September 1, 2026 • 40 mins
Hamish McKay talks to Christopher Luxon, Matt Bolger, Michael Harvey, and Tim Dangen and Emma Poole.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
The Country with Jamie Mackay and Farmlands. Because rural never
grows it alone. Newstalk ZV.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Nothing like a bit of Graham Brazier on your Wednesday
to get you going. This is The Country. Hamish Mackay
with you today. No truth to the rumour that Jamie
Mackay is going to be renamed Steve Austin, the $ 6
million man, by the time we rebuild him. And he
will be back. Shortly, the Prime Minister joins us for
his weekly chat to kick the show off. Also, a
(00:46):
bit of a dairy focus today with a look at
the latest GDT and Rabobanks, a latest global report on
who's dominating in the dairy game. Our brother and sister duo,
Tim Dangen and Emma Poole, down on the farm in
Southland and the Waikato. They always bring a great edge
to the show as well. But first up, the Prime Minister.
(01:14):
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joins us now on the show. Christopher,
the Pacific Islands Forum, you're off to Palau today where
Taiwan's presence has drawn threats from China. What's your position
on this?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Yeah, look, I mean, there's 18 countries in the Pacific
Island Forum. It's all the Pacific Island countries. There's obviously Australia,
New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, everybody there. It's a good
chance for all the leaders to come together and talk
about a range of issues. I know there's a lot
of conversation about China and Taiwan, but frankly, in the leaders' meeting,
the conversation tends to go back to This is a
(01:47):
region that's spent a billion dollars on extra fuel payments
since the crisis in Iran. We've got real challenges on
core infrastructure across the region. And there's whole issues from
transnational organized crime and drugs coming through the Pacific, a
whole range of topics that we'll be discussing.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Does it surprise you that China did feel like it
needed to react to Taiwan's presence, given where we are
in this part of the world, the big blue continent?
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Well, I mean, the key thing is that we want
the Pacific to solve Pacific challenges and opportunities. We don't
need outside nations from a number of partners we have
across the Pacific, which we appreciate. But equally, we want
the Pacific agenda to be driven by the Pacific nations.
And that's why that's very much our focus. We want
(02:33):
the centrality of what we call PIF to be the
way in which support partners, whether it be China or
the US or Japan or Korea or anyone else, comes
through working through that body. And it's those leaders themselves
that determine the direction of the Pacific.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Right. Cervical screening for all, great. How are we progressing, though,
with lowering the bowel cancer screening age?
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Yeah, look, we started obviously at 60. We've moved it
to 58. We want to move it down ideally to 56.
We want to keep marching it down so we match
Australia ultimately. A lot of it is about, you know,
having colonoscopy resources and all those kinds of things. And
so we've also introduced a home... home kit called an
FIT kit, a FIT test, and that's actually really great
(03:16):
because it's a diagnostic tool that means that we don't
need to have 60% of people getting colonoscopies when that
then didn't need it. We can actually screen for a
lot of that or risk a bowel cancer and actually
then do the colonoscopies off the back of that. So
that just helps us use our resources in a smarter way. But, yep,
our intention is to keep marching it down. Already, as
you saw, in the first couple of years, we've marched
(03:37):
it down by another two years, and we'll keep going
in increments as we can.
Speaker 4 (03:41):
Right.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Rob Fyfe has taken umbrage at your reflections on Air
New Zealand's loss. Does he have a point?
Speaker 3 (03:49):
No, I think Rob's a good mate, and he and
I talked yesterday about it, actually, and I think it's
all been taken terribly out of context. All I was saying,
I represent as Prime Minister now, you know, we represent
and own 51% of that company, and it's no doubt
about it, you know, Air New Zealand would acknowledge its
poor performance by their own admission, and it's It's a
(04:10):
poor performance in the context of other airline results as well.
But having said that, as I said at the time
last Friday, they've got a really good CEO, Nikhil Ravishankar.
He's an amazing guy. He'd be really good for the company.
And they've also got two new directors that we've put
on the board, you know, Robin Campbell, who have deep
aviation experience, which will help them as well. So, you know,
running an airline is hard business, but, you know, it's
(04:32):
a poor performance.
Speaker 5 (04:33):
Let's call it for what it is.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
It is. But I've got every confidence the team will
be able to turn around and get it performing well again.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Yes, you did say that, and it did seem to
get lost in the mix a little bit in the interim.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
Funny that, my friend. There's a lot that gets lost
in the media reporting of what I actually say.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
It goes with the territory.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Right. It does. OK. The Paris Accord, we stay in.
That remains a non-negotiable for you?
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Yeah, I mean, the point is it's an economic issue, right?
I mean, the bottom line is that if we were
to come out, there's 195, 190 plus countries in Paris.
There's only four that are out. It's Libya, Yemen and Iran.
And the U.S. has come out, but the U.S. states
are progressing in Paris as governors. And so my argument
is very simple in the position of our co-op, this
(05:20):
term has been it makes economic sense for New Zealand
to stay in because the thing that would happen immediately
is that competitor countries, think about the Denmarks and the
Netherlands who are right on our tails as good agricultural producers.
Think about the large multinational companies. They would kick our
products off shelf and that would make every New Zealander
and every farmer in this country poorer, and I'm not
doing that. That will give our Paris targets a good go,
(05:44):
but we are also saying very clearly we are not
sending billions of dollars and millions of dollars offshore. We're
going to have that money invested here in New Zealand.
Thank you very much. So that's our commitment because it's
an economic thing for me.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Right, you've got the job of being the Prime Minister
and you've also got the job of staying the Prime Minister.
What's your individual strategy for the next couple of months?
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Look, very simple. Do you want a Labour government that's
going to come in and actually produce nine new taxes
with their coalition mates? From an inheritance tax, a capital
gains tax, a wealth tax, death tax, trust tax, increase
in income tax, increase in corporate tax rate, taxing everything
in sight because they're addicted to spending, they're addicted to taxation,
they're addicted to borrowing. Or do you actually want to
(06:27):
stick with the people who've got a long-term plan to
grow the economy, which you're seeing in the agricultural sector,
that actually makes life more affordable and ultimately helps people
get ahead? So it's a pretty simple choice. Spend more tax,
more borrow more. We had that for six years. Didn't
work out so well. That's where they want to go
back to. Or responsible economic management.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Okay. In terms of making sure that your plan is heard,
where will we be seeing you? I mean, these are
heady times for the rural sector. But, you know, we,
I guess I should say, we can be a strange
lot come voting time. I mean, let's keep the Greens
out by voting Labour half the South Islander not that
(07:05):
long ago. So, you know.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
My message is really simple. I don't need any strategic voting.
It's party vote national because that makes up a government.
And it gives us our best shot to give strong,
stable government to New Zealand. And so that's why I'm
single-minded as the National Party leader saying I don't need
anyone thinking creatively or strategically about this. The very best
thing you can do for New Zealand is to vote
National Party and party vote National. And so that's what
(07:29):
determines the makeup of a future government. And we have
a great future ahead of us. I think the agricultural community,
farming community would appreciate that. From day one, I've tried
to be a prime minister that's championed the sector really well.
I've been highly visible in the sector. I've participated in
lots of different events and engaged in lots of different
ways with the sector. I've really appreciated doing that, and
I hope they feel they've got a government that's been
backing them do exactly that. And they're a case in point.
(07:52):
We've been able to get trade deals done around the world.
We believe in an Indian FTA. We believe in the
opportunity that it creates with more optionality for that sector.
So we want to keep the foot on the accelerator there. Growth, growth, growth.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Finally, will you be back in time to catch the
third test, effectively the big decider from South Africa? Yeah,
I will be, actually.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
I'm just literally flying into Palau for a day and
a bit and then back home again on Friday. So, yeah,
it's going to be quite a game, isn't it? I mean,
as they've been promoting it, it is the greatest rivalry
and it's living up to that for sure.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Your job's not too different to Dave Rennie. Have you
got your team all aligned and in the right direction
for the months ahead, Prime Minister?
Speaker 4 (08:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:32):
Yeah, look, we're fired up, ready to go.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
And I mean, we've got a great country. We've got
a great future ahead of us. And there's no reason
New Zealand can't do exceptionally well. We've got to stick
with the plan. You know, we've really got to stick
with the plan and follow through. And that's what we've
got to deliver on November 7th. But that's up to
all of us. We get a democracy. It's a pretty
special right. And every New Zealander gets a stake in that.
And it's up for every New Zealander to consider it
very seriously.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Finally, one very serious question. Are you a live watcher
or do you rely on the replay?
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Depends on what my schedule is. Like one of them
I was able to watch live, but then most of
the time I'm watching a replay the next day. Yeah.
While I'm trying to do some other reading or something
at the same time.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yeah, I appreciate you're a reasonably busy man. So yes,
I guess the replay option is best for you. Prime
Minister Christopher Luxon, thank you very much for joining us
on The Country.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Great to be with you, Hamish. Have a great week.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
There he is, the PM off to Palau. I can't
get my head around that watching in replay. I just
feel like I've missed out on something. But hey, if
you can, you can. What a test it's going to
be this weekend. Coming up on the country, Matt Bolger, Fonterra.
We'll have a look at the overnight GDT, Global Dairy Trade.
(09:45):
What happened there? skim milk, whole milk, what was cracking along, cheese,
all the details there. We're going to talk to Rabobank's
Michael Harvey out of Melbourne in the show. And also,
of course, brother and sister Emma Poole and Tim Dangen
from Down on the Farm in Waikato and Southland, our
two former young farmers of the year. All that ahead
(10:07):
here on The Country. Time to look at the latest GDT,
the Global Dairy Trade Auction, overnight. And to discuss this,
(10:30):
Managing Director of Co-op Affairs, Fonterra, Matt Bolger. Afternoon, Matt.
Not too much movement there.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
G'day, Hamish. Yeah, it was sort of a mixed auction, actually.
I mean, the headline is saying it's basically flat. But
within that, there were a few different movers. We saw
whole milk powder, you know, pretty much flat. things like cheese,
which we don't often talk about as much, but that
dropped back a bit. And then on the other hand,
skim milk powder, a bigger product, had really good gains.
(10:58):
So it all sort of averaged out at about flat,
which is, you know, for this time of the season,
when we are coming into selling the peak, it is
not too bad a result.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Yeah, so what drives the demand for the extra volume
in the skim milk industry?
Speaker 3 (11:13):
Yeah, so I guess like everything, it's a bit of
a supply-demand picture. If you take something like skim milk
powder up over 5%, inventories are reasonably healthy, but there's
just very good demand for dairy proteins as an ingredient.
It's lots of different products, so that's good. Something like cheese,
it's a little bit softer. There's a lot of impact
(11:35):
from Europe and the US, and so in the US,
cheese demand has pulled back a bit. People are eating
out less in the States now, But actually, interestingly, returns
from whey protein are very good. And often when you
make cheese, you get whey on the side. And so
that's driving people to actually still produce cheese, even though
demand has softened a bit. So it's a range of
(11:55):
different factors that sort of play into a result like that.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
In terms of a breakdown on what influences the farm
gate price, I mean, I guess whole milk powder remains
the biggest influencer.
Speaker 6 (12:07):
Yeah, yeah, it does.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
No, whole milk powder is the big one. And I
guess on Holmuk powder, we did see really good participation
in the auction overnight from China in particular. But we
also have a lot of sales going into Southeast Asia
and a bit into the Middle East too. In China,
they're starting to build inventories to get ready for the
Lunar New Year, the Chinese New Year, early next year.
So you start seeing some of that buying behaviour come
(12:31):
through too.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
Yeah, OK. Look, in terms of And outlook and longevity
and payout. I mean, there seems to be things seem
to have that sort of, you know, I know global
pressures can can change things quickly, but there seems to
be a sort of a pretty steady as she goes pattern.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Yeah, after the last few auctions, it's probably unusually stable
for dairy pricing. Yeah, look, we've got a very positive
view in the long term. But of course, if you
go out a number of years, just the core supply-demand dynamics,
dairy is recognized for fantastic nutrition and flavor and all
of those things. and there's probably more constraints on growth
(13:14):
around the world in the longer term. But, of course,
that won't be a straight line, and we think things
will bump around quite a lot if you take a five-
or ten-year view as you come into this season. Things
are looking good now, and, of course, every week we're
contracting more of the book, and that helps, you know,
gives us more confidence and payout for this year. But
(13:34):
I think two factors are being taken into account, which
is El Nino, You know, people are starting to price
in the risk of a drought in New Zealand and
other places or the potential of a drought after Christmas.
And then you're also seeing the heat wave in Europe.
So Europe's milk has grown a lot, but that growth
is really starting to button off quite a lot now
(13:56):
with extreme heat over there with European summer. So those
two things are starting to factor into price sentiments as well.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Matt, it's a worldwide trend to use these fandangled weight
loss injections. It's also something that we're seeing a lot
of promoting of what is the right proteins and the
right foods to have with these. I mean, is that
sort of an angle that's been worked with milk?
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, look, I forget the latest percentage of
Americans that are on the GLP-1 drugs and they're being
used around the world now. Interestingly, I've talked about this
one a little bit. If you're in the business of
selling food and people are eating less, you might think
that that's not a great thing. But what we're seeing
(14:42):
is that when people reduce the calories that they take
in every day, they also start focusing less very much
on the quality of the food that they're getting because
they just need to maintain muscle mass and all those things.
And dairy, particularly on the protein side, dairy is just
absolutely the world-leading protein. And so people start taking, I guess,
(15:03):
paying more attention to what they're eating. They probably look
more carefully at having more protein. And then after that,
it's a quick jump to say, well, what's the highest
quality protein? and they get to dairy. And so, interestingly,
those GLP-1 weight loss drugs have actually been very, very
good for dairy, and it's been a good part of
our business, particularly in places like the US and Europe.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Okay. Finally, quick update on the forecast for financial year
26 earnings.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Yeah, so coming out this morning, we've had an earnings
range of $ 0. 60 to $ 0. 70 per share, which is reasonably good.
And we've just come out this morning saying as we
get closer to closing the books out, we expect the
earnings to be at the top end of that range.
So we'll be out on September 24th with the results
for the last season, the season gone. And I guess,
(15:53):
you know, the stage we're seeing it being a pretty
good result.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Matt Bolger, thanks very much for joining us on The Country.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
Thanks, Hamish.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Well, joining us on the country now is Rabobank senior
analyst in dairy and consumer foods out of Melbourne, Michael Harvey.
Good afternoon, Michael.
Speaker 7 (16:24):
How are you going? Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Great to have you on here. Global top 20 report.
Who's leading the way?
Speaker 7 (16:32):
Yeah, look, it's that time of year we do a
bit of an update on the largest dairy companies in
the world based on dairy revenue. So that's an important point.
And it's always worthwhile sort of looking at the bigger
picture and looking at some of the key trends that
that you're seeing happening in the large dairy company in
the world. And certainly there's a couple of notable trends
that we sort of picked up in the report that
we did. And the first one really, the growth of Lactalis,
(16:55):
who are the world's largest dairy company. They've been quite
active in this part of the world, clearly with the
acquisition of the Fonterra assets in this part of the world,
but they've also continued to grow through acquisition in other
regions and other geographies. So that's a clear trend that
you do see. There's a few other things as well.
You look at what's happening in Europe at the moment,
and there's been some very large acquisitions of cooperatives, and
(17:18):
that's certainly something that we're keeping an eye on in
terms of what happens with that industry moving forward as
they start to consolidate potentially amongst themselves. So that's a
key trend. The other one is Saputo, who are active
in this part of the world, particularly here in Australia,
they've been divesting some of their assets They're exiting Argentina
and exiting the UK as well. So there's a few
(17:39):
sort of key trends that are happening at the big
end of town, but ultimately it's really about these large
dairy companies continuing to evolve their footprints around the world.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Okay, so we've seen the big move by Lactalis here.
With Fonterra, what does that say for the future?
Speaker 7 (17:55):
Yeah, well, I mean, clearly Fonterra, the exit out of
Australia is sort of full stop and reset of their business.
And they're still a very large dairy company and one
of the big players in the global market. But, you know,
going back to being focused on a high quality producer
of commodity servicing, food service and ingredient market. So that's
the sort of full stop on that business. But, you know,
(18:16):
Fonterra obviously moved down the rank table because of that,
but still very much one of the large dairy companies.
So that's one of the notable trends as well.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Yeah, Fonterra very much shifting towards that ingredients and food service.
Speaker 7 (18:30):
Right, and that is, you know, another trend that you
do see. I mean, there are global dairy companies that
are on the hunt for access to whey because of the,
you know, the booming demand for high-protein products in consumer
markets around the world. So that's certainly something. And, you know,
there's some assets and acquisitions around dairy. actually tapping into brands.
And we saw that here in Australia. You know, Denone
(18:51):
have made an acquisition of a company that's got a
high-protein dairy beverage platform called The May Group and the
Rockabee Farms. So there's certainly a global push to try
and find high-quality protein products and weight pools and ingredients
to service those markets, which is strong, right? I mean,
food service markets are a growth platform for all dairy companies,
and that's certainly something Fonterra are focusing on. But there's
(19:12):
no doubt that high-protein platforms are certainly a key strategy
as well.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
How much have we seen that sort of, I guess,
the key drivers change over the last 10 years, say?
Speaker 7 (19:26):
Yeah, it's constantly evolving. There's no doubt about that. And,
you know, corporate activity is ongoing. I mean, even since
we sort of did the cutoff that, you know, we
talk about, you know, Lactile have made further acquisitions and
Saputo have made further divestments. So it's constantly moving. And,
you know, you see big trends like you know, non-dairy
players sort of coming in and out of dairy platforms.
(19:47):
You've seen that with, you know, some global FMCGs at times.
over the decade or so. You've seen the emergence of
China being a bigger player in the global scene. They've
done that through acquisition and offshore investments as well. So
there's constant change and there are key trends that come
and go. But ultimately, it's about these large dairy companies
(20:07):
just looking for the next opportunity at the moment. It
is high-protein products. It's whey protein. It's ingredients. It's food
service channels.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Is the possibility too big is too big? Oh, that's
a good point.
Speaker 7 (20:22):
I mean, that'll be something to watch with, you know,
just given the size of La Cala. I mean, they've
done their business enormously over a long period of time,
largely through acquisition, and they continue to do it. So
that's why they are the world's largest dairy company. So,
you know, there's clearly, you know, there's benefits that come
with scale and global capacity like that. So it's something
to watch out for.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
There was obviously a huge amount of media and public
interest in what happened between Lactalis and Fonterra, but that
seems to have sort of died away and just everybody
getting on with business.
Speaker 7 (20:55):
Yeah, I mean, it's obviously now complete. I mean, I'm
sitting here in Australia. I mean, that was a transformational
sort of acquisition here in Australia because it does change
the corporate landscape. You know, Fonterra obviously had a big
business in Australia over a long period of time and
sort of exited the market now. So you've got Lactalis,
who are the way we would look at it, the
largest dairy company here in Australia. So they've got a
(21:16):
lot more scale. They've got a lot more market power
with the retailers. So there's some, you know, there's some
things there that are happening. So, yeah, that was a
significant transaction.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
Great stuff. Michael Harvey, Senior Analyst in Dairy and Consumer
Foods out of Rabobank with that Global Top 20 report.
Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 7 (21:33):
My pleasure.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Thanks for having me. Yes, thank you very much to
Michael Harvey there, bit of the old Dominion Road. Of course,
not a Hello Sailor song or a Brazier song that
we've been having throughout the show. today, but it was the,
I think Graham Bracey's mother had the bookshop on Dominion
Road for many years, and they may have even lived
(21:55):
above that bookshop. Righty-ho, I just wanted to mention there,
on the giant that is Lactalis, I remember as a
budding young journo in the late 80s going to visit
the Dairy Board and chatting to a wonderful gentleman by
the name of Neville Martin, who was the, Neville was
(22:18):
the head of PR for the Dairy Board and throughout
his career had been a very fine parliamentary press secretary,
had some pretty high portfolios, my understanding. But I remember
being absolutely dumbfounded when he made a comparison between the
New Zealand Dairy Board and our industry around that time,
around 1990, of just how big Nestle was in comparison.
(22:41):
I just, couldn't crunch the numbers but you kind of
you know nothing too much has changed over the years
i see nestle still number two and two lactalis in
terms of a dairy company size size on the global
scale this is the country we're going to have your
news and sport that'll be coming up and then always
(23:01):
look forward to this a chat with our Brother and sister,
both winners of the Young Farmer of the Year, Tim
Dangen and Emma Poole. That is coming up here on
The Country. MUSIC PLAYS Oh, I could listen to that
(23:34):
all day. Blue Lady, Hello Sailor. This is The Country.
Coming up later on the show, our brother and sister duo,
Tim Dangen and Emma Poole from down on the farm
in Southland. And wake it up. It's time now for
some news and sport.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
The Country's Rural News with Cub Cadet. It's one thing
to talk innovation, another to back it up. Drive it.
Speaker 7 (23:56):
We dare you.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Visit steelfort.co.nz for your local stockist.
Speaker 6 (24:02):
Yeah, thanks Hamish. And of course you're in Auckland, I'm
in Dunedin. We're far apart but close together at the
same time.
Speaker 5 (24:09):
Oh.
Speaker 6 (24:10):
Oh, wasn't that poetic? It was.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
Where on earth did that come from?
Speaker 6 (24:14):
I have no idea. I'll tell you what, creative minds
after two coffees, I'm on fire. Right, getting on with
rural news. Farm workers who live on properties where they
work will soon be able to use their KiwiSaver savings
to buy their first home under new government legislations. The
KiwiSaver First Home or Farm Amendment Bill removes rules that
have prevented many rural workers from accessing first home withdrawals.
(24:35):
Finance Minister Nicola Willis says farm workers often have to
live in employer-provided housing, but current KiwiSaver rules require buyers
to move into the home they purchase, locking many out
of their own savings. The bill will also allow first-time
homebuyers to use KiwiSaver when purchasing through a company trust
or partnership they control, provided the farm will be their
main home. The bill actually began as a member's bill
(24:57):
from Sue's Redmayne before being adopted by government as well.
So fun fact for you there, but great news in
the sector. And you'll have sports news there. Just let
me play this little sting for you first.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Now, get a load of this. Cam Roygaard, All Black halfback,
has come out with a simple strategy for beating the
Springboks in the third test up in Soweto this weekend.
It's called Roper Dope, which is beating them at their
own game, up on the high veldt at altitude. Apparently,
the Springboks side is going to run out of gas late,
and the All Blacks are going to, according to Roygaard,
(25:39):
be able to run all over the top of them. Well,
they'll need to start a lot better than they did
in the latest test in Cape Town, and... There's a
small thing called a line-out, Michelle, that the All Blacks
will have to sort out as well. And as for
calls from some quarters, and I read about it today
in the Royal New Zealand Herald, about there'll be some
wanting Richie Mwanga at first 5'8. Goodness me, have you
(25:59):
not watched Ruben Love? Have you had a full frontal
lobotomy to want to change the 10? He's been going superbly.
And Michelle, I just want to check in with you,
because you're right in that sort of watching cycling 24-7
mode at the moment, aren't you? What's going on there?
Speaker 6 (26:14):
So, of course, Liv Welter is on at the moment.
It's the third of the big grand tours. There's, of course,
Tour de France, which everyone knows. There's the Espana, which
is the– oh, no, this is Espana, sorry. The other
one is the Giro, which a lot of people have
heard of as well. But at the moment, of course,
a big turnaround with the leaders because Tadej had a
bit of a crash, so he's out, and he was
(26:34):
looking to be one of the few that have won
all three tours. There isn't actually that many. I think
there's about eight riders in history that have won all
three tours. They don't have to win them in the
same year. It's a bit like the Grand Slam of tennis,
I guess, in a way. But at the moment, if
you haven't watched today's stage yet, which you may not
have because I usually don't watch it till night time,
(26:55):
Enric Mas is in the leaders jersey still at the
moment at stage 10 and Walt Van Aert has got
the sprinters jersey. So it'll be interesting times coming in
to the next stage tonight, I think. Looking forward to
catching up with that one.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Okay, I'm going to give you a little sporting quiz.
Who would be, could you name three or four who
have won all three of the major tours, the big ones?
Speaker 6 (27:17):
Well, you can't count Lance, obviously.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
No, well.
Speaker 6 (27:21):
He's not in there. But Van der Goord, he's won
all three, I think. Also, Eddie Merrick, I think he
won all three.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Eddie Merrick, I think you're right there. Maguire Lindorine?
Speaker 6 (27:32):
Ah, potentially. I have to have a look. I think
there's eight of them that have won all three. And
like I said, they don't have to win them all
in the same year. But it's very rare because the
tours are very close together. So, of course, training-wise and things,
it makes it quite difficult to recover. So it would
have been amazing if Tade had taken out the win.
Speaker 4 (27:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
Laurent Fignon might have been another one. Dunno. Dunno. Well, no, no.
Maybe he didn't win the Tour de France. I think
he did win the Tour de France. Anyway, great stuff.
There you go. That is our sport. Bit of Hello
Sailor as we... Stand by for the great brother, sister duo,
Young Farmers of the Year from Down on their farms
(28:07):
these days. Tim Dangen and Emma Paul coming up here
on The Country. Well, one of my favourite times on
the country when I get to sit in the chair
for my cousin Jamie, as we say, Bo and Luke
(28:30):
Duke is doing a bit of recovering at the moment.
He'll be back soon, though, is when I get to
chat to these two fine young people of the agricultural establishment,
the 2023 Young Farmer of the Year, Emma Paul, and
her brother, Tim Dangen, 22 Young Farmer of the Year. G'day, team.
How's things, first of all, with you, Tim? You've finally
got some sun after a bit of a rough old
(28:52):
tale of winter.
Speaker 5 (28:53):
Yeah, g'day Hamish. We've been coughing it in the deep
south over the last sort of five days, but thankfully
the sun's out today, so a bit of recovery and
a chance to come up for a bit of air.
But no, it's been a big week really, right in
the peak of calving for most southland dairy farmers. So yeah,
it's just been a matter of getting through really day
by day and making sure that everyone gets home safe
(29:15):
at the end of the day has been the real goal.
So yeah, but it's nice to see the sun, Hamish.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
Yeah, absolutely. It would be Emma further north in the Waikato, Poronga.
How's things with you?
Speaker 4 (29:24):
Yeah, we've had a fair bit of wind here as well, Hamish,
but it's sunny today and it's been actually all in
all not a bad spring. We've been very, very lucky
with the amount of rain and sunshine that we've had.
It's made for easy carving here.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
So pretty lucky. Yeah, that is good to hear. Tim,
to start with you on El Nino, I mean, you've
just come out of the back of the weather that
you've got right now, but you've got this fandangled thing.
We know it's coming. How much are you preparing for
the effects of?
Speaker 5 (29:57):
Yeah, I'll take some of it at the moment, Amish.
But no, it's interesting to see and talking to farmers
around the district how it plays out in the south
end is quite different to how or what I'm used
to when we get a big El Nino up home
in Mirawai north of Auckland there. So, yeah, we're just mindful,
I guess, of where our costs are at, as always,
(30:19):
and how much supplement that we're prepared to put into
the system if need be. Grass is always the cheapest
form of feed, though. So, yeah, we're just trying to
make sure that we stick to basics here, try and
grow and harvest as much high-quality grass as we can.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Emma, how much is it on your radar?
Speaker 4 (30:37):
Definitely on the radar. I remember last, oh, it was
a few years ago when they predicted this. We sort
of got prepared with a whole lot of chicory and
turnips and whatnot and nothing really came of it. So
you've sort of got to take it with a grain
of salt, don't you? But it'll definitely, it'll change our
cropping plan a bit. We'll allow for a bit of
extra summer crops to make sure that we've got something
to feed the cows. We're pretty fortunate we autumn.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Carve a lot of our herds.
Speaker 4 (30:59):
So they'll be dry during that period, which is a
real asset when that heat comes on. So... Probably more
and more Waikato farmers looking at that sort of thing
as well because our Nino's almost becoming the norm here
in the Waikato. It gets very hot and very dry February, March,
even April. So it's the farming that we're doing now.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Yeah, it certainly is. Ag and secondary schools, the curriculum
looks like it's going to have its place that it
deserves and damn well should have sort of from next year.
But I was thinking, you know, I hope a lot
of the learning is around the opportunity that exists in
the entire primary ag sector. That's something we really need
to push, don't we?
Speaker 4 (31:41):
Absolutely. And the people teaching those curriculums, it really hinges
on them, doesn't it, Hamish? They have to be aware
of what's out there and they have to be ready
to motivate those students and entice them into that subject
because they're competing against other subjects which are very appetising
when you're a young kid at school, being sports and
art and the like. So they just have to make
(32:03):
sure that they've got the right people in those roles
to package that up and draw them in. That's it's
good to hear that it will be on the forefront
of some people's mind at least because we need more
people in this sector and the young people are awesome
that are coming through so far.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
Yeah, and so it's not just about owning a farm. Sure,
that's a great goal and, you know, very admirable, but
it's not the only thing that can sustain somebody in
a great career and a great lifestyle and earning opportunity.
Speaker 5 (32:32):
Oh, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (32:33):
I went to vet school, didn't I? And then came
back and went farming after being a vet. So that's,
you know, being a vet on farms is awesome. And
it's another job that's connected to agriculture. And Tim had
his fair share of doing things off farm.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
As well, too.
Speaker 4 (32:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Yeah. Tim, it's coming up 100 years this year, isn't it,
for the Young Farmer of the Year? That'll be a
pretty big shindig, won't it?
Speaker 5 (33:00):
Yeah, it's an amazing achievement, Hamish, isn't it? It's for
the club itself, or the organisation rather, that is going
to clock up the century. So I suppose it's just
a neat time to reflect on all the amazing volunteers
that have come through in that time, Hamish, that have,
you know, run clubs and events within the rural communities,
as well as obviously the Young Farm of the Year contest,
(33:23):
which I suppose is the pinnacle of the club and
in the flagship event but it wouldn't happen without all
the amazing volunteer work that happens throughout and I think
it just highlights really how important young farmers clubs are
within our rural communities Hamish and it's just a fantastic
way to get young people connected you know it can
(33:43):
sometimes be a bit of a barrier I think for
young people that they think they might be heading off
you know to an isolated region or something like that
but as soon as you hook in with your local
young farmers club you're instantly connected with like-minded people and And, yeah,
it's a great opportunity to catch up down at the
pub and do other social events as well as competing
in the contest. So, yeah, it's awesome to see, mate.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
Yeah, it's really important that you do have these social events,
and this will be a big party. I don't want
you to dob your sister in, but who's the party animal?
Which one of you is more likely to cut loose
at this 100-year celebration?
Speaker 5 (34:16):
Emma's got a lot more party yarns than I do, mate. So,
you know, there's been some good ones over the years.
She might be able to lose when she ended up
in some rose bushes at Massey University one time, I think.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
Yeah, I was going to say.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
No, it'll be good.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
Yeah, vet school, Emma, you wouldn't have got up to
any hijinks? No, not at all.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
Nothing, nothing.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
It's a very tame place.
Speaker 5 (34:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Hey, has the Prime Minister delivered on his promise, I think,
to you, Emma, that the Young Farmer of the Year
is going to be back on Kelly? I'm not quite
sure if that has happened.
Speaker 4 (34:47):
Well, I haven't seen it either, Hamish. And out of
good faith, I let him hold my baby that day
when he said that he made that election promise. Was
it four years ago? So I've got a photo of
proof of him holding wee blow-up in the air and
saying that it would be back on the TV. So
we bring it up every year. I think it's going
to have to resurface in election year and hold him
(35:08):
to it.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Yeah, well, it's got till November the 7th, hasn't it?
I see we spoke to him earlier, he's shooting off to...
what was it, Palau, I think the Cook Islands, and
with the big blue continent, isn't it, the meeting of
all the leaders there. So I will, when I speak
to him next, remind him of that. Tim, thank you
very much for joining us. Tim, go and soak up
some of that sun. Emma, enjoy not having a bit
(35:30):
of wind. Great to have you on the show, Emma
Poole and Tim Dangen.
Speaker 5 (35:34):
Cheers, Amish. Cheers, Amish. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
If those two don't make you aspirational to get into
the ag sector to go farming, I don't know who will.
Great to have your company today on The Country. We're
going to wrap up the show after a short break,
and I think we might have had a little bit
of text feedback, which we can wrap up the show
with a bit of that. That is here on The Country.
(36:20):
I only think, Michelle Watt, how big a song something
like Billy Bowl would have been done had it been
done by, you know, I'm not saying that that would
have been ideal for them, but a Lionel Richie or
an Elton John.
Speaker 6 (36:33):
I actually really like this song. It's really grown on
me since you introduced me to it.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
Yeah, and the other one I really love from Graham
Braze is High Wind in Jamaica.
Speaker 6 (36:41):
Oh, yeah, that is a good song.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Yeah, love it. Hey, did you find out who the
seven winners of all three cycle tours were? I know
that you were champing at the bit.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
I did.
Speaker 6 (36:50):
And just lean over, sorry. So I can't believe I forgot.
So Chris Froome has won all three. Vinisco Nibali, who,
of course, is another fantastic rider. Alberto Contador, incredible rider.
Bernard Hinault. Eddie Marek, of course, who we mentioned. Felice
Gimondi and Jacques Anquintel. Oh, my French is so bad.
(37:11):
So along with Jonas Vindegaard, obviously. So only eight have
won all three. So today, Tadej will get another shot
next year, no doubt. Obviously, Wendigord, he had a massive
crash as well in the Tour de France. So he
is also injured until next year now, probably. So they'll
battle it out again, no doubt. They're two great cyclists
of all time, I think.
Speaker 2 (37:32):
Exactly. And now, OK, I want a text. We've had
some text feedback over the course of the day. Anything
about the Prime Minister or...?.
Speaker 6 (37:42):
Yeah, some of them I can't read out, but.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Oh, really?
Speaker 6 (37:45):
Let's just go. So someone has commented and said, sadly,
we need him and ACT in New Zealand first in
because the others don't bear thinking about. I also got
a comment about your dairy story that you told.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
Oh, yes.
Speaker 6 (37:57):
Yeah, from your old days in the news group. I
used to work for John Parker, this texter has said.
Dep gen manager after running milk powders. He helped engineer
the larders for Butter Contra.
Speaker 3 (38:08):
So you got a fun.
Speaker 6 (38:09):
Little story there. I've also had a fun little comment
in here, Hamish.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
Hold on a minute. Lard is for butter. That is outstanding.
Speaker 6 (38:16):
That's cool, isn't it? There's some great people in the
industry that are still around now, great stories to tell.
And this texter has taken my comment about us being
not too far apart, or far apart, but not too
far apart, a little bit too far, and said, I
think she's flirting with.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
You, Hamish. Well, I've got to say there was just
a momentary sort of lapse where I thought, are you
flirting with me? No, no.
Speaker 6 (38:41):
It's just that southern charm, my friend, the southern charm.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
Yeah, exactly, exactly. It reminded me of that TV programme
in the late 80s. Remember the Beast and he lived
underground and his line always used to be, although we
will never be together, we can never be apart.
Speaker 6 (38:55):
I think you're forgetting that I was born in the 80s,
so I don't remember that.
Speaker 2 (39:01):
It was 1988, you wouldn't remember it.
Speaker 6 (39:03):
No, but too young.
Speaker 2 (39:05):
I want to say thank you to everybody who has
been on the show today. It was always good to
catch up with our man, young man, Mr Bulger from
Afontera to get the latest on the GDT, so the
Global Dairy Trade not too much of a change there
skim milk powder was strong but of course whole milk
powder is the main influencer of farm gate returns so
(39:28):
we've had an overall zero an overall 0.9% change in
the GDT overnight. Just confirming that. So, you know, not
too much to get too concerned about there. Rabobank's report
out of Melbourne. on the global status of the dairy
companies like Tarlis. Not surprisingly, number one, but number two, Nestle. And,
(39:51):
of course, that was what bore out my story about
the late, great Neville Martin, who I enjoyed as a
training journo back in the day when he was with
the Dairy Board in Wellington. This has been The Country
for your Wednesday. I'm Hamish Mackay. Catch you again soon.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
The country with Jamie Mackay and farmlands because rural never
grows it alone.
Speaker 2 (40:26):
Newstalk ZV.
The Country with Jamie Mackay and Farmlands. Because rural never
grows it alone. Newstalk ZV.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Nothing like a bit of Graham Brazier on your Wednesday
to get you going. This is The Country. Hamish Mackay
with you today. No truth to the rumour that Jamie
Mackay is going to be renamed Steve Austin, the $ 6
million man, by the time we rebuild him. And he
will be back. Shortly, the Prime Minister joins us for
his weekly chat to kick the show off. Also, a
(00:46):
bit of a dairy focus today with a look at
the latest GDT and Rabobanks, a latest global report on
who's dominating in the dairy game. Our brother and sister duo,
Tim Dangen and Emma Poole, down on the farm in
Southland and the Waikato. They always bring a great edge
to the show as well. But first up, the Prime Minister.
(01:14):
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joins us now on the show. Christopher,
the Pacific Islands Forum, you're off to Palau today where
Taiwan's presence has drawn threats from China. What's your position
on this?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Yeah, look, I mean, there's 18 countries in the Pacific
Island Forum. It's all the Pacific Island countries. There's obviously Australia,
New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, everybody there. It's a good
chance for all the leaders to come together and talk
about a range of issues. I know there's a lot
of conversation about China and Taiwan, but frankly, in the leaders' meeting,
the conversation tends to go back to This is a
(01:47):
region that's spent a billion dollars on extra fuel payments
since the crisis in Iran. We've got real challenges on
core infrastructure across the region. And there's whole issues from
transnational organized crime and drugs coming through the Pacific, a
whole range of topics that we'll be discussing.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Does it surprise you that China did feel like it
needed to react to Taiwan's presence, given where we are
in this part of the world, the big blue continent?
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Well, I mean, the key thing is that we want
the Pacific to solve Pacific challenges and opportunities. We don't
need outside nations from a number of partners we have
across the Pacific, which we appreciate. But equally, we want
the Pacific agenda to be driven by the Pacific nations.
And that's why that's very much our focus. We want
(02:33):
the centrality of what we call PIF to be the
way in which support partners, whether it be China or
the US or Japan or Korea or anyone else, comes
through working through that body. And it's those leaders themselves
that determine the direction of the Pacific.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Right. Cervical screening for all, great. How are we progressing, though,
with lowering the bowel cancer screening age?
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Yeah, look, we started obviously at 60. We've moved it
to 58. We want to move it down ideally to 56.
We want to keep marching it down so we match
Australia ultimately. A lot of it is about, you know,
having colonoscopy resources and all those kinds of things. And
so we've also introduced a home... home kit called an
FIT kit, a FIT test, and that's actually really great
(03:16):
because it's a diagnostic tool that means that we don't
need to have 60% of people getting colonoscopies when that
then didn't need it. We can actually screen for a
lot of that or risk a bowel cancer and actually
then do the colonoscopies off the back of that. So
that just helps us use our resources in a smarter way. But, yep,
our intention is to keep marching it down. Already, as
you saw, in the first couple of years, we've marched
(03:37):
it down by another two years, and we'll keep going
in increments as we can.
Speaker 4 (03:41):
Right.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Rob Fyfe has taken umbrage at your reflections on Air
New Zealand's loss. Does he have a point?
Speaker 3 (03:49):
No, I think Rob's a good mate, and he and
I talked yesterday about it, actually, and I think it's
all been taken terribly out of context. All I was saying,
I represent as Prime Minister now, you know, we represent
and own 51% of that company, and it's no doubt
about it, you know, Air New Zealand would acknowledge its
poor performance by their own admission, and it's It's a
(04:10):
poor performance in the context of other airline results as well.
But having said that, as I said at the time
last Friday, they've got a really good CEO, Nikhil Ravishankar.
He's an amazing guy. He'd be really good for the company.
And they've also got two new directors that we've put
on the board, you know, Robin Campbell, who have deep
aviation experience, which will help them as well. So, you know,
running an airline is hard business, but, you know, it's
(04:32):
a poor performance.
Speaker 5 (04:33):
Let's call it for what it is.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
It is. But I've got every confidence the team will
be able to turn around and get it performing well again.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Yes, you did say that, and it did seem to
get lost in the mix a little bit in the interim.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
Funny that, my friend. There's a lot that gets lost
in the media reporting of what I actually say.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
It goes with the territory.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Right. It does. OK. The Paris Accord, we stay in.
That remains a non-negotiable for you?
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Yeah, I mean, the point is it's an economic issue, right?
I mean, the bottom line is that if we were
to come out, there's 195, 190 plus countries in Paris.
There's only four that are out. It's Libya, Yemen and Iran.
And the U.S. has come out, but the U.S. states
are progressing in Paris as governors. And so my argument
is very simple in the position of our co-op, this
(05:20):
term has been it makes economic sense for New Zealand
to stay in because the thing that would happen immediately
is that competitor countries, think about the Denmarks and the
Netherlands who are right on our tails as good agricultural producers.
Think about the large multinational companies. They would kick our
products off shelf and that would make every New Zealander
and every farmer in this country poorer, and I'm not
doing that. That will give our Paris targets a good go,
(05:44):
but we are also saying very clearly we are not
sending billions of dollars and millions of dollars offshore. We're
going to have that money invested here in New Zealand.
Thank you very much. So that's our commitment because it's
an economic thing for me.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Right, you've got the job of being the Prime Minister
and you've also got the job of staying the Prime Minister.
What's your individual strategy for the next couple of months?
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Look, very simple. Do you want a Labour government that's
going to come in and actually produce nine new taxes
with their coalition mates? From an inheritance tax, a capital
gains tax, a wealth tax, death tax, trust tax, increase
in income tax, increase in corporate tax rate, taxing everything
in sight because they're addicted to spending, they're addicted to taxation,
they're addicted to borrowing. Or do you actually want to
(06:27):
stick with the people who've got a long-term plan to
grow the economy, which you're seeing in the agricultural sector,
that actually makes life more affordable and ultimately helps people
get ahead? So it's a pretty simple choice. Spend more tax,
more borrow more. We had that for six years. Didn't
work out so well. That's where they want to go
back to. Or responsible economic management.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Okay. In terms of making sure that your plan is heard,
where will we be seeing you? I mean, these are
heady times for the rural sector. But, you know, we,
I guess I should say, we can be a strange
lot come voting time. I mean, let's keep the Greens
out by voting Labour half the South Islander not that
(07:05):
long ago. So, you know.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
My message is really simple. I don't need any strategic voting.
It's party vote national because that makes up a government.
And it gives us our best shot to give strong,
stable government to New Zealand. And so that's why I'm
single-minded as the National Party leader saying I don't need
anyone thinking creatively or strategically about this. The very best
thing you can do for New Zealand is to vote
National Party and party vote National. And so that's what
(07:29):
determines the makeup of a future government. And we have
a great future ahead of us. I think the agricultural community,
farming community would appreciate that. From day one, I've tried
to be a prime minister that's championed the sector really well.
I've been highly visible in the sector. I've participated in
lots of different events and engaged in lots of different
ways with the sector. I've really appreciated doing that, and
I hope they feel they've got a government that's been
backing them do exactly that. And they're a case in point.
(07:52):
We've been able to get trade deals done around the world.
We believe in an Indian FTA. We believe in the
opportunity that it creates with more optionality for that sector.
So we want to keep the foot on the accelerator there. Growth, growth, growth.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Finally, will you be back in time to catch the
third test, effectively the big decider from South Africa? Yeah,
I will be, actually.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
I'm just literally flying into Palau for a day and
a bit and then back home again on Friday. So, yeah,
it's going to be quite a game, isn't it? I mean,
as they've been promoting it, it is the greatest rivalry
and it's living up to that for sure.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Your job's not too different to Dave Rennie. Have you
got your team all aligned and in the right direction
for the months ahead, Prime Minister?
Speaker 4 (08:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:32):
Yeah, look, we're fired up, ready to go.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
And I mean, we've got a great country. We've got
a great future ahead of us. And there's no reason
New Zealand can't do exceptionally well. We've got to stick
with the plan. You know, we've really got to stick
with the plan and follow through. And that's what we've
got to deliver on November 7th. But that's up to
all of us. We get a democracy. It's a pretty
special right. And every New Zealander gets a stake in that.
And it's up for every New Zealander to consider it
very seriously.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Finally, one very serious question. Are you a live watcher
or do you rely on the replay?
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Depends on what my schedule is. Like one of them
I was able to watch live, but then most of
the time I'm watching a replay the next day. Yeah.
While I'm trying to do some other reading or something
at the same time.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yeah, I appreciate you're a reasonably busy man. So yes,
I guess the replay option is best for you. Prime
Minister Christopher Luxon, thank you very much for joining us
on The Country.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Great to be with you, Hamish. Have a great week.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
There he is, the PM off to Palau. I can't
get my head around that watching in replay. I just
feel like I've missed out on something. But hey, if
you can, you can. What a test it's going to
be this weekend. Coming up on the country, Matt Bolger, Fonterra.
We'll have a look at the overnight GDT, Global Dairy Trade.
(09:45):
What happened there? skim milk, whole milk, what was cracking along, cheese,
all the details there. We're going to talk to Rabobank's
Michael Harvey out of Melbourne in the show. And also,
of course, brother and sister Emma Poole and Tim Dangen
from Down on the Farm in Waikato and Southland, our
two former young farmers of the year. All that ahead
(10:07):
here on The Country. Time to look at the latest GDT,
the Global Dairy Trade Auction, overnight. And to discuss this,
(10:30):
Managing Director of Co-op Affairs, Fonterra, Matt Bolger. Afternoon, Matt.
Not too much movement there.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
G'day, Hamish. Yeah, it was sort of a mixed auction, actually.
I mean, the headline is saying it's basically flat. But
within that, there were a few different movers. We saw
whole milk powder, you know, pretty much flat. things like cheese,
which we don't often talk about as much, but that
dropped back a bit. And then on the other hand,
skim milk powder, a bigger product, had really good gains.
(10:58):
So it all sort of averaged out at about flat,
which is, you know, for this time of the season,
when we are coming into selling the peak, it is
not too bad a result.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Yeah, so what drives the demand for the extra volume
in the skim milk industry?
Speaker 3 (11:13):
Yeah, so I guess like everything, it's a bit of
a supply-demand picture. If you take something like skim milk
powder up over 5%, inventories are reasonably healthy, but there's
just very good demand for dairy proteins as an ingredient.
It's lots of different products, so that's good. Something like cheese,
it's a little bit softer. There's a lot of impact
(11:35):
from Europe and the US, and so in the US,
cheese demand has pulled back a bit. People are eating
out less in the States now, But actually, interestingly, returns
from whey protein are very good. And often when you
make cheese, you get whey on the side. And so
that's driving people to actually still produce cheese, even though
demand has softened a bit. So it's a range of
(11:55):
different factors that sort of play into a result like that.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
In terms of a breakdown on what influences the farm
gate price, I mean, I guess whole milk powder remains
the biggest influencer.
Speaker 6 (12:07):
Yeah, yeah, it does.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
No, whole milk powder is the big one. And I
guess on Holmuk powder, we did see really good participation
in the auction overnight from China in particular. But we
also have a lot of sales going into Southeast Asia
and a bit into the Middle East too. In China,
they're starting to build inventories to get ready for the
Lunar New Year, the Chinese New Year, early next year.
So you start seeing some of that buying behaviour come
(12:31):
through too.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
Yeah, OK. Look, in terms of And outlook and longevity
and payout. I mean, there seems to be things seem
to have that sort of, you know, I know global
pressures can can change things quickly, but there seems to
be a sort of a pretty steady as she goes pattern.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Yeah, after the last few auctions, it's probably unusually stable
for dairy pricing. Yeah, look, we've got a very positive
view in the long term. But of course, if you
go out a number of years, just the core supply-demand dynamics,
dairy is recognized for fantastic nutrition and flavor and all
of those things. and there's probably more constraints on growth
(13:14):
around the world in the longer term. But, of course,
that won't be a straight line, and we think things
will bump around quite a lot if you take a five-
or ten-year view as you come into this season. Things
are looking good now, and, of course, every week we're
contracting more of the book, and that helps, you know,
gives us more confidence and payout for this year. But
(13:34):
I think two factors are being taken into account, which
is El Nino, You know, people are starting to price
in the risk of a drought in New Zealand and
other places or the potential of a drought after Christmas.
And then you're also seeing the heat wave in Europe.
So Europe's milk has grown a lot, but that growth
is really starting to button off quite a lot now
(13:56):
with extreme heat over there with European summer. So those
two things are starting to factor into price sentiments as well.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Matt, it's a worldwide trend to use these fandangled weight
loss injections. It's also something that we're seeing a lot
of promoting of what is the right proteins and the
right foods to have with these. I mean, is that
sort of an angle that's been worked with milk?
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, look, I forget the latest percentage of
Americans that are on the GLP-1 drugs and they're being
used around the world now. Interestingly, I've talked about this
one a little bit. If you're in the business of
selling food and people are eating less, you might think
that that's not a great thing. But what we're seeing
(14:42):
is that when people reduce the calories that they take
in every day, they also start focusing less very much
on the quality of the food that they're getting because
they just need to maintain muscle mass and all those things.
And dairy, particularly on the protein side, dairy is just
absolutely the world-leading protein. And so people start taking, I guess,
(15:03):
paying more attention to what they're eating. They probably look
more carefully at having more protein. And then after that,
it's a quick jump to say, well, what's the highest
quality protein? and they get to dairy. And so, interestingly,
those GLP-1 weight loss drugs have actually been very, very
good for dairy, and it's been a good part of
our business, particularly in places like the US and Europe.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Okay. Finally, quick update on the forecast for financial year
26 earnings.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Yeah, so coming out this morning, we've had an earnings
range of $ 0. 60 to $ 0. 70 per share, which is reasonably good.
And we've just come out this morning saying as we
get closer to closing the books out, we expect the
earnings to be at the top end of that range.
So we'll be out on September 24th with the results
for the last season, the season gone. And I guess,
(15:53):
you know, the stage we're seeing it being a pretty
good result.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Matt Bolger, thanks very much for joining us on The Country.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
Thanks, Hamish.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Well, joining us on the country now is Rabobank senior
analyst in dairy and consumer foods out of Melbourne, Michael Harvey.
Good afternoon, Michael.
Speaker 7 (16:24):
How are you going? Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Great to have you on here. Global top 20 report.
Who's leading the way?
Speaker 7 (16:32):
Yeah, look, it's that time of year we do a
bit of an update on the largest dairy companies in
the world based on dairy revenue. So that's an important point.
And it's always worthwhile sort of looking at the bigger
picture and looking at some of the key trends that
that you're seeing happening in the large dairy company in
the world. And certainly there's a couple of notable trends
that we sort of picked up in the report that
we did. And the first one really, the growth of Lactalis,
(16:55):
who are the world's largest dairy company. They've been quite
active in this part of the world, clearly with the
acquisition of the Fonterra assets in this part of the world,
but they've also continued to grow through acquisition in other
regions and other geographies. So that's a clear trend that
you do see. There's a few other things as well.
You look at what's happening in Europe at the moment,
and there's been some very large acquisitions of cooperatives, and
(17:18):
that's certainly something that we're keeping an eye on in
terms of what happens with that industry moving forward as
they start to consolidate potentially amongst themselves. So that's a
key trend. The other one is Saputo, who are active
in this part of the world, particularly here in Australia,
they've been divesting some of their assets They're exiting Argentina
and exiting the UK as well. So there's a few
(17:39):
sort of key trends that are happening at the big
end of town, but ultimately it's really about these large
dairy companies continuing to evolve their footprints around the world.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Okay, so we've seen the big move by Lactalis here.
With Fonterra, what does that say for the future?
Speaker 7 (17:55):
Yeah, well, I mean, clearly Fonterra, the exit out of
Australia is sort of full stop and reset of their business.
And they're still a very large dairy company and one
of the big players in the global market. But, you know,
going back to being focused on a high quality producer
of commodity servicing, food service and ingredient market. So that's
the sort of full stop on that business. But, you know,
(18:16):
Fonterra obviously moved down the rank table because of that,
but still very much one of the large dairy companies.
So that's one of the notable trends as well.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Yeah, Fonterra very much shifting towards that ingredients and food service.
Speaker 7 (18:30):
Right, and that is, you know, another trend that you
do see. I mean, there are global dairy companies that
are on the hunt for access to whey because of the,
you know, the booming demand for high-protein products in consumer
markets around the world. So that's certainly something. And, you know,
there's some assets and acquisitions around dairy. actually tapping into brands.
And we saw that here in Australia. You know, Denone
(18:51):
have made an acquisition of a company that's got a
high-protein dairy beverage platform called The May Group and the
Rockabee Farms. So there's certainly a global push to try
and find high-quality protein products and weight pools and ingredients
to service those markets, which is strong, right? I mean,
food service markets are a growth platform for all dairy companies,
and that's certainly something Fonterra are focusing on. But there's
(19:12):
no doubt that high-protein platforms are certainly a key strategy
as well.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
How much have we seen that sort of, I guess,
the key drivers change over the last 10 years, say?
Speaker 7 (19:26):
Yeah, it's constantly evolving. There's no doubt about that. And,
you know, corporate activity is ongoing. I mean, even since
we sort of did the cutoff that, you know, we
talk about, you know, Lactile have made further acquisitions and
Saputo have made further divestments. So it's constantly moving. And,
you know, you see big trends like you know, non-dairy
players sort of coming in and out of dairy platforms.
(19:47):
You've seen that with, you know, some global FMCGs at times.
over the decade or so. You've seen the emergence of
China being a bigger player in the global scene. They've
done that through acquisition and offshore investments as well. So
there's constant change and there are key trends that come
and go. But ultimately, it's about these large dairy companies
(20:07):
just looking for the next opportunity at the moment. It
is high-protein products. It's whey protein. It's ingredients. It's food
service channels.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Is the possibility too big is too big? Oh, that's
a good point.
Speaker 7 (20:22):
I mean, that'll be something to watch with, you know,
just given the size of La Cala. I mean, they've
done their business enormously over a long period of time,
largely through acquisition, and they continue to do it. So
that's why they are the world's largest dairy company. So,
you know, there's clearly, you know, there's benefits that come
with scale and global capacity like that. So it's something
to watch out for.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
There was obviously a huge amount of media and public
interest in what happened between Lactalis and Fonterra, but that
seems to have sort of died away and just everybody
getting on with business.
Speaker 7 (20:55):
Yeah, I mean, it's obviously now complete. I mean, I'm
sitting here in Australia. I mean, that was a transformational
sort of acquisition here in Australia because it does change
the corporate landscape. You know, Fonterra obviously had a big
business in Australia over a long period of time and
sort of exited the market now. So you've got Lactalis,
who are the way we would look at it, the
largest dairy company here in Australia. So they've got a
(21:16):
lot more scale. They've got a lot more market power
with the retailers. So there's some, you know, there's some
things there that are happening. So, yeah, that was a
significant transaction.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
Great stuff. Michael Harvey, Senior Analyst in Dairy and Consumer
Foods out of Rabobank with that Global Top 20 report.
Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 7 (21:33):
My pleasure.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Thanks for having me. Yes, thank you very much to
Michael Harvey there, bit of the old Dominion Road. Of course,
not a Hello Sailor song or a Brazier song that
we've been having throughout the show. today, but it was the,
I think Graham Bracey's mother had the bookshop on Dominion
Road for many years, and they may have even lived
(21:55):
above that bookshop. Righty-ho, I just wanted to mention there,
on the giant that is Lactalis, I remember as a
budding young journo in the late 80s going to visit
the Dairy Board and chatting to a wonderful gentleman by
the name of Neville Martin, who was the, Neville was
(22:18):
the head of PR for the Dairy Board and throughout
his career had been a very fine parliamentary press secretary,
had some pretty high portfolios, my understanding. But I remember
being absolutely dumbfounded when he made a comparison between the
New Zealand Dairy Board and our industry around that time,
around 1990, of just how big Nestle was in comparison.
(22:41):
I just, couldn't crunch the numbers but you kind of
you know nothing too much has changed over the years
i see nestle still number two and two lactalis in
terms of a dairy company size size on the global
scale this is the country we're going to have your
news and sport that'll be coming up and then always
(23:01):
look forward to this a chat with our Brother and sister,
both winners of the Young Farmer of the Year, Tim
Dangen and Emma Poole. That is coming up here on
The Country. MUSIC PLAYS Oh, I could listen to that
(23:34):
all day. Blue Lady, Hello Sailor. This is The Country.
Coming up later on the show, our brother and sister duo,
Tim Dangen and Emma Poole from down on the farm
in Southland. And wake it up. It's time now for
some news and sport.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
The Country's Rural News with Cub Cadet. It's one thing
to talk innovation, another to back it up. Drive it.
Speaker 7 (23:56):
We dare you.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Visit steelfort.co.nz for your local stockist.
Speaker 6 (24:02):
Yeah, thanks Hamish. And of course you're in Auckland, I'm
in Dunedin. We're far apart but close together at the
same time.
Speaker 5 (24:09):
Oh.
Speaker 6 (24:10):
Oh, wasn't that poetic? It was.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
Where on earth did that come from?
Speaker 6 (24:14):
I have no idea. I'll tell you what, creative minds
after two coffees, I'm on fire. Right, getting on with
rural news. Farm workers who live on properties where they
work will soon be able to use their KiwiSaver savings
to buy their first home under new government legislations. The
KiwiSaver First Home or Farm Amendment Bill removes rules that
have prevented many rural workers from accessing first home withdrawals.
(24:35):
Finance Minister Nicola Willis says farm workers often have to
live in employer-provided housing, but current KiwiSaver rules require buyers
to move into the home they purchase, locking many out
of their own savings. The bill will also allow first-time
homebuyers to use KiwiSaver when purchasing through a company trust
or partnership they control, provided the farm will be their
main home. The bill actually began as a member's bill
(24:57):
from Sue's Redmayne before being adopted by government as well.
So fun fact for you there, but great news in
the sector. And you'll have sports news there. Just let
me play this little sting for you first.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Now, get a load of this. Cam Roygaard, All Black halfback,
has come out with a simple strategy for beating the
Springboks in the third test up in Soweto this weekend.
It's called Roper Dope, which is beating them at their
own game, up on the high veldt at altitude. Apparently,
the Springboks side is going to run out of gas late,
and the All Blacks are going to, according to Roygaard,
(25:39):
be able to run all over the top of them. Well,
they'll need to start a lot better than they did
in the latest test in Cape Town, and... There's a
small thing called a line-out, Michelle, that the All Blacks
will have to sort out as well. And as for
calls from some quarters, and I read about it today
in the Royal New Zealand Herald, about there'll be some
wanting Richie Mwanga at first 5'8. Goodness me, have you
(25:59):
not watched Ruben Love? Have you had a full frontal
lobotomy to want to change the 10? He's been going superbly.
And Michelle, I just want to check in with you,
because you're right in that sort of watching cycling 24-7
mode at the moment, aren't you? What's going on there?
Speaker 6 (26:14):
So, of course, Liv Welter is on at the moment.
It's the third of the big grand tours. There's, of course,
Tour de France, which everyone knows. There's the Espana, which
is the– oh, no, this is Espana, sorry. The other
one is the Giro, which a lot of people have
heard of as well. But at the moment, of course,
a big turnaround with the leaders because Tadej had a
bit of a crash, so he's out, and he was
(26:34):
looking to be one of the few that have won
all three tours. There isn't actually that many. I think
there's about eight riders in history that have won all
three tours. They don't have to win them in the
same year. It's a bit like the Grand Slam of tennis,
I guess, in a way. But at the moment, if
you haven't watched today's stage yet, which you may not
have because I usually don't watch it till night time,
(26:55):
Enric Mas is in the leaders jersey still at the
moment at stage 10 and Walt Van Aert has got
the sprinters jersey. So it'll be interesting times coming in
to the next stage tonight, I think. Looking forward to
catching up with that one.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Okay, I'm going to give you a little sporting quiz.
Who would be, could you name three or four who
have won all three of the major tours, the big ones?
Speaker 6 (27:17):
Well, you can't count Lance, obviously.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
No, well.
Speaker 6 (27:21):
He's not in there. But Van der Goord, he's won
all three, I think. Also, Eddie Merrick, I think he
won all three.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Eddie Merrick, I think you're right there. Maguire Lindorine?
Speaker 6 (27:32):
Ah, potentially. I have to have a look. I think
there's eight of them that have won all three. And
like I said, they don't have to win them all
in the same year. But it's very rare because the
tours are very close together. So, of course, training-wise and things,
it makes it quite difficult to recover. So it would
have been amazing if Tade had taken out the win.
Speaker 4 (27:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
Laurent Fignon might have been another one. Dunno. Dunno. Well, no, no.
Maybe he didn't win the Tour de France. I think
he did win the Tour de France. Anyway, great stuff.
There you go. That is our sport. Bit of Hello
Sailor as we... Stand by for the great brother, sister duo,
Young Farmers of the Year from Down on their farms
(28:07):
these days. Tim Dangen and Emma Paul coming up here
on The Country. Well, one of my favourite times on
the country when I get to sit in the chair
for my cousin Jamie, as we say, Bo and Luke
(28:30):
Duke is doing a bit of recovering at the moment.
He'll be back soon, though, is when I get to
chat to these two fine young people of the agricultural establishment,
the 2023 Young Farmer of the Year, Emma Paul, and
her brother, Tim Dangen, 22 Young Farmer of the Year. G'day, team.
How's things, first of all, with you, Tim? You've finally
got some sun after a bit of a rough old
(28:52):
tale of winter.
Speaker 5 (28:53):
Yeah, g'day Hamish. We've been coughing it in the deep
south over the last sort of five days, but thankfully
the sun's out today, so a bit of recovery and
a chance to come up for a bit of air.
But no, it's been a big week really, right in
the peak of calving for most southland dairy farmers. So yeah,
it's just been a matter of getting through really day
by day and making sure that everyone gets home safe
(29:15):
at the end of the day has been the real goal.
So yeah, but it's nice to see the sun, Hamish.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
Yeah, absolutely. It would be Emma further north in the Waikato, Poronga.
How's things with you?
Speaker 4 (29:24):
Yeah, we've had a fair bit of wind here as well, Hamish,
but it's sunny today and it's been actually all in
all not a bad spring. We've been very, very lucky
with the amount of rain and sunshine that we've had.
It's made for easy carving here.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
So pretty lucky. Yeah, that is good to hear. Tim,
to start with you on El Nino, I mean, you've
just come out of the back of the weather that
you've got right now, but you've got this fandangled thing.
We know it's coming. How much are you preparing for
the effects of?
Speaker 5 (29:57):
Yeah, I'll take some of it at the moment, Amish.
But no, it's interesting to see and talking to farmers
around the district how it plays out in the south
end is quite different to how or what I'm used
to when we get a big El Nino up home
in Mirawai north of Auckland there. So, yeah, we're just mindful,
I guess, of where our costs are at, as always,
(30:19):
and how much supplement that we're prepared to put into
the system if need be. Grass is always the cheapest
form of feed, though. So, yeah, we're just trying to
make sure that we stick to basics here, try and
grow and harvest as much high-quality grass as we can.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Emma, how much is it on your radar?
Speaker 4 (30:37):
Definitely on the radar. I remember last, oh, it was
a few years ago when they predicted this. We sort
of got prepared with a whole lot of chicory and
turnips and whatnot and nothing really came of it. So
you've sort of got to take it with a grain
of salt, don't you? But it'll definitely, it'll change our
cropping plan a bit. We'll allow for a bit of
extra summer crops to make sure that we've got something
to feed the cows. We're pretty fortunate we autumn.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Carve a lot of our herds.
Speaker 4 (30:59):
So they'll be dry during that period, which is a
real asset when that heat comes on. So... Probably more
and more Waikato farmers looking at that sort of thing
as well because our Nino's almost becoming the norm here
in the Waikato. It gets very hot and very dry February, March,
even April. So it's the farming that we're doing now.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Yeah, it certainly is. Ag and secondary schools, the curriculum
looks like it's going to have its place that it
deserves and damn well should have sort of from next year.
But I was thinking, you know, I hope a lot
of the learning is around the opportunity that exists in
the entire primary ag sector. That's something we really need
to push, don't we?
Speaker 4 (31:41):
Absolutely. And the people teaching those curriculums, it really hinges
on them, doesn't it, Hamish? They have to be aware
of what's out there and they have to be ready
to motivate those students and entice them into that subject
because they're competing against other subjects which are very appetising
when you're a young kid at school, being sports and
art and the like. So they just have to make
(32:03):
sure that they've got the right people in those roles
to package that up and draw them in. That's it's
good to hear that it will be on the forefront
of some people's mind at least because we need more
people in this sector and the young people are awesome
that are coming through so far.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
Yeah, and so it's not just about owning a farm. Sure,
that's a great goal and, you know, very admirable, but
it's not the only thing that can sustain somebody in
a great career and a great lifestyle and earning opportunity.
Speaker 5 (32:32):
Oh, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (32:33):
I went to vet school, didn't I? And then came
back and went farming after being a vet. So that's,
you know, being a vet on farms is awesome. And
it's another job that's connected to agriculture. And Tim had
his fair share of doing things off farm.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
As well, too.
Speaker 4 (32:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Yeah. Tim, it's coming up 100 years this year, isn't it,
for the Young Farmer of the Year? That'll be a
pretty big shindig, won't it?
Speaker 5 (33:00):
Yeah, it's an amazing achievement, Hamish, isn't it? It's for
the club itself, or the organisation rather, that is going
to clock up the century. So I suppose it's just
a neat time to reflect on all the amazing volunteers
that have come through in that time, Hamish, that have,
you know, run clubs and events within the rural communities,
as well as obviously the Young Farm of the Year contest,
(33:23):
which I suppose is the pinnacle of the club and
in the flagship event but it wouldn't happen without all
the amazing volunteer work that happens throughout and I think
it just highlights really how important young farmers clubs are
within our rural communities Hamish and it's just a fantastic
way to get young people connected you know it can
(33:43):
sometimes be a bit of a barrier I think for
young people that they think they might be heading off
you know to an isolated region or something like that
but as soon as you hook in with your local
young farmers club you're instantly connected with like-minded people and And, yeah,
it's a great opportunity to catch up down at the
pub and do other social events as well as competing
in the contest. So, yeah, it's awesome to see, mate.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
Yeah, it's really important that you do have these social events,
and this will be a big party. I don't want
you to dob your sister in, but who's the party animal?
Which one of you is more likely to cut loose
at this 100-year celebration?
Speaker 5 (34:16):
Emma's got a lot more party yarns than I do, mate. So,
you know, there's been some good ones over the years.
She might be able to lose when she ended up
in some rose bushes at Massey University one time, I think.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
Yeah, I was going to say.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
No, it'll be good.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
Yeah, vet school, Emma, you wouldn't have got up to
any hijinks? No, not at all.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
Nothing, nothing.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
It's a very tame place.
Speaker 5 (34:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Hey, has the Prime Minister delivered on his promise, I think,
to you, Emma, that the Young Farmer of the Year
is going to be back on Kelly? I'm not quite
sure if that has happened.
Speaker 4 (34:47):
Well, I haven't seen it either, Hamish. And out of
good faith, I let him hold my baby that day
when he said that he made that election promise. Was
it four years ago? So I've got a photo of
proof of him holding wee blow-up in the air and
saying that it would be back on the TV. So
we bring it up every year. I think it's going
to have to resurface in election year and hold him
(35:08):
to it.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Yeah, well, it's got till November the 7th, hasn't it?
I see we spoke to him earlier, he's shooting off to...
what was it, Palau, I think the Cook Islands, and
with the big blue continent, isn't it, the meeting of
all the leaders there. So I will, when I speak
to him next, remind him of that. Tim, thank you
very much for joining us. Tim, go and soak up
some of that sun. Emma, enjoy not having a bit
(35:30):
of wind. Great to have you on the show, Emma
Poole and Tim Dangen.
Speaker 5 (35:34):
Cheers, Amish. Cheers, Amish. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
If those two don't make you aspirational to get into
the ag sector to go farming, I don't know who will.
Great to have your company today on The Country. We're
going to wrap up the show after a short break,
and I think we might have had a little bit
of text feedback, which we can wrap up the show
with a bit of that. That is here on The Country.
(36:20):
I only think, Michelle Watt, how big a song something
like Billy Bowl would have been done had it been
done by, you know, I'm not saying that that would
have been ideal for them, but a Lionel Richie or
an Elton John.
Speaker 6 (36:33):
I actually really like this song. It's really grown on
me since you introduced me to it.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
Yeah, and the other one I really love from Graham
Braze is High Wind in Jamaica.
Speaker 6 (36:41):
Oh, yeah, that is a good song.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Yeah, love it. Hey, did you find out who the
seven winners of all three cycle tours were? I know
that you were champing at the bit.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
I did.
Speaker 6 (36:50):
And just lean over, sorry. So I can't believe I forgot.
So Chris Froome has won all three. Vinisco Nibali, who,
of course, is another fantastic rider. Alberto Contador, incredible rider.
Bernard Hinault. Eddie Marek, of course, who we mentioned. Felice
Gimondi and Jacques Anquintel. Oh, my French is so bad.
(37:11):
So along with Jonas Vindegaard, obviously. So only eight have
won all three. So today, Tadej will get another shot
next year, no doubt. Obviously, Wendigord, he had a massive
crash as well in the Tour de France. So he
is also injured until next year now, probably. So they'll
battle it out again, no doubt. They're two great cyclists
of all time, I think.
Speaker 2 (37:32):
Exactly. And now, OK, I want a text. We've had
some text feedback over the course of the day. Anything
about the Prime Minister or...?.
Speaker 6 (37:42):
Yeah, some of them I can't read out, but.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Oh, really?
Speaker 6 (37:45):
Let's just go. So someone has commented and said, sadly,
we need him and ACT in New Zealand first in
because the others don't bear thinking about. I also got
a comment about your dairy story that you told.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
Oh, yes.
Speaker 6 (37:57):
Yeah, from your old days in the news group. I
used to work for John Parker, this texter has said.
Dep gen manager after running milk powders. He helped engineer
the larders for Butter Contra.
Speaker 3 (38:08):
So you got a fun.
Speaker 6 (38:09):
Little story there. I've also had a fun little comment
in here, Hamish.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
Hold on a minute. Lard is for butter. That is outstanding.
Speaker 6 (38:16):
That's cool, isn't it? There's some great people in the
industry that are still around now, great stories to tell.
And this texter has taken my comment about us being
not too far apart, or far apart, but not too
far apart, a little bit too far, and said, I
think she's flirting with.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
You, Hamish. Well, I've got to say there was just
a momentary sort of lapse where I thought, are you
flirting with me? No, no.
Speaker 6 (38:41):
It's just that southern charm, my friend, the southern charm.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
Yeah, exactly, exactly. It reminded me of that TV programme
in the late 80s. Remember the Beast and he lived
underground and his line always used to be, although we
will never be together, we can never be apart.
Speaker 6 (38:55):
I think you're forgetting that I was born in the 80s,
so I don't remember that.
Speaker 2 (39:01):
It was 1988, you wouldn't remember it.
Speaker 6 (39:03):
No, but too young.
Speaker 2 (39:05):
I want to say thank you to everybody who has
been on the show today. It was always good to
catch up with our man, young man, Mr Bulger from
Afontera to get the latest on the GDT, so the
Global Dairy Trade not too much of a change there
skim milk powder was strong but of course whole milk
powder is the main influencer of farm gate returns so
(39:28):
we've had an overall zero an overall 0.9% change in
the GDT overnight. Just confirming that. So, you know, not
too much to get too concerned about there. Rabobank's report
out of Melbourne. on the global status of the dairy
companies like Tarlis. Not surprisingly, number one, but number two, Nestle. And,
(39:51):
of course, that was what bore out my story about
the late, great Neville Martin, who I enjoyed as a
training journo back in the day when he was with
the Dairy Board in Wellington. This has been The Country
for your Wednesday. I'm Hamish Mackay. Catch you again soon.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
The country with Jamie Mackay and farmlands because rural never
grows it alone.
Speaker 2 (40:26):
Newstalk ZV.
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