Country Life
The Country Life team take you all over the motu to hear the extraordinary stories of every day rural New Zealand.
Episodes
This week Country Life meets some characterful Clydesdale horses, finds out about the Waimate Trail, explores rural life through objects via a new book and heads to threatened Thornton Lagoon in Bay of Plenty.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
In this episode:
- 0:44 - Rural News Wrap
- 8:06 - Kiwi Country: New book explores rural New Zealand through 100 objects
- 16:37 - The Waimate...
Ben Banks is trying to protect the fragile dunes, wildlife and vegetation at a coastal lagoon near Whakatāne. Volunteering his time, he and his family trap for predators and pests but there's another threat to the area - the four-wheeled kind.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
With thanks to:
- Ben Banks
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.
When it comes to farming, planning for the next season today is key, says the Coubrough family. The 5th generation dairying family is are all on the same page - they want robotics to milk the cows for them.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
With thanks to:
- Brett and Linda Coubrough
Make sure you’re following us on your favourite podcast app, so you don’t miss new episode...
Ever wondered what happened to some of the damaged timber from the Lyttelton wharves after the Canterbury earthquakes? The tough ironbark they were made from was too good not to be rescued and Oxford's Steve Evans was just the man for the job, as Mark Leishman discovered.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
With thanks to:
- Steve Evans
Could growers harness the kiwi as a way of reducing pests attacking their crops? A recent study has filmed the endangered birds entering vineyards and orchards at night to feast on beetles, weevils, grass grub and other insects.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
With thanks to guests:
- Isobel Castro and Karen Mason
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.
This week Country Life is in Marlborough's back country on Molesworth Station, we check out the sale action at the Feilding saleyards and learn more about Chinese mooncakes, or suncakes as one gardener views them.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
In this episode:
- 0:30 - Mooncakes under a southern sun
- 4:37 - Rural News Wrap
- 8:47 - The 'big money' changing hands at the...
It's an early start for the musterers at Molesworth Station. The bulls are out with the cows for the mating season and everyone needs to beat the heat. Country Life producer Sally Round spent a day with the stockmen, the farmer and the cook, peeling back some of the mystique of New Zealand's most famous farm.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
With thanks to:
- Jim Ward
Global demand for red meat is driving strong prices for sheep and cattle, some of the best former Feilding farmer Eric Linklater has seen in over 20 years of guiding tours at the local saleyards.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
You can find more about the tours, here.
With thanks to:
- Eric Linklater
David Ruan says the colourful vegetables growing in his garden are like little cakes relying on the sun for energy, hence the name Suncakes Gardens.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
With thanks to:
- David Ruan
This week Country Life is inside one of Fonterra's large dairy plants and meets a Canterbury farming couple making beautiful wool coats from their family's flock.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
In this episode:
- 0:38 - On the Farm
- 8:13 - The art of the auction
- 14:35 - The high-tech dairy hub feeding China's sweet tooth
- 31:06 - The Clip: Wool to Wear
With thanks to gue...
Driven by a desire to find a pure New Zealand wool coat, and to find more use for the bales of wool sitting idle in the shearing shed, Charlotte Bell started her fashion business The Clip. She and husband Hamish farm in Hakataramea Valley in Canterbury
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
With thanks to guests:
- Charlotte and Hamish Bell, The Clip
Make sure you’re following...
A growing taste for pastries, cakes and dairy-topped drinks in China and southeast Asia is fuelling demand for New Zealand-made cream cheese. Country Life takes a tour of Fonterra's high-tech factory at Darfied to see how it's made.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
With thanks to guests:
- Matt Smith
Feilding livestock agent and saleyards auctioneer Alex Stewart on breaking into an old man's game, human calculators and conducting the sale.
With thanks to guests:
- Alex Stewart
This week Country Life meets a couple who've had a lifetime on the same farm, and some newcomers to the truffle industry, and the team also talk fitness with a farming-focused physiotherapist.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
In this episode:
- 0:43 - Taking physio to the farmers
- 8:15- Rural News Wrap
- 16:21 - A life on the land at Lansdown Farm
- 29:00 - Sniffing out a new life at...
Indie has just finished her first harvest as a truffle hunter, showing outstanding skills for a pup. Her owners have just finished their first harvest too and are relishing life on the land after years searching for a place to call home.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
With thanks to guests:
- Lance and Nikki Dodd, and Indie
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Farmer Ian Buckingham was born at Lansdown Farm at Hook near Waimate 85 years ago and he's never left.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
- Ian and Pam Buckingham
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.
Constant wet weather on hilly Te Tai Rāwhiti farms has led to an uptick in injuries among farmers there. Our guest this week, physiotherapist-cum-farmer Storm Baynes-Ryan, gives in-paddock advice to help them recover, stay strong and keep fit.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
With thanks to guests:
- Storm Baynes-Ryan
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