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 producer Cosmo Kentish-Barnes is in his wet weather gear in the Tasman district meeting farmers and other rural residents, still battered and bruised from one catastrophic weather event, staring down the barrel of another deluge.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode here.
In this episode:
- 0.38 News wrap
- 6.20 Tasman's rural resilience tested by back-to-back storms
As a second weather bomb lashed the Tasman region, Cosmo Kentish-Barnes was on the ground with farmers and rural people, still battered and bruised from the first flood and staring down the barrel of another deluge.
You can find photos and read more here.
A wrap of the week's news from RNZ's rural news desk
This week Country Life follows the trail of food scraps from the table to farms with the City to Farm project north of Auckland, meets two young farming-focused youngsters at the top of their game, and dips into the archives to head to a working farm dog sale.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
In this episode:
Food scraps from retirement villages and schools are helping to nourish a banana orchard and other farms via the City to Farm project, which aims to keep organic waste out of landfill and help curb climate change.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
Find out more about the City to Farm project here .
A dip into the archives when Cosmo Kentish-Barnes attended the 64th annual Ashburton cattle and sheep dog sale to find out what these hard-working dogs are worth.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
Rangiora High School students John Lundy and Harry Parish were awarded one of New Zealand's top primary sector accolades at last weekend's FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final in Southland.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
A wrap of news from the rural news desk
This week Country Life returns to a vegetable farm to see whether it's radical plan to feed the community is working and looks at plans for plastic waste on farm. And the team meet a animal advocate who has turned her rural property in North Canterbury into a haven for rescued farm animals.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
In this episode:
- 0:43 - On the Farm
- 8:30 - Agrecovery...
Sharlene Wilson has turned her rural property in North Canterbury into a haven for rescued farm animals who find healing, freedom and a place to truly belong.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
In this episode:
- 0:12 - Animals of all shapes and sizes
- 4:38 - In search of a new home
- 9:40 - Meet Marshmallow
- 13:48 - Volunteers
With thanks to:
- Sharlene Wilson, Canterbury Tails ...
Crooked Vege's pay-what-you-can model for its vege boxes may have been a radical idea two years ago but it's plan seems to be working. The small farm has had its challenges, though.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
If you'd like to support Crooked Vege's fundraiser, go to their website
Agrecovery's seen huge growth in the 20 years it's been operating, with those in the primary sector looking for new ways to recycle on-farm plastic. "We know the farmers and growers are wanting solutions."
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
You can learn more about Agrecovery, here. And for more information about the proposed regulations, see here.
With thanks to:
- Tony Wilson <...
Country Life speaks to farmers and growers around New Zealand to find out about growing conditions over the past month.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
This week Country Life dives underground to take a closer look at soils, from Canterbury farmers using the Japanese Bokashi system to a market gardener making garden beds as rich as chocolate cake in Taranaki. We also unpack the recently announced biodiversity credits.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
In this episode:
- 0:48 - Rural News Wrap
- 5:52 - Dollars for nature - a loo...
Over the past 20 years, Jodi Roebuck and his wife Tanya have turned a bare paddock into a thriving market garden with an emphasis on microgreens, teachers others from around the world how to do the same.
You can find photos and read more about this episode on our webpage, here.
You can learn more about Roebuck Farm, here.
In this episode:
- 0:19 - Roebuck Farm
- 3:26 - Cover crops
- 7:04 - Microgreens
- 14:19 - Wash and pack
With thanks...
Bokashi, the Japanese anaerobic composting system which ferments organic matter, is helping to maintain healthy soils on a sheep and dairy grazing farm in North Canterbury.
You can find photos and read more about this episode on our webpage, here.
With thanks to:
- Tim Hawke and Murray Weaver
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.
News that the government is looking to support a market system to help fund the huge cost of restoring nature could be music to the ears of farmers and iwi wanting to do their bit for biodiversity but facing huge costs. So what are biodiversity credits and how do they work?
You can find photos and read more about this episode on our webpage, here.
With thanks to:
- Sean Weaver, EKOS
- Hayden Johnston, Ministry for the Environment
...
This week Country Life celebrates Matariki with stories about Māori horticultural wisdom and a couple setting up star gazing experiences on their farm.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
In this episode:
- 0:48 - Rural News Wrap
- 6:02 - Nick Roskruge - digging into indigenous knowledge
- 14:05 - 'We can grow anything here': A family's growing experiment
- 28:36 - Stars, ...
This Matariki, the stars align for Mark and Susannah Guscott - award winners bringing whakapapa and astronomy together on their sixth-generation Wairarapa farm.
You can find photos and read more about this episode on our webpage, here.
You can learn more about Glen Eden Farms, here. You can also learn more about their Star Safari, here.
And for Whitimanuka Retreat, see here.
In this episode:
- 0:50 - Roots that run deep
- 5:13 - Changin...
Popular Podcasts
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S. centering Latino stories, hosted by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Maria Hinojosa Every week, the Peabody winning team brings you revealing, in-depth stories about what’s in the hearts and minds of Latinos and their impact on the world. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus