April 30, 2026 • 5 mins
Halter has launched a world first direct-to-satellite service for its smart collars to enable beef cattle farmed in remote areas to access its virtual fencing technology.
The new technology will provide the tech to beef farms that were previously out of reach due to connectivity limitations, particularly for regions like central Otago, Gisborne and Southland’s high country.
The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
The Rural Report with Farmlands for carving solutions amongst the chaos.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Jamie McKay, host of the Countries with US, Hello Jamie.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Hello Heather. That was a bit tough on poor old Baza.
I've always found him to be a very generous man,
and that is not true.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
That is not true. Come on, how many times has
he brought you around the drinks?
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Oh? Numerous. I'm going into bat for my cousin. What
else would I do? Oh? Mate?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
This family loyalty.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Is definitely I'm just trying to count on one thing,
how many times you've brought me around? So you know
this is a fair point.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
You too, right, Although I was prepared to shout the
baby at twelve dollar bottles, so you know, I obviously
was the most was more generous. Now tell me what
you make of Halter teaming up with the satellites.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
This looks awesome. Oh it's fantastic. And I heard you
talking about it yesterday. I thought I might expand on
it a wee. But and the guy behind Halter, Craig
Craig Picket. He would be a good guy to go
out drinking with, Heather, because I like Barry under spurious
circumstances or you. I don't think he would be afraid
(01:11):
to shout because his company is worth three point four billions.
So you know they launched this, yes that I chatted
to him today on our show in Colorado. So this
is the first kind of direct to satellite service. And
what it means, as you alluded to yesterday, was that
especially for some of the high country and remote and
extensive country, instead of having to be cause if you
(01:34):
drive around New Zealand on the flat country and look
at all the dairy farms and the intensive beef operations
that are using halter at the moment, they have these
week towers, these we'd radio towers dot it around so
that the cows can get a signal directly from those
well brought an elon musk and starlink. So now we're
going straight to the satellite. Not economic on the small
(01:57):
flat places, but what it can do is on the
high country, the hill country, the extensive country, we can
use or farmers can use halter and they can intensively
graze if they want to some of that country. They
can certainly eliminate some of the environmentally sensitive and fragile
sort of country. So this is a real, a real
(02:21):
big advantage for Halter. This thing is catching on not
only on intensive land with dairy and intensive beef finishing,
but on extensive country. And we're talking the Australian outback,
the Pampas of the South America, Africa. Even so, this
is a company that seems to have no bounds to
(02:41):
its technological advances. So it's good. So you know what's
next for Halter and Craigpigger India. We've just signed a
free trade agreement with them. They've got three hundred million
plus bovines, a third of the world's cattle. Is you're
going to go in there? Well, sheep? Will we ever
get color around sheep? How do you work a collar
(03:02):
around the sheep if it's got a wally neck? All
these things. So at the moment he's just concentrating on
the bowvines. But I watch the space he will be
having a crack at everything.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah, he's very bright boy. Now what is this about
the zen room you people have.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Got down there. I'm not the most popular person, as
you won't be when you get home with poor old
Barry calling him tight on national radio. I'm not the
most popular person with the Otago Regional Council, because yesterday
they opened their new building and this is a palace
fifty six point four million dollars. This building cost a
(03:37):
build and heart the heart of the need. It is
flash but leieve you meet but part of the building
header and you'll love this. This is zen room, which
has no digital connections to the outside world. It allows
staff to take a break from working on laptops, phones
and online online meetings. And here was me thinking that's
(03:59):
actually what they're paid to do. So they've got the
zen room, they've got relaxing furniture, they've got all this,
that and the other thing. I just think it's typical
of local bodies that have got way out of control
and spending enough to believe Shane Jones's going to get
rid of regional councils anyhow So to spend fifty six
point four million dollars in this day and age and
(04:21):
then have the luxury of a zen room is way
over the top for me. This is a regional council,
by the way, which between twenty twenty two and twenty
twenty five delivered three years of eighteen percent rate rises
in a row. So ask yourself, is that money well
spent for the building. The answer for me, along suffering
(04:41):
rate payer to the Otago Regional Council, Heather, is no,
of course not.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
By the way, did you vote for tapeface?
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Did I vote for what.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Benedict on your Denedon City councilor did you vote no?
Speaker 1 (04:55):
No, no, no, no, no no. I had some golfing
mates who were standing No. Honestly no. I mean he's
a shock of that guy. He if there was an election,
I know, and I can say this openly because that's
what everyone in the net's saying. If there was an
election tomorrow, he would be kicked to touch. He's been
a bit of an embarrassment. I don't mind saying that.
I'm happy to put my name.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
I don't think you need to be shy of that, Jamie.
When I lay out the facts in a hot minute,
everyone's going to agree with you. Thank you very much,
appreciate it, Jamie.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
He's a one term counselor either. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
I think you might be right. I think and you
know what, when that happens, Jamie, I'll shout you around
to drinks maybe two a right.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
See see you mate.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
For more from Heather, Duplessy, Allen Drave. Listen live to
news
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio
The Rural Report with Farmlands for carving solutions amongst the chaos.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Jamie McKay, host of the Countries with US, Hello Jamie.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Hello Heather. That was a bit tough on poor old Baza.
I've always found him to be a very generous man,
and that is not true.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
That is not true. Come on, how many times has
he brought you around the drinks?
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Oh? Numerous. I'm going into bat for my cousin. What
else would I do? Oh? Mate?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
This family loyalty.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Is definitely I'm just trying to count on one thing,
how many times you've brought me around? So you know
this is a fair point.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
You too, right, Although I was prepared to shout the
baby at twelve dollar bottles, so you know, I obviously
was the most was more generous. Now tell me what
you make of Halter teaming up with the satellites.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
This looks awesome. Oh it's fantastic. And I heard you
talking about it yesterday. I thought I might expand on
it a wee. But and the guy behind Halter, Craig
Craig Picket. He would be a good guy to go
out drinking with, Heather, because I like Barry under spurious
circumstances or you. I don't think he would be afraid
(01:11):
to shout because his company is worth three point four billions.
So you know they launched this, yes that I chatted
to him today on our show in Colorado. So this
is the first kind of direct to satellite service. And
what it means, as you alluded to yesterday, was that
especially for some of the high country and remote and
extensive country, instead of having to be cause if you
(01:34):
drive around New Zealand on the flat country and look
at all the dairy farms and the intensive beef operations
that are using halter at the moment, they have these
week towers, these we'd radio towers dot it around so
that the cows can get a signal directly from those
well brought an elon musk and starlink. So now we're
going straight to the satellite. Not economic on the small
(01:57):
flat places, but what it can do is on the
high country, the hill country, the extensive country, we can
use or farmers can use halter and they can intensively
graze if they want to some of that country. They
can certainly eliminate some of the environmentally sensitive and fragile
sort of country. So this is a real, a real
(02:21):
big advantage for Halter. This thing is catching on not
only on intensive land with dairy and intensive beef finishing,
but on extensive country. And we're talking the Australian outback,
the Pampas of the South America, Africa. Even so, this
is a company that seems to have no bounds to
(02:41):
its technological advances. So it's good. So you know what's
next for Halter and Craigpigger India. We've just signed a
free trade agreement with them. They've got three hundred million
plus bovines, a third of the world's cattle. Is you're
going to go in there? Well, sheep? Will we ever
get color around sheep? How do you work a collar
(03:02):
around the sheep if it's got a wally neck? All
these things. So at the moment he's just concentrating on
the bowvines. But I watch the space he will be
having a crack at everything.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah, he's very bright boy. Now what is this about
the zen room you people have.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Got down there. I'm not the most popular person, as
you won't be when you get home with poor old
Barry calling him tight on national radio. I'm not the
most popular person with the Otago Regional Council, because yesterday
they opened their new building and this is a palace
fifty six point four million dollars. This building cost a
(03:37):
build and heart the heart of the need. It is
flash but leieve you meet but part of the building
header and you'll love this. This is zen room, which
has no digital connections to the outside world. It allows
staff to take a break from working on laptops, phones
and online online meetings. And here was me thinking that's
(03:59):
actually what they're paid to do. So they've got the
zen room, they've got relaxing furniture, they've got all this,
that and the other thing. I just think it's typical
of local bodies that have got way out of control
and spending enough to believe Shane Jones's going to get
rid of regional councils anyhow So to spend fifty six
point four million dollars in this day and age and
(04:21):
then have the luxury of a zen room is way
over the top for me. This is a regional council,
by the way, which between twenty twenty two and twenty
twenty five delivered three years of eighteen percent rate rises
in a row. So ask yourself, is that money well
spent for the building. The answer for me, along suffering
(04:41):
rate payer to the Otago Regional Council, Heather, is no,
of course not.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
By the way, did you vote for tapeface?
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Did I vote for what.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Benedict on your Denedon City councilor did you vote no?
Speaker 1 (04:55):
No, no, no, no, no no. I had some golfing
mates who were standing No. Honestly no. I mean he's
a shock of that guy. He if there was an election,
I know, and I can say this openly because that's
what everyone in the net's saying. If there was an
election tomorrow, he would be kicked to touch. He's been
a bit of an embarrassment. I don't mind saying that.
I'm happy to put my name.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
I don't think you need to be shy of that, Jamie.
When I lay out the facts in a hot minute,
everyone's going to agree with you. Thank you very much,
appreciate it, Jamie.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
He's a one term counselor either. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
I think you might be right. I think and you
know what, when that happens, Jamie, I'll shout you around
to drinks maybe two a right.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
See see you mate.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
For more from Heather, Duplessy, Allen Drave. Listen live to
news
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio
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