March 24, 2025 • 36 mins
Jamie Mackay talks to Conor English, Mark de Lautour, Greer Paterson, Farmer Tom Martin, and Phil Duncan.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Catch all the latest from the land. It's the Country
Podcast with Jamie McKay thanks to Brent starkest of the
leading agriculture brands.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
City called Donty No Rot. Judge me by Cassy clearly
when you're on blame bless no I guess.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Cada, New Zealand. Welcome to the Country. It's brought to
you by Brent. My name is Jamie McKay. This was
the biggest song of twenty twenty this day and twenty
twenty five years ago today Jasinda locked us down My
how life changed? More about that's a wee bit later
in the show. First though, to kick it off, President
(00:55):
Donald Trump has described the words tariffs as the most
beautiful word in the dictionary. So it's claire he likes
the idea of using tariffs, so writes our first guest
on the Country, Connor English, former chief executive of Federated Farmers,
younger brother of Bill, former Prime Minister. So what's Trump
(01:15):
going to do? Next week? On April to second, we
will ask Connor A. Mark Delatore, chief executive of Open Country,
Derry keeping up with the Joneses or in his case,
on terror, how are they comparing Graham Patterson, Chatham Islands
Farm and Correspondent. I think Rowena caught up with her.
(01:37):
I haven't before, looking forward to chatting to her farmer
Tom Martin A wee bit earlier this morning. I caught
up with their UK Farm and correspondent. We're so lucky
in this country to have a farmer friendly government. They've
got anything but in the UK at the moment, more
widespread farmer protests there Monday, their time in phil Duncan
on the weather, when's it going to rain all that
(01:59):
on the country between now and one o'clock. Boxer Mike
Tyson famously said everyone has a plan until they get
(02:19):
punched in the face. So writes Connor English. Of course,
Connor is the younger brother of Sir William. He's a
former chief executive of Federated Farmer's got his fingers in
many many business pies. Connor, I never had you down
for a Trump tariff fan.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Well, I'm not a Trump terror plan fan, but I'm
intrigued about what the new president is attempting to do
along with his cabinet, which is effectively a big tax
tax which from reducing income tax and increasing tariff taxes, effectively,
because they've got a big problem over there. They've got
(02:59):
dead of thirty six trillion, the GDP's only twenty nine trillion,
and they're running deficits of two trillion, on expenditure of
six and a half trillion and only four point five
trillion revenue. So they're looking to get the revenue up
for the country and they're looking to reduce costs. So
(03:20):
that's why they've got Elon Musk on the Dodge trying
to get rid of a trillion dollars of what he
calls waste, fraud and abuse. And they've got Howard looking
on external revenue, trying to get revenue up from tariffs
and selling what they called the Trump card, which is.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
But Connor English. Aren't you arguing against yourself there? I
read a really interesting column you'd written in the Listener,
and you went back nearly one hundred years ago, nearly
a century ago, to nineteen thirty. President Hoover introduced tariffs
under this Smoot Hawley Terr Effect of nineteen thirty, and
it was a disaster for the US economy.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
It was an absolute disaster. Just shows you the risk
that the new administration in America is taking on the
Trump on the tariffs, and the issue there is that
when they did increase tariffs on over twenty thousand items,
other countries did punch back. And the big what happened
(04:19):
there was that imports did for you know, sixty six percent,
from four point four billion the nineteen twenty nine to
only one and a half billion in nineteen thirty three.
So you think, okay, well that's good. We haven't got
imports coming in. There must be more jobs for Americans.
But unfortunately, other countries decided not to buy the exports
from America, and so exports dropped from five point four
(04:42):
billion down to two point one So I dropped another
sixty percent and GMP halved, and so an employment went
from eight percent to nineteen thirty to twenty five percent
of nineteen thirty three.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Mind you, Connor, let me hang on, Condon. Let's just
temper this, because we did have a great receipt during
that period.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
Well you had. The Smoothhawley Act was implemented partly in
response to the shoemaker crash of nineteen twenty nine, but
after that shear market crash, they still only had five
percent unemployment in nineteen thirty, so it took another three
years of those tariffs, and when you can't sell your
goods to other countries, you don't need factories with workers.
(05:25):
The challenge for Donald Trump and his administration now is
for that not to be repeated.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Okay, apologies, I said the Great Recession. I meant the
Great Depression. But here's a question for you. Let's fast
forward a century to where Trump is at the moment
and how he's affecting the world. Is his cure worse
than the disease.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
Well, he's looking at it from point of view of America,
and he's making an assumption that trade flows. Well, I
think he's making an assumption that trade flows will be
similar to what they are now. And he's looking at
it as tarror as a revenue owner. And what people
may have forgotten is that tariffs came in America in
about seventeen eighty nine or something like that, in New
(06:11):
Zealand eighteen forty, and it was a very legitimate way
of getting revenue for a government. And then we brought
an income tax fifty years later, and he's just looking
to reverse that so that you get the advantages of
Ireland for a light from a low taxation regime as
he sees it, and you know, you get the rest
of the world to pay in tariffs to fund the
(06:33):
rest of your government activities in the United States. So
it's a massive punt and a lot of risk, and
we're going to find out how it goes.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
What are you expecting to happen on April the second.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
Well, I think the administration is signal that it's going
to tell a whole lot of countries that they're going
to be paying tariffs. And you know, New Zealand is hoping,
of course, that we get an exemption. And when you
look at our trade with America, they are our second
biggest trading partner now with about twenty five billion New
Zealand dollars in trade, about half and half roughly of
(07:09):
imports and exports. We are running a depisite of about
three and a half billion. A fair goal is about
revenue and raising revenue for America. It is hard to
see how we would get an exemption if that's their strategy.
So I'm expecting they're going to tell a lot of
countries that they're going to start playing tariffs.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
That's bad news for us. We're a free trade nation.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
Yeah, I mean, there is a possibility that we could
get an exemption. I mean, we have low levels of
tariffs and President trumpas articulated a lot about reciprocity. You know,
other countries charging higher tariffs on American goods than American's
charge on their goods and that's unfear Well, that can't
be said about New Zealand. So if he's walking on
(07:56):
the fairness strategy, we could get an exemption that if
he's working on just getting revenue up, that might not
be the case. So you know, we've got a lot
of primary goods there. You know Cap two point two
about two and a half billion of meat and one
point two billion of dairy and eight and a million
of wine or something like that. You know, you throw
(08:16):
twenty five percent terrify Matt, that's well over a billion
dollars that is going to come out of the pockets
of New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Well, we will eagerly await what he has to say.
On April the second, Connor English have been really interested
in what you had to say. As Mike Tyson said,
everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
I love it great to remember that from your from
your rugby days of course, Jamie, I.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Stood out the back well away from that. I fired
the verbals, not the punches. See you later, Connor, Yeah,
see you, Thank you, Connor. Does it seem like five
years ago since Jacinda locked us down? Anyhow? It is
so more about that. A week bit later in the
hour up next, Mark Dellatore from Open Country Dairy Fonterra
(09:01):
is sitting at ten bucks. What's the second biggest dairy
company doing? We'll ask him Graham Patterson on the Chatham
Islands farmer, Tom Martin in the UK and Phil Duncan
on when it's going to rain.
Speaker 5 (09:14):
Judge me miss on.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
He's the chief executive of Open Country Dairy, our second
biggest dairy company, of course, behind Fonterra. Fonterra seems to
be going great guns. Mark Delatorp, you got to keep
up with them. What are you doing?
Speaker 6 (09:43):
Well?
Speaker 7 (09:43):
What I am doing, Jamians. I'm about to get on
a fishing boat and spend a few days catching fish
down around Stuart Island. So I thought that was a
good response to that.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
Well, how does that help my payout?
Speaker 8 (09:55):
No?
Speaker 7 (09:55):
No, it keeps us, keeps us all fishing and energize Jamie,
But no they I mean Fonterra playing a strong game,
and the whole industry is doing well. I don't think
there's any players out there really that aren't enjoying the
current current market.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Well, even we saw yesterday Sin lay a good half
year result, so it's good for the dairy industry across
the board as we take a bipartisan approach to our
biggest industry. Mark.
Speaker 7 (10:21):
Yeah, that's right, Jamie. I mean we obviously we tease
each other quite a bit, you know, on the show
about one company versus another. But I think at the
end of it, we do have to say as a
whole industry, everyone's benefiting and helping New Zealand's GDP, and
god knows me, we need that right now.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Now you guys are keeping up with Fonterra, I assume,
well a lot of people say, look open country only
pay as much as they have to, just enough to
keep up with Fonterra. Why don't you be a market leader, Mark,
go out there and pay eleven bucks.
Speaker 7 (10:50):
Yeah, you're poking the bear, Jamie, You're poking the beer
the This is my topic. I guess at the end
of the day, you know, we pay in four payment payers.
We've just announced our third period at ten fifty seven,
So I would say that Open Country supplies are the
only farmers at this point in time that have got
to check with ten to fifty seven on the payment
(11:11):
so and they get that pay that goes into their account.
So you know, I think we are market leaders. We
pay in four periods. We have to settle our fourth
period before Fonterra have announced their final price, So you know,
I do do get defensive on that one, Janey. I
think I think we play a really strong game on
that and we go out on the limits and set
tell everyone we're out and set the price.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
What are you forecasting for P four your final payment
period for the twenty four to twenty five season, And
the next question after that is when you add your
four payment periods together, where are you likely to sit
as an average?
Speaker 7 (11:46):
Yeah, our midpoint for P fours is a little under
where we settle P three, so we've said about ten fifty.
We just see the market starting to come off a
little bit. But you know, actually the Open country farmers
will say, Mark, you've been calling it down all year
and every period you've overperformed. So that's what we think,
and that would you know, that would take us over
the ten dollars mark for the season on average. But
(12:08):
as I've mentioned before, regionally, this is a bit of difference, right,
So you know, if you're if you're with a with
a market increasing, if you're if you're sort of weighted
towards the latter half of the season, you'll get you'll
get a high.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
So that's your Southland farmers, yeah general, yeah, mind you
they had a miserable P one low spring production.
Speaker 7 (12:28):
Yeah, really really tough starts for them, you know, and
we're obviously you know, looking at a little bit of
later lactation milk I guess for the season. So we're
looking to keep the facility down South running a little
bit longer this year, just to just to really help
the Southlanders catch up, you know, from their poor start,
because they were feeling it obviously at the beginning of
(12:48):
the year.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Okay, so ten dollars fifty odd for P four chuck
on top of that a premium for net zero carbon
milk and gie it could be making a fortune.
Speaker 7 (12:58):
Yeah, I can sure you gently Open Country Dairy won't
be coming out with a zero carbon premium. We you know,
at the end of the day, we believe that, you know,
New Zealand is a total industry outperform everyone in the
world on carbon. Carbon's just the latest trained and measuring
efficiency and New Zealanders are the most efficient producers of
(13:21):
milk in the world. So we're not buying into that
that's a that's a that's a europe thing, and we
just know our products easily marketable to the world anyway.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Okay, so you're not dealing with the likes of Ness
laid and on these companies that are demanding low carbon milk.
Speaker 7 (13:36):
Yeah, we are, but we know across our milk pool,
our carbon footprints very very attractive to the mental land.
And we're not going to segregate out a few farmers,
you know, and sort of imply that the rest of
the farm of a high carbon so because they're not
relatively So we just like to keep it simple, Jamie.
We're going to pay the best price we can each period,
(13:58):
depending on what the market is, and we think we're
pretty good at that.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Okay. Are the Chinese demanding low carbon milk?
Speaker 6 (14:05):
No?
Speaker 7 (14:06):
No, And if you look around the world, Jamie, le
let's be quite frank in New Zealand, Derry. We sail
to North Africa, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Dina. You know
none of those markets are really demanding it. Now, that
doesn't mean we're flat Earth's JERREMI doesn't mean we aren't
concerned about carbon emissions. And god knows, Open Country have
(14:27):
invested tens and tens of millions of dollars in reducing
our scope one and two emissions, and I would suggest
we almost lead the industry in that, if not leading it,
and the carbon that farmers produce are still very, very
competitive against the rest.
Speaker 6 (14:43):
Of the world.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Hey, just before I let you go, this is an
unscripted question. Five years today, it's the anniversary of the
first lockdown, and it was a very challenging time. We
were going into uncharted waters, a bit like you on
Fovo straight today, Mark Delator. But when I look back
upon it, one thing that rarely stands out was how
well the primary sector did, the dairy industry, the meat industry,
(15:07):
the key we fruit pickers and harvesters and packers did
getting us through that period.
Speaker 7 (15:13):
Well, it's the same old story, isn't it changes. There's
two answers to that. The first point is I didn't
think any of it was scripted because you keep blindsiding
me with difficult questions to me. But the second one is, look,
I think the primary industry, you know, it doesn't matter
what the circumstances. It can be a pandemic, it can
be economic pressures, it can be you know, different presidents
(15:35):
in the United States. It doesn't really matter. The primary
industry of New Zealand keeps standing up and doing it
for the country and it makes us so proud to
be part of it. So you know, we're very proud.
We're not buying into too much trend, shall we say,
or wokeness, and we're just keeping it simple and being
the best producers of milk in the world.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
I don't think the Tellies could ever be accused of
being woke. You know where I love drop off some
blue cord on the way home.
Speaker 7 (16:00):
Let's get some Thursday.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
Well, good luck with that, Mark, I do hope you
get some. Nothing better than a blue cord hauled straight
out of Ovo straight two straights there, Michelle. Yesterday Winston
came onto the show and said, why are we making
a rod for our own backs being part of the
Paris Accord, punishing our farmers and our taxpayers. And our
(16:22):
economy when China or the US could sneeze and produce
more CO two overnight than we could in a year.
Good point, Winston to your point, Apparently Chippy, who's going
to be on the show from the South Island Field
days on Thursday, has had a crack at Winston.
Speaker 9 (16:41):
He has. He's basically said that Winston's looking more and
more like an angry man shouting at the sky, which
is not something I would expect to come out of Chippy.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Well, I think that ship has sailed Winston. The worst
talk of Chippy wooing or labor wooing Winston so they
didn't have to go into coalition potential coalition government with
the Greens or more particularly to party Maury, who were nutjobs,
let's be honest about it. So I'm pleased that that
ship has sailed. So it's just going to be a
(17:10):
three versus three battle in twenty twenty six. Up next, Well,
new Blood really on the farming show these days known
as the Country. I don't know where the Farming Show
came from, Grea Patterson. I think Rowena talked to her
while I was away somewhere swining off. So she's up next.
Before the end of the hour. Earlier this morning I
(17:30):
did catch up with UK Farming correspondent Tom Martin. I've
had farmer protests over there and Phil Duncan on the weather.
First time on the country with me anyhow. For Grea
(17:52):
Patterson at Chatham Island's farming correspondent, Grea, good afternoon, welcome
to the show. I know you chatted to before, but
just remind me because this is the first time I've
chatted to you. How did you end up? How did
a Roxburgh girl end up on the Chatham Islands.
Speaker 10 (18:09):
Yeah, I came over a number of years ago actually
with an ex partner of mine for a farming job,
and I took a job at the local school, at
Johnny School, teaching and yeah, long story short, he left
and I stayed and fell in love with the Chatham
Islander and here I am today seven years later, with
a young family and a business here.
Speaker 9 (18:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Now your business is a fencing contractor. I reckon that
would be a pretty good business on the Chatham Islands
because all the wires would rust.
Speaker 10 (18:39):
Yes, yeah, yeah, you get about seven years out of
the wire on a fence here, so there's definitely a
bit of maintenance, and we definitely get some great contracts
through the Department of Conservation and other big farms and
organizations here for fifteen for conservation purposes, things like the
billion Trees projects. So yeah, it's busy, We're busy, busy.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Yeah, you're also very multi skilled, you right, for the
Shepherdess magazine, which is a wonderful publication, by the way, Grea,
thank you.
Speaker 10 (19:11):
Yeah, it's an amazing team to be a part of.
We've just celebrated our anniversary. Actually, yeah, it's a great
magazine to be a part of. Amazing that I can
work pushy pits from over here, and I love love
the work I do with them, and love love the
publication and what it does for women and women on
the land.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
How was connectivity on the Chatham Islands.
Speaker 10 (19:36):
Well, actually, it's come a long way since I first
came seven years ago. When I first arrived, we had
no style coverage on the island, and where I was
living was quite far down the south coast and we
didn't actually have internet access either, and you could get
into it, but it was a stupid amount to get
it there, and it cost about three hundred dollars a
month to have it going if it was even working.
(19:58):
So since then we've the cell towers installed here, so
that's been a real game changer for people. It's meant that,
you know, we can actually use cell phones to call
people when they're working. And the starlink has actually also
been a real game changer. Yes, for the most households
and businesses have got starlink now and Anternet is really
(20:18):
reliable here now, so it's come a long way, even
in the seven years I've been here.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
Yeah, I haven't been to the Chatham Islands. I missed
out on the early eighties because I was too young
to go with our local rugby team. I'm very disappointed
about that. It is on my bucket list. I understand
it's mainly sheep and beef farms on the island, but
I'm assuming Krea Patterson that there must be a dairy farm.
I mean, you're not going to bring all your milk
over from the mainland.
Speaker 10 (20:41):
Yeah, actually we do. There's no no dairy here. There
is a few people that have got their own house cows,
but yeah, all of our milk either comes and buy
boat or plane, buy the old UHT the long life
milk and boxes the twelve and yeah, if you can
buy a bottle of freshet at the shop, I think
it's about fourteen dollars for a two liter if you
(21:03):
want to splash out, but otherwise it's here the long
life on the ship.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Well, I hang Ongrere. Isn't that a business opportunity for you,
an entrepreneur like yourself? Why don't you startup or with
dairy farm, a boutique milkery that's a word.
Speaker 10 (21:16):
Definitely, Yeah, definitely an opportunity there, maybe when I find
the time.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
You're very busy, As I said, let's just finish on.
We talked about connectivity. What about sustainability in terms of
your energy on Stuart Island. I know Stuart Island, let
me correct myself, Chatham Islands. Stuart Island's a beautiful place
to go to as well, But in terms you're very
dependent once again on diesel supplies from the mainland. Can
(21:42):
you be self sufficient and energy? Yeah?
Speaker 10 (21:45):
So I think that's probably one of the exciting things
happening on island at the moment is the installation of
the windmills. So we've got two of them going in
at the moment down the south coast and along with
their the batteries are not one hundred percent sure on
the details of how they work, but that will make
our island a lot less reliant on the diesel generators.
(22:09):
So currently everything on island, if you're hooked up to power,
you're relying on the diesel generators, and not only is
that not sustainable, but it's also very expensive. I think
we pay the most pro units in the world apparently,
So it'll be the wind will be amazing and that
it is a renewable energy source, but also it is
(22:31):
going to reduce powers quite significantly over the course of
a year, which is very exciting for locals as well.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
Hey Graham Patterson, it's been lovely to catch up with
you for the first time. I think we'll keep you
on your good talent. Thanks for your time.
Speaker 10 (22:43):
Thanks so much, Jamie, have a good.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
One you too, great. It is twenty five away from one.
We're going to take a break. Rural news, sports news
on the other side. Some of your feedback, lots of
it coming in on Mark de Latour's comments about the
Paris agreement. Farmer Tom Martin and Phil Duncan also before
the end of the hour, this is what we were
doing TikTok dancers to during lockdown. Funny I can't remember
(23:08):
doing any TikTok dances, but apparently some of us did.
In the sum of fear, there is nord assume. Another
lockdown song Lewis Capaldi, like this one from twenty twenty.
Some of your feedback on Mark de lator Well said
(23:28):
Mark and open country summed up with so few words.
Another one, I love Mark de Latour. How good to
put your head up above the woke parapet and say
f you to the opposition. So good calling out the
bullshit that no one will buy our products milk in
this instance, give the man a knighthood. Not everyone agrees
(23:49):
with him. Remember, well, where's the one, great questions Jamie.
They might pay quarterly, but they are using the Fonterra
milk price formula. That's why it comes out now Fonterra
is profitable. The Tally boys will have to share some
of theirs. And where's the one I'll hear it is
(24:10):
here Marcus pointed out just how wrong the PM is
about wanting to stay in the dopey and woke Paris agreement.
Says John, Well, we've got the PM on tomorrow. I'm
going to ask him about what Winston said about Paris.
The forces are gathering against him on that one in
some quarters. But here's the latest and rural news with
(24:31):
Michelle who was doing TikTok dancing during lockdown?
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Apparently the countries World news with Cod Cadet, New Zealand's
leading right on lawn Bower brand. Visit steel Ford dot
co dot Nz for your local stocks.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
Oh that's a bit of a stony glare. So you
weren't doing TikTok dancing.
Speaker 9 (24:48):
I don't even have TikTok. If I was, I was
just doing it at home. But I don't think anyone
needs to see my donk.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
I haven't got TikTok and I've got two left feets,
so I've missed out on two counts. What's in rural news.
Speaker 9 (24:58):
Very on you today? More about kiw fruit? Can we
for an export? Zesprey is claiming a world first and
being the only fruit company that will shortly have all
of its products sold with home compostible labels. It is
a challenge that industry has been grappling with for well
over a decade, but Zesbury chief executive Tim Mackel says
this year the majority of its fruit will soon have them,
(25:18):
and by next season all fruit grind in New Zealand
on or offshore will have the stickers that disappear after
a year of being in the compost bin. I don't
know about you, Jamie, but I take them off because
I'm scared I'm going to accidentally eat them, the stickers
on the kiwi fruit.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Yeah, I wasn't listening to that story at all.
Speaker 9 (25:33):
What was it about the kiwi fruit and the compostible stickers?
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Oh? Yeah, they annoy me, the stickers. What I have
the stickers?
Speaker 9 (25:40):
Yeah, I'm right, I'm gonna eat them, soays take them off.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
Yeah, okay, that's rural news for you.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
Sports were the af go Kiwi to the bone since
nineteen oh four.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
Sorry for not listening to your rural news, Michelle. I
was just pre reading the sports news to save yet
another disaster on the show and then I got the
wrong day. But I think of updated All Whites football
captain Chris Wood's hoping for more clarity with today's scan
on the injury that forced him from the field during
the Oceania World Cup qualifying final in Auckland. Of course,
(26:12):
the All Whites are off to the World Cup and
former All Black Mills Mollena believes a rising injury count,
which stands at fourteen, has the Blues unsettled. The defending
champs ahead into the buy with one win and five losses.
They look like dog Tucker of the old Blues, don't
they look? As far as the New Zealand teams go.
(26:33):
It's the Chiefs and those pesky, pesky crusaders. Never write
them off up next to our UK farming correspondent, Tom Martin,
he's our guy in the UK Farmer, Tom Martin. Social
(26:55):
media influenza extraordinary. But Tom, are you as big an
influencer as clear? Taylor Claire was on the show yesterday
from Australia, good Scottish Neuffield scholar, and I know that
you and Clear your paths have crossed.
Speaker 4 (27:10):
That's right.
Speaker 6 (27:10):
We met the tea in my garden some months ago
and we decided that the Northern Hemisphere wasn't big enough
for the tour of us. So we thought, we thought
we both settle these things. And she's moved down to
the southern hemispeare she has become a token antipothy In
And yeah, but Claire Claire, amazing, amazing, advocate for farming,
(27:32):
got a fantastic background in media and a great voice,
so yeah, she's she's doing a brilliant, brilliant job.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
She's very vivacious and bubbly. She's a wonderful face for agriculture.
Of course, her Nuffield scholarship is on the anti farming agenda,
and as I said to her yesterday, she's got plenty
to work on in her home country of Scotland. For
you guys in the UK, it just goes from bed
to worse. Of course today you've just had farmer protests
(28:01):
across the country.
Speaker 6 (28:03):
That's right, And do you know, I just feel this
the tip of the iceberg. It's the outworking of the
incredible frustration that we're feeling here. We know, as farmers
we have to keep the general public on side. We
know we enjoy incredible public support, farmers just behind our
doctors and nurses in terms of public support, and that
is so important that we have to get the message
(28:25):
across that food security is national security, that when we
screw down our farmers, actually we're affecting the rural economy
and having huge, far reaching and irreversible impacts in the
countryside and therefore for the whole country.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
Rachel Reeves, I think she's known as Rachel from accounts. Well,
come back to that story. She's your Chancellor of the Exchequer,
the same as our Minister of Finance. I think this
week she comes out with her Spring Statement, which is
like a half year statement, is she going to pile
more more misery upon British and UK farmers. Yeah, I
(29:04):
mean I hope not.
Speaker 6 (29:07):
I hope not. I don't think we can take anymore.
I don't need to rehearse the full list of daggers
that we've endured and continue to endure well, attempting to
ensure there are people who will not be enduring them.
Businesses will be going to the war, people will be
struggling to to the end. But I heard Tom Bradshaw
for the president of the National Farmer's Union speaker last
(29:30):
week and he was saying, you know, whereas normally we
look ahead at the Spring Statement with hope for support
for farmers, for measures that that that might encourage productive
and sustainable farming, he said, I hope, I hope we're
not mentioned. You know that the that they are cutting, cutting, cutting,
and crippling our economy. He said, you know, if we're
(29:52):
not mentioned, if we get away with it, then then
that will probably be a good thing. There have been
rumors about taking the the exemptions of red diesel. Of
course we aren't driving our tractors on the road or largely,
and so we have an exemption for agricultural vehicles. And
if they remove that, that'll be another I think it's
(30:14):
thirty to forty pence. I'm sure that is in Kiwi sense.
But onto a liter of diesel, well, that's it's just
another another added cost in an industry where average average
profits used to be between zero point five and one percent, Well,
now we'll be way off there. There'll be people losing
(30:34):
money hand their afaict, they'll be losing livelihoods. And for
an industry where no other industry beats us in terms
of workplace accidents and suicides, it feels very morbid to
say that. I think we're just at the beginning.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
Well, we're very lucky in this country. We've got a
farm of friendly government at the moment. Let's try and
brighten things up. You are heading into your spring, you're
an arable crop and farmer. This must be the time,
tom when you get a real spring in your steep.
Speaker 6 (31:04):
Yep, that's absolutely right. We've been through the false winter,
the false spring. Sorry. We had a warm period about
two or three weeks ago. We then went into what
traditionally is known as blackthorns little winter. When the blackthorn
produces its white flowers, often we get a very cold patch,
and we did. We had a few frosts about a
week or so ago, and we're back into sunshine and
(31:24):
warm weather. Can I tell you it feels good after
the winter we've had. It feels great to be getting
doing a bit of land work. We've been planting our
springstone crops, and the lambs in the field, the sheep
in the fields are approaching lambing there. They're all April
lambers around us, so they'll be lambing in the coming day.
So yeah, it's amazing what a bright, warm, sunny day
(31:47):
can do, even in the midst of other bad news.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
A lamb frolicking in a field. Okay, I sound almost
like Shakespeare there. You and I met and Distal Dwarf
at a bay farming conference many years ago now, and
I'm encouraging you to come over to New Zealand. I
promise you I'll put you up, I'll fade and water
you Tom, But you said you would only come as
long as you could have a barbecue with Jasuinda Ardurn.
(32:13):
You're a big Cinder fanboy. Unfortunately, my budget doesn't stretch
to getting you to Boston because that's where Jasunda is
at the moment at Harvard.
Speaker 6 (32:22):
Well, do you know, just from our conversations over the years,
you know there are a raft of these young Ish
presidents and prime ministers, and you've got macaran and Trudeau
and Jacinda, and in our country Starma and Starmer is
a great example of them in that I think he's
doing a very good job internationally is certainly I hope
(32:42):
viewed pretty well from abroad. And so you start looking
into what's happening inside the country in terms of national politics,
not international politics, and it's an unmitigated disaster. And my
Canadian family is saying the same thing. We've always looked
at trade and thought, well, it seems like a nice
chat from over here, from a few thousand miles away.
Same thing with mccron, who's almost come unstuck in the
last couple of years. And you know, there's certainly been
(33:05):
seemed to be mixed views of Cinder's premiership within New Zealand.
But she always looks pretty good from this part.
Speaker 3 (33:12):
Oh yes, Tom, Well, I think she falls into the
same category as Trudeau and Sakia Starmer, perhaps better on
the international stage than domestically. It's five years to the day, incidentally, Tom,
since just sender locked us down here in New Zealand,
that is a very contentious issue. That's another issue for
another day. Look, I hope spring treats you well and
(33:33):
I hope you don't get a hiding midweek from the
Chancellor's Spring statement.
Speaker 6 (33:37):
Thank you. We need all the support we can get.
Very grateful.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
On in sif in nighttime fluid wrapping the country for
a Tuesday with Monday's weather expert Phil Duncan. Five years
ago today, just into lockedo down. It was a bit
of a happy time for me in some ways. The
(34:03):
first lockdown. We were deemed essential workers here on the
wireless and got to come on every day and break
the shackles from home and a lot of people got
cabin fever at home. What about you?
Speaker 8 (34:14):
Yeah, it was The weather was kind of like it
is at the moment for the top of the North Island.
It was sunny, warm, and yeah, sort of it felt
like school had been canceled. It felt like sort of
like nothing felt normal anymore, and it was sort of
like an extended holiday, even though as a weather forecaster
I had to put on a shirt and a suit
(34:35):
every day to do a weather video.
Speaker 3 (34:37):
Well, there's no afel. There's no rest for weather men.
There's no rest for farmers either, the primary sector. It
kept going. The wheels of industry kept turning during lockdown.
Look very briefly, what do you got for the dry parts,
especially of the North Island.
Speaker 8 (34:51):
So we've got a cold front coming in this week.
Kicks in late Wednesday night, comes in really properly Thursday
as it moves up the South Island. Big temperature drop
for the southern half of the South Island, several degrees
colder and in fact over ten degrees colder than some
places were at the end of last week. But that
system falls apart on Friday as it moves into the
North Island. So there will be some showers, patchy kind
(35:14):
of rain around the North Island on Friday. Then we're
back to high pressure for the rest of the month.
Keep in mind the month is only six days left,
so in April, hopefully we'll get some gaps in the highs,
start getting a chance of some rain coming through.
Speaker 6 (35:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:27):
Do you see that change in the weather pattern happening though?
Or is this just wishful thinking?
Speaker 8 (35:32):
The high pressure belt is still coming out from south
of Australia, so that is still in the mix. But
we are seeing a break in that high pressure belt
at the start of April. Whether or not that break
occurs over New Zealand or further out over the Tasman
in Australia, that's part. Can't quite lock in it. But
there's a whole lot of rain coming out of Australia,
huge amount of rain coming to Queensland over the next week,
(35:53):
and the Southern Ocean also looking really stormy for the
start of April, so we just need the high to
break apart at the right time over US. I think
next week I'll be able to be a bit lot
more detailed about how how we're looking.
Speaker 3 (36:04):
They might Okay, Phil, thanks as always for your time.
I appreciated apologies for being a day late, but you
never let us down. All good, no worries, Phil Duncan.
They're from weather Watch, New Zealand's leading weather man. I
hope Chris Brandolina's not listening when I say that they're
both great weather men and their own sphares. Okay, So
(36:24):
on tomorrow's show, the Prime Minister back from a victorious
trip to India. Can we call it that? I tet
the jostling's already begun. Winston wants us out of Paris.
The Prime Minister to discuss that. On tomorrow's show, I was.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
Getting curious and soul catch you all the latest from
the land. It's the Country Podcast with Jamie mcguy. Thanks
to Brent, You're specialist in John Deere machinery
Catch all the latest from the land. It's the Country
Podcast with Jamie McKay thanks to Brent starkest of the
leading agriculture brands.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
City called Donty No Rot. Judge me by Cassy clearly
when you're on blame bless no I guess.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Cada, New Zealand. Welcome to the Country. It's brought to
you by Brent. My name is Jamie McKay. This was
the biggest song of twenty twenty this day and twenty
twenty five years ago today Jasinda locked us down My
how life changed? More about that's a wee bit later
in the show. First though, to kick it off, President
(00:55):
Donald Trump has described the words tariffs as the most
beautiful word in the dictionary. So it's claire he likes
the idea of using tariffs, so writes our first guest
on the Country, Connor English, former chief executive of Federated Farmers,
younger brother of Bill, former Prime Minister. So what's Trump
(01:15):
going to do? Next week? On April to second, we
will ask Connor A. Mark Delatore, chief executive of Open Country,
Derry keeping up with the Joneses or in his case,
on terror, how are they comparing Graham Patterson, Chatham Islands
Farm and Correspondent. I think Rowena caught up with her.
(01:37):
I haven't before, looking forward to chatting to her farmer
Tom Martin A wee bit earlier this morning. I caught
up with their UK Farm and correspondent. We're so lucky
in this country to have a farmer friendly government. They've
got anything but in the UK at the moment, more
widespread farmer protests there Monday, their time in phil Duncan
on the weather, when's it going to rain all that
(01:59):
on the country between now and one o'clock. Boxer Mike
Tyson famously said everyone has a plan until they get
(02:19):
punched in the face. So writes Connor English. Of course,
Connor is the younger brother of Sir William. He's a
former chief executive of Federated Farmer's got his fingers in
many many business pies. Connor, I never had you down
for a Trump tariff fan.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Well, I'm not a Trump terror plan fan, but I'm
intrigued about what the new president is attempting to do
along with his cabinet, which is effectively a big tax
tax which from reducing income tax and increasing tariff taxes, effectively,
because they've got a big problem over there. They've got
(02:59):
dead of thirty six trillion, the GDP's only twenty nine trillion,
and they're running deficits of two trillion, on expenditure of
six and a half trillion and only four point five
trillion revenue. So they're looking to get the revenue up
for the country and they're looking to reduce costs. So
(03:20):
that's why they've got Elon Musk on the Dodge trying
to get rid of a trillion dollars of what he
calls waste, fraud and abuse. And they've got Howard looking
on external revenue, trying to get revenue up from tariffs
and selling what they called the Trump card, which is.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
But Connor English. Aren't you arguing against yourself there? I
read a really interesting column you'd written in the Listener,
and you went back nearly one hundred years ago, nearly
a century ago, to nineteen thirty. President Hoover introduced tariffs
under this Smoot Hawley Terr Effect of nineteen thirty, and
it was a disaster for the US economy.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
It was an absolute disaster. Just shows you the risk
that the new administration in America is taking on the
Trump on the tariffs, and the issue there is that
when they did increase tariffs on over twenty thousand items,
other countries did punch back. And the big what happened
(04:19):
there was that imports did for you know, sixty six percent,
from four point four billion the nineteen twenty nine to
only one and a half billion in nineteen thirty three.
So you think, okay, well that's good. We haven't got
imports coming in. There must be more jobs for Americans.
But unfortunately, other countries decided not to buy the exports
from America, and so exports dropped from five point four
(04:42):
billion down to two point one So I dropped another
sixty percent and GMP halved, and so an employment went
from eight percent to nineteen thirty to twenty five percent
of nineteen thirty three.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Mind you, Connor, let me hang on, Condon. Let's just
temper this, because we did have a great receipt during
that period.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
Well you had. The Smoothhawley Act was implemented partly in
response to the shoemaker crash of nineteen twenty nine, but
after that shear market crash, they still only had five
percent unemployment in nineteen thirty, so it took another three
years of those tariffs, and when you can't sell your
goods to other countries, you don't need factories with workers.
(05:25):
The challenge for Donald Trump and his administration now is
for that not to be repeated.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Okay, apologies, I said the Great Recession. I meant the
Great Depression. But here's a question for you. Let's fast
forward a century to where Trump is at the moment
and how he's affecting the world. Is his cure worse
than the disease.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
Well, he's looking at it from point of view of America,
and he's making an assumption that trade flows. Well, I
think he's making an assumption that trade flows will be
similar to what they are now. And he's looking at
it as tarror as a revenue owner. And what people
may have forgotten is that tariffs came in America in
about seventeen eighty nine or something like that, in New
(06:11):
Zealand eighteen forty, and it was a very legitimate way
of getting revenue for a government. And then we brought
an income tax fifty years later, and he's just looking
to reverse that so that you get the advantages of
Ireland for a light from a low taxation regime as
he sees it, and you know, you get the rest
of the world to pay in tariffs to fund the
(06:33):
rest of your government activities in the United States. So
it's a massive punt and a lot of risk, and
we're going to find out how it goes.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
What are you expecting to happen on April the second.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
Well, I think the administration is signal that it's going
to tell a whole lot of countries that they're going
to be paying tariffs. And you know, New Zealand is hoping,
of course, that we get an exemption. And when you
look at our trade with America, they are our second
biggest trading partner now with about twenty five billion New
Zealand dollars in trade, about half and half roughly of
(07:09):
imports and exports. We are running a depisite of about
three and a half billion. A fair goal is about
revenue and raising revenue for America. It is hard to
see how we would get an exemption if that's their strategy.
So I'm expecting they're going to tell a lot of
countries that they're going to start playing tariffs.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
That's bad news for us. We're a free trade nation.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
Yeah, I mean, there is a possibility that we could
get an exemption. I mean, we have low levels of
tariffs and President trumpas articulated a lot about reciprocity. You know,
other countries charging higher tariffs on American goods than American's
charge on their goods and that's unfear Well, that can't
be said about New Zealand. So if he's walking on
(07:56):
the fairness strategy, we could get an exemption that if
he's working on just getting revenue up, that might not
be the case. So you know, we've got a lot
of primary goods there. You know Cap two point two
about two and a half billion of meat and one
point two billion of dairy and eight and a million
of wine or something like that. You know, you throw
(08:16):
twenty five percent terrify Matt, that's well over a billion
dollars that is going to come out of the pockets
of New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Well, we will eagerly await what he has to say.
On April the second, Connor English have been really interested
in what you had to say. As Mike Tyson said,
everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
I love it great to remember that from your from
your rugby days of course, Jamie, I.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Stood out the back well away from that. I fired
the verbals, not the punches. See you later, Connor, Yeah,
see you, Thank you, Connor. Does it seem like five
years ago since Jacinda locked us down? Anyhow? It is
so more about that. A week bit later in the
hour up next, Mark Dellatore from Open Country Dairy Fonterra
(09:01):
is sitting at ten bucks. What's the second biggest dairy
company doing? We'll ask him Graham Patterson on the Chatham
Islands farmer, Tom Martin in the UK and Phil Duncan
on when it's going to rain.
Speaker 5 (09:14):
Judge me miss on.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
He's the chief executive of Open Country Dairy, our second
biggest dairy company, of course, behind Fonterra. Fonterra seems to
be going great guns. Mark Delatorp, you got to keep
up with them. What are you doing?
Speaker 6 (09:43):
Well?
Speaker 7 (09:43):
What I am doing, Jamians. I'm about to get on
a fishing boat and spend a few days catching fish
down around Stuart Island. So I thought that was a
good response to that.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
Well, how does that help my payout?
Speaker 8 (09:55):
No?
Speaker 7 (09:55):
No, it keeps us, keeps us all fishing and energize Jamie,
But no they I mean Fonterra playing a strong game,
and the whole industry is doing well. I don't think
there's any players out there really that aren't enjoying the
current current market.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Well, even we saw yesterday Sin lay a good half
year result, so it's good for the dairy industry across
the board as we take a bipartisan approach to our
biggest industry. Mark.
Speaker 7 (10:21):
Yeah, that's right, Jamie. I mean we obviously we tease
each other quite a bit, you know, on the show
about one company versus another. But I think at the
end of it, we do have to say as a
whole industry, everyone's benefiting and helping New Zealand's GDP, and
god knows me, we need that right now.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Now you guys are keeping up with Fonterra, I assume,
well a lot of people say, look open country only
pay as much as they have to, just enough to
keep up with Fonterra. Why don't you be a market leader, Mark,
go out there and pay eleven bucks.
Speaker 7 (10:50):
Yeah, you're poking the bear, Jamie, You're poking the beer
the This is my topic. I guess at the end
of the day, you know, we pay in four payment payers.
We've just announced our third period at ten fifty seven,
So I would say that Open Country supplies are the
only farmers at this point in time that have got
to check with ten to fifty seven on the payment
(11:11):
so and they get that pay that goes into their account.
So you know, I think we are market leaders. We
pay in four periods. We have to settle our fourth
period before Fonterra have announced their final price, So you know,
I do do get defensive on that one, Janey. I
think I think we play a really strong game on
that and we go out on the limits and set
tell everyone we're out and set the price.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
What are you forecasting for P four your final payment
period for the twenty four to twenty five season, And
the next question after that is when you add your
four payment periods together, where are you likely to sit
as an average?
Speaker 7 (11:46):
Yeah, our midpoint for P fours is a little under
where we settle P three, so we've said about ten fifty.
We just see the market starting to come off a
little bit. But you know, actually the Open country farmers
will say, Mark, you've been calling it down all year
and every period you've overperformed. So that's what we think,
and that would you know, that would take us over
the ten dollars mark for the season on average. But
(12:08):
as I've mentioned before, regionally, this is a bit of difference, right,
So you know, if you're if you're with a with
a market increasing, if you're if you're sort of weighted
towards the latter half of the season, you'll get you'll
get a high.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
So that's your Southland farmers, yeah general, yeah, mind you
they had a miserable P one low spring production.
Speaker 7 (12:28):
Yeah, really really tough starts for them, you know, and
we're obviously you know, looking at a little bit of
later lactation milk I guess for the season. So we're
looking to keep the facility down South running a little
bit longer this year, just to just to really help
the Southlanders catch up, you know, from their poor start,
because they were feeling it obviously at the beginning of
(12:48):
the year.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Okay, so ten dollars fifty odd for P four chuck
on top of that a premium for net zero carbon
milk and gie it could be making a fortune.
Speaker 7 (12:58):
Yeah, I can sure you gently Open Country Dairy won't
be coming out with a zero carbon premium. We you know,
at the end of the day, we believe that, you know,
New Zealand is a total industry outperform everyone in the
world on carbon. Carbon's just the latest trained and measuring
efficiency and New Zealanders are the most efficient producers of
(13:21):
milk in the world. So we're not buying into that
that's a that's a that's a europe thing, and we
just know our products easily marketable to the world anyway.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Okay, so you're not dealing with the likes of Ness
laid and on these companies that are demanding low carbon milk.
Speaker 7 (13:36):
Yeah, we are, but we know across our milk pool,
our carbon footprints very very attractive to the mental land.
And we're not going to segregate out a few farmers,
you know, and sort of imply that the rest of
the farm of a high carbon so because they're not
relatively So we just like to keep it simple, Jamie.
We're going to pay the best price we can each period,
(13:58):
depending on what the market is, and we think we're
pretty good at that.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Okay. Are the Chinese demanding low carbon milk?
Speaker 6 (14:05):
No?
Speaker 7 (14:06):
No, And if you look around the world, Jamie, le
let's be quite frank in New Zealand, Derry. We sail
to North Africa, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Dina. You know
none of those markets are really demanding it. Now, that
doesn't mean we're flat Earth's JERREMI doesn't mean we aren't
concerned about carbon emissions. And god knows, Open Country have
(14:27):
invested tens and tens of millions of dollars in reducing
our scope one and two emissions, and I would suggest
we almost lead the industry in that, if not leading it,
and the carbon that farmers produce are still very, very
competitive against the rest.
Speaker 6 (14:43):
Of the world.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Hey, just before I let you go, this is an
unscripted question. Five years today, it's the anniversary of the
first lockdown, and it was a very challenging time. We
were going into uncharted waters, a bit like you on
Fovo straight today, Mark Delator. But when I look back
upon it, one thing that rarely stands out was how
well the primary sector did, the dairy industry, the meat industry,
(15:07):
the key we fruit pickers and harvesters and packers did
getting us through that period.
Speaker 7 (15:13):
Well, it's the same old story, isn't it changes. There's
two answers to that. The first point is I didn't
think any of it was scripted because you keep blindsiding
me with difficult questions to me. But the second one is, look,
I think the primary industry, you know, it doesn't matter
what the circumstances. It can be a pandemic, it can
be economic pressures, it can be you know, different presidents
(15:35):
in the United States. It doesn't really matter. The primary
industry of New Zealand keeps standing up and doing it
for the country and it makes us so proud to
be part of it. So you know, we're very proud.
We're not buying into too much trend, shall we say,
or wokeness, and we're just keeping it simple and being
the best producers of milk in the world.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
I don't think the Tellies could ever be accused of
being woke. You know where I love drop off some
blue cord on the way home.
Speaker 7 (16:00):
Let's get some Thursday.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
Well, good luck with that, Mark, I do hope you
get some. Nothing better than a blue cord hauled straight
out of Ovo straight two straights there, Michelle. Yesterday Winston
came onto the show and said, why are we making
a rod for our own backs being part of the
Paris Accord, punishing our farmers and our taxpayers. And our
(16:22):
economy when China or the US could sneeze and produce
more CO two overnight than we could in a year.
Good point, Winston to your point, Apparently Chippy, who's going
to be on the show from the South Island Field
days on Thursday, has had a crack at Winston.
Speaker 9 (16:41):
He has. He's basically said that Winston's looking more and
more like an angry man shouting at the sky, which
is not something I would expect to come out of Chippy.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Well, I think that ship has sailed Winston. The worst
talk of Chippy wooing or labor wooing Winston so they
didn't have to go into coalition potential coalition government with
the Greens or more particularly to party Maury, who were nutjobs,
let's be honest about it. So I'm pleased that that
ship has sailed. So it's just going to be a
(17:10):
three versus three battle in twenty twenty six. Up next, Well,
new Blood really on the farming show these days known
as the Country. I don't know where the Farming Show
came from, Grea Patterson. I think Rowena talked to her
while I was away somewhere swining off. So she's up next.
Before the end of the hour. Earlier this morning I
(17:30):
did catch up with UK Farming correspondent Tom Martin. I've
had farmer protests over there and Phil Duncan on the weather.
First time on the country with me anyhow. For Grea
(17:52):
Patterson at Chatham Island's farming correspondent, Grea, good afternoon, welcome
to the show. I know you chatted to before, but
just remind me because this is the first time I've
chatted to you. How did you end up? How did
a Roxburgh girl end up on the Chatham Islands.
Speaker 10 (18:09):
Yeah, I came over a number of years ago actually
with an ex partner of mine for a farming job,
and I took a job at the local school, at
Johnny School, teaching and yeah, long story short, he left
and I stayed and fell in love with the Chatham
Islander and here I am today seven years later, with
a young family and a business here.
Speaker 9 (18:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Now your business is a fencing contractor. I reckon that
would be a pretty good business on the Chatham Islands
because all the wires would rust.
Speaker 10 (18:39):
Yes, yeah, yeah, you get about seven years out of
the wire on a fence here, so there's definitely a
bit of maintenance, and we definitely get some great contracts
through the Department of Conservation and other big farms and
organizations here for fifteen for conservation purposes, things like the
billion Trees projects. So yeah, it's busy, We're busy, busy.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Yeah, you're also very multi skilled, you right, for the
Shepherdess magazine, which is a wonderful publication, by the way, Grea,
thank you.
Speaker 10 (19:11):
Yeah, it's an amazing team to be a part of.
We've just celebrated our anniversary. Actually, yeah, it's a great
magazine to be a part of. Amazing that I can
work pushy pits from over here, and I love love
the work I do with them, and love love the
publication and what it does for women and women on
the land.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
How was connectivity on the Chatham Islands.
Speaker 10 (19:36):
Well, actually, it's come a long way since I first
came seven years ago. When I first arrived, we had
no style coverage on the island, and where I was
living was quite far down the south coast and we
didn't actually have internet access either, and you could get
into it, but it was a stupid amount to get
it there, and it cost about three hundred dollars a
month to have it going if it was even working.
(19:58):
So since then we've the cell towers installed here, so
that's been a real game changer for people. It's meant that,
you know, we can actually use cell phones to call
people when they're working. And the starlink has actually also
been a real game changer. Yes, for the most households
and businesses have got starlink now and Anternet is really
(20:18):
reliable here now, so it's come a long way, even
in the seven years I've been here.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
Yeah, I haven't been to the Chatham Islands. I missed
out on the early eighties because I was too young
to go with our local rugby team. I'm very disappointed
about that. It is on my bucket list. I understand
it's mainly sheep and beef farms on the island, but
I'm assuming Krea Patterson that there must be a dairy farm.
I mean, you're not going to bring all your milk
over from the mainland.
Speaker 10 (20:41):
Yeah, actually we do. There's no no dairy here. There
is a few people that have got their own house cows,
but yeah, all of our milk either comes and buy
boat or plane, buy the old UHT the long life
milk and boxes the twelve and yeah, if you can
buy a bottle of freshet at the shop, I think
it's about fourteen dollars for a two liter if you
(21:03):
want to splash out, but otherwise it's here the long
life on the ship.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Well, I hang Ongrere. Isn't that a business opportunity for you,
an entrepreneur like yourself? Why don't you startup or with
dairy farm, a boutique milkery that's a word.
Speaker 10 (21:16):
Definitely, Yeah, definitely an opportunity there, maybe when I find
the time.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
You're very busy, As I said, let's just finish on.
We talked about connectivity. What about sustainability in terms of
your energy on Stuart Island. I know Stuart Island, let
me correct myself, Chatham Islands. Stuart Island's a beautiful place
to go to as well, But in terms you're very
dependent once again on diesel supplies from the mainland. Can
(21:42):
you be self sufficient and energy? Yeah?
Speaker 10 (21:45):
So I think that's probably one of the exciting things
happening on island at the moment is the installation of
the windmills. So we've got two of them going in
at the moment down the south coast and along with
their the batteries are not one hundred percent sure on
the details of how they work, but that will make
our island a lot less reliant on the diesel generators.
(22:09):
So currently everything on island, if you're hooked up to power,
you're relying on the diesel generators, and not only is
that not sustainable, but it's also very expensive. I think
we pay the most pro units in the world apparently,
So it'll be the wind will be amazing and that
it is a renewable energy source, but also it is
(22:31):
going to reduce powers quite significantly over the course of
a year, which is very exciting for locals as well.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
Hey Graham Patterson, it's been lovely to catch up with
you for the first time. I think we'll keep you
on your good talent. Thanks for your time.
Speaker 10 (22:43):
Thanks so much, Jamie, have a good.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
One you too, great. It is twenty five away from one.
We're going to take a break. Rural news, sports news
on the other side. Some of your feedback, lots of
it coming in on Mark de Latour's comments about the
Paris agreement. Farmer Tom Martin and Phil Duncan also before
the end of the hour, this is what we were
doing TikTok dancers to during lockdown. Funny I can't remember
(23:08):
doing any TikTok dances, but apparently some of us did.
In the sum of fear, there is nord assume. Another
lockdown song Lewis Capaldi, like this one from twenty twenty.
Some of your feedback on Mark de lator Well said
(23:28):
Mark and open country summed up with so few words.
Another one, I love Mark de Latour. How good to
put your head up above the woke parapet and say
f you to the opposition. So good calling out the
bullshit that no one will buy our products milk in
this instance, give the man a knighthood. Not everyone agrees
(23:49):
with him. Remember, well, where's the one, great questions Jamie.
They might pay quarterly, but they are using the Fonterra
milk price formula. That's why it comes out now Fonterra
is profitable. The Tally boys will have to share some
of theirs. And where's the one I'll hear it is
(24:10):
here Marcus pointed out just how wrong the PM is
about wanting to stay in the dopey and woke Paris agreement.
Says John, Well, we've got the PM on tomorrow. I'm
going to ask him about what Winston said about Paris.
The forces are gathering against him on that one in
some quarters. But here's the latest and rural news with
(24:31):
Michelle who was doing TikTok dancing during lockdown?
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Apparently the countries World news with Cod Cadet, New Zealand's
leading right on lawn Bower brand. Visit steel Ford dot
co dot Nz for your local stocks.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
Oh that's a bit of a stony glare. So you
weren't doing TikTok dancing.
Speaker 9 (24:48):
I don't even have TikTok. If I was, I was
just doing it at home. But I don't think anyone
needs to see my donk.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
I haven't got TikTok and I've got two left feets,
so I've missed out on two counts. What's in rural news.
Speaker 9 (24:58):
Very on you today? More about kiw fruit? Can we
for an export? Zesprey is claiming a world first and
being the only fruit company that will shortly have all
of its products sold with home compostible labels. It is
a challenge that industry has been grappling with for well
over a decade, but Zesbury chief executive Tim Mackel says
this year the majority of its fruit will soon have them,
(25:18):
and by next season all fruit grind in New Zealand
on or offshore will have the stickers that disappear after
a year of being in the compost bin. I don't
know about you, Jamie, but I take them off because
I'm scared I'm going to accidentally eat them, the stickers
on the kiwi fruit.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Yeah, I wasn't listening to that story at all.
Speaker 9 (25:33):
What was it about the kiwi fruit and the compostible stickers?
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Oh? Yeah, they annoy me, the stickers. What I have
the stickers?
Speaker 9 (25:40):
Yeah, I'm right, I'm gonna eat them, soays take them off.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
Yeah, okay, that's rural news for you.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
Sports were the af go Kiwi to the bone since
nineteen oh four.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
Sorry for not listening to your rural news, Michelle. I
was just pre reading the sports news to save yet
another disaster on the show and then I got the
wrong day. But I think of updated All Whites football
captain Chris Wood's hoping for more clarity with today's scan
on the injury that forced him from the field during
the Oceania World Cup qualifying final in Auckland. Of course,
(26:12):
the All Whites are off to the World Cup and
former All Black Mills Mollena believes a rising injury count,
which stands at fourteen, has the Blues unsettled. The defending
champs ahead into the buy with one win and five losses.
They look like dog Tucker of the old Blues, don't
they look? As far as the New Zealand teams go.
(26:33):
It's the Chiefs and those pesky, pesky crusaders. Never write
them off up next to our UK farming correspondent, Tom Martin,
he's our guy in the UK Farmer, Tom Martin. Social
(26:55):
media influenza extraordinary. But Tom, are you as big an
influencer as clear? Taylor Claire was on the show yesterday
from Australia, good Scottish Neuffield scholar, and I know that
you and Clear your paths have crossed.
Speaker 4 (27:10):
That's right.
Speaker 6 (27:10):
We met the tea in my garden some months ago
and we decided that the Northern Hemisphere wasn't big enough
for the tour of us. So we thought, we thought
we both settle these things. And she's moved down to
the southern hemispeare she has become a token antipothy In
And yeah, but Claire Claire, amazing, amazing, advocate for farming,
(27:32):
got a fantastic background in media and a great voice,
so yeah, she's she's doing a brilliant, brilliant job.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
She's very vivacious and bubbly. She's a wonderful face for agriculture.
Of course, her Nuffield scholarship is on the anti farming agenda,
and as I said to her yesterday, she's got plenty
to work on in her home country of Scotland. For
you guys in the UK, it just goes from bed
to worse. Of course today you've just had farmer protests
(28:01):
across the country.
Speaker 6 (28:03):
That's right, And do you know, I just feel this
the tip of the iceberg. It's the outworking of the
incredible frustration that we're feeling here. We know, as farmers
we have to keep the general public on side. We
know we enjoy incredible public support, farmers just behind our
doctors and nurses in terms of public support, and that
is so important that we have to get the message
(28:25):
across that food security is national security, that when we
screw down our farmers, actually we're affecting the rural economy
and having huge, far reaching and irreversible impacts in the
countryside and therefore for the whole country.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
Rachel Reeves, I think she's known as Rachel from accounts. Well,
come back to that story. She's your Chancellor of the Exchequer,
the same as our Minister of Finance. I think this
week she comes out with her Spring Statement, which is
like a half year statement, is she going to pile
more more misery upon British and UK farmers. Yeah, I
(29:04):
mean I hope not.
Speaker 6 (29:07):
I hope not. I don't think we can take anymore.
I don't need to rehearse the full list of daggers
that we've endured and continue to endure well, attempting to
ensure there are people who will not be enduring them.
Businesses will be going to the war, people will be
struggling to to the end. But I heard Tom Bradshaw
for the president of the National Farmer's Union speaker last
(29:30):
week and he was saying, you know, whereas normally we
look ahead at the Spring Statement with hope for support
for farmers, for measures that that that might encourage productive
and sustainable farming, he said, I hope, I hope we're
not mentioned. You know that the that they are cutting, cutting, cutting,
and crippling our economy. He said, you know, if we're
(29:52):
not mentioned, if we get away with it, then then
that will probably be a good thing. There have been
rumors about taking the the exemptions of red diesel. Of
course we aren't driving our tractors on the road or largely,
and so we have an exemption for agricultural vehicles. And
if they remove that, that'll be another I think it's
(30:14):
thirty to forty pence. I'm sure that is in Kiwi sense.
But onto a liter of diesel, well, that's it's just
another another added cost in an industry where average average
profits used to be between zero point five and one percent, Well,
now we'll be way off there. There'll be people losing
(30:34):
money hand their afaict, they'll be losing livelihoods. And for
an industry where no other industry beats us in terms
of workplace accidents and suicides, it feels very morbid to
say that. I think we're just at the beginning.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
Well, we're very lucky in this country. We've got a
farm of friendly government at the moment. Let's try and
brighten things up. You are heading into your spring, you're
an arable crop and farmer. This must be the time,
tom when you get a real spring in your steep.
Speaker 6 (31:04):
Yep, that's absolutely right. We've been through the false winter,
the false spring. Sorry. We had a warm period about
two or three weeks ago. We then went into what
traditionally is known as blackthorns little winter. When the blackthorn
produces its white flowers, often we get a very cold patch,
and we did. We had a few frosts about a
week or so ago, and we're back into sunshine and
(31:24):
warm weather. Can I tell you it feels good after
the winter we've had. It feels great to be getting
doing a bit of land work. We've been planting our
springstone crops, and the lambs in the field, the sheep
in the fields are approaching lambing there. They're all April
lambers around us, so they'll be lambing in the coming day.
So yeah, it's amazing what a bright, warm, sunny day
(31:47):
can do, even in the midst of other bad news.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
A lamb frolicking in a field. Okay, I sound almost
like Shakespeare there. You and I met and Distal Dwarf
at a bay farming conference many years ago now, and
I'm encouraging you to come over to New Zealand. I
promise you I'll put you up, I'll fade and water
you Tom, But you said you would only come as
long as you could have a barbecue with Jasuinda Ardurn.
(32:13):
You're a big Cinder fanboy. Unfortunately, my budget doesn't stretch
to getting you to Boston because that's where Jasunda is
at the moment at Harvard.
Speaker 6 (32:22):
Well, do you know, just from our conversations over the years,
you know there are a raft of these young Ish
presidents and prime ministers, and you've got macaran and Trudeau
and Jacinda, and in our country Starma and Starmer is
a great example of them in that I think he's
doing a very good job internationally is certainly I hope
(32:42):
viewed pretty well from abroad. And so you start looking
into what's happening inside the country in terms of national politics,
not international politics, and it's an unmitigated disaster. And my
Canadian family is saying the same thing. We've always looked
at trade and thought, well, it seems like a nice
chat from over here, from a few thousand miles away.
Same thing with mccron, who's almost come unstuck in the
last couple of years. And you know, there's certainly been
(33:05):
seemed to be mixed views of Cinder's premiership within New Zealand.
But she always looks pretty good from this part.
Speaker 3 (33:12):
Oh yes, Tom, Well, I think she falls into the
same category as Trudeau and Sakia Starmer, perhaps better on
the international stage than domestically. It's five years to the day, incidentally, Tom,
since just sender locked us down here in New Zealand,
that is a very contentious issue. That's another issue for
another day. Look, I hope spring treats you well and
(33:33):
I hope you don't get a hiding midweek from the
Chancellor's Spring statement.
Speaker 6 (33:37):
Thank you. We need all the support we can get.
Very grateful.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
On in sif in nighttime fluid wrapping the country for
a Tuesday with Monday's weather expert Phil Duncan. Five years
ago today, just into lockedo down. It was a bit
of a happy time for me in some ways. The
(34:03):
first lockdown. We were deemed essential workers here on the
wireless and got to come on every day and break
the shackles from home and a lot of people got
cabin fever at home. What about you?
Speaker 8 (34:14):
Yeah, it was The weather was kind of like it
is at the moment for the top of the North Island.
It was sunny, warm, and yeah, sort of it felt
like school had been canceled. It felt like sort of
like nothing felt normal anymore, and it was sort of
like an extended holiday, even though as a weather forecaster
I had to put on a shirt and a suit
(34:35):
every day to do a weather video.
Speaker 3 (34:37):
Well, there's no afel. There's no rest for weather men.
There's no rest for farmers either, the primary sector. It
kept going. The wheels of industry kept turning during lockdown.
Look very briefly, what do you got for the dry parts,
especially of the North Island.
Speaker 8 (34:51):
So we've got a cold front coming in this week.
Kicks in late Wednesday night, comes in really properly Thursday
as it moves up the South Island. Big temperature drop
for the southern half of the South Island, several degrees
colder and in fact over ten degrees colder than some
places were at the end of last week. But that
system falls apart on Friday as it moves into the
North Island. So there will be some showers, patchy kind
(35:14):
of rain around the North Island on Friday. Then we're
back to high pressure for the rest of the month.
Keep in mind the month is only six days left,
so in April, hopefully we'll get some gaps in the highs,
start getting a chance of some rain coming through.
Speaker 6 (35:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:27):
Do you see that change in the weather pattern happening though?
Or is this just wishful thinking?
Speaker 8 (35:32):
The high pressure belt is still coming out from south
of Australia, so that is still in the mix. But
we are seeing a break in that high pressure belt
at the start of April. Whether or not that break
occurs over New Zealand or further out over the Tasman
in Australia, that's part. Can't quite lock in it. But
there's a whole lot of rain coming out of Australia,
huge amount of rain coming to Queensland over the next week,
(35:53):
and the Southern Ocean also looking really stormy for the
start of April, so we just need the high to
break apart at the right time over US. I think
next week I'll be able to be a bit lot
more detailed about how how we're looking.
Speaker 3 (36:04):
They might Okay, Phil, thanks as always for your time.
I appreciated apologies for being a day late, but you
never let us down. All good, no worries, Phil Duncan.
They're from weather Watch, New Zealand's leading weather man. I
hope Chris Brandolina's not listening when I say that they're
both great weather men and their own sphares. Okay, So
(36:24):
on tomorrow's show, the Prime Minister back from a victorious
trip to India. Can we call it that? I tet
the jostling's already begun. Winston wants us out of Paris.
The Prime Minister to discuss that. On tomorrow's show, I was.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
Getting curious and soul catch you all the latest from
the land. It's the Country Podcast with Jamie mcguy. Thanks
to Brent, You're specialist in John Deere machinery
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
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.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!