of kicked that one to touch and it seems to
have landed in the lap of the local bodies.
Speaker 6 (14:44):
Yeah, well that was always a case where water services,
of course have always been delivered by local authorities, so
that but hasn't changed. But you're absolutely right what we
need from the point of view of roading, drainage, flood protects,
although that also applies in your metro areas as well,
feast and wage monitoring and destruction. You know, these are
(15:07):
things out in the rural communities that really matter to us,
along with things that people possibly don't see so much,
like the local hall. Quite often here's an involvement with
the local authorities as well. These are the hubs, the
social hearts of communities, and it's really important that we're
able to focus on them. So yeah, but equally for
(15:30):
those living in a metro area as well, really important
public transport through water services. You know, all of those
sort of things really matter. And if I was a
rate payer in a big city, I'd want to know
that my council was concentrating on those things that matter
to me.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Some of these local bodies are natural bedfellows, and I
think down on south And where I originally came from
and still have like farming interests, the Gore District Council
and the Southland District councils.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
And obvious pairing.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
They're what you do with closer and some of the
others around the periphery is a bit more interesting. But
what's happening, for instance in Gisbone, who do you buddy
up with?
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Hawkspay? Do you? No?
Speaker 6 (16:09):
We're already a unitary authority. We're thirty seven years ahead
of the rest of the country. So we're already there.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
But are you a big enough unitary authority to keep
Shane happy?
Speaker 7 (16:20):
I think so, you know, there's there's If.
Speaker 6 (16:23):
It ain't broke, don't fix it is basically the message
I think here, however, we will face along with every
other unitary authority that's developed up and down the length
of this country. It's where and how we partner with
central government and prim private interests to see the best
delivery in our in our areas. So remembering that your
(16:44):
rates are just another form of tax at the end
of the day. So if you you know, people sort
of feel, oh yeah, it should only be rate payers
maybe that are commenting on all of this, but we're
all tax payers as well. This is the long arm
of central government, that is what local governments think is
and the two can't.
Speaker 5 (17:02):
Be split up.
Speaker 6 (17:03):
So this is always going to be a partnership and
it's about making sure that we can get the best
outcomes for our communities.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
So does your unitary authority work quite well? Because obviously
around the rest of the country we have regional councils.
Shane Jones wants to get rid of those and it
seems logical to have unitary authorities has yours been a
good role model for what could happen for the rest
of us, You obviously would say yes, well.
Speaker 6 (17:30):
There's a former counselor here in Grisban, I would say yes.
And that's just for the simple reason that the expediency
of having the decision makers and management all in the
same building when it comes to both natural and built resources,
it just made it so much easier to reach the
(17:50):
natural conclusion of those conversations. It's not perfect that we're
all human at the end of the day, and there
will always be aspects where you look back and go
jee suid, we quite get that right. But I'll tell
you what, when I came in over the hills, you know,
either from north or south into Gisbon, I was always
deeply relieved to know that we had one council working
(18:13):
out one building in order to deliver my rate payer services.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
There you go, spoken like a politician. Sandra Faulkner, Thanks
for some of your time on behalf of Federated Farmers,
appreciate it.
Speaker 6 (18:24):
Thanks for them, Thanks Davy.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
There we go. So it is, so, what is the time?
It's twenty six half to twelve.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Years with the country, I Suzu and farmlands make it possible.
Up next, Doctor Jaqueline Roweth, we're going to have a
look at the nitrates in the Canterbury groundwater. It's a
bit of an issue and an arable farming friend of
mine got up in arms yesterday at the suggestion that
it was the fault of the arable farmers in Canterbury.
(18:51):
Is it the fault of the dairy farmers. We'll ask
Jacqueline that next before the end of the hour, it's
back up North Central Hawks Bay Steve Harris Hawks Bay
Sheep and Beef Sheep and Beef Farmer. Meteorite obsessive fireballs
a row is the name of the group and Steve's
he's been chasing meteorites all around the country. And then
(19:11):
we're going to have a yarn to one of our
four members of the New Zealand dog trilling team that's
gone across the Tasman to have a crack at the
Aussies and the whaler go Cup Scott Hunter around out
the country.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
It's never.
Speaker 6 (19:28):
Funny.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
A shadow wiskey.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
There's a party downtown you ftreem.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
She is a leading primary sector academic. Her name is
Dr Jaquelin Roweth. I want to talk about night trades
and water and cant but before I do, Jacqueline Fortnightly,
you're kind enough to write a brilliant column for us
on our website, The Country dot co dot in z.
This is about the cost of living and the cost
of food. You're suggesting food is now becoming too expensive
to eat and from a farming point of view, too
(19:59):
expensive to reduce.
Speaker 8 (20:01):
Right, so I can do the calculations for the farmers.
What is concerning me is that people are putting together
all the cost of living and saying the problem is
food because that's what they pay every fort well every
week or even earlier, you know, more frequently. And actually
we've got some good data from Australia saying it's electricity
(20:21):
and gas bills, fuel and transport costs and rent to
mortgage hikes which don't leave enough at the end to
buy the sorts of food people used to buy. But
on farm we're facing all those costs and I see
data from the UK where they've had a thirty or
forty percent decrease in yields, and the farmers are saying,
we're making one penny from every loaf you're buying. We
(20:45):
can't survive like this, so can farmers keep going unless
people accept that food is going to cost a bit more.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
When you look at what the punters or those polled think,
cost of living is the number one concern healthcare to
economy three. So interesting that climate change now comes in
a number eight. And I reckon Trump, rightly or wrongly
in this case, wrongly, has changed the way.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
We think in this world.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
I think we've become dere I say it may be
more insular, may be more selfish, where in many cases
justly more concerned about ourselves than saving the planet.
Speaker 8 (21:21):
I make the decision about what goes out of my wallet,
and make the decision whether it's going to be a
lot or a little this week, whereas a lot of
people seem to think that climate changes somebody else's responsibility.
And so I see people complaining about the cost of
living in general. But there was an awful lot of
traffic on domestic and international flights and indeed in driving
(21:45):
around the country during the school holiday. So people make
decisions about where they're going to spend their money, and
some of them are having a great impact on everybody
as opposed to personal Let's talk.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
About this issue the nitrates in the drinking water in Canterbury,
and you're not allowed a duck for cover on this one.
On I stress that you'll wear your scientist hat, not
your dairy and z hat. Now is the problem intensive
dairy farming in Canterbury or as one text has suggested
on yesterday's show, and that raised the ire of an
(22:18):
arable farming friend of mine, that it might be the
cropping farmers who's responsible for the high nitrates and the
water in Canterbury.
Speaker 8 (22:25):
They've been there for a very long time, so I
don't think anybody who's alive now was actually responsible in
the way that people are trying to point a finger.
What happened on the Canterburry planes is that people have
started living there. And I look at some data from
ESR what used to be called Environmental and Scientific Research,
and see that eighty three percent of the groundwater samples
(22:48):
that crossed the Canterbury planes had caffeine, sucralose, ibuprofen, steroidal
hormones that's contraceptive or skin some lot in them. Don't
think that's cows. What's tended to happen on the Canterburry plane.
So is that people have decided this is a good
place to produce food, so they come in. There are
more septic tanks, there is more activity. Certainly more fertilizer
(23:13):
has been used on the Canterbury planes. But when we
look at the dairy cow, she is producing more food,
the essential amino acids that humans need, for the greater
number of people, for the least impact in terms of
nitrogen loss to groundwater, fewer s, greenhouse gases, escaping and
best water use efficiency. And we have those bakers. So
(23:36):
it's not the dairy cow per se, which is where
you started remembering. I did a lot of work on
the Canterbury planes during the late eighties and nineties. What
we have is a whole series of things which includes
the gorse and the broom and people well environment. Canterbury
has actually said this is a very complex issue and
just saying we'll get rid of the dairy cow will
(23:58):
not fix what people see the problem. But they should
be able to relax because an awful lot of the
statements that have been made about the dangers of nitrate
are actually creating fear rather than based on anything. But
if it was true, this would happen, and there are
a lot of data around pre term babies or early
(24:23):
liked babies, or colorectal cancer that simply aren't supported by
the geographical distribution of the people affected and the nitrate
in the water. So let's relax and sort out how
do we best use the canterby planes. We've got research
that supports what is happening.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
Hey really quickly to finish on a social bit of
social commentary for me. And I know you were down
in Queenstown at the behest of our great friend Brews Dickens,
the dodgy hedgecutter from m the Cargo and June, and
you saw for yourself the congestion, the gridlock and this beautiful,
beautiful part of the world. I'm looking out from our
studio at snowcap remarkables, but I'm also looking out at
(25:01):
the Frankton Roundabout.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
It's the balls up. I don't know how long this
is taken.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
And as I walk from where I'm parking to the
studio each day, or I have for the past two days,
I have seen workmen and women standing not on the end,
not leaning on their shovel like they used to in
the good old days with the ministry works are these people.
Young people are sitting on their phones. How's that productive?
We have a productivity issue. The Chinese would build this
at a month, but the.
Speaker 8 (25:28):
Chinese wouldn't have the health and safety concerns that we have,
and the regulations about getting home safety and all of
those sorts of things. We might have gone a little far.
I hope that the young people are doing some study
while they're there and aiming to pass some new qualifications,
because we've had a fuss about that. But it's possible
they're not. And one of the things we've done I
(25:48):
think is probably over compensate in terms of what we're
trying to do in New Zealand to make sure, like
the road cone issue, that people are safe and we
need to be not looking at phones, actually looking at
the taffic to ensure that we don't walk in front
of it.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
Well, too many people standing around doing nothing. See that
we haven't got that productivity issue. On the farms of
New Zealand, they get out and go hard anyhow. That's
just my observation. Thanks for some of yours today, Jacqueline, see.
Speaker 7 (26:15):
It lovely, Thank you five Good on you.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Jacqueline's twenty twenty What is it twenty three away from
I'm just reading some of your text feedback, but it's
quite a bit of support out there from you farmers
for Christopher Luckson. Here's one talking about PGG rights and
real estate agent Peter Wiley.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
I know Peter.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
He's up in the king Country there. He's apparently hit
the billion dollars in rural sales.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Good stuff.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
And Jeremy Roxs is calling me a climate change shell. No, Jeremy,
you misunderstood me. I'm not saying that I buy into
all the hysteria around climate change at all. I just
think Trump has changed the game, not only for the US,
but for the world, and US included. Climate change has
sneaked down, has dropped down the priority list of people's
(27:03):
in people's worlds, simply because we've got other stuff to
worry about more immediate than saving the planet in fifty
years time. Rightly or wrongly, I'm not really defending or denying.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Does that make sense? Not really?
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Up Next Rural News with Michelle and Dunedin, Mark Kelly
with sport before the end of the hour, Steve Wynn
Harris chasing meteorites in Central Hawk's Bay, and Scott Hunter
we're going to talk dog trilling.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
That's all before the end of the hour.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
On the country. It is twenty away from one. You're
with the country. Some of your feedback BP round about
a bloody joke that's here in Queenstown and another one
Hi Jamie. Look at Groundswelle's latest post regarding high note
nitrates and Canterby bored at dating back to the nineteen thirties.
(27:51):
There was no artificial nitrogen being used back then. It
hadn't even been invented. Keep your feedback coming in. On
five dob O nine, here's Michelle Watt with the latest
and news for the.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Country's rural news with cub Cadets, New Zealand's leading right
on lawn Bower brand. Visit steel Ford dot co dot
nz for your local stockist.
Speaker 9 (28:11):
By Security Minister Andrew Hogart has announced a new one
million dollar community fund to help tackle wildling pines across
New Zealand. Speaking at the National Wilding Pine Conference in
Southland today, Hoggard says the two year fundel support community
lead control projects through the National Wide and Conifer Control Program.
The funding is an addition to one hundred and nine
million dollars already committed over the next three years to
(28:32):
increase wilding pine control nationwide. And that's for aural news.
Just a quick note here for those living in Oa
Coney just remember to boil waters of boil water notice
there for you guys. And here's Mark with Sport.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
Sport on the country with Alfco qu owned.
Speaker 10 (28:49):
That's rare, thank you. Michelle forecast whether could make your
black trip to the so called shark tank even more dangerous?
Overnight in Durban rained all day date local times with
a swept over South Africa and was forecast to continue
throughout game day. Get them. Luke Jacobson SyES they must
play smart rugby in the wet and don't forget. We'll
(29:10):
have live commentary here on News TALKSB Sport and iHeartRadio
from five o'clock. Back to you, Jamie.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
Yeah, thank you, Mark Kelly and Auckland and Michelle Watt
and Dunedin. It's a show coming from three places today
after the break. Steve Wan Harris who's been all around
the country looking for meteorites and as fourteen away from
one the country coming here from Queenstown.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Beautiful day here.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Heavy rain warning issued by the Way for Northland and Auckland.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
More about that at the top of the hour.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
But Steve one Harris Hawks Bay or Central Hawk, space
sheep and beef farmer. Steve, you're taking time off a
lambing beat to talk about meteorites.
Speaker 3 (29:50):
I thought you'd retired from.
Speaker 7 (29:51):
Lamming see me retired sheet and beef farmer, but more importantly,
an unpaid junior shepherd.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
So I don't blame your son Jason for wanting you
on the job.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
Steve, You'll be the cheapest labor he can find.
Speaker 7 (30:05):
Yeah, we king to heared me back because I suddenly
handed in my notice about ten days ago. I said
I was going to go away for a few days
down to the wider rappo looking for meta rightes nh.
I was searching for ten days. So he had to
carry the laid on his own, which is fine.
Speaker 5 (30:19):
I did it for forty years.
Speaker 7 (30:20):
That won't kill him.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
No, do you enjoy searching searching for meteorites? And I
know you're passionate about it. Some would say obsessive. Is
that a lot more fun than a landing beat? I
assume it is for you.
Speaker 7 (30:31):
Yeah, I get so. I've done forty five years at
leading beat. When you say some would say I was obsessive.
Everyone says I'm obsessive, even though I think that might
be the case. So, yeah, that's what I've been doing.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
So what is the interest with the meteorites, Because you're
in an association called Fireballs at Rower, aren't you.
Speaker 7 (30:49):
Yeah, well, you know that little relics of the formation
of the Solar System. Most of them come from the
asteroid Belt, which was a sort of proto planet that
didn't form between Mars and Jupiter, and these little bits
we intersect with them occasionally and they come screaming through
the atmosphere, and the big ones when they come in,
and if they come on steeping up an angle, some
(31:11):
fragments of it can survive and land on the Earth.
It's a meteor. When it's in the air or a
big one, it's called a fireball, and when it's on
the ground it's called a meat right, And that's why
I shot down. In fact, i'll tell you the story, Jamie.
I was sitting in the spar pool at ten twenty
six pm on the twenty eighth of July doing stargazing
because I'm a sort of amateur astronomer, and suddenly the
(31:32):
whole sky lit up with two sort of flashes in
the second apart, and I thought, oh my goodness, that
that can't have been a fireble surely, you know. I
jumped out of the spa and checked my phone, and
we were starting to get reports and already from my
witnesses and more importantly people around the Hurrepaneu and the
Wirerappa area who heard a sonic boom, which means it
got low enough for pieces to fall on the ground.
(31:54):
So that's when I handed in my notice. I said
to Jason, I'll be back at some stage, and you know,
about ten days later before I came back.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Yeah, you might may have been over sharing with the
sauna story. But anyhow, Steve, that's what do you do
when you actually find a meteor right? Are they valuable?
Do you give them to a museum? What happens to them?
Speaker 5 (32:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (32:12):
Theyre not. These ones are stone called stony chondrites. They're
quite quite common. So the ones we were finding very
small ones, a few hundred dollars at most people think that.
So I had to be very careful because I organized
set that I didn't create a meteorite rush, and half
of masters and thinking that they were going to get
rich quick because they might have read a piece that
(32:35):
where a marsh and met ride had sold at some
other beasts for two million dollars or something like that.
Those ones are extremely rare. These ones are less so.
But I shot down to do a reki on the
friday because it came in on the Tuesday. And I
went to the area that I was going to get
my searchers to have a look at at some stage
during the search, and within forty minutes I spotted this
tiny little eight gram met ride on the ground, got
(32:57):
down on the hands and these had a very very
close look and thought, I think that might be one.
So I begged this and then I did a video
that evening with my geologists to the specialists and they confirmed.
So that told us that we had fragments on the ground.
But it didn't prove to be as easy as that
after that, because probably we were finding one every second day,
and in the end we found five and then a
(33:19):
whole lot of fragments of one that hit someone's driveway
and it ended up as seventy five gram so sort
of six meteorites only totaling seventy five grams. And to
answer your question, we're doing this for science and then
these fragments will be handed into a institution to go
on public display. As I'm sure you know the one
we found two years ago at taka Po. We called
(33:41):
it takapaw. We found it at taka Po. It's in
the Tahara Otaga Museum. Jamie and I strongly recommend you
go and have a look.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Well, who needs to play golf for fun when you
can go searching and looking at meteorites. Steve got to
go enjoy the rest of your lambing. Hope the weather
treats you well. We're going to take a break. We're
going to wrap the country with Scott Hunter.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
He's one of four.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
Dog trialists representing us in the whaler Go Cup later
in the month, Marks or Scott Hunter? Should I say
to wrap the country?
Speaker 3 (34:13):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (34:14):
Wrapping the country from Queenstown, breaking news, lux and calls
urgent in person caucus meeting amid and inverted commas, increased
speculation about my leadership. More to come throughout the day
on news talks, There'd be no doubt Heather and Barry
will have that one rap. Scott Hunter joins us. He's
one of four blokes heading across the Tasman later this
month to represent us in the whaler Go Cup along
(34:37):
with Mark Copeland, Ben Miller himself and his father in
law Lloyd Smith is representing us as well, Scott. I
know your father in law Lloyd. He's originally a Clinton
bloke and he's a legend.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
What chance in the whaler Go Cup.
Speaker 5 (34:54):
If we's a chance here, Jenie? Yep, yep. We'll head
over on the twenty eighth of this mon and then
have a credit with three tests.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
Yere, So your father in law, veteran TODG trial are
seventy three years old these days in North Otago, no
stranger to the game. He's been trialing for forty three years.
He's achieved seventy two Ireland and that's North and South
Island and New Zealand placings, including five New Zealand titles
with twenty.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Five different dogs.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
What a career, hey, So what is the format for
the Test match against the Aussies. It's not your typical
two hunter away two heading dog events like we have
here in New Zealand?
Speaker 3 (35:34):
Am I right in saying that?
Speaker 5 (35:36):
That's right? Jamie? We've got a trans Tasament course set
up over there which has got a part of a
two New Zealand sections and then two Australian sections and
you have a New Zealand judge which is our team manager,
Pat Cougan from Temenui and then the Australian President which
will be the judge for them, and then they aggregate
(35:56):
the points after that year.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
So what are the two New Zealand events?
Speaker 5 (36:01):
So where we drive were then on events that they're
incorporated in one course Jamie. So there's two dry New
Zealand drives and then then what they call two Australian
carries and we have a Moldy Cross and a bridge
as well.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Yeah, so was this all for heading dogs only or
the hunter Way's got to go as well?
Speaker 5 (36:18):
She's all just heading dogs over there in Jamie. Yet
they don't have a hundaway is sucked over there. They've
got kelpies and stuff they have there and yard dog
troll so this is just a heading event.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
Yeah it Well, so how do you train for this?
Speaker 5 (36:29):
We've had a couple of trainings. I'm here here at
home in America. Everybody's turned out down here because we're
all from the South Island, so it's been pretty handy
and we've just we've set up a course like we're
going to be competing on over there, and and and
you had a few few goes here and just practicing
on marinos sheep here in America, which has been quite
handy because we deal with marinos when we're over there.
Speaker 7 (36:51):
Now.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
The Aussies have held the Whalergo Cup for a couple
of years.
Speaker 5 (36:55):
Yep, that's right, Jamie, Yep, yep, they've They've given us
a bit of a towel in the last couple of years.
So we're hopefully going to go over and wreck for that.
Speaker 9 (37:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
And I note that's an old rugby mate of mine,
Brian Dickerson is the first reserve. I don't think he
ever likes sitting on the bench much when he was
playing rugby. How does he go as a reserve?
Speaker 5 (37:14):
Yeah, Brian's a reserve this year, So yeah, know just
what it is. But everybody has the turn it there,
I guess.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
All right, Well, anything else we need to add to
this conversation about the dog trolls. Give us those dates
again so we can follow it more closely.
Speaker 5 (37:30):
Yeah, we're leaving on the twenty sixth of August and
we head over there. In our first on the twenty eighth,
and then there's one for the next two days of
twenty eight, twenty ninethe and thirtieth. We're on Staying, which
is three hours southwest of Brisbane and we'll find the
Brisbane and head down there. So yeah, well when we
get there, we'll know who we're competing against, because they
don't choose their team until they've had the ted Gabi
(37:53):
Supreme Trial over there. We'll know when we get there
who we're versing.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
Okay, well, sorry, Scott, we're just about out of time.
We're going to keep a close eye on you. In fact,
we've got your phone number now, so you bug it.
I'm going to ring you up when you're in the
middle of that test series and you can.
Speaker 3 (38:07):
Let us know how you're getting on. There we go.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
Scott Hunter a member of the four man New Zealand
Test team along with Mark Copeland, his father in law
Lloyd Smith, and Ben Miller. All South Island is representing
New Zealand and the whaler Go Cup. We'll catch you
tomorrow back at Dunedin HQ.
Speaker 3 (38:24):
Take care.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Catch all the latest from the Land. It's The Country
Podcast with Jamie McKay. Thanks to Farmland's delivering solutions for
strong productive crops.
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