Jamie Mackay: The Country host on thousands of people flocking to South Island Agricultural Field Days

Today was day two of the South Island Field Days event at Kirwee - and thousands of Kiwis turned up for the event.

Today, the event was swarming with politicians - including Prime Minister Chris Luxon and Labour's Chris Hipkins.

The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Jamie mckaye, Host of the Country is with me. Jamie.
Good evening.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Good Ay, Ryan.

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Now you've got an update on the Q two National
Trust Board.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Yeah, Well they've just had their elections and a lady
by the name of Marie Taylor has been elected as
a director and a bloke by the name of Graham
Murray re elected for his third term term. Of course,
Graham Murray, famous former All Black captain. Now, Ryan, I
know you're thinking, what does the q E two National
Trust do. Well, it's an independent charitable trust that partners

(00:32):
with private landowners to protect sites on their land with covenants,
so the landowner continues to own and manage the protected
land and the covenant protection stays on the land even
when the property is on sold or if it's on sold.
So this five thousand protected areas throughout New Zealand, including
one under my name or my family's name, are down

(00:54):
in Southland to Wetland. I'm very, very proud of it.
Protecting more than one hundred and eighty thousand hect of
private land. Plays a critical role as a refuge for
some of New Zealand's rarest and most endangered biodiversity and
ecosystems now. Graham Murray is an interesting character. Not only
was he a very good All Black captain in the
nineteen eighties. You might remember he was famous back then

(01:16):
for playing classical music to his cows in his openaki
dairy shed. He put a Kiwi two covenant on his
family farm way back in the nineteen eighties. He was
an early adopter when it came to things like Ryperian
planting and tests management. He won the Regional Farm Environment
Awards in twenty twelve, so he's got a long history

(01:38):
of conservation. He's currently also the Director in charge of
farming for Southern Pastures. This is one of the ten
biggest dairy farming operations in the country and I've got
eighteen farms nationwide. So the Kiwi two National Trust Boards
made up of six members, four appointed by the Minister
of Conservation, two elected by Trust members and that's Graham

(01:59):
Murray and Marie Taylor. So look, if you want to
save the planet, Ryan, and I know we all do,
and the government does as well, this is the best
money you can spend. They have had a bit of
a funding increase, still not enough. They've got an extra
four and a half million over three years. But I
would petition everyone to petition their local MPs for more

(02:20):
money for the Kiwi two National Trust. It's a brilliant setup.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
It is. I actually spent some time in some Kiwi
two land, some native bush done in the Tatada Rangers
over the weekend. Absolutely stunning and they do great work
alongside the landowners. As you say now in Kuwei in
the South Island there's been a politician, a swarm of
politicians trying to get selfies. What's going on?

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Oh well, they normally and these farmer field days Ryan
are normally swarming with nats, you know, labor of the
Greens to party. Maury less likely to be seen. But
to his credit, Chris Hopkins was there today along with
Chris Luxen. So it was all on in the South Island.
North Island at moments precariously dry, as is the Tasman region.

(03:05):
I shouldn't neglect them either, but look at Canterbury's had
a great season. Unless you're cropping or arable farmer, it's
believe it or not, it's been a bit wet for them.
But the pastoral farmers are having a rip roarer. They
haven't even needed to turn the irrigators on in some places.
So this plate that the South Island Field Days held
every second year. They alternate with the Southern Field Days
at Waimumo just outside of Gore. They're really good. They're

(03:28):
in ker Wee, thirty minutes west of Christchurch. Great crowds,
I'm told are very good. Certainly cautious optimism in the air,
and I'll be really interested to get the numbers at
the end of this on the big ticket items, especially
things like tractors and utes, because they are the real
barometer of the state of the rural market. Now from

(03:52):
there we moved. This is, by the way, the last
of the big Farmer Field Days before we head to
Mystery Creek for the National Agricultural Field Days eleven to fourteenth.
So from the South Island Field Days and kerwe this
week it's off to the South Island Airy Event and
Timaru on April the seventh to the ninth, the Real
Farmer Conference, designed for not designed for rural professionals, but

(04:13):
for farmers. Guest speakers include gold gold medal winning Olympic
rower Emma Twig and Cameron Bagriy we all know him,
amongst many other industry experts. Registrations are still open. Ryan
and North Islanders even like you are welcome if you
want to come down to Timaru for a couple of
days in early April.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
Brilliant. Hey, thanks very much, Jamie. Great to have you
on as always, Jamie mckaye, host of the Country. For
more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news talks.
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