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 the Country Life team takes you riverside to find out about an unusual ferry which has been running for 130 years, they delve into the science of insect vibrations which may be a way of protecting crops, and getting a taste of Americana at Burkes Pass.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
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Producer Mark Leishman goes on a personal journey to Burkes Pass, a place with deep family ties. A fire in the 1990s destroyed most of the Burkes Pass Hotel run by his grandparents and has been replaced by a replica 1950s Americana village complete with its own "Pin Up Queen".
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
Researchers from the Bioeconomy Science Institute are investigating whether they can apply the vibrations of insects to disrupt pests in the greenhouse. Our Changing World's Claire Concannon heads along to the tomato growing greenhouse where they're trialling the use of biotremology.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
A wrap of the week's news from the primary sector.
Country Life is back for 2026 with a classic tale of the bush, bullocks and camp ovens at an old woolshed in King Country. The team check in on a forest growing wood into products for Ikea and find out how farmers can make the most of the demand from international tourists for a taste of life on the farm.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
In this episode:
- 0:44 - On The Farm
- 8...
Old-timer Lew Pickens' passions hark back to his days clearing land in Northland - camp oven cooking and driving bullock teams. He has a woolshed full of early tools and farming machines on the farm now run by son Craig. He is keenly aware that his stories, culture, traditions and old ways will be lost when he, and a few like him, are gone.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
Wit...
Ingka Investments, the parent company of furniture giant Ikea, now owns 30,000 hectares of forestry in Aotearoa. It's first purchase saw the conversion of Wisp Hill Station in southern Otago from farmland to timber production forestry.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
With thanks to:
- Josh Cairns, Southern Forests
Agritourism NZ's Marijke Dunselman outlines how farmers and growers can take advantage of growing global demand for authentic experiences on the farm.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
With thanks to:
- Marijke Dunselman, Agritourism NZ
A wrap of conditions on farms and orchards around the country.
Country Life heads to an arboretum where dozens of different types of trees are grown, including a few for Christmas. We travel up the Whanganui River on the rural mail run, delivering a few early Christmas presents and go behind the scenes of a family-run berry orchard in King Country to see what it takes to bring summer berries from the orchard to the Christmas dinner table.
The Roy family all pitch in getting berries from orchard to Christmas plate over the festive season. They have been growing berries in Piopio for more than three decades, and nearly all are sold from the farmgate. We go behind the scenes of the Christmas berry rush.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
Rural postie Tracy Marshall takes visitors along her mail delivery route which winds along the Whanganui River.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
With thanks to:
- Tracy Marshall, Original Mail Tour
"You can come here and see nearly every type of forestry system that can be applied," Blair Jamieson says of Tāmata Hauhā's demonstration farm near Palmerston North.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
With thanks to:
- Blair Jamieson, Tāmata Hauhā
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.
Country Life this week visits Cornwall Park Farm, the farm within New Zealand's largest city, and heads to the Bay of Plenty to meet animal trainer Bex Tasker who helps teens train animals which in turn provide them valuable skills for life.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
In this episode:
- 0:39 - Rural News Wrap
- 6:009- Cornwall Park: The farm within the heart of a city
- 28:07 ...
Chickens play football and sheep wave their hooves at Bex Tasker's place. She used to be a dog handler with customs and now uses her expertise in animal training and positive reinforcement methods to help kids learn new skills.
You can find photos and read more about this story on our webpage, here.
Cornwall Park farm is something of a hidden gem in the heart of Auckland City. But being a farm in the city comes with specific challenges.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.
A wrap of the week's news from the primary sector
There's a lot of hand-wringing but few answers when it comes to culling New Zealand's rapidly expanding deer population. Our friends over at The Detail took a look at the issue.
In a war between hunters and conservationists over the control of one of our most damaging pests, only the deer are winning
Guests:
- Richard Dawkins - Federated Farmers meat and wool chair
- Jill Herron - Newsroom journalist
- John Bissell - hunter and conserva...
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