December 16, 2025 • 38 mins
Jamie Mackay talks to Christopher Luxon, Miles Hurrell, Jane Smith, Hunter McGregor, and Jim Hopkins.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Catch all the latest from the land. It's the Country
Podcasts with Jamie McKay thanks to Brent starkest of the
leading agriculture brands.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
You good afternoon, New Zealand. Welcome to the Country. The
show is brought to you by Brandt. I'm Jamie McKay.
This is the most camp Christmas video of all time
George Michael throwing snowballs. But I need to get on
to the issues of the day because there are quite
(00:43):
a few to deal with. I'm going to kick it
off with the Prime Minister. Caught up with them a
bit earlier this morning. Our final chat for twenty twenty
five having a look at Soapy. That was the good news.
The bad news was haifu, we are living beyond our means.
Who would he? Who do you invite for some Christmas
chair as a special dinner guest from the other side
(01:06):
of the house and his ag Person of the Year
Myles Harrald, Chief Executive of Fonterra. Another very disappointing GDT
auction overnight down four point four percent, whole milk powder
down five point five percent. Ninth drop in a row.
The record is ten in a row. Are we now
looking at a payout or a milk price beginning with
(01:27):
an eight. Jane Smith, North Otago farmer is on the
war path in a sits today IKEA, carbon farming and
wind turbines. Who's her AG person of the Year? Hunter
McGregor is our guy in China? And Jim Hopkins long
standing correspondent. He's been a bit crook recently, Jim, but
I can report he's he's on the mend and he's
(01:51):
thought long and hard about his AG Person of the Year.
It's all on the country and it's brought to you
by Brandt up next to the Prime Minister for the
(02:11):
final time in twenty twenty five, and we do appreciate
that he makes the effort on a weekly basis to
talk to rural New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxe. And
it's the sort of a good news bad news day
when it comes to the acronyms from yesterday. Soapy was good,
HIIFU was bad? What do you want to start with?
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Yeah, well, listen, bit we can talk about both of them.
I mean, firstly, happy Christmas. We're getting to the end
of the year and I want to say thanks for
what you've been doing through the course of the year,
it's been brilliant. But I think the great story that
you heard yesterday was that our food and fiber sector
hit sixty two billion dollars and that's a record number
for New Zealand, and that's up thirteen percent.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Over the previous year. So you know, we really have
been able.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
To fire up meat and weel and horticulture and forestry
and dairy and all the component parts of our primary
industry sector. And that's a huge amount of effort gone
and from all your listeners, all your farmers, each and
every day. But you know, you've got some great organizations
that are out there in the world at the sharp
end of the spare making sure they get good returns
from New Zealanders and the farmers back at home. So
(03:12):
I might which be really proud about that. Look on Haifu. Essentially,
what that is about is that's Treasury putting its full
cast forward. They sort of anchor a little bit more
in the past, and what they've sort of said is
luck there's actually some good things in there. We think
we think growth will be close to three percent over
the next four years. We think that actually wages will
grow faster than inflation. Inflation will stay low. We have
(03:35):
we had a small surplus plan for twenty eight twenty
nine that's now moved to us small deficits. But having
said that, it's on a big number and it bounces around,
we as a government stay committed to delivering a surplus
in that period of time. It's just a forecast what.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Two hundred and fifty four billion dollars of core crown
debt by twenty thirty. We're living beyond our means in
the still as here the Duplessy Allen pointed out to
your Finance Minister Nikola Willis this morning, a whole lot
of wasteful spending and I can speak with some experience
from this the winter energy payment.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Yeah, well, that's a commitment that we made that we
would actually keep that in place. Because if you are
a senior around the country, that is something that we've said, look,
that's been put in place, that's become an entitlement. Essentially,
there's a lot of people that do really rely and
I appreciate you may not, but there will be others
that you had.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
But hang on, surely you can change your mind on this. Effectively,
National super is means tested because you pay at your
top marginal tax rates, So why not just use those
that calculation to say someone's earning two hundred grand, they
don't need the winter energy payment. Simple as well.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Here's the deal, Like I mean the you know I've
said to hear a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
It's lovely, but.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
The point is here, there's not a fan of actually
listening the subanuation age from sixty five to sixty seven.
If you look out into New Zealand's future and you
think about what's driving n percent of our expenditure that
is actually sitting in health, it's sitting on welfare, and
it's sitting in superannuation. And one of the simplest things
you could do is lift the superannuation age from sixty
five to sixty seven. You know, the average life expectancy
(05:12):
of a male in this country's moved four years in
the last twenty years when it was raised to sixty five,
and all we're asking is to move to two years.
Where the UK, Canada and Australia are.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Absolutely agree with you. But as long as as long
as Winston's drawing breath, that's not going to happen. Let's
just finish on a light tonight. I threw a question
at your PR staff yesterday. If you had to invite
one member from the other side of the house to
share some Christmas chair over Christmas dinner, who would it be.
You've just got a name one person.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Oh God, I disagree totally with his politics, but he
would be a live wire in terms of a dinner conversation.
It would be fun put it that way, because it
would be sporty, and that would be Willie Jackson. He's
someone that I've always thought of had a bit of
a wind up with and as I move around this
place and he's wound me up as well, So I
(06:00):
think he'd be good, good sport of the dinner.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
I wouldn't agree on much. We've a hell of a
lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Same with me I used to listen to on the radio.
Very entertaining. Okay, final question for twenty twenty five. Who
is your twenty twenty five HAGG Person of the Year?
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Well, that's a pretty brutal question, to be honest, because
there's a hell of a lot of people that are
involved in the sector that have done a brilliant job
making it all come.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Together in the last two years. If you really push me.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
I'd have to say if I look at Kiwi Fruit
in particular, I think about the work that Jason Tebrak
is doing at Zesprey. He's taken on as a new CEO.
He's got a great team. I watched them out there
in the markets. Their markets really well, and I think
Thisesbury has been great. But you know, equally, the fonterrast
revetue is working very well. I watch people like silver
(06:48):
Fern and Farms just know their consumer well. In the
US as well, Craig Paggett, I've put them on my
Prime Minister Science Technology Innovation Council because I love what
he's doing with Halter. So yeah, Nathan guy's been outstanding
as well. I mean, you watch that guy when you're
in China pushing the case for red meat and telling
our story better.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
He's done a great job too. So there's a heap.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
But if your push came shove, i'd say Vees, Brian
and Jason.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Prime Minister Christopher Luxan, thanks for your contribution throughout the year.
I know you went to bed this morning at one am,
you got up at four thirty am. No one I
can accuse you of not working hard for the country.
I hope you get a break with your family and friends.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yeah, well there's a lot to do so and we've
got a great country. And I just want to say
thank you to you for the conversation each week. I've
enjoyed the benter but also more pointing thank you to
your listeners because I know how hard I've been working
as well. And this has been a tough time for
New Zealand. But I hope people have got a sense
that we were through it. Now the exciting work begins
of how do we shape it so we genuinely set
(07:46):
the country up for great potential. But to everyone out there,
I just Jimmy trust you get some time if your
loved ones and time to refresh, recharge, have a genuine
break and getting up and get up for what will
be a big twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Merry Christmas. Bang on quarter past twelve. You're with the country.
Something we prepared earlier this morning. It's brought to you
by Brent. Have really appreciated their support through twenty twenty
five up next and we knew it was coming, maybe
not as bad as it was. Globaldary trade auction down
four point four percent, home powder down five point five percent,
(08:21):
Miles Hurrel, is a payout or a milk price beginning
with an eight now on the cards. Another man making
(08:43):
his final appearance on the Country for twenty twenty five
is a Fonterra chief executive, Miles Hurrel, a man who
has been nominated several times for our AG Person of
the Year. I wonder who his nomination is. We'll ask
him a bit later. Miles, I want to read from
some commentary done by Mike McIntyre at Jardin. He said,
there's an old idiom that a falling knife has no handle,
(09:07):
and today down four point four percent, signaling the ninth
fall on the bounce. You would be a brave person
who would bet against the current run exceeding the record
of ten negative prints in a row. And of course
he's talking about the GDT auction. I'm going to start
with this as grim as it is heading into Christmas,
(09:27):
are we now looking at a payout that may begin
with an eight?
Speaker 5 (09:32):
Yeahday, Jamie, Well, it's normally nice to talk to you
in the weekkend sort of leading up for Christmas, but
as you allude, this is not great news that we're
starting to see player in the international market. It's been
sort of been under way for a while, and the
amount of milk that's flowing out of the Northern Hemisphere
and in fact at home as well, is certainly not
helping the supply side. Picture demand is still not too bad,
(09:53):
but the supply side is out there. So Look, we
came out only a few weeks ago, dropped from a
ten dollars mid went down to a nine point fifty.
We're having a good look at that, and I'm likely
to have to come out sometime in the very near
future with it with another look. Of course, we do
always have a spread over that, so does the low
end of our spread start to look with a night
You know, who knows how that looks in the next
(10:14):
few days. But we'll certainly let let everyone know as
we get those numbers drawn up.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
And this is a stupid question, but have we any
idea when we might reach a floor?
Speaker 5 (10:25):
Well it it's not a stupid question, but it's a
question that no one really knows the answer to. Look,
you know, having spent a lot of my time in
my career in the international markets, you know buyers in
the world their key targets are to try and beat
the markets. So as the market falls, they're also in
there waiting to see when it hits the floor and
then jump in before it sort of starts to go
(10:45):
back up again. So I guess that's the challenge that
we're in at the moment. You know, how much inventary
do some of these buyers have. It was interesting to
see the Chinese were strong buyers last night, would suggest
that that maybe they've got you know, that they've got
some inventary issues they're dealing with. But at the same time,
Southeast Asia Middle East was a bit quiet. So yeah,
it is the million dollar question, really, Jammie, when will
(11:07):
let the floor hit? But you know, we're not seeing
any slow down of milk as I say, Northern Hemisphere
and here in New Zealand, despite seeing their message that
these milk prices have been unsustainable, we're still seeing a
lot more milk come through.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Do we need the weather god? I mean, this is
another stupid question. Do we need the weather gods to
help out here? And I know this sounds rather negative,
but if parts of the country dry out, it may
lower milk production, which may help us reach that floor
a wee bit quicker and just talking about the weather.
I know you've had some issues I think at your
Clandy Boy plant in South Canterbury, Mid Canterbury regarding milk collections.
Speaker 5 (11:46):
Yeah, look, look, you're a brave man to be talking
about things like droughts and that with farmers because while
it would likely have an impact on milk price and
it could be to the positive, you know, we all
know the pressures that puts on farmers.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Uble edged sword of course, and I totally get that,
but it would appear with the milk production going at
the way it is at the moment, Miles her or
my words, not yours, maybe the message isn't getting to
farmers that they might want to rearrange how much they
shunt into the cows.
Speaker 5 (12:15):
Yeah, well, well of course, and you know, as I say,
we'll likely come out in the next couple of days
with an update and so that hopefully gives a pretty
clear message to farmers around where we see the market
for the sort of the short term and then they
start making some decisions around feed and those sort of things.
But you know, who knows what the weather will do
in the early part of the new year. As you say,
it's been a bit dry up in the north, a
(12:36):
bit of storm in the south, and we saw that
last night. Yeah, there was an electoral storm around mid
Canterbury which which is as likely to have an impact
on sort of collections for the next day or so,
so we're sort of assessing that. So that's not ideal
as well. So I guess this is a game that
we're in, you know, the volatility that exists in the
market and with the things like weather. You know, she's
(12:57):
a tough old game out there. And so my thoughts
go for farmers as we deal through this over the
next so a few weeks through the Christmas break.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Well, the good news I've had enough bad news. The
good news is the long term outlook for protein is
still great, so it's still a good business to be
and if you're a Fonterra Farmer shared holder, you have
that two dollars capital repayment coming in the first half
of twenty twenty six. Radio. You have been nominated several
times AG Person of the Year. I think you were
a runner up to Todd McLay last year. Who's your
(13:25):
AG Person of the Year? Not allowed to name yourself, Miles, Thank.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
Thanks Shemmy, But I'm going to give a call it
actually to any McFarland and and he's just stood down
from our board after eight years and has been a
staunch supporter obviously the co op model and what we do,
but he's just been fantastic as a supporter of the business.
He's also still on the ends co board. He's part
(13:50):
of ag Research for a number of years and had
a lot of workout Incoln University. But I went to
a couple of his farewells, one down ash Burton actually
a few weeks ago, and then one had up here
with the board last week and just what a wonderful guy.
What knows the industries are so well as passionate about
New Zealand and passionate New zeal And eggs. So Mike
call that's to Andy and I wish him all the
(14:12):
best for his sort of retirement from Fontier at least.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
And I've had the good pleasure of meeting Andy McFarlane.
He's a good bloke. To boot Miles Hurrel, thanks for
always being available at the drop of a hat quite
literally here on the country. We appreciate it talking to
the top dog.
Speaker 5 (14:26):
Good only thanks Jamie. Have a good Christmas for you.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Thank you Miles Hurrale. There he goes. Yeah, he is
a very popular nominee for ag Person of the air
Well name ours on Friday. Lots of texts coming in.
Where's the one Jamie Jammie? A bit of a spelling
mistake there. You mirror too much of the crap here,
the dupless, the Allen talks. Create your own thoughts. Look,
(14:50):
I have got my own thoughts. So I've been strong
on the age of eligibility for National Super. It's a
no brainer. We've got to go to sixty seven. Winter
energy payment is so ea to fix. If you're earning
two hundred grand, if you're earning one hundred grand a year,
you don't need the winter energy payment. You realize, Texter,
that Super and I know this because I'm now a
(15:10):
pensioner is taxed at your top marginal tax rates, so
it's very They've got all the information there at their feet.
They just draw a line an income level and if
you're above that, you don't get the winter energy payment.
It is just a waste of money. Here's another one
rural person a Robbie nice Try Robbie flattery will get
(15:30):
you nowhere. No, you're not getting any Emersons, You've been
a critical year. Don't try and suck up at the
last moment. Here's one AAG team of the year. Maybe
the FED Farmers Meat and Wall executive stopped on farm
a forestation, taking doc to task, leading the war on
weeds and pests and the Save our Sheep campaign. Yes,
(15:52):
I agree with you. They have done a good job.
Fed's have done a good job. Up next, someone else
who's fighting the good fight on behalf of Farmer'sane Smith.
Speaker 6 (16:03):
Bad name.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
She has another one making her final appearance for twenty
twenty five. Her name is Jane Smith, North Otago Farmer
Award winning environmentalist and I wrongly accused you in one
of my battles with Groundswell, Jane Smith of being a
Groundswell pin up girl. An apologies to Groundswell because I
think they've done a good job in the past. But
I did take issue with their press release around the
(16:32):
RAMA reforms, calling them timid. I didn't agree with that,
So there you go. I've got that off my chest, Jane.
But this is about you, not about me. You've been
putting the boot into IKEA.
Speaker 7 (16:42):
Oh good afternon, Jamie. I look that was just a
little distraction the other day. But it's a very important issue.
And you know, you look at carbon farm. I don't
even want to call it farming, Jamie. You know carbon
factories around you know, the Pine Tree and empty station
around the country. They are I think twenty five thousand
hippes now they're clocking up.
Speaker 6 (17:01):
And they joined a long list.
Speaker 7 (17:02):
Of corporate moguls to do the same, including our own
Air New Zealand, Genesis Energy. There's a whole list of
that basically just to offset their emissions. And for what, Jamie,
And I guess it's a you know, it's all pain
and no gain because long term, this whole entire fast
is going to fall over and communities will be left
with wind factories on the landscape and carbon forests and
(17:26):
big solar panels and will be left to clean up Jamie.
Speaker 6 (17:29):
And that's a really sad thing.
Speaker 7 (17:31):
And I you know again, I hold my you know,
I really think those communities that are fighting this type
of scenario, particularly for example, the Stuart and Boemer families
down in the Catlands that are fighting that fifty five
wind turbin turbines that slope down two hundred and twenty
meters high on a beautiful pewakt Taka horizon and in
(17:51):
a conservation part, nonetheless, Jamie, it's just unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
And but hang on, Jane, you're being a bit of
a nimbi here. Not in my backyard. I thought wind
turbines were clean energy. We should be applauding it.
Speaker 6 (18:02):
The environmental cost of this one is here. All of
them are huge, Jamie.
Speaker 7 (18:05):
And you know, if you want renewable energy, look just
something like the valley from where we are here, the
Waicheki Valley. Beast Idea Ever nineteen thirty two built the
dams and they irrigate twenty two thousand hitties on their
way out to sea. But you know this, you know
the fast check is probably going to slip this one
past the goalie in terms of contact energy. Really disappointed
to see Naitahu, who were originally opposed to this environmental disaster.
(18:28):
They've now sold their soul, just as they did with
you know, the one hundred and eighty million dollars. Sweetness,
I'm already and energy up our way, and we've just
got to make sure that we support our communities.
Speaker 6 (18:38):
That are fighting this.
Speaker 7 (18:38):
And the submission, you know they're submitting to this today
against this, against corporate lawyers, and these are just family
farmers and small businesses in that area, the West Catland's
area de fighting their way and it's been interesting, Jamie.
I see over in Victoria, Australia, a Chinese owned wind
farm that's now twenty four years old. They've got about
a twenty five year lifespan, is now commisioning and they
(19:01):
literally are walking away from over hundreds of thousands of
tons of concrete pedestals on the landscape, just walking away.
So that's the thing. Once this easy usic collapses and
the climate change fast which has actually coming to pieces
very quickly, all falls apart, we will be left with
the burden to clean this up, Jamie.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Now, Jane, you have done a very good video. We're
going to share it on as social channels and at
the end of it it's quite moving, well thought out,
well constructed. Well done you. You've gone in and had
a look at a carbon farm not a mile down
the road from you in North Otago and the telling
factor for me was the outside three rows of the
(19:39):
carbon farm had been pruned. Once you got further in
what you couldn't see from the road, disastrous ecological disaster.
Speaker 6 (19:48):
Absolutely, Jamie.
Speaker 7 (19:49):
And that is a course of site where where there
was a fire for back in two and twenty twenty
one when at the same time as the Lake Oha
fire and the firefighters just couldn't get in there to
fight it. I mean, the local farmers did their best.
The owners don't live in the area, and and really
you know, in terms of sympathy and also for the
(20:12):
for the farmers that nearly lost their houses, and also
the ability to fight the fire, this wasn't near Jamie.
It's a weed and pissed haven. I think in that
video I might say as part of my rank that
that the weeds can barely grow on there. And that's
been the laughable thing that they you know, they talk
about this being a nature based solution. I mean, there's
no way natives are ever going to thrive in that again,
and it really looks like, particularly when they planted it out,
(20:35):
it looked like a scene from a Mad Max movie,
because all of the gullies, all of the native bio
diversity has been scorched scorch earth policy, and they literally
spray plant and walk away. And so this is the
type of thing that that again communities are left left
with and they seem to be seen as supposedly saving
the world and this is not saving the world. And
(20:55):
you know, we need to be looking at real energy,
real energy solutions, and security and food security too, Jamie.
Speaker 6 (21:02):
I mean, it's just got beyond a joke. But I
do feel like.
Speaker 7 (21:04):
The whole thing, the whole Trojan horse, has been falling apart,
plank by plank, and we need to hold the line
because future generations will thank us for that.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Jamie, absolutely agree with you. Ecological disaster in the waiting.
I'm out of time, Jane Smith, and you have received
lots of nominations for a AG Person of the Year.
Once again, as I said to Myles Hurral, Jane, out
of modesty, you can't nominate yourself very quickly. Who is
your twenty twenty five AG Person of the Year?
Speaker 6 (21:30):
Oh, we fout a doubt it would be Mark Cameron MP.
Speaker 7 (21:32):
I mean the tenacity and the courage that he's faced
in terms of and put forward in the face of
hals to health challenges.
Speaker 6 (21:41):
And he is one of the.
Speaker 7 (21:42):
Few MPs that when he entered the beehiph he didn't
have an opinion lobotomy on the way he's really brave
and he comes out and says exactly what he thinks,
and I really applaud that, so Mark Cameron, but also
equally all of those rural families out there and small
business people that are just fighting against the corporates at
the moment, and I take my hat off to them
and thank them for that. Jamie bit onwards and uputs
(22:05):
for next year, because we've got an election looming, so
there'll be all sorts of promises and some stupid decisions made.
So yeah, let's hope for some positive action next year too, Jamie.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Okay, Jane Smith, North Otago farmer and award winning environmentalist,
thanks for your contribution, and just for Laurie and Bryce,
if you're listening, I do love you guys. We'll catch
you back next year.
Speaker 6 (22:24):
Thanks Jamie.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Thanks. Jane always makes you think, doesn't she. Okay, Michelle,
what you have been busy busy, busy busy putting up
Jane Smith's video And honestly I don't agree with everything
Jane says. She definitely makes you think, but it's well
worth a watch, especially when she gets into the carbon farm.
Speaker 8 (22:44):
Definitely, and it is up on our website. I mean
not aur website, sorry, a Facebook page now if you
want to go have a lot and there's a lot
that I agree with her with it actually, especially local
business with Ikea. There's lots of local furniture businesses in
New Zealand and you're bringing in something like that. See
like a real shame to me.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Now, as someone famously said, who I've forgotten? You can't
plant your way out of pollution. Up next, rural news
and sports news. We've got we've got third ashes tests
starting this RVO. In fact starting might have been underway now,
is it an Adelaide will work that one out before
the end of You'll have rural news as well before
the end of their Hunter McGregor and China and Jim
(23:24):
Hopkins Welcome back to the country. The show's brought to
you by Branton Jamie mackay. Very shortly rural news with
Michelle and sports news. But real key. We drivers want
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(24:51):
This is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Michelle, No,
don't shake your head at me. Don't shake your head.
Speaker 8 (24:57):
It's definitely not mine.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
This is Michael when he was a little black boy,
before he was all, before he was a white man.
Jackson five play the liners.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Okay, the country's world news with Coup Cadets, New Zealand's
leading right on lawn Bower Bread visit steel Ford dot co.
Dot In said for your locals, doggist.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
Where you go.
Speaker 8 (25:25):
I was looking at looking at me speechless for once
as you just got this text and breaking news.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Jamie.
Speaker 8 (25:30):
Bryce McKenzie has said, we love you too, Jamie. Merry
Christmas he is. We don't agree with everything you say.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Either, and I thank you Bryce and Laurie. I'm fine.
I'm fine with that.
Speaker 9 (25:40):
You know that.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
That's like the Damien O'Connor thing. We fight like cat
and dog, but we'll have a beer over the Christmas break.
That's just the way it is. Don't hold grudges. People
are allowed different points of view. What's in rural news
just quickly.
Speaker 6 (25:54):
So very news.
Speaker 8 (25:54):
It's getting very dry around Hawk's Bay and Hastings and
Napier as well. There's water restriction in place and a
total fireband as well in some places. So keep an
eye out up there if you're living in that area.
And if you are in that area, I feel free
to text into us on five double O nine and
let us know how Dright is at your place. And
that's rural news.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
There's sports on the country with AFCO one hundre percent key.
We owned and trusted it.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
That's rare.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Yeah. The batter, the batter nam a bit start that again.
The Batter, ranked number three in the world, is out
of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide. Australia's Steve Smith
will miss the clash against England due to vertigo concussion
like symptoms and has been replaced by Ushman Kwaja. Captain
(26:43):
Pat Cummings has won the toss and the home side
is batting players just underway. It got underway at twelve
thirty and the Highlanders have signed promising young Southland playmaker
and he's good. This could meet up Molly Aena for
the next four years. Well done Highland as the team
to watch in Super Rugby and twenty twenty six up next.
Hunter McGregor in China. He's at Shanghai based correspondent Hunter
(27:20):
McGregor selling venison and red meat to the Chinese hunter.
All year we've been asking you where are the green
shoots in China? You finally found some?
Speaker 10 (27:31):
Well you good afternoon, Jamie. Yes, that's taking me all year.
I've done plenty of research for this.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
I have.
Speaker 10 (27:37):
When I talked about research, that means going to bars
and talking to people networking, and I've been doing it
all year, trying to find some green shoots. And over
the weekend I was talking to some Chinese guys that
are involved in Chinese investment banking and they told me
that there is some green shoots in the economy and
(27:57):
it's all to do with AI and robotics. And I
am not too sure how that links to anything to
do with New Zealand, but I've found some green shoots. Anyway.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Now, I asked you for an egg Person of the Year,
but you've gone one better than that. You've made up
an awards, Egg Awards for the China market or way
you go.
Speaker 10 (28:15):
Yeah, So my first one is called the government agency
that manages to do the opposite of what it should do.
And I'm going to give that to the New Zealand Immigration.
You know, they have managed to completely stuff the you know,
the Chinese market with regards to tourists. What they did
(28:36):
is they jacked up the pricing and made it really
hard on the translation side. They had to get a
verified translation. So at one point there, you know, a
visa visited a tourist visitor to New Zealand was probably
one of the hardest visas for the Chinese to get
in the world. They have they have walked that back
a bit, but you know, you know, it's really interesting
(28:58):
because the Chinese visitors to New Zealand is well down.
But the rest of the world, the Chinese are traveling
since COVID, they're traveling more and you know what they're doing.
They're going out into the world and they're focusing on experiences,
unique experiences and are off the beaten track. And New
Zealand that's what New Zealand does, you know, and we're
(29:19):
missing out. So yeah, well done to New Zealand Immigration.
Hopefully the government of the day can change the rules
and make it a bit bit more welcoming to the
high spending Chinese visitors.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
Your next award is the What's wrong with Just New
Zealand Meat Award?
Speaker 10 (29:34):
Yeah no, this one is a new one.
Speaker 9 (29:37):
I just saw this pop up.
Speaker 10 (29:39):
Yeah, I was going to the Taste Pure Nature activation
last month. I've finally managed to track down the menu
of the event. And look, you go to a meat event,
you know it's supposed to be for taste pure nature.
You expect to have meat menus on the item and
only meat, but they had two beef menus, two beef items,
two lamb items and two seafood items. And having seafood.
(30:03):
You know, there's nothing wrong with good New Zealand seafood,
but having it an immatate event is just a bit
of embarrassing, a bit of a waste, waste of space.
So yeah, look, put it this way. You wouldn't go
to a wine event expect to have some beerport. So
you know, it's a little bit strange for me.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Who wins your dark Horse Surprise of the Year aard?
Speaker 10 (30:21):
Well, actually this goes to MPI in Beijing, you know,
and also New Zealand Customs.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
They do a very good job.
Speaker 10 (30:28):
But you know with the NPI managing to get frozen
dear velvet, you know, it was banned its early stages
of the year, and they managed to get the protocol
and everything and get the whole industry back into importing
into China. There was a fantastic effort. And to be
fair to MPI.
Speaker 4 (30:47):
They do a very very good job.
Speaker 10 (30:49):
Of keeping the door open to the Chinese market for
all New Zealand products. I know there's a big team
in Beijing and they have a big focus and it's
really good to see that they actually are doing a
good job. So you're well done to them.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
And before we get to your egg person of the Year,
you've got an egg industry of the year. From your
point of view in China.
Speaker 10 (31:09):
Well, this industry manages to sell ice to esquimos, to
be honest, because you know, and it's the fruit industry. Yeah,
the fruit industry here. Yeah, there's some fantastic fruit that
has grown within China, a hell of a lot of
it as well. But yeah, you look at what Zespri's
doing with Kiwi fruit doing really well. The apple industry
here is going really well. And you know, we've got
(31:32):
some pears coming in. We've got the cherries coming in
very soon. They're going to be extremely expensive, but I'm
looking forward to getting my hands on some. But the
reason why they're doing really well is that when that
fresh fruit rives from New Zealand, you can taste the
difference are just a little bit better than everybody else,
so you know, and I think that's going to continue
to grow up here because the consumer here is looking
(31:54):
for some quality stuff. So Yeah, well done to them.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
And just to finish on no surprise, your egg Person
of the Air comes from fruit industry.
Speaker 10 (32:02):
Yeah, from Zesbury, Jason to Break and the whole team there.
They're doing a fantastic job, the market leaders and you know,
the top fruit brand in China, you know, and they're
doing a fantastic job. They seems to be continued to
grow and also really really interesting. One last point is
that they're building a brand. And when they're building a brand,
it's very they're doing it really well. But they're not
(32:24):
talking about New Zealand. It's not about Zesbury and New Zealand.
It's about the product and how it links to the
links to the consumer. And yeah, I think a lot
of companies can copy what they do because they're doing
a fantastic job.
Speaker 4 (32:36):
So but you know, the whole other.
Speaker 10 (32:38):
Industries are doing well. You're the dairy guys, the meat guys.
You know, if everybody else is, you know, there's still
plenty of opportunities up here. It's just a matter of
rolling up the sleeves and getting into it.
Speaker 2 (32:47):
Hunter McGregor amount of time, Thanks for yours, Thanks to
your contribution throughout twenty twenty five. I would have sent
you a box of the kais of for crystals, but
I can't get it through Chinese customs. Talk again next year.
Speaker 9 (32:57):
Go well, yes, thanks Jamie.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
You've got on when your hunt of the text are
coming in thick and fast as a love fest with
ground swell. Today, Lorri Patterson on my own phone says, cheez, Jamie.
Things have come a long way from the days of
the Riversdale Rugby Club in the seventies and eighties, where
now you can express your love for a couple of
blokes over national radio. I will keep my love for
you secret on this text, Lorry. Our relationship is no
(33:23):
longer a secret. Up next, Jim Hopkins news come out.
I loved the last week of the year on the
country because I get to talk to all of my
old regulars, and in this case he's a very old
(33:44):
old regular. Jim Hopkins. Hey, Jim, you were duly re
elected to the Waitaki District Council. Good on you, and
you've recently recently had surgery, so you're sort of coming
out of your sick bed to do this and I
can report the recoveries going well. You have two minutes,
my friend, or less if you want to do me
a favor to name your twenty twenty five Egg Person
(34:06):
of the Year.
Speaker 9 (34:07):
Well always through, but here we go say Merry Christmas.
First of all, of course, to you and your millions
of listeners. Are you and my view are the Mike
Hosking of your own imagination? We are as beneficiaries. And
also I must say Merry Christmas to each and every
farming family and farm worker in New Zealand. You have
near single handedly pulled us out of posession and rebuilt
(34:31):
the foundations of our wealth. The sunset industry of David
Longe's nineteen eighties is shining more brightly than ever. So
Egg Person of the Year, Well, I've gone a bit
left field, possibly to avoid repetition. There are obvious people
like Myles Hurrel, Todd McKay maclay, but I think both
(34:52):
were nominated last year. Old favorites like Jacquelin Rowis our
best rural educator and advocate and fighty fiery, fearless Jane
Smith Campaign of Supreme, but both of them have been
nominated in the past as well. So okay, here number
one maybe for impact on New Zealand farming. US President
(35:17):
and Tariff Composer Donald Trump. He's the one who put
the tariffs on, put him up, then put him down,
and it has had an impact on our farming and
it's certainly distorted it and may indeed distort it more
in the future, although I read most recently the response
(35:38):
has been better than expeted and farming has suffered less.
The other problem with Trump is his decisions have affected
a lot of people, not just us, so perhaps his
efforts should be seen as international rather than national. So locally,
who well, Jamie, I've got two drum roll, please both
(36:02):
Chris is Chris Number one Chris Bishop. I think his
RMA reforms look at first glance to be the rethink,
the reimagining that rural New Zealand and rural and agriculture
has needed and asked for. The devil will be in
the detail, but the lawn certainly looks like delivering outcomes.
(36:30):
And number two Chris Number two Chris Luxon. He has
been all year on your show and elsewhere a passionate
supporter of New Zealand farming and farmers. He fronts them
all stage meetings. He's hugely energetic on the trade deal front,
(36:51):
fighting our corner at home and overseas fighting for our
farmers amongst others. So take peck. As far as I'm concerned,
this year it's Chris one or Chris two, and for
me it's Chris two. The PM.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
Well, Jim Hopkins, thanks for getting out of your sick
bed to do that. Really appreciate your time, the longest
two minutes of my life. Love your work. Merry Christmas.
Speaker 9 (37:21):
Have a great Christmas as well, mate, talk him a
new year.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
Indeed we will go well Jim right, some of your
texts coming in. Oh my god, so dry and white
pooke row and we will talk to Steve wyn Harris
from Central Hawks Bay on Friday show. He's going to
wrap the year as well on tomorrow's show. By the
way that the Aussie is off to flying start and
Adelaide what a great cricket ground that is the Adelaide
(37:45):
O twenty without loss. They won the toss? Are they
elected to bat a Tomorrow's show Shane Jones, the Prince
of the Provinces Martina Shane and Alie Shanks, former Olympic
and Commonwealth Games cyclist who's now with the Holter. We'll
catch you tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Catch all the latest from the land it's the Country
Podcast with Jamie McKay. Thanks to Brent, you're specialist in
John Deere construction equipment
Catch all the latest from the land. It's the Country
Podcasts with Jamie McKay thanks to Brent starkest of the
leading agriculture brands.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
You good afternoon, New Zealand. Welcome to the Country. The
show is brought to you by Brandt. I'm Jamie McKay.
This is the most camp Christmas video of all time
George Michael throwing snowballs. But I need to get on
to the issues of the day because there are quite
(00:43):
a few to deal with. I'm going to kick it
off with the Prime Minister. Caught up with them a
bit earlier this morning. Our final chat for twenty twenty
five having a look at Soapy. That was the good news.
The bad news was haifu, we are living beyond our means.
Who would he? Who do you invite for some Christmas
chair as a special dinner guest from the other side
(01:06):
of the house and his ag Person of the Year
Myles Harrald, Chief Executive of Fonterra. Another very disappointing GDT
auction overnight down four point four percent, whole milk powder
down five point five percent. Ninth drop in a row.
The record is ten in a row. Are we now
looking at a payout or a milk price beginning with
(01:27):
an eight. Jane Smith, North Otago farmer is on the
war path in a sits today IKEA, carbon farming and
wind turbines. Who's her AG person of the Year? Hunter
McGregor is our guy in China? And Jim Hopkins long
standing correspondent. He's been a bit crook recently, Jim, but
I can report he's he's on the mend and he's
(01:51):
thought long and hard about his AG Person of the Year.
It's all on the country and it's brought to you
by Brandt up next to the Prime Minister for the
(02:11):
final time in twenty twenty five, and we do appreciate
that he makes the effort on a weekly basis to
talk to rural New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxe. And
it's the sort of a good news bad news day
when it comes to the acronyms from yesterday. Soapy was good,
HIIFU was bad? What do you want to start with?
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Yeah, well, listen, bit we can talk about both of them.
I mean, firstly, happy Christmas. We're getting to the end
of the year and I want to say thanks for
what you've been doing through the course of the year,
it's been brilliant. But I think the great story that
you heard yesterday was that our food and fiber sector
hit sixty two billion dollars and that's a record number
for New Zealand, and that's up thirteen percent.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Over the previous year. So you know, we really have
been able.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
To fire up meat and weel and horticulture and forestry
and dairy and all the component parts of our primary
industry sector. And that's a huge amount of effort gone
and from all your listeners, all your farmers, each and
every day. But you know, you've got some great organizations
that are out there in the world at the sharp
end of the spare making sure they get good returns
from New Zealanders and the farmers back at home. So
(03:12):
I might which be really proud about that. Look on Haifu. Essentially,
what that is about is that's Treasury putting its full
cast forward. They sort of anchor a little bit more
in the past, and what they've sort of said is
luck there's actually some good things in there. We think
we think growth will be close to three percent over
the next four years. We think that actually wages will
grow faster than inflation. Inflation will stay low. We have
(03:35):
we had a small surplus plan for twenty eight twenty
nine that's now moved to us small deficits. But having
said that, it's on a big number and it bounces around,
we as a government stay committed to delivering a surplus
in that period of time. It's just a forecast what.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Two hundred and fifty four billion dollars of core crown
debt by twenty thirty. We're living beyond our means in
the still as here the Duplessy Allen pointed out to
your Finance Minister Nikola Willis this morning, a whole lot
of wasteful spending and I can speak with some experience
from this the winter energy payment.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Yeah, well, that's a commitment that we made that we
would actually keep that in place. Because if you are
a senior around the country, that is something that we've said, look,
that's been put in place, that's become an entitlement. Essentially,
there's a lot of people that do really rely and
I appreciate you may not, but there will be others
that you had.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
But hang on, surely you can change your mind on this. Effectively,
National super is means tested because you pay at your
top marginal tax rates, So why not just use those
that calculation to say someone's earning two hundred grand, they
don't need the winter energy payment. Simple as well.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Here's the deal, Like I mean the you know I've
said to hear a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
It's lovely, but.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
The point is here, there's not a fan of actually
listening the subanuation age from sixty five to sixty seven.
If you look out into New Zealand's future and you
think about what's driving n percent of our expenditure that
is actually sitting in health, it's sitting on welfare, and
it's sitting in superannuation. And one of the simplest things
you could do is lift the superannuation age from sixty
five to sixty seven. You know, the average life expectancy
(05:12):
of a male in this country's moved four years in
the last twenty years when it was raised to sixty five,
and all we're asking is to move to two years.
Where the UK, Canada and Australia are.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Absolutely agree with you. But as long as as long
as Winston's drawing breath, that's not going to happen. Let's
just finish on a light tonight. I threw a question
at your PR staff yesterday. If you had to invite
one member from the other side of the house to
share some Christmas chair over Christmas dinner, who would it be.
You've just got a name one person.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Oh God, I disagree totally with his politics, but he
would be a live wire in terms of a dinner conversation.
It would be fun put it that way, because it
would be sporty, and that would be Willie Jackson. He's
someone that I've always thought of had a bit of
a wind up with and as I move around this
place and he's wound me up as well, So I
(06:00):
think he'd be good, good sport of the dinner.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
I wouldn't agree on much. We've a hell of a
lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Same with me I used to listen to on the radio.
Very entertaining. Okay, final question for twenty twenty five. Who
is your twenty twenty five HAGG Person of the Year?
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Well, that's a pretty brutal question, to be honest, because
there's a hell of a lot of people that are
involved in the sector that have done a brilliant job
making it all come.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Together in the last two years. If you really push me.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
I'd have to say if I look at Kiwi Fruit
in particular, I think about the work that Jason Tebrak
is doing at Zesprey. He's taken on as a new CEO.
He's got a great team. I watched them out there
in the markets. Their markets really well, and I think
Thisesbury has been great. But you know, equally, the fonterrast
revetue is working very well. I watch people like silver
(06:48):
Fern and Farms just know their consumer well. In the
US as well, Craig Paggett, I've put them on my
Prime Minister Science Technology Innovation Council because I love what
he's doing with Halter. So yeah, Nathan guy's been outstanding
as well. I mean, you watch that guy when you're
in China pushing the case for red meat and telling
our story better.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
He's done a great job too. So there's a heap.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
But if your push came shove, i'd say Vees, Brian
and Jason.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Prime Minister Christopher Luxan, thanks for your contribution throughout the year.
I know you went to bed this morning at one am,
you got up at four thirty am. No one I
can accuse you of not working hard for the country.
I hope you get a break with your family and friends.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yeah, well there's a lot to do so and we've
got a great country. And I just want to say
thank you to you for the conversation each week. I've
enjoyed the benter but also more pointing thank you to
your listeners because I know how hard I've been working
as well. And this has been a tough time for
New Zealand. But I hope people have got a sense
that we were through it. Now the exciting work begins
of how do we shape it so we genuinely set
(07:46):
the country up for great potential. But to everyone out there,
I just Jimmy trust you get some time if your
loved ones and time to refresh, recharge, have a genuine
break and getting up and get up for what will
be a big twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Merry Christmas. Bang on quarter past twelve. You're with the country.
Something we prepared earlier this morning. It's brought to you
by Brent. Have really appreciated their support through twenty twenty
five up next and we knew it was coming, maybe
not as bad as it was. Globaldary trade auction down
four point four percent, home powder down five point five percent,
(08:21):
Miles Hurrel, is a payout or a milk price beginning
with an eight now on the cards. Another man making
(08:43):
his final appearance on the Country for twenty twenty five
is a Fonterra chief executive, Miles Hurrel, a man who
has been nominated several times for our AG Person of
the Year. I wonder who his nomination is. We'll ask
him a bit later. Miles, I want to read from
some commentary done by Mike McIntyre at Jardin. He said,
there's an old idiom that a falling knife has no handle,
(09:07):
and today down four point four percent, signaling the ninth
fall on the bounce. You would be a brave person
who would bet against the current run exceeding the record
of ten negative prints in a row. And of course
he's talking about the GDT auction. I'm going to start
with this as grim as it is heading into Christmas,
(09:27):
are we now looking at a payout that may begin
with an eight?
Speaker 5 (09:32):
Yeahday, Jamie, Well, it's normally nice to talk to you
in the weekkend sort of leading up for Christmas, but
as you allude, this is not great news that we're
starting to see player in the international market. It's been
sort of been under way for a while, and the
amount of milk that's flowing out of the Northern Hemisphere
and in fact at home as well, is certainly not
helping the supply side. Picture demand is still not too bad,
(09:53):
but the supply side is out there. So Look, we
came out only a few weeks ago, dropped from a
ten dollars mid went down to a nine point fifty.
We're having a good look at that, and I'm likely
to have to come out sometime in the very near
future with it with another look. Of course, we do
always have a spread over that, so does the low
end of our spread start to look with a night
You know, who knows how that looks in the next
(10:14):
few days. But we'll certainly let let everyone know as
we get those numbers drawn up.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
And this is a stupid question, but have we any
idea when we might reach a floor?
Speaker 5 (10:25):
Well it it's not a stupid question, but it's a
question that no one really knows the answer to. Look,
you know, having spent a lot of my time in
my career in the international markets, you know buyers in
the world their key targets are to try and beat
the markets. So as the market falls, they're also in
there waiting to see when it hits the floor and
then jump in before it sort of starts to go
(10:45):
back up again. So I guess that's the challenge that
we're in at the moment. You know, how much inventary
do some of these buyers have. It was interesting to
see the Chinese were strong buyers last night, would suggest
that that maybe they've got you know, that they've got
some inventary issues they're dealing with. But at the same time,
Southeast Asia Middle East was a bit quiet. So yeah,
it is the million dollar question, really, Jammie, when will
(11:07):
let the floor hit? But you know, we're not seeing
any slow down of milk as I say, Northern Hemisphere
and here in New Zealand, despite seeing their message that
these milk prices have been unsustainable, we're still seeing a
lot more milk come through.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Do we need the weather god? I mean, this is
another stupid question. Do we need the weather gods to
help out here? And I know this sounds rather negative,
but if parts of the country dry out, it may
lower milk production, which may help us reach that floor
a wee bit quicker and just talking about the weather.
I know you've had some issues I think at your
Clandy Boy plant in South Canterbury, Mid Canterbury regarding milk collections.
Speaker 5 (11:46):
Yeah, look, look, you're a brave man to be talking
about things like droughts and that with farmers because while
it would likely have an impact on milk price and
it could be to the positive, you know, we all
know the pressures that puts on farmers.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Uble edged sword of course, and I totally get that,
but it would appear with the milk production going at
the way it is at the moment, Miles her or
my words, not yours, maybe the message isn't getting to
farmers that they might want to rearrange how much they
shunt into the cows.
Speaker 5 (12:15):
Yeah, well, well of course, and you know, as I say,
we'll likely come out in the next couple of days
with an update and so that hopefully gives a pretty
clear message to farmers around where we see the market
for the sort of the short term and then they
start making some decisions around feed and those sort of things.
But you know, who knows what the weather will do
in the early part of the new year. As you say,
it's been a bit dry up in the north, a
(12:36):
bit of storm in the south, and we saw that
last night. Yeah, there was an electoral storm around mid
Canterbury which which is as likely to have an impact
on sort of collections for the next day or so,
so we're sort of assessing that. So that's not ideal
as well. So I guess this is a game that
we're in, you know, the volatility that exists in the
market and with the things like weather. You know, she's
(12:57):
a tough old game out there. And so my thoughts
go for farmers as we deal through this over the
next so a few weeks through the Christmas break.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Well, the good news I've had enough bad news. The
good news is the long term outlook for protein is
still great, so it's still a good business to be
and if you're a Fonterra Farmer shared holder, you have
that two dollars capital repayment coming in the first half
of twenty twenty six. Radio. You have been nominated several
times AG Person of the Year. I think you were
a runner up to Todd McLay last year. Who's your
(13:25):
AG Person of the Year? Not allowed to name yourself, Miles, Thank.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
Thanks Shemmy, But I'm going to give a call it
actually to any McFarland and and he's just stood down
from our board after eight years and has been a
staunch supporter obviously the co op model and what we do,
but he's just been fantastic as a supporter of the business.
He's also still on the ends co board. He's part
(13:50):
of ag Research for a number of years and had
a lot of workout Incoln University. But I went to
a couple of his farewells, one down ash Burton actually
a few weeks ago, and then one had up here
with the board last week and just what a wonderful guy.
What knows the industries are so well as passionate about
New Zealand and passionate New zeal And eggs. So Mike
call that's to Andy and I wish him all the
(14:12):
best for his sort of retirement from Fontier at least.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
And I've had the good pleasure of meeting Andy McFarlane.
He's a good bloke. To boot Miles Hurrel, thanks for
always being available at the drop of a hat quite
literally here on the country. We appreciate it talking to
the top dog.
Speaker 5 (14:26):
Good only thanks Jamie. Have a good Christmas for you.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Thank you Miles Hurrale. There he goes. Yeah, he is
a very popular nominee for ag Person of the air
Well name ours on Friday. Lots of texts coming in.
Where's the one Jamie Jammie? A bit of a spelling
mistake there. You mirror too much of the crap here,
the dupless, the Allen talks. Create your own thoughts. Look,
(14:50):
I have got my own thoughts. So I've been strong
on the age of eligibility for National Super. It's a
no brainer. We've got to go to sixty seven. Winter
energy payment is so ea to fix. If you're earning
two hundred grand, if you're earning one hundred grand a year,
you don't need the winter energy payment. You realize, Texter,
that Super and I know this because I'm now a
(15:10):
pensioner is taxed at your top marginal tax rates, so
it's very They've got all the information there at their feet.
They just draw a line an income level and if
you're above that, you don't get the winter energy payment.
It is just a waste of money. Here's another one
rural person a Robbie nice Try Robbie flattery will get
(15:30):
you nowhere. No, you're not getting any Emersons, You've been
a critical year. Don't try and suck up at the
last moment. Here's one AAG team of the year. Maybe
the FED Farmers Meat and Wall executive stopped on farm
a forestation, taking doc to task, leading the war on
weeds and pests and the Save our Sheep campaign. Yes,
(15:52):
I agree with you. They have done a good job.
Fed's have done a good job. Up next, someone else
who's fighting the good fight on behalf of Farmer'sane Smith.
Speaker 6 (16:03):
Bad name.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
She has another one making her final appearance for twenty
twenty five. Her name is Jane Smith, North Otago Farmer
Award winning environmentalist and I wrongly accused you in one
of my battles with Groundswell, Jane Smith of being a
Groundswell pin up girl. An apologies to Groundswell because I
think they've done a good job in the past. But
I did take issue with their press release around the
(16:32):
RAMA reforms, calling them timid. I didn't agree with that,
So there you go. I've got that off my chest, Jane.
But this is about you, not about me. You've been
putting the boot into IKEA.
Speaker 7 (16:42):
Oh good afternon, Jamie. I look that was just a
little distraction the other day. But it's a very important issue.
And you know, you look at carbon farm. I don't
even want to call it farming, Jamie. You know carbon
factories around you know, the Pine Tree and empty station
around the country. They are I think twenty five thousand
hippes now they're clocking up.
Speaker 6 (17:01):
And they joined a long list.
Speaker 7 (17:02):
Of corporate moguls to do the same, including our own
Air New Zealand, Genesis Energy. There's a whole list of
that basically just to offset their emissions. And for what, Jamie,
And I guess it's a you know, it's all pain
and no gain because long term, this whole entire fast
is going to fall over and communities will be left
with wind factories on the landscape and carbon forests and
(17:26):
big solar panels and will be left to clean up Jamie.
Speaker 6 (17:29):
And that's a really sad thing.
Speaker 7 (17:31):
And I you know again, I hold my you know,
I really think those communities that are fighting this type
of scenario, particularly for example, the Stuart and Boemer families
down in the Catlands that are fighting that fifty five
wind turbin turbines that slope down two hundred and twenty
meters high on a beautiful pewakt Taka horizon and in
(17:51):
a conservation part, nonetheless, Jamie, it's just unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
And but hang on, Jane, you're being a bit of
a nimbi here. Not in my backyard. I thought wind
turbines were clean energy. We should be applauding it.
Speaker 6 (18:02):
The environmental cost of this one is here. All of
them are huge, Jamie.
Speaker 7 (18:05):
And you know, if you want renewable energy, look just
something like the valley from where we are here, the
Waicheki Valley. Beast Idea Ever nineteen thirty two built the
dams and they irrigate twenty two thousand hitties on their
way out to sea. But you know this, you know
the fast check is probably going to slip this one
past the goalie in terms of contact energy. Really disappointed
to see Naitahu, who were originally opposed to this environmental disaster.
(18:28):
They've now sold their soul, just as they did with
you know, the one hundred and eighty million dollars. Sweetness,
I'm already and energy up our way, and we've just
got to make sure that we support our communities.
Speaker 6 (18:38):
That are fighting this.
Speaker 7 (18:38):
And the submission, you know they're submitting to this today
against this, against corporate lawyers, and these are just family
farmers and small businesses in that area, the West Catland's
area de fighting their way and it's been interesting, Jamie.
I see over in Victoria, Australia, a Chinese owned wind
farm that's now twenty four years old. They've got about
a twenty five year lifespan, is now commisioning and they
(19:01):
literally are walking away from over hundreds of thousands of
tons of concrete pedestals on the landscape, just walking away.
So that's the thing. Once this easy usic collapses and
the climate change fast which has actually coming to pieces
very quickly, all falls apart, we will be left with
the burden to clean this up, Jamie.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Now, Jane, you have done a very good video. We're
going to share it on as social channels and at
the end of it it's quite moving, well thought out,
well constructed. Well done you. You've gone in and had
a look at a carbon farm not a mile down
the road from you in North Otago and the telling
factor for me was the outside three rows of the
(19:39):
carbon farm had been pruned. Once you got further in
what you couldn't see from the road, disastrous ecological disaster.
Speaker 6 (19:48):
Absolutely, Jamie.
Speaker 7 (19:49):
And that is a course of site where where there
was a fire for back in two and twenty twenty
one when at the same time as the Lake Oha
fire and the firefighters just couldn't get in there to
fight it. I mean, the local farmers did their best.
The owners don't live in the area, and and really
you know, in terms of sympathy and also for the
(20:12):
for the farmers that nearly lost their houses, and also
the ability to fight the fire, this wasn't near Jamie.
It's a weed and pissed haven. I think in that
video I might say as part of my rank that
that the weeds can barely grow on there. And that's
been the laughable thing that they you know, they talk
about this being a nature based solution. I mean, there's
no way natives are ever going to thrive in that again,
and it really looks like, particularly when they planted it out,
(20:35):
it looked like a scene from a Mad Max movie,
because all of the gullies, all of the native bio
diversity has been scorched scorch earth policy, and they literally
spray plant and walk away. And so this is the
type of thing that that again communities are left left
with and they seem to be seen as supposedly saving
the world and this is not saving the world. And
(20:55):
you know, we need to be looking at real energy,
real energy solutions, and security and food security too, Jamie.
Speaker 6 (21:02):
I mean, it's just got beyond a joke. But I
do feel like.
Speaker 7 (21:04):
The whole thing, the whole Trojan horse, has been falling apart,
plank by plank, and we need to hold the line
because future generations will thank us for that.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Jamie, absolutely agree with you. Ecological disaster in the waiting.
I'm out of time, Jane Smith, and you have received
lots of nominations for a AG Person of the Year.
Once again, as I said to Myles Hurral, Jane, out
of modesty, you can't nominate yourself very quickly. Who is
your twenty twenty five AG Person of the Year?
Speaker 6 (21:30):
Oh, we fout a doubt it would be Mark Cameron MP.
Speaker 7 (21:32):
I mean the tenacity and the courage that he's faced
in terms of and put forward in the face of
hals to health challenges.
Speaker 6 (21:41):
And he is one of the.
Speaker 7 (21:42):
Few MPs that when he entered the beehiph he didn't
have an opinion lobotomy on the way he's really brave
and he comes out and says exactly what he thinks,
and I really applaud that, so Mark Cameron, but also
equally all of those rural families out there and small
business people that are just fighting against the corporates at
the moment, and I take my hat off to them
and thank them for that. Jamie bit onwards and uputs
(22:05):
for next year, because we've got an election looming, so
there'll be all sorts of promises and some stupid decisions made.
So yeah, let's hope for some positive action next year too, Jamie.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Okay, Jane Smith, North Otago farmer and award winning environmentalist,
thanks for your contribution, and just for Laurie and Bryce,
if you're listening, I do love you guys. We'll catch
you back next year.
Speaker 6 (22:24):
Thanks Jamie.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Thanks. Jane always makes you think, doesn't she. Okay, Michelle,
what you have been busy busy, busy busy putting up
Jane Smith's video And honestly I don't agree with everything
Jane says. She definitely makes you think, but it's well
worth a watch, especially when she gets into the carbon farm.
Speaker 8 (22:44):
Definitely, and it is up on our website. I mean
not aur website, sorry, a Facebook page now if you
want to go have a lot and there's a lot
that I agree with her with it actually, especially local
business with Ikea. There's lots of local furniture businesses in
New Zealand and you're bringing in something like that. See
like a real shame to me.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Now, as someone famously said, who I've forgotten? You can't
plant your way out of pollution. Up next, rural news
and sports news. We've got we've got third ashes tests
starting this RVO. In fact starting might have been underway now,
is it an Adelaide will work that one out before
the end of You'll have rural news as well before
the end of their Hunter McGregor and China and Jim
(23:24):
Hopkins Welcome back to the country. The show's brought to
you by Branton Jamie mackay. Very shortly rural news with
Michelle and sports news. But real key. We drivers want
real performance, real towing capacity, real toughness and real safety
(23:47):
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(24:51):
This is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Michelle, No,
don't shake your head at me. Don't shake your head.
Speaker 8 (24:57):
It's definitely not mine.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
This is Michael when he was a little black boy,
before he was all, before he was a white man.
Jackson five play the liners.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Okay, the country's world news with Coup Cadets, New Zealand's
leading right on lawn Bower Bread visit steel Ford dot co.
Dot In said for your locals, doggist.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
Where you go.
Speaker 8 (25:25):
I was looking at looking at me speechless for once
as you just got this text and breaking news.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Jamie.
Speaker 8 (25:30):
Bryce McKenzie has said, we love you too, Jamie. Merry
Christmas he is. We don't agree with everything you say.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Either, and I thank you Bryce and Laurie. I'm fine.
I'm fine with that.
Speaker 9 (25:40):
You know that.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
That's like the Damien O'Connor thing. We fight like cat
and dog, but we'll have a beer over the Christmas break.
That's just the way it is. Don't hold grudges. People
are allowed different points of view. What's in rural news
just quickly.
Speaker 6 (25:54):
So very news.
Speaker 8 (25:54):
It's getting very dry around Hawk's Bay and Hastings and
Napier as well. There's water restriction in place and a
total fireband as well in some places. So keep an
eye out up there if you're living in that area.
And if you are in that area, I feel free
to text into us on five double O nine and
let us know how Dright is at your place. And
that's rural news.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
There's sports on the country with AFCO one hundre percent key.
We owned and trusted it.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
That's rare.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Yeah. The batter, the batter nam a bit start that again.
The Batter, ranked number three in the world, is out
of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide. Australia's Steve Smith
will miss the clash against England due to vertigo concussion
like symptoms and has been replaced by Ushman Kwaja. Captain
(26:43):
Pat Cummings has won the toss and the home side
is batting players just underway. It got underway at twelve
thirty and the Highlanders have signed promising young Southland playmaker
and he's good. This could meet up Molly Aena for
the next four years. Well done Highland as the team
to watch in Super Rugby and twenty twenty six up next.
Hunter McGregor in China. He's at Shanghai based correspondent Hunter
(27:20):
McGregor selling venison and red meat to the Chinese hunter.
All year we've been asking you where are the green
shoots in China? You finally found some?
Speaker 10 (27:31):
Well you good afternoon, Jamie. Yes, that's taking me all year.
I've done plenty of research for this.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
I have.
Speaker 10 (27:37):
When I talked about research, that means going to bars
and talking to people networking, and I've been doing it
all year, trying to find some green shoots. And over
the weekend I was talking to some Chinese guys that
are involved in Chinese investment banking and they told me
that there is some green shoots in the economy and
(27:57):
it's all to do with AI and robotics. And I
am not too sure how that links to anything to
do with New Zealand, but I've found some green shoots. Anyway.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Now, I asked you for an egg Person of the Year,
but you've gone one better than that. You've made up
an awards, Egg Awards for the China market or way
you go.
Speaker 10 (28:15):
Yeah, So my first one is called the government agency
that manages to do the opposite of what it should do.
And I'm going to give that to the New Zealand Immigration.
You know, they have managed to completely stuff the you know,
the Chinese market with regards to tourists. What they did
(28:36):
is they jacked up the pricing and made it really
hard on the translation side. They had to get a
verified translation. So at one point there, you know, a
visa visited a tourist visitor to New Zealand was probably
one of the hardest visas for the Chinese to get
in the world. They have they have walked that back
a bit, but you know, you know, it's really interesting
(28:58):
because the Chinese visitors to New Zealand is well down.
But the rest of the world, the Chinese are traveling
since COVID, they're traveling more and you know what they're doing.
They're going out into the world and they're focusing on experiences,
unique experiences and are off the beaten track. And New
Zealand that's what New Zealand does, you know, and we're
(29:19):
missing out. So yeah, well done to New Zealand Immigration.
Hopefully the government of the day can change the rules
and make it a bit bit more welcoming to the
high spending Chinese visitors.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
Your next award is the What's wrong with Just New
Zealand Meat Award?
Speaker 10 (29:34):
Yeah no, this one is a new one.
Speaker 9 (29:37):
I just saw this pop up.
Speaker 10 (29:39):
Yeah, I was going to the Taste Pure Nature activation
last month. I've finally managed to track down the menu
of the event. And look, you go to a meat event,
you know it's supposed to be for taste pure nature.
You expect to have meat menus on the item and
only meat, but they had two beef menus, two beef items,
two lamb items and two seafood items. And having seafood.
(30:03):
You know, there's nothing wrong with good New Zealand seafood,
but having it an immatate event is just a bit
of embarrassing, a bit of a waste, waste of space.
So yeah, look, put it this way. You wouldn't go
to a wine event expect to have some beerport. So
you know, it's a little bit strange for me.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Who wins your dark Horse Surprise of the Year aard?
Speaker 10 (30:21):
Well, actually this goes to MPI in Beijing, you know,
and also New Zealand Customs.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
They do a very good job.
Speaker 10 (30:28):
But you know with the NPI managing to get frozen
dear velvet, you know, it was banned its early stages
of the year, and they managed to get the protocol
and everything and get the whole industry back into importing
into China. There was a fantastic effort. And to be
fair to MPI.
Speaker 4 (30:47):
They do a very very good job.
Speaker 10 (30:49):
Of keeping the door open to the Chinese market for
all New Zealand products. I know there's a big team
in Beijing and they have a big focus and it's
really good to see that they actually are doing a
good job. So you're well done to them.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
And before we get to your egg person of the Year,
you've got an egg industry of the year. From your
point of view in China.
Speaker 10 (31:09):
Well, this industry manages to sell ice to esquimos, to
be honest, because you know, and it's the fruit industry. Yeah,
the fruit industry here. Yeah, there's some fantastic fruit that
has grown within China, a hell of a lot of
it as well. But yeah, you look at what Zespri's
doing with Kiwi fruit doing really well. The apple industry
here is going really well. And you know, we've got
(31:32):
some pears coming in. We've got the cherries coming in
very soon. They're going to be extremely expensive, but I'm
looking forward to getting my hands on some. But the
reason why they're doing really well is that when that
fresh fruit rives from New Zealand, you can taste the
difference are just a little bit better than everybody else,
so you know, and I think that's going to continue
to grow up here because the consumer here is looking
(31:54):
for some quality stuff. So Yeah, well done to them.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
And just to finish on no surprise, your egg Person
of the Air comes from fruit industry.
Speaker 10 (32:02):
Yeah, from Zesbury, Jason to Break and the whole team there.
They're doing a fantastic job, the market leaders and you know,
the top fruit brand in China, you know, and they're
doing a fantastic job. They seems to be continued to
grow and also really really interesting. One last point is
that they're building a brand. And when they're building a brand,
it's very they're doing it really well. But they're not
(32:24):
talking about New Zealand. It's not about Zesbury and New Zealand.
It's about the product and how it links to the
links to the consumer. And yeah, I think a lot
of companies can copy what they do because they're doing
a fantastic job.
Speaker 4 (32:36):
So but you know, the whole other.
Speaker 10 (32:38):
Industries are doing well. You're the dairy guys, the meat guys.
You know, if everybody else is, you know, there's still
plenty of opportunities up here. It's just a matter of
rolling up the sleeves and getting into it.
Speaker 2 (32:47):
Hunter McGregor amount of time, Thanks for yours, Thanks to
your contribution throughout twenty twenty five. I would have sent
you a box of the kais of for crystals, but
I can't get it through Chinese customs. Talk again next year.
Speaker 9 (32:57):
Go well, yes, thanks Jamie.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
You've got on when your hunt of the text are
coming in thick and fast as a love fest with
ground swell. Today, Lorri Patterson on my own phone says, cheez, Jamie.
Things have come a long way from the days of
the Riversdale Rugby Club in the seventies and eighties, where
now you can express your love for a couple of
blokes over national radio. I will keep my love for
you secret on this text, Lorry. Our relationship is no
(33:23):
longer a secret. Up next, Jim Hopkins news come out.
I loved the last week of the year on the
country because I get to talk to all of my
old regulars, and in this case he's a very old
(33:44):
old regular. Jim Hopkins. Hey, Jim, you were duly re
elected to the Waitaki District Council. Good on you, and
you've recently recently had surgery, so you're sort of coming
out of your sick bed to do this and I
can report the recoveries going well. You have two minutes,
my friend, or less if you want to do me
a favor to name your twenty twenty five Egg Person
(34:06):
of the Year.
Speaker 9 (34:07):
Well always through, but here we go say Merry Christmas.
First of all, of course, to you and your millions
of listeners. Are you and my view are the Mike
Hosking of your own imagination? We are as beneficiaries. And
also I must say Merry Christmas to each and every
farming family and farm worker in New Zealand. You have
near single handedly pulled us out of posession and rebuilt
(34:31):
the foundations of our wealth. The sunset industry of David
Longe's nineteen eighties is shining more brightly than ever. So
Egg Person of the Year, Well, I've gone a bit
left field, possibly to avoid repetition. There are obvious people
like Myles Hurrel, Todd McKay maclay, but I think both
(34:52):
were nominated last year. Old favorites like Jacquelin Rowis our
best rural educator and advocate and fighty fiery, fearless Jane
Smith Campaign of Supreme, but both of them have been
nominated in the past as well. So okay, here number
one maybe for impact on New Zealand farming. US President
(35:17):
and Tariff Composer Donald Trump. He's the one who put
the tariffs on, put him up, then put him down,
and it has had an impact on our farming and
it's certainly distorted it and may indeed distort it more
in the future, although I read most recently the response
(35:38):
has been better than expeted and farming has suffered less.
The other problem with Trump is his decisions have affected
a lot of people, not just us, so perhaps his
efforts should be seen as international rather than national. So locally,
who well, Jamie, I've got two drum roll, please both
(36:02):
Chris is Chris Number one Chris Bishop. I think his
RMA reforms look at first glance to be the rethink,
the reimagining that rural New Zealand and rural and agriculture
has needed and asked for. The devil will be in
the detail, but the lawn certainly looks like delivering outcomes.
(36:30):
And number two Chris Number two Chris Luxon. He has
been all year on your show and elsewhere a passionate
supporter of New Zealand farming and farmers. He fronts them
all stage meetings. He's hugely energetic on the trade deal front,
(36:51):
fighting our corner at home and overseas fighting for our
farmers amongst others. So take peck. As far as I'm concerned,
this year it's Chris one or Chris two, and for
me it's Chris two. The PM.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
Well, Jim Hopkins, thanks for getting out of your sick
bed to do that. Really appreciate your time, the longest
two minutes of my life. Love your work. Merry Christmas.
Speaker 9 (37:21):
Have a great Christmas as well, mate, talk him a
new year.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
Indeed we will go well Jim right, some of your
texts coming in. Oh my god, so dry and white
pooke row and we will talk to Steve wyn Harris
from Central Hawks Bay on Friday show. He's going to
wrap the year as well on tomorrow's show. By the
way that the Aussie is off to flying start and
Adelaide what a great cricket ground that is the Adelaide
(37:45):
O twenty without loss. They won the toss? Are they
elected to bat a Tomorrow's show Shane Jones, the Prince
of the Provinces Martina Shane and Alie Shanks, former Olympic
and Commonwealth Games cyclist who's now with the Holter. We'll
catch you tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Catch all the latest from the land it's the Country
Podcast with Jamie McKay. Thanks to Brent, you're specialist in
John Deere construction equipment
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