April 25, 2025 • 41 mins
Rowena Duncum talks to Todd McClay, Warwick Catto, Dan Steele, Miles Hurrell, and Chris Russell.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The best of the country with Rabobank.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Choose the bank with one hundred and twenty years global
agribusiness experience.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Grow with Rubbobang.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
A very good morning, New Zealand. My name's Rowena Duncan
and for Jamie Mackay. This is the best of the country,
brought to you each and every Saturday morning by Rabobank.
We are growing a bit in New Zealand together. I
hope you enjoyed your ans Act Day, always a lovely
day to remember those who have gone before us. I
was fortunate enough to attend a brilliant dawn parade in
(00:49):
ran Fury yesterday morning. Very fresh like very fresh, but
very beautiful as well. On the best of the country
this week. My favorite interviews from our weekday show twelve
Tool one. We have got Todd McLay, Trade and Agriculture Minister,
looking at whether the government should consider taking a case
against the US to the World Trade Organization and when
(01:12):
New Zealand will resume trade talks with the US. Warwick Catto.
We catch up with one of the two national on
farm judges for the Balance Farm Environment Awards. He and
Jamie Strong traveling the country once again ahead of this
year's National Sustainability Showcase in Wellington and June. The pair
have done it for a while, so we looked at,
you know, what's changed over the years of judging, but
(01:34):
also what has stayed the same. One of the most
amazing farms around New Zealand, and it is amazing. It's
been on Country Calendar three times is Blue Duck Station
in the middle of the central North Island. Caught up
with Dan Steele, its owner during the week to look
at the extensive conservation efforts they are doing on farm
and also whether his wife is about to floo to
(01:55):
their farm with Komanawa horses after that muster which will
take soon. Myles Harrald, Fonterra's chief executive, he's on holiday
at the moment, cycling the rail trail last weekend. He
called into studio with me on Thursday. We've got that
for you before the end of the hour, and of
course in an ANZAC week. Chris Russell, our Australian corresponded
(02:17):
previewing on Thursday show what he was about to do
on Anzac Day and sharing a beautiful story about his
uncle who was also a farmer. It is all on
the best of the country brought to you by Rabobank.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
The best of the country with Rabobank. Choose the bank
with a huge network of progressive farming clients.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Rabobank Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd maclay joins me. Good afternoon.
Some parts of the country still needing a wee bit
of rain. Others have been really desperate and finally got
some at the weekend. Best way to kind of break
a drought is to schedule a drought shout or on
the government's case, announce some assistance.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 5 (02:59):
Well know that through the summer it was very dry
in many parts of the country. I took a decision
to declare drought early to give a certainty to farmers
and in partment in some of the areas that were
still very green, but there wasn't the grass need and
a lot of the farmers had cut into their winter
feed supplies that they were storing up. So although we've
had an enormous amount of rain over the weekend for
(03:23):
many parts of the country, the grass won't grow.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
You know.
Speaker 5 (03:27):
For some of the farmers, they're going to have to
be buying in feedstocks and they may not have the
money for it. So what we've announced over the weekend
is just the last age of that support for drought,
which is real support payments available to anybody in an
eurally area on a farm who is finding it challenging,
and they should just jump on the Ministry of Social
Welfare website. There's a lot of information here. We'll talk
(03:49):
to your Rural Support Trust. They know everything and very
clear message of the governments here to support you and
help you. It's been a very long summer. May have rain,
but you don't have the grass you need rich having
some help with you.
Speaker 6 (04:00):
That's why we're here.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Well, the government consider maybe legal action against the US
in terms of these tariffs. There's been a core put
out there by Stephen Jacobe, who's one of our lead
former trade negotiators who really understands these things, to say
maybe it's just something the government might need to consider
when the time comes.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
It's not something we're considering at this time. And ultimately
that's because we're waiting to see the lay of the land,
and you will have seen even today, you know, sort
of out of the US, the new trade and tariff
arrangements continue to change. New Zealand is captured by a
ten percent tariff across the boards a couple of exceptions,
(04:40):
but to say across the board, as with every other
country in the world, we didn't have a higher tarer
rate than that, but many, some forty countries did have
up to a fifty percent additional that's been wound back
for a ninety day period, and we're engaging with the
US administration. I'll be meeting my counterpart the United State,
it's trade represented the Ambassador Greer next month in Corea,
(05:04):
or have an opportunity to talk directly about what this means.
But as a government, we've decided to be calm, to
get as much information as we can and listen to
and talk to exporters, find ways to help them get
their products into that market, and of course open up
doors to them to be exporting US. Where So Stephen
Jacoby is a great guy. He knows a lot about this.
But as he said in that article, even if we
(05:25):
took a case, it would take a long time. It's
not clear what the outcome would be if it was
in our favor, whether America would honor the outcome, and
the WO sub stands of the moment, the.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
White House is confirmed it has eighteen trade deal proposals
on paper as talking with thirty four countries this week,
as a China deal in the works is New Zealand
in that mix.
Speaker 5 (05:47):
We happen to approach and ask for a trade deal
at the moment. And ultimately that's because at the moment
it is looking like the lowest they'll go is ten percent,
and that's what we already have, and so we said
at the bottom rate. We take Australia as example. They
have a trade a group with Australia, yet live in
post ten percent with them, So we're talking directly about
it means there are some countries of the world were
trades who were facing forty fifty percent SERI phrase European
(06:10):
Union additional twenty percent tariff on top of the ten percent,
and so ultimately that are sort of engaging because the
harms of them would be significantly greater. But we're not
rolling anything out.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
What are your plans for ANZAC day, Todd, Are you're
heading to some services in your electorate?
Speaker 5 (06:29):
I am and I've always always do them here my
electorate Dawn Parade and wrote Aurora. Very early morning. We
get a lot of people, sometimes up to five or
six thousand people come along. It's really good to see.
I mean if families, kids get up early and come
and you know, just recognize. And then I go over
to Teapook at the other side of my electorate, drive past.
It's qv free Orchard and we do the civic ceremony
(06:51):
in the town hall there where every year I get
to choose a fitting reading. This year I'm going to
find one and I'm sure of f of them farmers
who went to war A four and on behalf of
New Zealand, and so you know, it's a really good
day one to come together remember those it served. And
then secondly, I hope the sunshining. It would be great
(07:11):
if I had to mow the launch because that would
mean some of the farmers who got grass.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Absolutely, it's always a good litmus test. Minister for Trade
and Agriculture, Todd McLay, thanks so much for your timing.
You go work on that rural connectivity.
Speaker 5 (07:22):
Hey, I'm going to go stand on a ladder.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Yeah, thanks so much for your time though, Trade and
Agriculture Minister Todd McLay. Here on the Best of the Country,
proudly brought to you by Rabobank. Now that we equip
about rural connectivity. At the end of the interview. I
was actually catching up with Todd live at the start
of Wednesday show. I have no idea where he was,
but it wasn't in very good coverage. I caught quite
(07:46):
a lot of that interview out to be able to
bring you the bulk of it, but I had to
keep stopping and saying, Todd, just shuffle a couple of
steps to your left, try a couple of steps to
your right, to try and get him back into coverage.
Someone who will have bet a lot of rural connectivity
issues is Warwick Katto. He's up next here on the
Best of the Country. He and Jamie Strang are traveling
(08:07):
around New Zealand at the moment as part of the
National on Farm judging for the Balance Farm Environment Awards.
Something you do want. A bit of good connectivity still
to come this hour, We're off to Blue Dunk Station,
Dan Steel, Miles Hurrel Fonterra Ceo and a bit of
an ANZAC story with Chris Russell, our Australian correspondent.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
The Best of the Country with Rabobank the Bank with
local agri banking experts passionate about the future of rural
communities Rabobank.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Well, all eleven origional winners have been found in the
Balance Farm Environment Awards. The National on Farm judging is
in the thick of it, the halfway through it. Basically
now joining me is one of the two judges tripping
around the country Warwick Katto. Good afternoon, Warwick from a
sort of funny tower on today.
Speaker 6 (09:03):
After lots of rain, I think filers and grass are
probably happy with the rain we've been having recently.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Yeah, absolutely, Looking at neewa's drought monitor map on the internet,
like honestly it has been so angry read for a
while and a lot of those places have now gone clear,
so we have well and truly broken the drought. It
makes it for very interesting on farm judging. If you've
got not much grass around Warwick, how is the judging
(09:30):
process going so far?
Speaker 6 (09:32):
Well, as you say it's halfway through, we've pretty much
been doing all the upper half of the North Island
to date and so we've got the Taranaki and the
South Island to do in a week or two time.
But the challenge and exciting thing this year is how
diverse the group is. You know, we've got deer farming
(09:56):
we've got dairy, we've got leafy greens or vegetables, beef,
kiwi fruit high country down in Otago, sheep and beef
and arable like I don't. It's the most diverse group
cohort we've ever had. So it's actually very enjoyable to
go and visit the different enterprises.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Absolutely, but you know it makes it pretty challenging for
yourself and Jamie String you know, how do you compare
apples and oranges?
Speaker 6 (10:21):
Well, the way I look at is, at a very
high level, they all use the same resources. They all
use people, land, climates, cash and so part of it is,
you know, the same paths of land you could put
different farming people on and they'd come up with different enterprises.
(10:43):
So at a very broad level you're actually looking at
how they do that, and particularly with how they're doing
it relative to their own sector. So it's about resource
use efficiency and they're all exceptional at it.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
Now this year it is particularly special Worwick because the
awards basically started thirty years ago in the White Cuttle
A man the name of Gordon Stephenson and a bunch
of farmers around him kicked it all off.
Speaker 6 (11:15):
Yeah, well I went to the Whitecatta Awards this year
and there was a celebratory function for them, and yeah,
it was quite insightful in terms of starting something like this.
And I remember when we first got involved about twenty
odd years ago. You know, one of the things with
the Farm Environment Awards is how many farmers might you
(11:39):
marginalize talking about environmental issues and it shows how much
their farming sectors progressed to These environmental issues are very
mainstream now. Was if you go back to the two
thousands or the nineteen nineties, you know, were peering, planting
and protection of ecosystems was not a common practice at all.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
It would have been a novelty, and now it is
very very common around the country. In your experience, what
has changed over time and maybe what actually hasn't.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
For me?
Speaker 6 (12:15):
Some of the big changes, particularly as around labor, particularly
the pivot from being often very farmer staff were on
a progression to ownership. Where's a lot of them now
are employees and so and so how they managed staff
has certainly changed a lot. Health and safety. You know,
(12:38):
we were whizzing around on four wheelers without helmets back
in the day, whereas now helmets are the norm. Commonly
worn using side both sides the environment. Again, if you
think back then stock exclusion with the clean streams accord
was the thing, whereas now you're seeing planting of riparian
(12:59):
area and the more progressive ones are now moving into
a predator control, so quite a focus on biodiversity. And
the other one you see commonly is the farming farming
journey that we've gone through with climate change with greenhouse
gases and whether you irrespective whether you sit on it,
(13:20):
what you've seen is the mindset change towards a very
whereas if the market wants something, what's the opportunity and
presenting products that the market wants. And so that's the
one thing that probably hasn't changed is the farmer grows
that we need have always been looking at market opportunities.
(13:41):
How do they either value add to their own products,
but it wool or meet or dairy, either directly themselves,
direct to market or indirectly through their their retailing businesses
on farm tourism, interesting has always been there the number
them doing that again in the share in the community
(14:01):
wide are primary industry and community interests. So some things
have changed the same, the more values that people have,
but the farming contexts changed, and you know when you change,
you know, farm productivity changes one percent improves one percent
per enum, and so it's very incremental. You don't notice it.
And one of the things we've been doing is revisiting
(14:24):
properties that we might have revisited five or ten years ago.
And when you go back and revisit them, particularly when
you've had videos and photos of it, it's quite interesting
to see their reaction because they don't see that incremental
change whereas we do, and it's quite impressive to see
where we're going.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Warek Kato one of the two national judges, alongside the
wonderful and remarkable Jamie Strong. Not that you're not wonderful
and remarkable Warwick, but really appreciate your time and good
luck with the rest of those balanced farm environment towards judging.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Thanks rowen up the best of the Country with rubber Bank.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Choose the bank with one hundred and twenty years global
agribusiness experience, Grow with Rubbobank.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
Welcome back into the best of the Country, proudly brought
to you by Rabobank. I'm Rowena Duncan and for Jamie McKay,
He'll be back with us next week a bit of
Ossie music now. Of course Anzac Day yesterday played Dragon
at the start of the show, a band that both
countries have tried to claim but let's be honest, we
all know they are key. We still to come this hour.
(15:49):
We're off to Blue Ducks Station next, an amazing property
in the center of the North Island doing amazing things
with conservation. Will tell you about that very shortly. Myles
harrel Fonterra Ceo is on holiday in Central Otago. He
wandered into our studio in Dunedin on Thursday's show. He
is still to come and of course the day after
Anzac Day. Chris Russell, our Australian correspondent, his personal family
(16:13):
connection to the war and to Anzac Day as well. Now.
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to rural community projects right throughout New Zealand. If you
(16:34):
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Teas and seas apply find out more about that on
the rabobank website as well rabo dot co dot Nz.
And right up next, we are after Blue Duck Station,
Dan Steele. Here on the country, the.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Best of the country with Rabobank. Choose the bank with
a huge network of progressive farming clients. Rabobank.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
We're after a very special part of the country now,
Blue Duck Station and the center of the North Island.
Joining me is owner Dan Steele. Good afternoon, here are
you getting on very well? Thank you? How the things
at Blue Ducks Station? Just recap what your property is
all about and where you are?
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Yeah it is. Look, we're just simply going to live
a meaningful life out in the bush here with the family,
grow a sustainable winter generational business that connects us all
with the land over time and have some fun along
the way. So yeah, we're tourism and farming and honey
and conservation and growing a few trees and a hunting
business and everything you can do on the land and
the great outdoors. We're having a crack at it, trying
(17:57):
to make it meaningful and have some fun.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Most I would just say, you know, he's a sheep
and beef farmer from Toma Denuey or something like that,
or she's a dairy farmer from North End. That's why
I got you to explain what you do, because there's
so many facets to it. Dan, And at the beginning
of April I noticed you nearly added a riverboat to
your operation. A bit of an April Fools joke there,
(18:19):
but knowing you as I do, I kind of think
maybe that will have still got the colds of your
brain ticking.
Speaker 7 (18:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
Funnily enough, I did put it up to take the falls,
and it went a bit viral with people getting in
touch from around the world, and it was just meant
to be April Falls that got taken. Seriously, I'm not
going to float the big Lakeland Queen from Road down
the river on the next flood. But we are actually
just we have got a quite looking at designing a
boat for us. He thinks it'll be a great concept
to have the old floating hotel going again. But it
(18:46):
is a far off concept and we'll just see where
that ends up in the future. We've got a lot
more irons in the fire to think about before now.
And then the boat.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
We're referring to the old river boat that was used
back in Alexander hat Trick's day floating hotel. What was
it at Peperokee.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
It was actually here at Focaharto at Blue Ducks, So
it was moored on the retro Rookie River when it
finished its life for its last seven or years or
so on the retro Rookie River where it was used
as a stopover for the riverboats. And it was a
five star floating hotel with a flash restaurant and things.
And it burnt down in the nineteen thirties here, but
yet there's a lot of photos of it around racing
(19:24):
the covers of old history books and things, and it's
pretty spectacular.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
That's right. It was the stop off on the way
to Pippadecki. When the boat burnt down. There was something
interesting in the artwork that was somehow not lost with
the boat.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
Well, so the stories go. You know, some of the
artworks and fine antiques found their way to other parts
of New Zealand before the boat burnt down, but you
know who would know absolutely.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Hey, what's the focus for blue duck over the next
week while? Are you having a lot of interest with
your hunting at the moment? With the stags roaring?
Speaker 4 (19:56):
Yeah, Look, the drought's broken wall price has double, that's
gone from nothing to not much. Lamb and beef's looking
pretty well. You know, we're just scanned the heifers you
help put the balls out. Actually, row we've got nine
out of seventy nine out of eighty two and cars
first first carvers, which is pretty good. The stags are
still roaring. We've just had a pretty good roar. They've
been a bit stop start in the warm autumn, but
(20:17):
we've got some good stags out, plenty of happy hunters
coming through a few misty mornings now in the autumn. Ye,
duck shooting's coming up. We're not big on duck shooting.
We're more big on looking after the blue ducks are
and sort of observing what they're doing and doing a
whole lot of conservation work, but we do get out
now and again and go and visit some friends who
do some duck shooting on their properties and enjoy the
(20:38):
social side of that a little bit.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Obviously, you've got the amazing chef's table, that ten course
digastation meal that you host up in the Hills House.
Bookings for that going because it's quite a unique proposition
and as someone who's sampled it, it's stem delicious.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
Yeah, it's having a good, strong finish for the season.
We're real busy this weekend. It's coming up towards the
end of the season. We'll shut in June for a
couple of months there. Bookings next year are about to
open and we're anticipating they'll be pretty strong. We're building
up there again at the moment and building Tom Cruis's
new cabin up there at the top the top of
the world, so we should be finished that hopefully in May,
(21:14):
and that's going to add a bit more to our
offering for next season, which is pretty cool. Yeah, that
pretty big push for the next month. They've got the
boys a reposting the boardwalks and stairs and doing all
the finishing touches. And we should be good to go
on that cabin. Yeah, very shortly, so looking forward to
next season.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Yeah, absolutely. You have a massive conservation if it not
just for the blue ducks on Blue Ducks Station, you've
got a lot of traps around for ferrets, the rats, stoats,
weasels in the lake. How's the trapping line.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
Going, Yeah, the trappings, it's going really well. We've got
more conservation work happening now than we've ever had before.
We've got a really good crew of volunteers who been
with us for a few years. They really are committed
to making New Zealand a better place and we're sort
of one of their main vehicles for doing it where
they come in here regular basis, store our trap lines around,
hundreds of traps, put a new trapping technologies with the
(22:07):
likes of at two twenties from n Zight Auto Traps.
You know, we're putting more of those out, having a
good run with them, a twenty fours out and some
inaccessible areas. Yeah, we're getting better blue duck counts than
we've had over the years, and we've got more Kiwi
sightings happening than we've ever had. So it's pretty exciting
the conservation space heading towards some new technologies coming out. Yeah,
(22:31):
we're really excited and pleased to be in that space
for predator free New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
Just finally, your wife is quite a conservationist as well.
The wild Chimunoa muster's coming up. How many do you
reckon she's going to try and sneak onto your property.
Speaker 4 (22:47):
You wouldn't know, so I she'll probably tell me she's
going shopping and she'll turn up back with three more horses.
It has happened before. She's I know, she's looking at
the kimonos again, but she's she's breaking into or three
kimonos at the moment, and she's got one of the hoopsail.
But and she just got three wild horses out of
the barn orthor spirits to bay horses. So sient he
turned up with them when she popping trips, you do,
(23:10):
he's breaking those and at the moment for the trekking
team and or completed the trick for life. So we're
riding length of New Zealand over a few over over
a few years and raising a bit of money. So
we've just done that and we're looking forward to doing
that again next year on a couple of horses of
Sandy's breaking in at the moment.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
Yeah, yeah, honestly it will never end on that front.
Dan Steele out of Blue Duck Station, pass on my
regards to Sandy and thanks so much for your time today.
Speaker 8 (23:37):
Hey, good role, lovely talking to you all of our
day the best of the country with Rubbo Bag the bank,
with local agri banking experts passionate about the future of
rural communities rubber Bag.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Joining me in studio today is Miles Hurrell, CEO of Fontira.
Good afternoon, Miles, very well. Thank you. Of course you
are the one responsible for our first song of the day.
You said, look, we're in Duneda and choose something six sixty.
I've chosen the greatest. I'm not saying you're the greatest. Ye,
you're all right, but it's the only song I consider
(24:08):
of there is to have a bit of beat.
Speaker 9 (24:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (24:10):
We've just come down here with some friends for the
last few days. Done the rail trail. Been a wonderful
few days actually, and the sunshine and duned and can't
be better than that. So ye've be great to you, hear.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Yeah, And of course the rail trail is something I
said when I moved down to Dunedin eight years ago,
I was going to have a crack at still on
the bucket list? How good? Like how good out of
ten would you rate it?
Speaker 4 (24:30):
It's right up there.
Speaker 10 (24:31):
I mean, this is something pretty special for New Zealand.
And you know ten out of ten and plenty of
our cheese rolls to boot planned opportunity to see some
farmers on the way and great week you.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Had me at cheese rolls. That's been one of my
favorite discoveries of moving down south. And of course with
Fonterra cheese of course has to be, has to be,
has to be. What were some of the highlights for
you though? Was there any part of the trail that
really stood out well?
Speaker 10 (24:54):
Just to see these small towns that you probably don't
normally stop And we started in Clyde and finished up
in middle March, so about or five days through there.
But but you know, just the different country pubs, the
people you meet along the way, but also just the
time to sort of get out, look at the scenery,
take your time. Got a bit weet ale on the way,
so plane the rains through there. But as I say,
overall bloody good week.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
Yeah yeah, indeed, And I was in the same area
while you were there over easter, but chasing deer around
and the paddocks. Did you see many deer from the
rail trail?
Speaker 10 (25:23):
There was quite a few, actually, I must says, more
more deer here than you would see in the North Island,
that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
So no, no, it was.
Speaker 10 (25:29):
It was a great, great scenery.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
And just considering that I hadn't actually thought if you're
doing the rail trail and the raw, yeah, you're obviously
going to have a few.
Speaker 10 (25:36):
Yeah, yeah, yeah he was, but no weapons with us
this time, so just just letting here.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
Yeah, you went through Wedderburn. Did you manage to catch
up with our made up there, Steugh Duncan?
Speaker 10 (25:47):
We did, indeed, a fantastic accommodation there, and the Widowuren
Pub put on a decent feed for us as well,
So now it's excellent. He's got a great sea up there,
I must say. I think he's running aboutwelve thousand stock
units at the moment, so that's a decent sized operation.
But his is chalais that he's got there for the punters.
This excellent.
Speaker 3 (26:03):
Yeah, yeah, we do give him a lot of stick
on the show, Old Stewie, but who does a damn
good job. Hey, look, a month left in the dairy season.
How are things looking coming to a close?
Speaker 10 (26:13):
Yeah, I mean it's been a pretty good season milk wise,
despite obviously being being quite wet more recently. But you know,
we're sitting out there with a midpoint of ten dollars.
That the gdt's sort of been around that number for
a while now, but we're seen, you know, the US
economy sort of fall off a little bit, which means
that the dollars come back a little bit. So as
a result of that, you know, the increase you've seen
(26:34):
in GDT won't play through to any increases i'd say
at this point. But we're sitting at ten dollars as
a midpoint, quite happy with that, and when you looked
forward to the season ahead, also, things are looking quite good,
not with sending some of the macroeconomic challenges that we
see out there.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
When you walked into the studio, Miles, you looked at
the whiteboard on the wall there that obviously I'd put
an update months if not years ago, saying Fonterra a
milk price ranger between seven dollars twenty five. I have
an eight dollars seventy five and ben point eight dollars.
We've come a long way since then.
Speaker 10 (27:04):
We have come a long way, and I think we've seen,
you know, that Chinese market sort of come back, not
quite to what it was sort of a couple of
years ago, but certainly you're starting to see some signs
of life out of that market. We've seen some signs
of life out of the Middle East as well, which
is a good market for US Southeast Asia. So overall,
demands in a good position in supply, you just not
seeing the supply to the US or not seeing supply
to Europe as we would have seen when you get
(27:25):
to these sort of price level. So you know, it
is a pretty good time I think to be a
dairy farmer. And at there at the moment.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
Absolutely now you walked down here and gave me a coffee.
I should have been the one buying you a coffee
to try and butter you up. You know, I'm looking
at you in the eyes. You're not on the phone
this time. Any hint of an opening milk price.
Speaker 10 (27:42):
Well, we're about a month away from that opening position.
And as I say, that the supply demand dynamics are
quite quite helpful where we sit here. But you know,
some of those clouds that are emerging, will it be
you know, what's happening with out of the US in
terms of the tariff wall that's underway. How does that
play out long term?
Speaker 4 (27:57):
Who knows?
Speaker 10 (27:57):
But I do see that the global economy slow and somewhat.
Does it have an impact throughout next season? Not too sure,
but the supply demand position is very helpful for us
to put a decent number out I think in a
month's time.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
Is it a company like Fonterra or a come up
blake Fonterra, Whether the way things are emerging globally, how
do you keep an eye on that? Like I imagine you've
got entire teams who are devoted to finding out what's
happening overseas and feeding that information through. But there's just
so much happening at the moment to keep an eye
on you.
Speaker 10 (28:28):
There is so much happening. But it's also the pace
of change as well, And so you know, you wake
up the morning, you see things on the on the media,
and that's that's almost as fast as you're getting it
from you guys in market now as well because things
are moving so fast, so it is hard to try
and manage. But you know, we've got good people around
the world. We're in most of the corners of the
world to understand what's happening. And you know, at the
same time, you don't have an influence over that, so
(28:48):
we just got to play it, play it as we
see it.
Speaker 3 (28:50):
Now. You've got a whole entourage in the studio, whether
you there's six of you and one of me. We've
also got six segments in the show, so I've said
to everyone in the ad break row a song was
started with you with six sixty miles. I'm a bit
nervous about what's to come from some of these.
Speaker 10 (29:06):
Well, well me too. When you got your twelve year
old son who's listened to stuff that I don't usually
listen to, I'm actually worried for the listener, right, So yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
Absolutely, I'm just absolving myself of any any responsibility for
music choices for the rest of the show. Myles hurrel
Fonterra Ceo, thank you so much for coming and then
calling in on your way through Dunedin. You've definitely added
that rail trial to the list of my mustos in
the next few years. But appreciate your time.
Speaker 10 (29:32):
Go well, No Worri, it's great for having us, Thanks
very much.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Good morning New Zealand to welcome into the big star
of the Country, Miles Hurrle. They're fantastic to have him
in studio on Thursday here at Country h Q and
Dunedin up next to wrap the Best of the Country
proudly brought to you by Rabobank. It's no enn Zach
Week without our Australian correspondent Chris Russell and his family
connection to the war.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
The Best of the Country with Rabobank.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
Choose the bank with one hundred and twenty years global
agri business experience grew with rubber bag.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
Well we're off to Australia. Now on the Country there
we find Chris Russell, our Australian correspondent of over thirty
one years standing on the show. Chris, and that time
you would have covered off quite a few Anzac days
with Jamie McKay.
Speaker 11 (30:17):
Good afternoon, yes today, Row and yes we have covered
many and from all over the world, including from Gallipoli itself.
I remember a very astute interview with Helen Clark. Your
Prime Minister in the hotel in Chennacaie where we were
both staying before we went over for the dawn service
and a remarkable interview. I found her to be amazingly
(30:41):
responsive and switched on. And of course everyone in Australia
and New Zealand now celebrates this very sacred day. I
think probably even more sacred to Australians than Australia Day,
which is mid a bit in controversy here, but we'll
be all out tomorrow. Everyone will be out at the
dawn services. I'm going to a lunch and an Anzac Day
(31:02):
lunch as well, you know. And the young people attendants
at the dawn service tomorrow. I mean I couldn't get
my kids out of bed with a stick at four
o'clock in the morning normally, but you know they. I
can guarantee to you that half the people there tomorrow
will be people under aged, under twenty five or thirty.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Yeah, it warms my heart every year. I'm off to
a service in rainfairly tomorrow and the many are toto here,
central Otago, small town and really looking forward to it.
Not looking forward to the cool it will be rather frosty,
but yeah, just an amazing, amazing day. What does Anzac
Day mean to you?
Speaker 11 (31:38):
Well, I think for me, it's a time when you
reflect on how lucky we are as a country and
you increasingly look around the world. And we're having an
election in a couple of weeks and we went and
voted in the pre polls yesterday. There's no soldiers standing
around with machine guns. It's a civil democracy process, you know.
(31:59):
This is a freedom. This is a country which has
been defended by people who have given up their very
existence in order that we can have that freedom. And
that's I think what Australians are celebrating. They're not celebrating war.
War is a terrible thing, but and young people of
course increasingly are probably less inclined to want a fight
or have anything to do with that, but that doesn't
(32:20):
stop them respecting the people who defended our country against
those invaders years ago. And I particularly reminded of my
uncle who was my grandmother's brother. He was just a
farmer from Claire in South Australia, a little town. I
talked to you from there last year and we were
traveling through with the caravan. He immediately with his mates
(32:42):
went down at the age of eighteen, when soon as
the war started the First World War, signed up to
go overseas, was sent into the Battle of the Somme,
and very quickly, from having no military background, was awarded
the Military Medal because he was very good at cricket.
He was sitting there catch the bombs that the Germans
were throwing from their trenches into the Australian trenches. He
(33:05):
was catching them and throwing them back before they blew up.
Sounds like an inherently dangerous thing, nearly as dangerous as
facing the palms in the ashes, but anyway, he won
the Military Medal for that, and then he was promoted
in the field to lieutenant and put in the intelligence
score and went over the Battle of Darrencourt, where because
he spoke fluent German, he was given the job of
(33:26):
crawling under across dead no man's land, underneath all the
dead bodies, to try and listen in to the German
Orders group meetings at night where the Germans were deciding
what they're going to do the next day, and then
come back again across the same territory and report to
the British generals about what was going to happen. And
he was single handedly given a very significant part of
(33:48):
the responsibility for the victory that they had at that
particular battle, and for that he won the Military Cross.
The Military Cross could only be awarded officers, Military Medal
the ordinary soldiers, and so he is one of five
Australians to be awarded both the Military Medal and the
Military Cross. Look where as a family, of course very
proud of him, and yet he was never really proud
(34:09):
of himself. I don't remember well. I was only ten
when he died, but he came back and went back
to his farm, continued to grow. Wheat died at the
age of seventy nine in nineteen sixty two and just
became an ordinary citizen again, citizen again. My grandmother said,
he never really spoke much about his war experience. It
was just something he did with his mates. And yet we,
(34:30):
I think today, celebrate people like him, the fact that
they've given us these freedoms. They were prepared to drop
what they were doing, defend us through the mother country,
as they then had in England, from being being taken
over by countries who would have run this place completely differently.
And we should forever remember that, because that is a sacred,
(34:52):
ultimate sacrifice these men made, and I think anything we
can do to recognize that, go down and have our
own memories round the Senator on Aday morning is a
very special time.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
Right absolutely, Chris Russell, our Australian correspondent. Always love catching
up with you around that Anzac time, A very special
day for both of our countries. Appreciate your time and
all the best at that service tomorrow, no worries.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
Thanks same to you, the best of the country with Rabobank.
Choose the bank with a huge network of progressive farming clients.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
Ravo Bank.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Chris Russell, our Australian correspondent, fittingly wrapping the best of
the country on a long Amzac weekend. Good morning New Zealand.
My name's Rowena Duncan and for Jamie McKay, we've been
a dragon to see us out this long Amzac weekend.
A band, as I mentioned earlier, claimed by both countries,
even though we both know they have very much a
(35:56):
key we band look spent a lot of time yesterday,
as I mentioned a tear the ANZAC service and ran
fairly thinking of my family's connection to the war. We've
just heard Chris Russell's family's connection to the war and
I muntioned this on Thursday Show. My granddad was actually
in the Air Force secondered to England. He was based
in malta wonderful country for a while before being shot
(36:18):
down in the Mediterranean scene. Now, unbeknownst to my family,
he was rescued by some of the Maltese people spent
a bit of time being sheltered by them. My poor grandma,
my nana, knew nothing about it. Was just old he
was lost at sea. Now she was in Palmerston, North
there planning a memorial service when she read in the
paper probably the dom Post at that time, that he
(36:38):
was actually my grandfather was on a boat arriving in
Wellington the next day. Can you imagine it. Obviously, if
he hadn't come back, my father wouldn't be here. But
sadly he actually passed away with My dad was about
three months old of injury sustained in war, and that
was just pretty typical for the time.
Speaker 11 (36:56):
Then.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
I imagine a lot of loved ones lost either at
war or in the years following due to some of
the injuries they had succumbed. Had a great text through
on five o nine yesterday from a listener who said
their maternal grandfather was shot and wounded both at the
Somme and at Passiondale, who survived and recovered to come home,
went on to marry this person's grandmother and father ten children.
(37:20):
They were very busy. Their paternal great aunt was also
a nurse working on board the Marquette, which was sunk
in the ag and c by the Germans. Very unlucky family.
She survived, though, and came home to continue her nursing
career as matron of a couple of hospitals. She'd been
married a policeman who became a publican, winning at life.
Lest we forget though, this long Anzac weekend. Now, this
(37:43):
is the beast of the country each and every Saturday morning.
Here on news talks. He'd been Hokanui gold Sport and iHeartRadio,
brought to you by Rabobank. We are growing a bit
in New Zealand together, Jamie mackay back in the hot
seat next week. I am off to go and chase
some roaring stags there in Ranfred. Once again, I'll leave
you with a wee bit more dragon to see out
the hour of very fitting this long anticakend, A set of.
Speaker 12 (38:17):
Life summers on the run.
Speaker 13 (38:23):
People tell me I should sit, but I got to
come up from.
Speaker 7 (38:31):
So don't chid me back?
Speaker 1 (38:35):
And nothing you can say.
Speaker 9 (38:39):
Snakes on a far gas and we.
Speaker 7 (38:42):
Got to go to Jay.
Speaker 9 (38:47):
Take take me away, so right, so right, stacking almost
(39:11):
fellow from you men you see the stars got.
Speaker 3 (39:18):
I wish you call.
Speaker 7 (39:19):
Him with that bab good rather fall.
Speaker 13 (39:23):
My castle, Renni outaway talking about miss Hella, talking about
can't shot shake me to.
Speaker 7 (39:44):
From up, shake me away on the camera fotainment, So right,
so right, clean back.
Speaker 12 (40:06):
Time set in life, Summerson and run word the words
got a head and fall the sound.
Speaker 7 (40:22):
Wow, we can't stick it out and the cold and
bray snake out on the pad.
Speaker 3 (40:32):
Thing got to go to.
Speaker 7 (40:37):
Second came up, shake him out? Shut right, so right,
cleaning back from table, Ventu
The best of the country with Rabobank.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Choose the bank with one hundred and twenty years global
agribusiness experience.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Grow with Rubbobang.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
A very good morning, New Zealand. My name's Rowena Duncan
and for Jamie Mackay. This is the best of the country,
brought to you each and every Saturday morning by Rabobank.
We are growing a bit in New Zealand together. I
hope you enjoyed your ans Act Day, always a lovely
day to remember those who have gone before us. I
was fortunate enough to attend a brilliant dawn parade in
(00:49):
ran Fury yesterday morning. Very fresh like very fresh, but
very beautiful as well. On the best of the country
this week. My favorite interviews from our weekday show twelve
Tool one. We have got Todd McLay, Trade and Agriculture Minister,
looking at whether the government should consider taking a case
against the US to the World Trade Organization and when
(01:12):
New Zealand will resume trade talks with the US. Warwick Catto.
We catch up with one of the two national on
farm judges for the Balance Farm Environment Awards. He and
Jamie Strong traveling the country once again ahead of this
year's National Sustainability Showcase in Wellington and June. The pair
have done it for a while, so we looked at,
you know, what's changed over the years of judging, but
(01:34):
also what has stayed the same. One of the most
amazing farms around New Zealand, and it is amazing. It's
been on Country Calendar three times is Blue Duck Station
in the middle of the central North Island. Caught up
with Dan Steele, its owner during the week to look
at the extensive conservation efforts they are doing on farm
and also whether his wife is about to floo to
(01:55):
their farm with Komanawa horses after that muster which will
take soon. Myles Harrald, Fonterra's chief executive, he's on holiday
at the moment, cycling the rail trail last weekend. He
called into studio with me on Thursday. We've got that
for you before the end of the hour, and of
course in an ANZAC week. Chris Russell, our Australian corresponded
(02:17):
previewing on Thursday show what he was about to do
on Anzac Day and sharing a beautiful story about his
uncle who was also a farmer. It is all on
the best of the country brought to you by Rabobank.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
The best of the country with Rabobank. Choose the bank
with a huge network of progressive farming clients.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Rabobank Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd maclay joins me. Good afternoon.
Some parts of the country still needing a wee bit
of rain. Others have been really desperate and finally got
some at the weekend. Best way to kind of break
a drought is to schedule a drought shout or on
the government's case, announce some assistance.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 5 (02:59):
Well know that through the summer it was very dry
in many parts of the country. I took a decision
to declare drought early to give a certainty to farmers
and in partment in some of the areas that were
still very green, but there wasn't the grass need and
a lot of the farmers had cut into their winter
feed supplies that they were storing up. So although we've
had an enormous amount of rain over the weekend for
(03:23):
many parts of the country, the grass won't grow.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
You know.
Speaker 5 (03:27):
For some of the farmers, they're going to have to
be buying in feedstocks and they may not have the
money for it. So what we've announced over the weekend
is just the last age of that support for drought,
which is real support payments available to anybody in an
eurally area on a farm who is finding it challenging,
and they should just jump on the Ministry of Social
Welfare website. There's a lot of information here. We'll talk
(03:49):
to your Rural Support Trust. They know everything and very
clear message of the governments here to support you and
help you. It's been a very long summer. May have rain,
but you don't have the grass you need rich having
some help with you.
Speaker 6 (04:00):
That's why we're here.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Well, the government consider maybe legal action against the US
in terms of these tariffs. There's been a core put
out there by Stephen Jacobe, who's one of our lead
former trade negotiators who really understands these things, to say
maybe it's just something the government might need to consider
when the time comes.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
It's not something we're considering at this time. And ultimately
that's because we're waiting to see the lay of the land,
and you will have seen even today, you know, sort
of out of the US, the new trade and tariff
arrangements continue to change. New Zealand is captured by a
ten percent tariff across the boards a couple of exceptions,
(04:40):
but to say across the board, as with every other
country in the world, we didn't have a higher tarer
rate than that, but many, some forty countries did have
up to a fifty percent additional that's been wound back
for a ninety day period, and we're engaging with the
US administration. I'll be meeting my counterpart the United State,
it's trade represented the Ambassador Greer next month in Corea,
(05:04):
or have an opportunity to talk directly about what this means.
But as a government, we've decided to be calm, to
get as much information as we can and listen to
and talk to exporters, find ways to help them get
their products into that market, and of course open up
doors to them to be exporting US. Where So Stephen
Jacoby is a great guy. He knows a lot about this.
But as he said in that article, even if we
(05:25):
took a case, it would take a long time. It's
not clear what the outcome would be if it was
in our favor, whether America would honor the outcome, and
the WO sub stands of the moment, the.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
White House is confirmed it has eighteen trade deal proposals
on paper as talking with thirty four countries this week,
as a China deal in the works is New Zealand
in that mix.
Speaker 5 (05:47):
We happen to approach and ask for a trade deal
at the moment. And ultimately that's because at the moment
it is looking like the lowest they'll go is ten percent,
and that's what we already have, and so we said
at the bottom rate. We take Australia as example. They
have a trade a group with Australia, yet live in
post ten percent with them, So we're talking directly about
it means there are some countries of the world were
trades who were facing forty fifty percent SERI phrase European
(06:10):
Union additional twenty percent tariff on top of the ten percent,
and so ultimately that are sort of engaging because the
harms of them would be significantly greater. But we're not
rolling anything out.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
What are your plans for ANZAC day, Todd, Are you're
heading to some services in your electorate?
Speaker 5 (06:29):
I am and I've always always do them here my
electorate Dawn Parade and wrote Aurora. Very early morning. We
get a lot of people, sometimes up to five or
six thousand people come along. It's really good to see.
I mean if families, kids get up early and come
and you know, just recognize. And then I go over
to Teapook at the other side of my electorate, drive past.
It's qv free Orchard and we do the civic ceremony
(06:51):
in the town hall there where every year I get
to choose a fitting reading. This year I'm going to
find one and I'm sure of f of them farmers
who went to war A four and on behalf of
New Zealand, and so you know, it's a really good
day one to come together remember those it served. And
then secondly, I hope the sunshining. It would be great
(07:11):
if I had to mow the launch because that would
mean some of the farmers who got grass.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Absolutely, it's always a good litmus test. Minister for Trade
and Agriculture, Todd McLay, thanks so much for your timing.
You go work on that rural connectivity.
Speaker 5 (07:22):
Hey, I'm going to go stand on a ladder.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Yeah, thanks so much for your time though, Trade and
Agriculture Minister Todd McLay. Here on the Best of the Country,
proudly brought to you by Rabobank. Now that we equip
about rural connectivity. At the end of the interview. I
was actually catching up with Todd live at the start
of Wednesday show. I have no idea where he was,
but it wasn't in very good coverage. I caught quite
(07:46):
a lot of that interview out to be able to
bring you the bulk of it, but I had to
keep stopping and saying, Todd, just shuffle a couple of
steps to your left, try a couple of steps to
your right, to try and get him back into coverage.
Someone who will have bet a lot of rural connectivity
issues is Warwick Katto. He's up next here on the
Best of the Country. He and Jamie Strang are traveling
(08:07):
around New Zealand at the moment as part of the
National on Farm judging for the Balance Farm Environment Awards.
Something you do want. A bit of good connectivity still
to come this hour, We're off to Blue Dunk Station,
Dan Steel, Miles Hurrel Fonterra Ceo and a bit of
an ANZAC story with Chris Russell, our Australian correspondent.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
The Best of the Country with Rabobank the Bank with
local agri banking experts passionate about the future of rural
communities Rabobank.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Well, all eleven origional winners have been found in the
Balance Farm Environment Awards. The National on Farm judging is
in the thick of it, the halfway through it. Basically
now joining me is one of the two judges tripping
around the country Warwick Katto. Good afternoon, Warwick from a
sort of funny tower on today.
Speaker 6 (09:03):
After lots of rain, I think filers and grass are
probably happy with the rain we've been having recently.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Yeah, absolutely, Looking at neewa's drought monitor map on the internet,
like honestly it has been so angry read for a
while and a lot of those places have now gone clear,
so we have well and truly broken the drought. It
makes it for very interesting on farm judging. If you've
got not much grass around Warwick, how is the judging
(09:30):
process going so far?
Speaker 6 (09:32):
Well, as you say it's halfway through, we've pretty much
been doing all the upper half of the North Island
to date and so we've got the Taranaki and the
South Island to do in a week or two time.
But the challenge and exciting thing this year is how
diverse the group is. You know, we've got deer farming
(09:56):
we've got dairy, we've got leafy greens or vegetables, beef,
kiwi fruit high country down in Otago, sheep and beef
and arable like I don't. It's the most diverse group
cohort we've ever had. So it's actually very enjoyable to
go and visit the different enterprises.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Absolutely, but you know it makes it pretty challenging for
yourself and Jamie String you know, how do you compare
apples and oranges?
Speaker 6 (10:21):
Well, the way I look at is, at a very
high level, they all use the same resources. They all
use people, land, climates, cash and so part of it is,
you know, the same paths of land you could put
different farming people on and they'd come up with different enterprises.
(10:43):
So at a very broad level you're actually looking at
how they do that, and particularly with how they're doing
it relative to their own sector. So it's about resource
use efficiency and they're all exceptional at it.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
Now this year it is particularly special Worwick because the
awards basically started thirty years ago in the White Cuttle
A man the name of Gordon Stephenson and a bunch
of farmers around him kicked it all off.
Speaker 6 (11:15):
Yeah, well I went to the Whitecatta Awards this year
and there was a celebratory function for them, and yeah,
it was quite insightful in terms of starting something like this.
And I remember when we first got involved about twenty
odd years ago. You know, one of the things with
the Farm Environment Awards is how many farmers might you
(11:39):
marginalize talking about environmental issues and it shows how much
their farming sectors progressed to These environmental issues are very
mainstream now. Was if you go back to the two
thousands or the nineteen nineties, you know, were peering, planting
and protection of ecosystems was not a common practice at all.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
It would have been a novelty, and now it is
very very common around the country. In your experience, what
has changed over time and maybe what actually hasn't.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
For me?
Speaker 6 (12:15):
Some of the big changes, particularly as around labor, particularly
the pivot from being often very farmer staff were on
a progression to ownership. Where's a lot of them now
are employees and so and so how they managed staff
has certainly changed a lot. Health and safety. You know,
(12:38):
we were whizzing around on four wheelers without helmets back
in the day, whereas now helmets are the norm. Commonly
worn using side both sides the environment. Again, if you
think back then stock exclusion with the clean streams accord
was the thing, whereas now you're seeing planting of riparian
(12:59):
area and the more progressive ones are now moving into
a predator control, so quite a focus on biodiversity. And
the other one you see commonly is the farming farming
journey that we've gone through with climate change with greenhouse
gases and whether you irrespective whether you sit on it,
(13:20):
what you've seen is the mindset change towards a very
whereas if the market wants something, what's the opportunity and
presenting products that the market wants. And so that's the
one thing that probably hasn't changed is the farmer grows
that we need have always been looking at market opportunities.
(13:41):
How do they either value add to their own products,
but it wool or meet or dairy, either directly themselves,
direct to market or indirectly through their their retailing businesses
on farm tourism, interesting has always been there the number
them doing that again in the share in the community
(14:01):
wide are primary industry and community interests. So some things
have changed the same, the more values that people have,
but the farming contexts changed, and you know when you change,
you know, farm productivity changes one percent improves one percent
per enum, and so it's very incremental. You don't notice it.
And one of the things we've been doing is revisiting
(14:24):
properties that we might have revisited five or ten years ago.
And when you go back and revisit them, particularly when
you've had videos and photos of it, it's quite interesting
to see their reaction because they don't see that incremental
change whereas we do, and it's quite impressive to see
where we're going.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Warek Kato one of the two national judges, alongside the
wonderful and remarkable Jamie Strong. Not that you're not wonderful
and remarkable Warwick, but really appreciate your time and good
luck with the rest of those balanced farm environment towards judging.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Thanks rowen up the best of the Country with rubber Bank.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Choose the bank with one hundred and twenty years global
agribusiness experience, Grow with Rubbobank.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
Welcome back into the best of the Country, proudly brought
to you by Rabobank. I'm Rowena Duncan and for Jamie McKay,
He'll be back with us next week a bit of
Ossie music now. Of course Anzac Day yesterday played Dragon
at the start of the show, a band that both
countries have tried to claim but let's be honest, we
all know they are key. We still to come this hour.
(15:49):
We're off to Blue Ducks Station next, an amazing property
in the center of the North Island doing amazing things
with conservation. Will tell you about that very shortly. Myles
harrel Fonterra Ceo is on holiday in Central Otago. He
wandered into our studio in Dunedin on Thursday's show. He
is still to come and of course the day after
Anzac Day. Chris Russell, our Australian correspondent, his personal family
(16:13):
connection to the war and to Anzac Day as well. Now.
The RABO Community Fund is used to support initiatives that
help develop thriving rural communities and is fully funded by
Rabobank New Zealand. Since twenty twenty one, the RABO Community
Fund has committed more than three million dollars in funds
to rural community projects right throughout New Zealand. If you
(16:34):
want to find out more about what they're doing, what
they're supporting, head to the rabobank website rabobank dot co
dot MZ. While you're there, why not check out their
Premium Saver. You can boost your savings with it, enjoy
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your end of month balance by at least fifty dollars.
(16:55):
Teas and seas apply find out more about that on
the rabobank website as well rabo dot co dot Nz.
And right up next, we are after Blue Duck Station,
Dan Steele. Here on the country, the.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Best of the country with Rabobank. Choose the bank with
a huge network of progressive farming clients. Rabobank.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
We're after a very special part of the country now,
Blue Duck Station and the center of the North Island.
Joining me is owner Dan Steele. Good afternoon, here are
you getting on very well? Thank you? How the things
at Blue Ducks Station? Just recap what your property is
all about and where you are?
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Yeah it is. Look, we're just simply going to live
a meaningful life out in the bush here with the family,
grow a sustainable winter generational business that connects us all
with the land over time and have some fun along
the way. So yeah, we're tourism and farming and honey
and conservation and growing a few trees and a hunting
business and everything you can do on the land and
the great outdoors. We're having a crack at it, trying
(17:57):
to make it meaningful and have some fun.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Most I would just say, you know, he's a sheep
and beef farmer from Toma Denuey or something like that,
or she's a dairy farmer from North End. That's why
I got you to explain what you do, because there's
so many facets to it. Dan, And at the beginning
of April I noticed you nearly added a riverboat to
your operation. A bit of an April Fools joke there,
(18:19):
but knowing you as I do, I kind of think
maybe that will have still got the colds of your
brain ticking.
Speaker 7 (18:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
Funnily enough, I did put it up to take the falls,
and it went a bit viral with people getting in
touch from around the world, and it was just meant
to be April Falls that got taken. Seriously, I'm not
going to float the big Lakeland Queen from Road down
the river on the next flood. But we are actually
just we have got a quite looking at designing a
boat for us. He thinks it'll be a great concept
to have the old floating hotel going again. But it
(18:46):
is a far off concept and we'll just see where
that ends up in the future. We've got a lot
more irons in the fire to think about before now.
And then the boat.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
We're referring to the old river boat that was used
back in Alexander hat Trick's day floating hotel. What was
it at Peperokee.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
It was actually here at Focaharto at Blue Ducks, So
it was moored on the retro Rookie River when it
finished its life for its last seven or years or
so on the retro Rookie River where it was used
as a stopover for the riverboats. And it was a
five star floating hotel with a flash restaurant and things.
And it burnt down in the nineteen thirties here, but
yet there's a lot of photos of it around racing
(19:24):
the covers of old history books and things, and it's
pretty spectacular.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
That's right. It was the stop off on the way
to Pippadecki. When the boat burnt down. There was something
interesting in the artwork that was somehow not lost with
the boat.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
Well, so the stories go. You know, some of the
artworks and fine antiques found their way to other parts
of New Zealand before the boat burnt down, but you
know who would know absolutely.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Hey, what's the focus for blue duck over the next
week while? Are you having a lot of interest with
your hunting at the moment? With the stags roaring?
Speaker 4 (19:56):
Yeah, Look, the drought's broken wall price has double, that's
gone from nothing to not much. Lamb and beef's looking
pretty well. You know, we're just scanned the heifers you
help put the balls out. Actually, row we've got nine
out of seventy nine out of eighty two and cars
first first carvers, which is pretty good. The stags are
still roaring. We've just had a pretty good roar. They've
been a bit stop start in the warm autumn, but
(20:17):
we've got some good stags out, plenty of happy hunters
coming through a few misty mornings now in the autumn. Ye,
duck shooting's coming up. We're not big on duck shooting.
We're more big on looking after the blue ducks are
and sort of observing what they're doing and doing a
whole lot of conservation work, but we do get out
now and again and go and visit some friends who
do some duck shooting on their properties and enjoy the
(20:38):
social side of that a little bit.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Obviously, you've got the amazing chef's table, that ten course
digastation meal that you host up in the Hills House.
Bookings for that going because it's quite a unique proposition
and as someone who's sampled it, it's stem delicious.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
Yeah, it's having a good, strong finish for the season.
We're real busy this weekend. It's coming up towards the
end of the season. We'll shut in June for a
couple of months there. Bookings next year are about to
open and we're anticipating they'll be pretty strong. We're building
up there again at the moment and building Tom Cruis's
new cabin up there at the top the top of
the world, so we should be finished that hopefully in May,
(21:14):
and that's going to add a bit more to our
offering for next season, which is pretty cool. Yeah, that
pretty big push for the next month. They've got the
boys a reposting the boardwalks and stairs and doing all
the finishing touches. And we should be good to go
on that cabin. Yeah, very shortly, so looking forward to
next season.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Yeah, absolutely. You have a massive conservation if it not
just for the blue ducks on Blue Ducks Station, you've
got a lot of traps around for ferrets, the rats, stoats,
weasels in the lake. How's the trapping line.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
Going, Yeah, the trappings, it's going really well. We've got
more conservation work happening now than we've ever had before.
We've got a really good crew of volunteers who been
with us for a few years. They really are committed
to making New Zealand a better place and we're sort
of one of their main vehicles for doing it where
they come in here regular basis, store our trap lines around,
hundreds of traps, put a new trapping technologies with the
(22:07):
likes of at two twenties from n Zight Auto Traps.
You know, we're putting more of those out, having a
good run with them, a twenty fours out and some
inaccessible areas. Yeah, we're getting better blue duck counts than
we've had over the years, and we've got more Kiwi
sightings happening than we've ever had. So it's pretty exciting
the conservation space heading towards some new technologies coming out. Yeah,
(22:31):
we're really excited and pleased to be in that space
for predator free New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
Just finally, your wife is quite a conservationist as well.
The wild Chimunoa muster's coming up. How many do you
reckon she's going to try and sneak onto your property.
Speaker 4 (22:47):
You wouldn't know, so I she'll probably tell me she's
going shopping and she'll turn up back with three more horses.
It has happened before. She's I know, she's looking at
the kimonos again, but she's she's breaking into or three
kimonos at the moment, and she's got one of the hoopsail.
But and she just got three wild horses out of
the barn orthor spirits to bay horses. So sient he
turned up with them when she popping trips, you do,
(23:10):
he's breaking those and at the moment for the trekking
team and or completed the trick for life. So we're
riding length of New Zealand over a few over over
a few years and raising a bit of money. So
we've just done that and we're looking forward to doing
that again next year on a couple of horses of
Sandy's breaking in at the moment.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
Yeah, yeah, honestly it will never end on that front.
Dan Steele out of Blue Duck Station, pass on my
regards to Sandy and thanks so much for your time today.
Speaker 8 (23:37):
Hey, good role, lovely talking to you all of our
day the best of the country with Rubbo Bag the bank,
with local agri banking experts passionate about the future of
rural communities rubber Bag.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Joining me in studio today is Miles Hurrell, CEO of Fontira.
Good afternoon, Miles, very well. Thank you. Of course you
are the one responsible for our first song of the day.
You said, look, we're in Duneda and choose something six sixty.
I've chosen the greatest. I'm not saying you're the greatest. Ye,
you're all right, but it's the only song I consider
(24:08):
of there is to have a bit of beat.
Speaker 9 (24:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (24:10):
We've just come down here with some friends for the
last few days. Done the rail trail. Been a wonderful
few days actually, and the sunshine and duned and can't
be better than that. So ye've be great to you, hear.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Yeah, And of course the rail trail is something I
said when I moved down to Dunedin eight years ago,
I was going to have a crack at still on
the bucket list? How good? Like how good out of
ten would you rate it?
Speaker 4 (24:30):
It's right up there.
Speaker 10 (24:31):
I mean, this is something pretty special for New Zealand.
And you know ten out of ten and plenty of
our cheese rolls to boot planned opportunity to see some
farmers on the way and great week you.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Had me at cheese rolls. That's been one of my
favorite discoveries of moving down south. And of course with
Fonterra cheese of course has to be, has to be,
has to be. What were some of the highlights for
you though? Was there any part of the trail that
really stood out well?
Speaker 10 (24:54):
Just to see these small towns that you probably don't
normally stop And we started in Clyde and finished up
in middle March, so about or five days through there.
But but you know, just the different country pubs, the
people you meet along the way, but also just the
time to sort of get out, look at the scenery,
take your time. Got a bit weet ale on the way,
so plane the rains through there. But as I say,
overall bloody good week.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
Yeah yeah, indeed, And I was in the same area
while you were there over easter, but chasing deer around
and the paddocks. Did you see many deer from the
rail trail?
Speaker 10 (25:23):
There was quite a few, actually, I must says, more
more deer here than you would see in the North Island,
that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
So no, no, it was.
Speaker 10 (25:29):
It was a great, great scenery.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
And just considering that I hadn't actually thought if you're
doing the rail trail and the raw, yeah, you're obviously
going to have a few.
Speaker 10 (25:36):
Yeah, yeah, yeah he was, but no weapons with us
this time, so just just letting here.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
Yeah, you went through Wedderburn. Did you manage to catch
up with our made up there, Steugh Duncan?
Speaker 10 (25:47):
We did, indeed, a fantastic accommodation there, and the Widowuren
Pub put on a decent feed for us as well,
So now it's excellent. He's got a great sea up there,
I must say. I think he's running aboutwelve thousand stock
units at the moment, so that's a decent sized operation.
But his is chalais that he's got there for the punters.
This excellent.
Speaker 3 (26:03):
Yeah, yeah, we do give him a lot of stick
on the show, Old Stewie, but who does a damn
good job. Hey, look, a month left in the dairy season.
How are things looking coming to a close?
Speaker 10 (26:13):
Yeah, I mean it's been a pretty good season milk wise,
despite obviously being being quite wet more recently. But you know,
we're sitting out there with a midpoint of ten dollars.
That the gdt's sort of been around that number for
a while now, but we're seen, you know, the US
economy sort of fall off a little bit, which means
that the dollars come back a little bit. So as
a result of that, you know, the increase you've seen
(26:34):
in GDT won't play through to any increases i'd say
at this point. But we're sitting at ten dollars as
a midpoint, quite happy with that, and when you looked
forward to the season ahead, also, things are looking quite good,
not with sending some of the macroeconomic challenges that we
see out there.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
When you walked into the studio, Miles, you looked at
the whiteboard on the wall there that obviously I'd put
an update months if not years ago, saying Fonterra a
milk price ranger between seven dollars twenty five. I have
an eight dollars seventy five and ben point eight dollars.
We've come a long way since then.
Speaker 10 (27:04):
We have come a long way, and I think we've seen,
you know, that Chinese market sort of come back, not
quite to what it was sort of a couple of
years ago, but certainly you're starting to see some signs
of life out of that market. We've seen some signs
of life out of the Middle East as well, which
is a good market for US Southeast Asia. So overall,
demands in a good position in supply, you just not
seeing the supply to the US or not seeing supply
to Europe as we would have seen when you get
(27:25):
to these sort of price level. So you know, it
is a pretty good time I think to be a
dairy farmer. And at there at the moment.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
Absolutely now you walked down here and gave me a coffee.
I should have been the one buying you a coffee
to try and butter you up. You know, I'm looking
at you in the eyes. You're not on the phone
this time. Any hint of an opening milk price.
Speaker 10 (27:42):
Well, we're about a month away from that opening position.
And as I say, that the supply demand dynamics are
quite quite helpful where we sit here. But you know,
some of those clouds that are emerging, will it be
you know, what's happening with out of the US in
terms of the tariff wall that's underway. How does that
play out long term?
Speaker 4 (27:57):
Who knows?
Speaker 10 (27:57):
But I do see that the global economy slow and somewhat.
Does it have an impact throughout next season? Not too sure,
but the supply demand position is very helpful for us
to put a decent number out I think in a
month's time.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
Is it a company like Fonterra or a come up
blake Fonterra, Whether the way things are emerging globally, how
do you keep an eye on that? Like I imagine you've
got entire teams who are devoted to finding out what's
happening overseas and feeding that information through. But there's just
so much happening at the moment to keep an eye
on you.
Speaker 10 (28:28):
There is so much happening. But it's also the pace
of change as well, And so you know, you wake
up the morning, you see things on the on the media,
and that's that's almost as fast as you're getting it
from you guys in market now as well because things
are moving so fast, so it is hard to try
and manage. But you know, we've got good people around
the world. We're in most of the corners of the
world to understand what's happening. And you know, at the
same time, you don't have an influence over that, so
(28:48):
we just got to play it, play it as we
see it.
Speaker 3 (28:50):
Now. You've got a whole entourage in the studio, whether
you there's six of you and one of me. We've
also got six segments in the show, so I've said
to everyone in the ad break row a song was
started with you with six sixty miles. I'm a bit
nervous about what's to come from some of these.
Speaker 10 (29:06):
Well, well me too. When you got your twelve year
old son who's listened to stuff that I don't usually
listen to, I'm actually worried for the listener, right, So yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
Absolutely, I'm just absolving myself of any any responsibility for
music choices for the rest of the show. Myles hurrel
Fonterra Ceo, thank you so much for coming and then
calling in on your way through Dunedin. You've definitely added
that rail trial to the list of my mustos in
the next few years. But appreciate your time.
Speaker 10 (29:32):
Go well, No Worri, it's great for having us, Thanks
very much.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Good morning New Zealand to welcome into the big star
of the Country, Miles Hurrle. They're fantastic to have him
in studio on Thursday here at Country h Q and
Dunedin up next to wrap the Best of the Country
proudly brought to you by Rabobank. It's no enn Zach
Week without our Australian correspondent Chris Russell and his family
connection to the war.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
The Best of the Country with Rabobank.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
Choose the bank with one hundred and twenty years global
agri business experience grew with rubber bag.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
Well we're off to Australia. Now on the Country there
we find Chris Russell, our Australian correspondent of over thirty
one years standing on the show. Chris, and that time
you would have covered off quite a few Anzac days
with Jamie McKay.
Speaker 11 (30:17):
Good afternoon, yes today, Row and yes we have covered
many and from all over the world, including from Gallipoli itself.
I remember a very astute interview with Helen Clark. Your
Prime Minister in the hotel in Chennacaie where we were
both staying before we went over for the dawn service
and a remarkable interview. I found her to be amazingly
(30:41):
responsive and switched on. And of course everyone in Australia
and New Zealand now celebrates this very sacred day. I
think probably even more sacred to Australians than Australia Day,
which is mid a bit in controversy here, but we'll
be all out tomorrow. Everyone will be out at the
dawn services. I'm going to a lunch and an Anzac Day
(31:02):
lunch as well, you know. And the young people attendants
at the dawn service tomorrow. I mean I couldn't get
my kids out of bed with a stick at four
o'clock in the morning normally, but you know they. I
can guarantee to you that half the people there tomorrow
will be people under aged, under twenty five or thirty.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Yeah, it warms my heart every year. I'm off to
a service in rainfairly tomorrow and the many are toto here,
central Otago, small town and really looking forward to it.
Not looking forward to the cool it will be rather frosty,
but yeah, just an amazing, amazing day. What does Anzac
Day mean to you?
Speaker 11 (31:38):
Well, I think for me, it's a time when you
reflect on how lucky we are as a country and
you increasingly look around the world. And we're having an
election in a couple of weeks and we went and
voted in the pre polls yesterday. There's no soldiers standing
around with machine guns. It's a civil democracy process, you know.
(31:59):
This is a freedom. This is a country which has
been defended by people who have given up their very
existence in order that we can have that freedom. And
that's I think what Australians are celebrating. They're not celebrating war.
War is a terrible thing, but and young people of
course increasingly are probably less inclined to want a fight
or have anything to do with that, but that doesn't
(32:20):
stop them respecting the people who defended our country against
those invaders years ago. And I particularly reminded of my
uncle who was my grandmother's brother. He was just a
farmer from Claire in South Australia, a little town. I
talked to you from there last year and we were
traveling through with the caravan. He immediately with his mates
(32:42):
went down at the age of eighteen, when soon as
the war started the First World War, signed up to
go overseas, was sent into the Battle of the Somme,
and very quickly, from having no military background, was awarded
the Military Medal because he was very good at cricket.
He was sitting there catch the bombs that the Germans
were throwing from their trenches into the Australian trenches. He
(33:05):
was catching them and throwing them back before they blew up.
Sounds like an inherently dangerous thing, nearly as dangerous as
facing the palms in the ashes, but anyway, he won
the Military Medal for that, and then he was promoted
in the field to lieutenant and put in the intelligence
score and went over the Battle of Darrencourt, where because
he spoke fluent German, he was given the job of
(33:26):
crawling under across dead no man's land, underneath all the
dead bodies, to try and listen in to the German
Orders group meetings at night where the Germans were deciding
what they're going to do the next day, and then
come back again across the same territory and report to
the British generals about what was going to happen. And
he was single handedly given a very significant part of
(33:48):
the responsibility for the victory that they had at that
particular battle, and for that he won the Military Cross.
The Military Cross could only be awarded officers, Military Medal
the ordinary soldiers, and so he is one of five
Australians to be awarded both the Military Medal and the
Military Cross. Look where as a family, of course very
proud of him, and yet he was never really proud
(34:09):
of himself. I don't remember well. I was only ten
when he died, but he came back and went back
to his farm, continued to grow. Wheat died at the
age of seventy nine in nineteen sixty two and just
became an ordinary citizen again, citizen again. My grandmother said,
he never really spoke much about his war experience. It
was just something he did with his mates. And yet we,
(34:30):
I think today, celebrate people like him, the fact that
they've given us these freedoms. They were prepared to drop
what they were doing, defend us through the mother country,
as they then had in England, from being being taken
over by countries who would have run this place completely differently.
And we should forever remember that, because that is a sacred,
(34:52):
ultimate sacrifice these men made, and I think anything we
can do to recognize that, go down and have our
own memories round the Senator on Aday morning is a
very special time.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
Right absolutely, Chris Russell, our Australian correspondent. Always love catching
up with you around that Anzac time, A very special
day for both of our countries. Appreciate your time and
all the best at that service tomorrow, no worries.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
Thanks same to you, the best of the country with Rabobank.
Choose the bank with a huge network of progressive farming clients.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
Ravo Bank.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Chris Russell, our Australian correspondent, fittingly wrapping the best of
the country on a long Amzac weekend. Good morning New Zealand.
My name's Rowena Duncan and for Jamie McKay, we've been
a dragon to see us out this long Amzac weekend.
A band, as I mentioned earlier, claimed by both countries,
even though we both know they have very much a
(35:56):
key we band look spent a lot of time yesterday,
as I mentioned a tear the ANZAC service and ran
fairly thinking of my family's connection to the war. We've
just heard Chris Russell's family's connection to the war and
I muntioned this on Thursday Show. My granddad was actually
in the Air Force secondered to England. He was based
in malta wonderful country for a while before being shot
(36:18):
down in the Mediterranean scene. Now, unbeknownst to my family,
he was rescued by some of the Maltese people spent
a bit of time being sheltered by them. My poor grandma,
my nana, knew nothing about it. Was just old he
was lost at sea. Now she was in Palmerston, North
there planning a memorial service when she read in the
paper probably the dom Post at that time, that he
(36:38):
was actually my grandfather was on a boat arriving in
Wellington the next day. Can you imagine it. Obviously, if
he hadn't come back, my father wouldn't be here. But
sadly he actually passed away with My dad was about
three months old of injury sustained in war, and that
was just pretty typical for the time.
Speaker 11 (36:56):
Then.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
I imagine a lot of loved ones lost either at
war or in the years following due to some of
the injuries they had succumbed. Had a great text through
on five o nine yesterday from a listener who said
their maternal grandfather was shot and wounded both at the
Somme and at Passiondale, who survived and recovered to come home,
went on to marry this person's grandmother and father ten children.
(37:20):
They were very busy. Their paternal great aunt was also
a nurse working on board the Marquette, which was sunk
in the ag and c by the Germans. Very unlucky family.
She survived, though, and came home to continue her nursing
career as matron of a couple of hospitals. She'd been
married a policeman who became a publican, winning at life.
Lest we forget though, this long Anzac weekend. Now, this
(37:43):
is the beast of the country each and every Saturday morning.
Here on news talks. He'd been Hokanui gold Sport and iHeartRadio,
brought to you by Rabobank. We are growing a bit
in New Zealand together, Jamie mackay back in the hot
seat next week. I am off to go and chase
some roaring stags there in Ranfred. Once again, I'll leave
you with a wee bit more dragon to see out
the hour of very fitting this long anticakend, A set of.
Speaker 12 (38:17):
Life summers on the run.
Speaker 13 (38:23):
People tell me I should sit, but I got to
come up from.
Speaker 7 (38:31):
So don't chid me back?
Speaker 1 (38:35):
And nothing you can say.
Speaker 9 (38:39):
Snakes on a far gas and we.
Speaker 7 (38:42):
Got to go to Jay.
Speaker 9 (38:47):
Take take me away, so right, so right, stacking almost
(39:11):
fellow from you men you see the stars got.
Speaker 3 (39:18):
I wish you call.
Speaker 7 (39:19):
Him with that bab good rather fall.
Speaker 13 (39:23):
My castle, Renni outaway talking about miss Hella, talking about
can't shot shake me to.
Speaker 7 (39:44):
From up, shake me away on the camera fotainment, So right,
so right, clean back.
Speaker 12 (40:06):
Time set in life, Summerson and run word the words
got a head and fall the sound.
Speaker 7 (40:22):
Wow, we can't stick it out and the cold and
bray snake out on the pad.
Speaker 3 (40:32):
Thing got to go to.
Speaker 7 (40:37):
Second came up, shake him out? Shut right, so right,
cleaning back from table, Ventu
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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!