June 24, 2025 • 36 mins
Jamie Mackay talks to Michael Every, Lawrence Meredith, Jim Ward, Claire Taylor, and Toby Williams.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Catch all the latest from the land. It's The Country
Podcast with Jamie McKay. Thanks to Brent, You're specialist in
John Deere construction.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Equipment My Services. Wants to let.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Me Zealand welcome to the Country. Coming to you live
on day one from the Primary Industries New Zealand Summit
and Awards, the Big Awards show tonight. More about that
tomorrow that we've already had a rollicking start for the day.
We've heard from Todd McClay, the Minister of Agriculture. Some
very and trades, some very impressive numbers are from him.
(00:50):
He's had to go back to Wellington, believe it or not,
for the first reading of the farm to Forest Conversion Bill.
But I guess keynote speaker the morning and we're going
to kick off the show with them, So buckle yourselves in, folks.
Michael every Rabobank Global Strategist, Michael, I love you having
on the show, having you on the show. We're based
(01:11):
out of Dunedin and I do joke that after chatting
to you, I want to climb to the seventh floor
of the Westpac building and jump because you always have
me worrying about the state of the world, and I'm thinking,
with what's happened in the past week, what are you
going to come up with? Yet, someone left your presentation
this morning and I heard them mutter on the way
out after hearing you, maybe Trump's not as nutty as
(01:34):
people think he is.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
Good afternoon, Good afternoon. Lovely to be with you in
person for the first time, I think doing this show
at least, No, he's not as nutty as people think
he is. And I would add neither am I um.
And in terms of the you know, jumping off the
seventh floor, I've often tried to make the point to
(01:56):
you that actually there's a really optimistic side to what
I try and get across.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
All Right, we're just maybe having some technical difficulties of it.
We will battle on regardless. We've got a tech guy,
Bill Hayes. Are we on the job, Are we on
air team? We are on it. Let's just continue as
though that glitch never happens at all. So you carry on.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
In terms of jumping off of the seventh floor. A
message I've tried to get across repeatedly is it actually
there's a big upside to what's going on. So when
I describe some of these global events happening in the background.
As I have been I've always tried to say, yeah,
there are risks, but on the other hand, if things
turn out right, there's real sunshine on the other side
(02:41):
of it. And that's true for the trade war, that's
true for various different geopolitical crises we've had, and it's
absolutely true for what's going on right now in the
Middle East.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
You said when Trump was elected Trump two points zero,
that this would change the face of how the world
does politics and it hers.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
Well, I mean that was a no brainer, to be honest.
I mean, if you look at what he was saying
he was going to do when he came into power,
the only question is would he actually deliver, and he
absolutely has. I mean in terms of economic policy, there's
been a huge change. You can see, trade policy has
been shaken up. Every domestic policy in the US is
being shaken up. And at the same time, primary focus
(03:19):
right now as we're talking is just in the past
few minutes we've seen more developments from the Middle East,
which again shake everything up.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Well, he's declared a total ceasefire. You tell me, the
Israelis are flat out bombing Tehran as we speak and
vice versa.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
Well, Tehran's not bombing Israel right now, but oh sorry,
Iran isn't bombing Tel Aviv and Haife right now, but
Israel is still bombing Tehran.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
So when does the ceasefire come under play?
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Well, he said a while ago, he said, in six hours.
They never announced them immediately, So both size traditionally in
the Middle East always try and bomb right up to
the last minute. So I would imagine you will get
more firing right until legally they're supposed to stop according
to this agreement, and then hopefully things can at which
point what we were being told a few days ago,
(04:03):
which is this risk's World War III. This is an
absolute calamity. Now, those risks were there, to be clear,
but they were only what we call fat tail risks.
They were never the central risk. Instead, touch would what
it appears we have got is a defanged or defenestrated
Iran which doesn't have a nuclear weapon, which is a
huge positive for the region and for the world, and
(04:25):
a massive demonstration of the reassertion of both Israeli and
US power in conjunction, which could open the door to
stability and peace.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
So this has been a huge diplomatic victory potentially for
Trump using bombs.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
Yeah, that's how you sometimes get victory America.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
I'm just going to pick the eyes out of your
presentation this morning. You said America is essentially isolationist and
anti free trade, but certainly make America great again. It's
America first.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
What I said was historically is a realist rather than
an idealist, and isolationist rather than internationalist. It has periods
where it tries to become more global and more pro
free trade, but we're currently reverting back to type which
is a more controlled trade. Now. I don't think America
(05:18):
is anti trade, but they're not interested in trade where
they import and don't export, which is what they've been
doing for a very long time. They want trade partners who,
when they sell to them, will turn around and say, well,
I've just sold this much to you. I've got these
dollars in my pocket. Now I want to buy something
from you. That's what they want to see.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Well, the other point you've made, and this is coming
to pass. I guess America wants to reindustrialize and make
stuff again.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
They do, that's the plan. Let's join the dots here.
They've just potentially brought, you know, peace to the Middle
East of a sort, as you said, with bombs. The
bombs that they used to achieve that. Reports are they
used twelve of them. We don't know how many they
have but intelligent estimates but maybe only around thirty or forty.
They don't have a lot of them. They now need
(06:07):
to make more. So the whole point is, if you
want to have that Pax Americana of sorts, you need
to have the weapons, you know, to be used to
enforce it. And that's been America's problem. They haven't been
making enough of this stuff. They need to keep the
global system policed, if you will, so they want to
start reindustrializing a.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Lot of us. Myself and Cloded of being dismissive of
Trump's tariffs, I think they're interventionalist and not good for
world free trade. We're a nation depending on world on
the world and some free trading. But you're saying tariffs
are the way of the future. We've almost gone back
to the future like it used to be.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
Well, tariffs were the way of the world forever up
until a few decades ago, where we decided that we
knew better than the totality of global economic history, and
if we remove tariffs, everything would work out.
Speaker 5 (06:58):
Well.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Put a hypothetical to you, I mean New Zealand. Obviously
you're a fantastic producer of food and a food exporter.
What if there was a new country that suddenly appeared
on the map that could produce everything that you do
at a third of the cost. Because you know, they
were using indentured labor, so whatever trick of the trade
they were using, and they were flooding your market and
every market you export to, and suddenly you couldn't sell
food anywhere. I wonder how free trade New Zealand would
(07:21):
be in that situation. So it's always a question of
where you sit in the relationship that tells you how
you feel about it. You're quite rightly in favor of
it because of where you sit now, but that's not
always true for everybody.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Wanston Peter's there foreign a Faas monister said, we're in
the most the world was the most unstable it's been
since the Cuban missile crisis of October nineteen sixty two.
Would you concur with that?
Speaker 4 (07:45):
We came close to that in the past couple of
days where some of the rumored headlines out there about
what Russia might or might not do. Could have been
an echo in the worst case scenario, and I flagged
it at work, but I said, look, it's unlike but
you have to put it out there. As a scenario
is that Russia could have done what it threatened twenty
four hours ago, which was to send a nuclear weapon
(08:07):
to Iran. Let's say, for example, they put it in
a cargo plane and they say, this plane is flying
to Tehran. It's got a nuclear weapon in it. It's Russian.
You shoot it down. You're at war with us on
a nuclear level. But if it gets there, Iran's got
a nuke. What are you going to do? And it
would have forced a Cuban missile style crisis on America
and Israel. Thinking about it today, the former president Medvedev,
(08:29):
who tweeted that, said, basically only joking, have no intention
of doing anything like that. So they completely blinked and
walked it back.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Does Russian a but player and the power play between
China and the US they have the superpowers as Russia.
Russia's no longer a superpower.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
No it's not. It's super spoiling things. It can't build
very much, which is what you need to be a superpower.
But they're a super spoiler in that they can disrupt
other people's systems and they will always be powerful because
of their geograph, their commodities, and the number of nuclear
weapons that they've got. But that doesn't give you the
basis to build very much.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
One of the slides you put up this morning pertained
to New zealand our history. You went back to eighteen
forty the founding of our nation effectively, and you said,
from eighteen forty right through to nineteen forty one, the
beginning of the Second World War, we were a farm
for the UK and the British Empire. Then post war,
(09:27):
until Britain entered the EU, we were a farm for
Mother England, for Britain, we became after that a farm
for Asia. You stopped at twenty twenty four. Who are
we a farm for now?
Speaker 4 (09:39):
Well, I put that question to Kiwis, But that is
the key question because there were two parts of that slide,
and you alluded to it. At the beginning, you were
a farm for the UK, with the UK protecting you.
Then you were a farm for the UK with the
Americans protecting you. Then you were a farm for Asia
with the Americans protecting you. Now, the question is not
(10:00):
just who are you a farm for, it's who is
protecting you? And what I was trying to say is
you have to start with the second question to answer
the first. You can't say America is protecting us, but
will be a farm for China, for example, because that
may not be compatible with America protecting you in the future.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Can we afford to sit on the fence? No, no,
we can't. So Winston Peters is right. Will you either
choose the US or we choose China? And choosing China
would probably be disastrous for US from a security point.
Speaker 4 (10:29):
Of view, Yes, it would. Ultimately that choice is likely
to happen. Nothing's written in stone. China itself could change.
But if it doesn't, yes, logically you get to that
decision point. But then if you choose China, that's disasterous
for you in terms of security. If you choose the US,
it's extremely damaging in terms of trade. So there are
trade offs that need to be made.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
A final question for you r a final comment from
a question that was posed to you after your excellent
address today. Someone threw it out there seemed a bit
of a silly question. Start. One thing I thought about
it for a moment, the possibility of another civil war
in the United States. You didn't dismiss it.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Well, I'm not the only one not dismissing it. If
you look at the polarization there and the anger and
the bitterness and the divide politically where you've got large
street demonstrations, and not just in the US, by the way,
the same is true in Europe. The same is true
in the UK. Even in Australia. People walking through the
streets of capital cities with Iranian flags and before that
(11:29):
it was Hesbola flags, and before that it was Hamass flags, etc.
You have to ask yourself, Okay, is it really an impossibility?
And far more credential people than me are saying it's
far from likely, but it's not something you can rule out.
But that in itself, as I said today, is tied
to trying to create this new global structure. If you
(11:49):
create a global structure which is fairer in terms of
who wins and loses on trade, who wins and loses domestically,
so you don't get people left behind, maybe we remove
that threat at the same time.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
Final comment from me, you're based out of Singapore. You're
Rabobank's global strategist. Have you thought of moving to a
sofa place? I e New Zealand.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
Well, I can't cope with the winters. I've just come
down here from Singapore and I can't tell you how
many layers I'm wearing already.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Michael Every always good to catch up. I reckon we've
caught up in person and had a coffee and Dunedin.
You disagree with that, and you and I sometimes disagree
or agree to disagree, but it's been great catching you
in person. Fantastic address, keynote address this morning.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
There we go. Michael Every from Rabobank, Singapore based global strategist.
Up next, we are truly going international. We've got Lawrence Meredith,
the EU Ambassador to New Zealand. He's been listening into
what Michael Every's had to say. I wonder if he agrees.
We'll find out after the break.
Speaker 6 (12:58):
Laughing, Laska.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
And Susy, Welcome back to the country, Day one of
the Primary Industry's summit. The awards are on tonight. We'll
have all the winners for you tomorrow. But listening intently,
there's my screen gone listening listening intently to our guest,
(13:24):
our first guest. Excuse me, folks, just amuse yourself. Just
pump that music up for a minute. Bryce, I've just
lost comes here for a moment. I'll be straight backs.
Speaker 6 (13:43):
Guy.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
We've got to look at us out sort of all sorts.
Thank God for Bill to me, as we would never
get this show to air. Hey, so listening intently to
what Todd McLay, the Rabobank Global strategist had to say.
Was Lawrence Meredith, who is the EU and investor to
New Zealand. Lawrence, great to meet you in person. I've
been wanting to check to you for a while. What
(14:06):
did you make of what he had to say? I
jokingly call Michael an alarmist? Is he an alarmist?
Speaker 7 (14:12):
Well, looked at this from the point of view of
the European Union Prime Minister Luxeon has just met President
vonder lyon this morning and they've been strongly reaffirming a
commitment to free trade. So our perspective is indeed quite
different from the one you just heard from Michael. So hell, well,
we believe that if you look over the last couple
(14:33):
of centuries, since Michael took a historical view, you see
overall prosperity has strongly grown on the basis of free
trade and the European Union. Like New Zealand believes that
the future is an investing in free trade and the
rules based international order, and that's what's just been confirmed
in Brussels between Prime Minister Luxeon and President Ursula of Underline.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Todd McLay gave the opening address before we heard from
Michael every today, and one thing he was adamant about
was that we cannot afford to pull out of the
Paris Climate Agreement. You obviously would concur with that.
Speaker 7 (15:09):
Yeah, I would strongly agree with that because ninety seven
percent of the world's scientists say climate warmings of fact,
so we need to deal with it. Then there's a discussion,
of very legitimate discussion about how to deal with that.
And I'm a Yorkshire Irishman from a dairy farming village,
so I also believe like Todd that it's really important
that we find the right solutions adapted to our respective
(15:29):
economies and taking account of farmers husbandry of the Landers.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
Were so if these big European food companies, producers, misslid
and on, these sort of people kick us to touch,
Who do they replace us with? Who else is out
there doing it better than us?
Speaker 7 (15:45):
I don't think there's any discussion of that. I think
it's rather the opposite that you've got strong commitment to
meeting that zero by twenty fifty and producing very high
quality products in the process. So what we've seen over
the last year, and Minister maclay is equally adamant on this,
is that thanks to the European Union New Zealand Free
Trade Agreement, there's an increase to New Zealand export as
(16:07):
many of whom are in the summit today, of a
billion dollars and that's a twenty eight percent increase in
just twelve months.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
What do you say to my argument around the greenhouse
gas emissions argument, I say there's no more ruminance on
the planet than there was in nineteen ninety. In fact,
probably go back another century before that there may not
have been more ruminants. So the problem is not ruminants
emitting methane. It's man burning fossil fuel that is the problem.
That's the area that we need to cut back on. Surely.
Speaker 7 (16:35):
Well, the European Union strategy for meeting climate that zero
by twenty fifty is very heavily predicated first and foremost
on reducing our demand for energy energy efficiency. This enormous
scope for that number one and number two, as you
rightly suggest, cutting base emissions from the most energy intensive industries.
(16:56):
But there is also a role and here we're going
to hear from doctor Joe Roach after lunch about innovation,
which is a really strong factor in New Zealand agriculture
as in European Union.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
Avers Well, I put it to you Ken, Europe and
New Zealand maintain large stock numbers and meet NIT zero
by twenty fifty.
Speaker 7 (17:15):
Maintaining livestock numbers, I think it's a different it's bringing
in that innovation. And I had the pleasure of being
at Field Days last week and there was fantastic innovation
both across New Zealand agriculture but also EU Agritech was
showcasing its best and we're both working together. I come
from Ireland, which we're working very much on similar pasture
and agriculture, and Island and New Zealand cooperating on how
(17:39):
best to tackle the methans emission. So I think we're
making very substantial progress and I'm confident. A Todd said
that in the coming twenty five years, we're going to
hit that in at zero by twenty fifty.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
Now, I think this is your first diplomatic posting. Am
I right in saying that? On? Yeah? But in a
previous life you've been under some troubled areas. You were
involved in Russia Ukraine.
Speaker 7 (18:01):
I'm a Russian speaker and that's been an area of
specialization to nearly all my career. So I'm really delighted
that the Prime Minister and w Prime Minister of just
and Foreign Minister Peters have just announced strong additional support
for Ukraine because New Zealand, like the Opian Union, strongly
stands with Ukraine.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
Sakia. Starmer, your labor leader, and of course Prime Minister
has been well, he's been a bit of a standout,
to be fear on the global stage. He's not so
popular at home, not with Yorkshire Irish dairy farmers.
Speaker 7 (18:36):
Listen, what's important here?
Speaker 3 (18:38):
I know you can't, does the boss so well?
Speaker 7 (18:42):
I'm Irish, So let's start here. What's really important is
all those countries who do stand with Ukraine. I've experienced
this situation and anybody who stands for democracy, the rule
of law and sovereignty is supportive of what's happening in
in Ukraine. It's completely unacceptable that Russia invaded sovereign Ukraine
(19:05):
and the European Union and New Zealand, together with many
other who support the rule of law and democracy, stand
with Ukraine.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
Okay, Just finally, Lawrence Meredith, you EU and best at
in New Zealand. We were having a coffee during the
break and we got as you do talking fuddy. You're
a huge rugby fan. Are you going to cross the
Testament have a look at the Lions while they're over there?
Speaker 7 (19:30):
Well, I'm not going to cross the Tasman for that,
but I'm definitely going to see the All Blacks fronts
and that's going to be a cracking game.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
That's only the warm up. That's the entree you need
to go to the All Blacks against the spring Box
and early September at Eden Park. That is the game, well,
not of the century, certainly the best game of fuddy
between the two World Cups.
Speaker 7 (19:47):
Well, I have to say, growing up as a rugby
manor and outside center, the most exciting thing is to
watch the All Blacks in action. And last time you
won out against Ireland. But you know or his next time,
so we'll see what happens in the France and spring
books again.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Lawrence Meredith, EU Ambassador in New Zealand. Lovely to meet you.
Talking about rugby. We're going to take a break here
on the country. On the other side of it. An
old first fifteen made of mine from school, whose father
was an All Black and his father also had the
rare distinction of playing Test match rugby for the All
Blacks as a ford and a back. Jim Ward up next,
(20:25):
who runs the biggest farm in the country, Molesworth Station.
We'll be back after the break.
Speaker 6 (20:34):
Now, what would you do?
Speaker 3 (20:38):
I We're broadcasting live from the TOPAI Conference Center in
christ It's first time I've been here. It's quite flash.
It's a bit like the flash one up in Wellington.
Here's a bloke that I went to school with in
Gore Saint Peter's College. Were in the first fifteen together
and James ward Ie was your captain. But I used
to be terrified of your father, the late Ron ward
(21:00):
who was an All Black who played in the forwards
and the backs, and he used to run up and
down the sideline. Bless him. He's no longer with us,
and if we made a mistake, he would give it
to us. And he was no fan of mine because
I was around the corner kicker, following in Barry John's footsteps,
and Ron reckoned you needed to be a toe hacker
like Fergie McCormick. Good afternoon, mate, good to see you again, yeap.
(21:23):
So is not what you've got to say about your father.
He was a bit of a legend coach Southland and
he was in the Great Southland shield Sides when they
held the shield pre war and post war.
Speaker 8 (21:34):
Yeah, I mean rugby was a big part of our
family all the way through with my uncle Kevin and dad.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
So what uncle vins Kevin Skinner all right, oh god,
you do come from rugby royalty.
Speaker 8 (21:46):
Well it never carried on through my genetics, so never
would no. As you know, rugby was a big part
of our life from that that agent stage, and we
did look up to a lot of peers. Ken Stuart
was an absolute mentor, you know, someone I locked up
to all the way through my rugby careers.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
So yeah, and the bellfer Rugby Club just celebrate one
hundred and twenty five years over the weekend. In fact,
I think some of them are still going, Hey, great
to see you here. And one of the reasons you're
here at the Primary Industry Awards tonight is because you've
been nominated for the Champion Awards. So there's doctor Robin Dines,
(22:24):
yourself and David Wheeler. You don't know who's won. I do,
but if I tell you, I'll have to shoot you.
But I thought i'd get you on because we caught
up over a coffee this morning. You're running Molesworth Station.
It's our biggest station. Now here's a question for you,
James or Jim as you're known these days. Is it
a farm or is it a tourist venture?
Speaker 8 (22:43):
It's everything. We've set up four pillars farming, recreation, conservation
and cultural and that's how we see it. We've got
five million owners, but the farming program does maintain the
asset and it does pay for a lot of the
work on the property. We welcome the public. We really
want them on board with us. We want them to
(23:05):
come and see what they own and it's a big
part of our life. Yeah, the public are a big
part of our life.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
Is Palmer who owns Molesworth or is it the Department
of Conservation? Well, what's your ownership structure, structure.
Speaker 8 (23:19):
The owner substructures. We've got five million owners. That's how
we work.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
So are you getting into carbon farming at all? Too
high to grow trees up at Molesworth's.
Speaker 8 (23:29):
We grow far too many warlding pine trees. That one
of our big problems right through the high country bit,
especially with US and around US.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
As you realize all those wilding pines are sequestering carbon,
you're potentially putting the planet at risk by chopping them down.
Speaker 8 (23:43):
Yeah. I guess you could say that, Jamie. Only you
would say that though. But I guess our big caution
is that if we don't do anything about the wilding
pine trees from our boundary through to the Sandus in
Kaikuru in twenty years, we solid pine trees. Don't think
that's what news yell need wants.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
Mine, Jeff. Carbon farming continues on its mery way. That's
what we might have Canada pine trees from the Alps
to the ocean. Hey, so talk to me about the journey.
What did I use that word for? I hate it.
From being a schoolboy rugby player at Saint Peter's in
the nineteen seventies to running New Zealand's Biggers Farm.
Speaker 8 (24:19):
It's quite a story. Well, yeah, I guess shepherded my
way through the early years and did a bit of
a stint at Lincoln. Didn't learn a damn thing, but
that wasn't unusual for my age and stage of life.
Then I had an opportunity to move to the North
Island to run a property in the back blocks of
(24:39):
Wirral in the Rocketree Valley, and then I've been there
two years and one day the company who was working
for come and see me on a Wednesday and said
they were thinking of buying Warrior Station. If they got it,
I was to go there as manager. And on the
Friday they came and got a hold of me and
said you've got to be there by Saturday. So that's
(25:00):
how fast that took. So we were there for four years.
The property was in on sold and we worked for
a family, the Plymouth family in one of their properties
in the Napier type road Kelly Land Company and head
it for nine years. And then we never applied for
a job in my life, but then Molesworth came up
and we applied.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
And why not run the biggest farm in the country.
Speaker 8 (25:22):
Well, we always thought their career path. My wife and I, Tracy,
we always thought that the sort of farm we could
afford to buy and the one we want to run
were totally different, so we've looked at other things to
do with our lives. But running a property like this
was a real challenge, and the challenge doesn't get any
less as you go on either, because if anything, it
(25:45):
gets greater.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
James Ward, Jim Ward, so good to see you again
after all these years, and good luck tonight at the
Primary Industry Awards. You're up. You're one of three finalists
and the Champion award, so we will see you later.
On to right, we're going to take a break. On
the other side of it. I think we've got a
message from one of our Young Farmer Grand finalists, and
we've also got rural news, sports news. Clear Taylor's with
(26:09):
us from Scotland Nuffield Scholar and Federated Farmers. Jeez, look
at that man there. We've got a special guest who's
a big fowl. Keep my power to dry on this one,
who's no fan would be fair to say of carbon farming.
We'll be back after that break. Today's FMG Young Farmer
(26:33):
Region Representative is George Leatham for Tasman. Okay, George, you've
got sixty seconds to sell your region to the rest
of the country. Off you go.
Speaker 9 (26:41):
Yeah, thanks for having me on. I guess well, first
and foremost Tasman. We're the top of the South both
in terms of the competition and geographically as well, so
those things are nicely hand in hand. But from everything
north of the Require River we've claimed as Tasman, and
we've got a mix of it all, from some of
the best deary and sheep and beef country right through
(27:02):
to the horticulture and viticulture as well and everything else
in between. We've also had you know, the pride of
the South of Lincoln University as well as plenty of
other strong clubs that have claimed Tasman as their home,
and I think that's just a really great region. We're
also getting in behind Surfing for Farmers this year, so
(27:22):
chucking together a bit of coin towards a really good
course that's boots on the ground and helping farmers get
out of farm for a few hours, exercise, socialize and
have a really good mental lead.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
Here signs up, Thanks George. Well you've just heard George
Leathan's pitch for Tasman and now it's over to you
to vote in the FMG Region Off. Go to FMG
dot co dot Nz forward slash Region Off and vote
before July five.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
The country's rural news with Lawnmaster helping you musty your
lawns for over seventy five years. Visit steel Ford dot
co dot Nz for your local stock guest.
Speaker 10 (28:00):
More than three hundred entries have been received for the
third time running of the Charity Bailey Shep Dog Trials
and Topaul this week. The trials are in support of
the Greenley Arriscue Helicopter and howld at the fiber Fresh
National Equestrian Center at Rita Tier from the June twenty
fifth till the twenty eighth. Top Dogs are coming through
throughout the country for the trials, as well as enthusiasts
who enjoy the challenge of indoor competition and some who
(28:21):
are new to the sport. The winner of the Open
class will receive fifteen hundred dollars, which is the highest
prize money on offer in New Zealand. And I've got
Jamie here with Sports.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
News Sport with Avco Kiwi to the Bone since nineteen
oh four.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
Yes, tech guy Bill Turmey on the phone. I'm always
worried when he goes to the phone when we're doing
a live ob but we're still on air. Bill, Yes,
he's given me the big thumbs up. Just one sports
news story for you. Olie Norris is reflecting on how
his maiden All Blacks announcement left him genuinely dumbfound that
the Chiefs prop will go into camp with the squad
(28:57):
tomorrow after being named as one of the five capped
players in Scott Robertson's first group of twenty twenty five.
Norris said he found out the good news while watching
his TV at home like everyone else. Apparently, of the
five new All Blacks, Razor rang three of them and
two of them just had to watch it on Telly
like the rest of us. We'll take a break on
(29:17):
the other side of it. All the way from Scotland,
even though she's domiciled in Australia. Now she's gone there
for love. Claire Taylor, Scottish Nuffield Scholar. Before the end
of the hour, the Man the Meat and Wool chair
for Federated Farmer's Toby Williams. We are at the primary
(29:41):
Industry's Summit the awards tonight. Keynote speaker this afternoon or
one of them will be Claire Taylor, Scottish Nuffield Scholar.
Got a lovely accent, but she's an Ozzie now and
hello Claire, good afternoon. Good to catch you for dinner
last night as well. We kind of bumped into each
there was a whole whole crew of a safe MG
(30:02):
Farmers Weekly, ourselves. But anyhow, your address this afternoon is
how do we change the narrative around farming. You've got
five minutes to talk me through it, Jamie.
Speaker 5 (30:13):
It's lovely to be back on the country. I must
look like I'm always trying to get on your program.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
Well, no, you're really good because you took the age, ethnicity, gender,
you do a lot of things for the Shark, and
you've certainly loved the air for charge.
Speaker 5 (30:28):
Well, I'm getting that one step closer to living in
New Zealand now I've managed to get over the ditch.
I'm in Australia now, but you're delighted to be here
in christ Shirts for the conference. I'm speaking this afternoon
on a topic which I think a lot of conferences
are really zeroing in on and that is about how
do we start possessioning more positive farming narratives. This is
all my new field research. It has been for the
last couple of years, but I've got to that stage
(30:50):
where I've actually colleated, I've got my findings down and
it's really lovely to be able to share some of
my insights and I'm going to be talking the audience
there some some pretty tough conversations too, about where's agriculture
maybe not performing well when it comes to scrutiny, how
are we maybe being more reactive in that space. I'm
going to be talking about where narratives are breaking down
(31:11):
around the world, what's the problem where it's happening. But
then the big thing, like anything, is where we can
actually develop some tools to be more positive.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
Okay, where are we letting ourselves down? Let me guess
the environment?
Speaker 5 (31:22):
Yeah, elements within that, but if we actually strip it
right back. One of my opening messages is around mudslinging.
There's big issues within agriculture that we're sort of polarizing
ourselves into the binary position of what's right and what's wrong,
and that happens within the environment. And if we look
at a sector regenerative farming versus conventional farming. That is
a big conversation that's happening where we've become a lot
(31:43):
more hesitant to accept difference in agriculture and we're not
often listening. That's a big problem that we have top
oppy syndrome, big issue here in New Zealand, big issue
in Australia. So we've got people that are trying to innovate,
who are trying to be you know, pursuing different routes
of leadership, and people are really tearing them down. I
remember speaking to lots of farming advocates when I was
in here in New Zealand and they just said, you know,
(32:04):
we're being told to tone down success. But then that
stems into leadership for the future, and it's that idea.
If we don't have people that are really paving the
way for more progressive modernization, we're just really maintaining legacy
systems and agriculture.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
So here in New Zealand, clear this is my theory,
and I've been around for long enough to create a theory.
I reckon COVID or post COVID has almost been good
for New Zealand farming because I think urban people have
a renewed appreciation for what the farmers are doing to
fight us, but more importantly, what they're doing here in
New Zealand to save us going bankrupt as a nation.
Speaker 5 (32:40):
And I think that's not just here in New Zealand.
I think COVID Unfortunately one of the positives from what
that was that reconnection piece that was happening. We saw
empty shelves, everyone panics, Everybody started remembering that actually, the
food producers are so important. But part of the problem
over the years is we've been so quiet as farmers
that people we've allowed that disconnect to really spread. So
(33:01):
now we do have this whole generation of curious consumers.
But I guess what my talk says today is that
what we're often doing is we're mistaking curiosity for criticism.
People want to know what farming is doing. You asked
me about the environment. They want to know what are
we doing around our natural environment, what are we doing
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It's a gift to farming
because we can actually start engaging and telling them what
(33:22):
we're doing. And it's a really good story.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
Now, as we said, your domicile in Australia. You've found
love there. Clear we're very very happy for you. But
you've just come back from a period in Scotland. Has
the Scottish government fallen in behind farmers around livestock numbers.
Speaker 5 (33:39):
It's a really interesting question because over the last decade
we've seen about twelve percent decline in our and our
livestock heard in Scotland and it's been going down for
a long time. And there's been a big campaign that's
just been launched really in the last month by Quality
Meat Scotland, our Red Meat body there and that has
been to increase a national beef herd and the Scottis
government have just got behind that a pretty small the
(34:01):
economic modeling behind it's fascinating. They've said, if we could
get every heard in Scotland, let's say that's around eight
thousand herds of cattle, if we can get them to
increase by two animals per year for the next four years,
we're going to meet the shortage it's expected. So it's
a really in terms of accessibility understanding is putting that
groundwork in and the government have got behind that and
it's just been our national show. You've had field days
(34:22):
we've just had the Hailand show. The government has come
out and supported that because we've got to get those
figures in the right direction again.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Clay Tayler, I could talk to you all day, but
I'm out of time and I've got Federated Farmers chomping, champing,
chomping at the bit. Over there, Toby Williams the Meat
and Wool Chair to come on lovely to catch up
with you last night, and we'll look forward to spending
some time with you. And I'm really looking forward to
your address this afternoon.
Speaker 5 (34:45):
Thanks so much. Great to be back on the program.
Speaker 3 (34:47):
There we go, Clay Tayler, not Field scholar. Up next
Toby Williams Meat and Woolchair for Federated Farmers to wrap
the show from day one of the Primary industry Summit Capital. Okay,
just start wrapping the country very briefly. We're run out
of time. Always do this on obs. Toby Williams Meat
(35:08):
and Wall Chair for Federated Farmers along with Richard mcintyran
and Wine Lanthor. I think you guys have done a
really good job of fronting it for FEDS, but they
tell me you're being challenged for the meet and chair
position tonight or tomorrow at the Agmah.
Speaker 11 (35:22):
I am tomorrow at the AGM. And that's what makes
FEDS great, you know. The ability for someone to step
in is actually, I think I can do a better
job than you. So a young farmer from Malbors put
his hand up to say he thinks he can do
a bit of job.
Speaker 3 (35:33):
Well, we'll see what the folks say you've been doing.
You've been vociferous against carbon farming, and that's why I'm
saluting you because I think you've done a great job
leading the charge on that.
Speaker 11 (35:44):
Yeah, thanks Jamie. What this legislation has been passed the
first reading today in Parliament and we need a clause
change in that desperately. And that that's about the seedings
owning seedings as a way to get out around the
rules from the summerforet.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
It's been a row. Let's be honest, it has been
a raw. It's an absolute rute. And now we're loosing
the stable door horse bolted.
Speaker 11 (36:04):
Yeah, and the people who are planning their own farms
and now saying well we'll already own this evenings, they
can go and buy another farm and get around this
whole thing was worry about planning my one later and
we need that change made desperately and we've been talking
to that Joe Luxon to do that for us as well,
so hopefully we'll get that through.
Speaker 3 (36:19):
All right, Hell listen more out of time. Thank you
very much. Congratulations to the Federated Farmer's team for putting
on the summer. You've got a great lineup of speakers.
You know, we had Michael every Todd maclay this morning.
Clear Taylor's outstanding. We'll hear from her this afternoon. The
awards are tonight. We will bring you all the big
winners on tomorrow's show from Tapai Conference Center here in Christchurch.
(36:42):
We will catch you then.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
Catch all the latest from the land. It's the Country
Podcast with Jamie McGue. 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, You're specialist in
John Deere construction.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Equipment My Services. Wants to let.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Me Zealand welcome to the Country. Coming to you live
on day one from the Primary Industries New Zealand Summit
and Awards, the Big Awards show tonight. More about that
tomorrow that we've already had a rollicking start for the day.
We've heard from Todd McClay, the Minister of Agriculture. Some
very and trades, some very impressive numbers are from him.
(00:50):
He's had to go back to Wellington, believe it or not,
for the first reading of the farm to Forest Conversion Bill.
But I guess keynote speaker the morning and we're going
to kick off the show with them, So buckle yourselves in, folks.
Michael every Rabobank Global Strategist, Michael, I love you having
on the show, having you on the show. We're based
(01:11):
out of Dunedin and I do joke that after chatting
to you, I want to climb to the seventh floor
of the Westpac building and jump because you always have
me worrying about the state of the world, and I'm thinking,
with what's happened in the past week, what are you
going to come up with? Yet, someone left your presentation
this morning and I heard them mutter on the way
out after hearing you, maybe Trump's not as nutty as
(01:34):
people think he is.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
Good afternoon, Good afternoon. Lovely to be with you in
person for the first time, I think doing this show
at least, No, he's not as nutty as people think
he is. And I would add neither am I um.
And in terms of the you know, jumping off the
seventh floor, I've often tried to make the point to
(01:56):
you that actually there's a really optimistic side to what
I try and get across.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
All Right, we're just maybe having some technical difficulties of it.
We will battle on regardless. We've got a tech guy,
Bill Hayes. Are we on the job, Are we on
air team? We are on it. Let's just continue as
though that glitch never happens at all. So you carry on.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
In terms of jumping off of the seventh floor. A
message I've tried to get across repeatedly is it actually
there's a big upside to what's going on. So when
I describe some of these global events happening in the background.
As I have been I've always tried to say, yeah,
there are risks, but on the other hand, if things
turn out right, there's real sunshine on the other side
(02:41):
of it. And that's true for the trade war, that's
true for various different geopolitical crises we've had, and it's
absolutely true for what's going on right now in the
Middle East.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
You said when Trump was elected Trump two points zero,
that this would change the face of how the world
does politics and it hers.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
Well, I mean that was a no brainer, to be honest.
I mean, if you look at what he was saying
he was going to do when he came into power,
the only question is would he actually deliver, and he
absolutely has. I mean in terms of economic policy, there's
been a huge change. You can see, trade policy has
been shaken up. Every domestic policy in the US is
being shaken up. And at the same time, primary focus
(03:19):
right now as we're talking is just in the past
few minutes we've seen more developments from the Middle East,
which again shake everything up.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Well, he's declared a total ceasefire. You tell me, the
Israelis are flat out bombing Tehran as we speak and
vice versa.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
Well, Tehran's not bombing Israel right now, but oh sorry,
Iran isn't bombing Tel Aviv and Haife right now, but
Israel is still bombing Tehran.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
So when does the ceasefire come under play?
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Well, he said a while ago, he said, in six hours.
They never announced them immediately, So both size traditionally in
the Middle East always try and bomb right up to
the last minute. So I would imagine you will get
more firing right until legally they're supposed to stop according
to this agreement, and then hopefully things can at which
point what we were being told a few days ago,
(04:03):
which is this risk's World War III. This is an
absolute calamity. Now, those risks were there, to be clear,
but they were only what we call fat tail risks.
They were never the central risk. Instead, touch would what
it appears we have got is a defanged or defenestrated
Iran which doesn't have a nuclear weapon, which is a
huge positive for the region and for the world, and
(04:25):
a massive demonstration of the reassertion of both Israeli and
US power in conjunction, which could open the door to
stability and peace.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
So this has been a huge diplomatic victory potentially for
Trump using bombs.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
Yeah, that's how you sometimes get victory America.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
I'm just going to pick the eyes out of your
presentation this morning. You said America is essentially isolationist and
anti free trade, but certainly make America great again. It's
America first.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
What I said was historically is a realist rather than
an idealist, and isolationist rather than internationalist. It has periods
where it tries to become more global and more pro
free trade, but we're currently reverting back to type which
is a more controlled trade. Now. I don't think America
(05:18):
is anti trade, but they're not interested in trade where
they import and don't export, which is what they've been
doing for a very long time. They want trade partners who,
when they sell to them, will turn around and say, well,
I've just sold this much to you. I've got these
dollars in my pocket. Now I want to buy something
from you. That's what they want to see.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Well, the other point you've made, and this is coming
to pass. I guess America wants to reindustrialize and make
stuff again.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
They do, that's the plan. Let's join the dots here.
They've just potentially brought, you know, peace to the Middle
East of a sort, as you said, with bombs. The
bombs that they used to achieve that. Reports are they
used twelve of them. We don't know how many they
have but intelligent estimates but maybe only around thirty or forty.
They don't have a lot of them. They now need
(06:07):
to make more. So the whole point is, if you
want to have that Pax Americana of sorts, you need
to have the weapons, you know, to be used to
enforce it. And that's been America's problem. They haven't been
making enough of this stuff. They need to keep the
global system policed, if you will, so they want to
start reindustrializing a.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Lot of us. Myself and Cloded of being dismissive of
Trump's tariffs, I think they're interventionalist and not good for
world free trade. We're a nation depending on world on
the world and some free trading. But you're saying tariffs
are the way of the future. We've almost gone back
to the future like it used to be.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
Well, tariffs were the way of the world forever up
until a few decades ago, where we decided that we
knew better than the totality of global economic history, and
if we remove tariffs, everything would work out.
Speaker 5 (06:58):
Well.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Put a hypothetical to you, I mean New Zealand. Obviously
you're a fantastic producer of food and a food exporter.
What if there was a new country that suddenly appeared
on the map that could produce everything that you do
at a third of the cost. Because you know, they
were using indentured labor, so whatever trick of the trade
they were using, and they were flooding your market and
every market you export to, and suddenly you couldn't sell
food anywhere. I wonder how free trade New Zealand would
(07:21):
be in that situation. So it's always a question of
where you sit in the relationship that tells you how
you feel about it. You're quite rightly in favor of
it because of where you sit now, but that's not
always true for everybody.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Wanston Peter's there foreign a Faas monister said, we're in
the most the world was the most unstable it's been
since the Cuban missile crisis of October nineteen sixty two.
Would you concur with that?
Speaker 4 (07:45):
We came close to that in the past couple of
days where some of the rumored headlines out there about
what Russia might or might not do. Could have been
an echo in the worst case scenario, and I flagged
it at work, but I said, look, it's unlike but
you have to put it out there. As a scenario
is that Russia could have done what it threatened twenty
four hours ago, which was to send a nuclear weapon
(08:07):
to Iran. Let's say, for example, they put it in
a cargo plane and they say, this plane is flying
to Tehran. It's got a nuclear weapon in it. It's Russian.
You shoot it down. You're at war with us on
a nuclear level. But if it gets there, Iran's got
a nuke. What are you going to do? And it
would have forced a Cuban missile style crisis on America
and Israel. Thinking about it today, the former president Medvedev,
(08:29):
who tweeted that, said, basically only joking, have no intention
of doing anything like that. So they completely blinked and
walked it back.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Does Russian a but player and the power play between
China and the US they have the superpowers as Russia.
Russia's no longer a superpower.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
No it's not. It's super spoiling things. It can't build
very much, which is what you need to be a superpower.
But they're a super spoiler in that they can disrupt
other people's systems and they will always be powerful because
of their geograph, their commodities, and the number of nuclear
weapons that they've got. But that doesn't give you the
basis to build very much.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
One of the slides you put up this morning pertained
to New zealand our history. You went back to eighteen
forty the founding of our nation effectively, and you said,
from eighteen forty right through to nineteen forty one, the
beginning of the Second World War, we were a farm
for the UK and the British Empire. Then post war,
(09:27):
until Britain entered the EU, we were a farm for
Mother England, for Britain, we became after that a farm
for Asia. You stopped at twenty twenty four. Who are
we a farm for now?
Speaker 4 (09:39):
Well, I put that question to Kiwis, But that is
the key question because there were two parts of that slide,
and you alluded to it. At the beginning, you were
a farm for the UK, with the UK protecting you.
Then you were a farm for the UK with the
Americans protecting you. Then you were a farm for Asia
with the Americans protecting you. Now, the question is not
(10:00):
just who are you a farm for, it's who is
protecting you? And what I was trying to say is
you have to start with the second question to answer
the first. You can't say America is protecting us, but
will be a farm for China, for example, because that
may not be compatible with America protecting you in the future.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Can we afford to sit on the fence? No, no,
we can't. So Winston Peters is right. Will you either
choose the US or we choose China? And choosing China
would probably be disastrous for US from a security point.
Speaker 4 (10:29):
Of view, Yes, it would. Ultimately that choice is likely
to happen. Nothing's written in stone. China itself could change.
But if it doesn't, yes, logically you get to that
decision point. But then if you choose China, that's disasterous
for you in terms of security. If you choose the US,
it's extremely damaging in terms of trade. So there are
trade offs that need to be made.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
A final question for you r a final comment from
a question that was posed to you after your excellent
address today. Someone threw it out there seemed a bit
of a silly question. Start. One thing I thought about
it for a moment, the possibility of another civil war
in the United States. You didn't dismiss it.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Well, I'm not the only one not dismissing it. If
you look at the polarization there and the anger and
the bitterness and the divide politically where you've got large
street demonstrations, and not just in the US, by the way,
the same is true in Europe. The same is true
in the UK. Even in Australia. People walking through the
streets of capital cities with Iranian flags and before that
(11:29):
it was Hesbola flags, and before that it was Hamass flags, etc.
You have to ask yourself, Okay, is it really an impossibility?
And far more credential people than me are saying it's
far from likely, but it's not something you can rule out.
But that in itself, as I said today, is tied
to trying to create this new global structure. If you
(11:49):
create a global structure which is fairer in terms of
who wins and loses on trade, who wins and loses domestically,
so you don't get people left behind, maybe we remove
that threat at the same time.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
Final comment from me, you're based out of Singapore. You're
Rabobank's global strategist. Have you thought of moving to a
sofa place? I e New Zealand.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
Well, I can't cope with the winters. I've just come
down here from Singapore and I can't tell you how
many layers I'm wearing already.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Michael Every always good to catch up. I reckon we've
caught up in person and had a coffee and Dunedin.
You disagree with that, and you and I sometimes disagree
or agree to disagree, but it's been great catching you
in person. Fantastic address, keynote address this morning.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
There we go. Michael Every from Rabobank, Singapore based global strategist.
Up next, we are truly going international. We've got Lawrence Meredith,
the EU Ambassador to New Zealand. He's been listening into
what Michael Every's had to say. I wonder if he agrees.
We'll find out after the break.
Speaker 6 (12:58):
Laughing, Laska.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
And Susy, Welcome back to the country, Day one of
the Primary Industry's summit. The awards are on tonight. We'll
have all the winners for you tomorrow. But listening intently,
there's my screen gone listening listening intently to our guest,
(13:24):
our first guest. Excuse me, folks, just amuse yourself. Just
pump that music up for a minute. Bryce, I've just
lost comes here for a moment. I'll be straight backs.
Speaker 6 (13:43):
Guy.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
We've got to look at us out sort of all sorts.
Thank God for Bill to me, as we would never
get this show to air. Hey, so listening intently to
what Todd McLay, the Rabobank Global strategist had to say.
Was Lawrence Meredith, who is the EU and investor to
New Zealand. Lawrence, great to meet you in person. I've
been wanting to check to you for a while. What
(14:06):
did you make of what he had to say? I
jokingly call Michael an alarmist? Is he an alarmist?
Speaker 7 (14:12):
Well, looked at this from the point of view of
the European Union Prime Minister Luxeon has just met President
vonder lyon this morning and they've been strongly reaffirming a
commitment to free trade. So our perspective is indeed quite
different from the one you just heard from Michael. So hell, well,
we believe that if you look over the last couple
(14:33):
of centuries, since Michael took a historical view, you see
overall prosperity has strongly grown on the basis of free
trade and the European Union. Like New Zealand believes that
the future is an investing in free trade and the
rules based international order, and that's what's just been confirmed
in Brussels between Prime Minister Luxeon and President Ursula of Underline.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Todd McLay gave the opening address before we heard from
Michael every today, and one thing he was adamant about
was that we cannot afford to pull out of the
Paris Climate Agreement. You obviously would concur with that.
Speaker 7 (15:09):
Yeah, I would strongly agree with that because ninety seven
percent of the world's scientists say climate warmings of fact,
so we need to deal with it. Then there's a discussion,
of very legitimate discussion about how to deal with that.
And I'm a Yorkshire Irishman from a dairy farming village,
so I also believe like Todd that it's really important
that we find the right solutions adapted to our respective
(15:29):
economies and taking account of farmers husbandry of the Landers.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
Were so if these big European food companies, producers, misslid
and on, these sort of people kick us to touch,
Who do they replace us with? Who else is out
there doing it better than us?
Speaker 7 (15:45):
I don't think there's any discussion of that. I think
it's rather the opposite that you've got strong commitment to
meeting that zero by twenty fifty and producing very high
quality products in the process. So what we've seen over
the last year, and Minister maclay is equally adamant on this,
is that thanks to the European Union New Zealand Free
Trade Agreement, there's an increase to New Zealand export as
(16:07):
many of whom are in the summit today, of a
billion dollars and that's a twenty eight percent increase in
just twelve months.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
What do you say to my argument around the greenhouse
gas emissions argument, I say there's no more ruminance on
the planet than there was in nineteen ninety. In fact,
probably go back another century before that there may not
have been more ruminants. So the problem is not ruminants
emitting methane. It's man burning fossil fuel that is the problem.
That's the area that we need to cut back on. Surely.
Speaker 7 (16:35):
Well, the European Union strategy for meeting climate that zero
by twenty fifty is very heavily predicated first and foremost
on reducing our demand for energy energy efficiency. This enormous
scope for that number one and number two, as you
rightly suggest, cutting base emissions from the most energy intensive industries.
(16:56):
But there is also a role and here we're going
to hear from doctor Joe Roach after lunch about innovation,
which is a really strong factor in New Zealand agriculture
as in European Union.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
Avers Well, I put it to you Ken, Europe and
New Zealand maintain large stock numbers and meet NIT zero
by twenty fifty.
Speaker 7 (17:15):
Maintaining livestock numbers, I think it's a different it's bringing
in that innovation. And I had the pleasure of being
at Field Days last week and there was fantastic innovation
both across New Zealand agriculture but also EU Agritech was
showcasing its best and we're both working together. I come
from Ireland, which we're working very much on similar pasture
and agriculture, and Island and New Zealand cooperating on how
(17:39):
best to tackle the methans emission. So I think we're
making very substantial progress and I'm confident. A Todd said
that in the coming twenty five years, we're going to
hit that in at zero by twenty fifty.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
Now, I think this is your first diplomatic posting. Am
I right in saying that? On? Yeah? But in a
previous life you've been under some troubled areas. You were
involved in Russia Ukraine.
Speaker 7 (18:01):
I'm a Russian speaker and that's been an area of
specialization to nearly all my career. So I'm really delighted
that the Prime Minister and w Prime Minister of just
and Foreign Minister Peters have just announced strong additional support
for Ukraine because New Zealand, like the Opian Union, strongly
stands with Ukraine.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
Sakia. Starmer, your labor leader, and of course Prime Minister
has been well, he's been a bit of a standout,
to be fear on the global stage. He's not so
popular at home, not with Yorkshire Irish dairy farmers.
Speaker 7 (18:36):
Listen, what's important here?
Speaker 3 (18:38):
I know you can't, does the boss so well?
Speaker 7 (18:42):
I'm Irish, So let's start here. What's really important is
all those countries who do stand with Ukraine. I've experienced
this situation and anybody who stands for democracy, the rule
of law and sovereignty is supportive of what's happening in
in Ukraine. It's completely unacceptable that Russia invaded sovereign Ukraine
(19:05):
and the European Union and New Zealand, together with many
other who support the rule of law and democracy, stand
with Ukraine.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
Okay, Just finally, Lawrence Meredith, you EU and best at
in New Zealand. We were having a coffee during the
break and we got as you do talking fuddy. You're
a huge rugby fan. Are you going to cross the
Testament have a look at the Lions while they're over there?
Speaker 7 (19:30):
Well, I'm not going to cross the Tasman for that,
but I'm definitely going to see the All Blacks fronts
and that's going to be a cracking game.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
That's only the warm up. That's the entree you need
to go to the All Blacks against the spring Box
and early September at Eden Park. That is the game, well,
not of the century, certainly the best game of fuddy
between the two World Cups.
Speaker 7 (19:47):
Well, I have to say, growing up as a rugby
manor and outside center, the most exciting thing is to
watch the All Blacks in action. And last time you
won out against Ireland. But you know or his next time,
so we'll see what happens in the France and spring
books again.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Lawrence Meredith, EU Ambassador in New Zealand. Lovely to meet you.
Talking about rugby. We're going to take a break here
on the country. On the other side of it. An
old first fifteen made of mine from school, whose father
was an All Black and his father also had the
rare distinction of playing Test match rugby for the All
Blacks as a ford and a back. Jim Ward up next,
(20:25):
who runs the biggest farm in the country, Molesworth Station.
We'll be back after the break.
Speaker 6 (20:34):
Now, what would you do?
Speaker 3 (20:38):
I We're broadcasting live from the TOPAI Conference Center in
christ It's first time I've been here. It's quite flash.
It's a bit like the flash one up in Wellington.
Here's a bloke that I went to school with in
Gore Saint Peter's College. Were in the first fifteen together
and James ward Ie was your captain. But I used
to be terrified of your father, the late Ron ward
(21:00):
who was an All Black who played in the forwards
and the backs, and he used to run up and
down the sideline. Bless him. He's no longer with us,
and if we made a mistake, he would give it
to us. And he was no fan of mine because
I was around the corner kicker, following in Barry John's footsteps,
and Ron reckoned you needed to be a toe hacker
like Fergie McCormick. Good afternoon, mate, good to see you again, yeap.
(21:23):
So is not what you've got to say about your father.
He was a bit of a legend coach Southland and
he was in the Great Southland shield Sides when they
held the shield pre war and post war.
Speaker 8 (21:34):
Yeah, I mean rugby was a big part of our
family all the way through with my uncle Kevin and dad.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
So what uncle vins Kevin Skinner all right, oh god,
you do come from rugby royalty.
Speaker 8 (21:46):
Well it never carried on through my genetics, so never
would no. As you know, rugby was a big part
of our life from that that agent stage, and we
did look up to a lot of peers. Ken Stuart
was an absolute mentor, you know, someone I locked up
to all the way through my rugby careers.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
So yeah, and the bellfer Rugby Club just celebrate one
hundred and twenty five years over the weekend. In fact,
I think some of them are still going, Hey, great
to see you here. And one of the reasons you're
here at the Primary Industry Awards tonight is because you've
been nominated for the Champion Awards. So there's doctor Robin Dines,
(22:24):
yourself and David Wheeler. You don't know who's won. I do,
but if I tell you, I'll have to shoot you.
But I thought i'd get you on because we caught
up over a coffee this morning. You're running Molesworth Station.
It's our biggest station. Now here's a question for you,
James or Jim as you're known these days. Is it
a farm or is it a tourist venture?
Speaker 8 (22:43):
It's everything. We've set up four pillars farming, recreation, conservation
and cultural and that's how we see it. We've got
five million owners, but the farming program does maintain the
asset and it does pay for a lot of the
work on the property. We welcome the public. We really
want them on board with us. We want them to
(23:05):
come and see what they own and it's a big
part of our life. Yeah, the public are a big
part of our life.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
Is Palmer who owns Molesworth or is it the Department
of Conservation? Well, what's your ownership structure, structure.
Speaker 8 (23:19):
The owner substructures. We've got five million owners. That's how
we work.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
So are you getting into carbon farming at all? Too
high to grow trees up at Molesworth's.
Speaker 8 (23:29):
We grow far too many warlding pine trees. That one
of our big problems right through the high country bit,
especially with US and around US.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
As you realize all those wilding pines are sequestering carbon,
you're potentially putting the planet at risk by chopping them down.
Speaker 8 (23:43):
Yeah. I guess you could say that, Jamie. Only you
would say that though. But I guess our big caution
is that if we don't do anything about the wilding
pine trees from our boundary through to the Sandus in
Kaikuru in twenty years, we solid pine trees. Don't think
that's what news yell need wants.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
Mine, Jeff. Carbon farming continues on its mery way. That's
what we might have Canada pine trees from the Alps
to the ocean. Hey, so talk to me about the journey.
What did I use that word for? I hate it.
From being a schoolboy rugby player at Saint Peter's in
the nineteen seventies to running New Zealand's Biggers Farm.
Speaker 8 (24:19):
It's quite a story. Well, yeah, I guess shepherded my
way through the early years and did a bit of
a stint at Lincoln. Didn't learn a damn thing, but
that wasn't unusual for my age and stage of life.
Then I had an opportunity to move to the North
Island to run a property in the back blocks of
(24:39):
Wirral in the Rocketree Valley, and then I've been there
two years and one day the company who was working
for come and see me on a Wednesday and said
they were thinking of buying Warrior Station. If they got it,
I was to go there as manager. And on the
Friday they came and got a hold of me and
said you've got to be there by Saturday. So that's
(25:00):
how fast that took. So we were there for four years.
The property was in on sold and we worked for
a family, the Plymouth family in one of their properties
in the Napier type road Kelly Land Company and head
it for nine years. And then we never applied for
a job in my life, but then Molesworth came up
and we applied.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
And why not run the biggest farm in the country.
Speaker 8 (25:22):
Well, we always thought their career path. My wife and I, Tracy,
we always thought that the sort of farm we could
afford to buy and the one we want to run
were totally different, so we've looked at other things to
do with our lives. But running a property like this
was a real challenge, and the challenge doesn't get any
less as you go on either, because if anything, it
(25:45):
gets greater.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
James Ward, Jim Ward, so good to see you again
after all these years, and good luck tonight at the
Primary Industry Awards. You're up. You're one of three finalists
and the Champion award, so we will see you later.
On to right, we're going to take a break. On
the other side of it. I think we've got a
message from one of our Young Farmer Grand finalists, and
we've also got rural news, sports news. Clear Taylor's with
(26:09):
us from Scotland Nuffield Scholar and Federated Farmers. Jeez, look
at that man there. We've got a special guest who's
a big fowl. Keep my power to dry on this one,
who's no fan would be fair to say of carbon farming.
We'll be back after that break. Today's FMG Young Farmer
(26:33):
Region Representative is George Leatham for Tasman. Okay, George, you've
got sixty seconds to sell your region to the rest
of the country. Off you go.
Speaker 9 (26:41):
Yeah, thanks for having me on. I guess well, first
and foremost Tasman. We're the top of the South both
in terms of the competition and geographically as well, so
those things are nicely hand in hand. But from everything
north of the Require River we've claimed as Tasman, and
we've got a mix of it all, from some of
the best deary and sheep and beef country right through
(27:02):
to the horticulture and viticulture as well and everything else
in between. We've also had you know, the pride of
the South of Lincoln University as well as plenty of
other strong clubs that have claimed Tasman as their home,
and I think that's just a really great region. We're
also getting in behind Surfing for Farmers this year, so
(27:22):
chucking together a bit of coin towards a really good
course that's boots on the ground and helping farmers get
out of farm for a few hours, exercise, socialize and
have a really good mental lead.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
Here signs up, Thanks George. Well you've just heard George
Leathan's pitch for Tasman and now it's over to you
to vote in the FMG Region Off. Go to FMG
dot co dot Nz forward slash Region Off and vote
before July five.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
The country's rural news with Lawnmaster helping you musty your
lawns for over seventy five years. Visit steel Ford dot
co dot Nz for your local stock guest.
Speaker 10 (28:00):
More than three hundred entries have been received for the
third time running of the Charity Bailey Shep Dog Trials
and Topaul this week. The trials are in support of
the Greenley Arriscue Helicopter and howld at the fiber Fresh
National Equestrian Center at Rita Tier from the June twenty
fifth till the twenty eighth. Top Dogs are coming through
throughout the country for the trials, as well as enthusiasts
who enjoy the challenge of indoor competition and some who
(28:21):
are new to the sport. The winner of the Open
class will receive fifteen hundred dollars, which is the highest
prize money on offer in New Zealand. And I've got
Jamie here with Sports.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
News Sport with Avco Kiwi to the Bone since nineteen
oh four.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
Yes, tech guy Bill Turmey on the phone. I'm always
worried when he goes to the phone when we're doing
a live ob but we're still on air. Bill, Yes,
he's given me the big thumbs up. Just one sports
news story for you. Olie Norris is reflecting on how
his maiden All Blacks announcement left him genuinely dumbfound that
the Chiefs prop will go into camp with the squad
(28:57):
tomorrow after being named as one of the five capped
players in Scott Robertson's first group of twenty twenty five.
Norris said he found out the good news while watching
his TV at home like everyone else. Apparently, of the
five new All Blacks, Razor rang three of them and
two of them just had to watch it on Telly
like the rest of us. We'll take a break on
(29:17):
the other side of it. All the way from Scotland,
even though she's domiciled in Australia. Now she's gone there
for love. Claire Taylor, Scottish Nuffield Scholar. Before the end
of the hour, the Man the Meat and Wool chair
for Federated Farmer's Toby Williams. We are at the primary
(29:41):
Industry's Summit the awards tonight. Keynote speaker this afternoon or
one of them will be Claire Taylor, Scottish Nuffield Scholar.
Got a lovely accent, but she's an Ozzie now and
hello Claire, good afternoon. Good to catch you for dinner
last night as well. We kind of bumped into each
there was a whole whole crew of a safe MG
(30:02):
Farmers Weekly, ourselves. But anyhow, your address this afternoon is
how do we change the narrative around farming. You've got
five minutes to talk me through it, Jamie.
Speaker 5 (30:13):
It's lovely to be back on the country. I must
look like I'm always trying to get on your program.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
Well, no, you're really good because you took the age, ethnicity, gender,
you do a lot of things for the Shark, and
you've certainly loved the air for charge.
Speaker 5 (30:28):
Well, I'm getting that one step closer to living in
New Zealand now I've managed to get over the ditch.
I'm in Australia now, but you're delighted to be here
in christ Shirts for the conference. I'm speaking this afternoon
on a topic which I think a lot of conferences
are really zeroing in on and that is about how
do we start possessioning more positive farming narratives. This is
all my new field research. It has been for the
last couple of years, but I've got to that stage
(30:50):
where I've actually colleated, I've got my findings down and
it's really lovely to be able to share some of
my insights and I'm going to be talking the audience
there some some pretty tough conversations too, about where's agriculture
maybe not performing well when it comes to scrutiny, how
are we maybe being more reactive in that space. I'm
going to be talking about where narratives are breaking down
(31:11):
around the world, what's the problem where it's happening. But
then the big thing, like anything, is where we can
actually develop some tools to be more positive.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
Okay, where are we letting ourselves down? Let me guess
the environment?
Speaker 5 (31:22):
Yeah, elements within that, but if we actually strip it
right back. One of my opening messages is around mudslinging.
There's big issues within agriculture that we're sort of polarizing
ourselves into the binary position of what's right and what's wrong,
and that happens within the environment. And if we look
at a sector regenerative farming versus conventional farming. That is
a big conversation that's happening where we've become a lot
(31:43):
more hesitant to accept difference in agriculture and we're not
often listening. That's a big problem that we have top
oppy syndrome, big issue here in New Zealand, big issue
in Australia. So we've got people that are trying to innovate,
who are trying to be you know, pursuing different routes
of leadership, and people are really tearing them down. I
remember speaking to lots of farming advocates when I was
in here in New Zealand and they just said, you know,
(32:04):
we're being told to tone down success. But then that
stems into leadership for the future, and it's that idea.
If we don't have people that are really paving the
way for more progressive modernization, we're just really maintaining legacy
systems and agriculture.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
So here in New Zealand, clear this is my theory,
and I've been around for long enough to create a theory.
I reckon COVID or post COVID has almost been good
for New Zealand farming because I think urban people have
a renewed appreciation for what the farmers are doing to
fight us, but more importantly, what they're doing here in
New Zealand to save us going bankrupt as a nation.
Speaker 5 (32:40):
And I think that's not just here in New Zealand.
I think COVID Unfortunately one of the positives from what
that was that reconnection piece that was happening. We saw
empty shelves, everyone panics, Everybody started remembering that actually, the
food producers are so important. But part of the problem
over the years is we've been so quiet as farmers
that people we've allowed that disconnect to really spread. So
(33:01):
now we do have this whole generation of curious consumers.
But I guess what my talk says today is that
what we're often doing is we're mistaking curiosity for criticism.
People want to know what farming is doing. You asked
me about the environment. They want to know what are
we doing around our natural environment, what are we doing
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It's a gift to farming
because we can actually start engaging and telling them what
(33:22):
we're doing. And it's a really good story.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
Now, as we said, your domicile in Australia. You've found
love there. Clear we're very very happy for you. But
you've just come back from a period in Scotland. Has
the Scottish government fallen in behind farmers around livestock numbers.
Speaker 5 (33:39):
It's a really interesting question because over the last decade
we've seen about twelve percent decline in our and our
livestock heard in Scotland and it's been going down for
a long time. And there's been a big campaign that's
just been launched really in the last month by Quality
Meat Scotland, our Red Meat body there and that has
been to increase a national beef herd and the Scottis
government have just got behind that a pretty small the
(34:01):
economic modeling behind it's fascinating. They've said, if we could
get every heard in Scotland, let's say that's around eight
thousand herds of cattle, if we can get them to
increase by two animals per year for the next four years,
we're going to meet the shortage it's expected. So it's
a really in terms of accessibility understanding is putting that
groundwork in and the government have got behind that and
it's just been our national show. You've had field days
(34:22):
we've just had the Hailand show. The government has come
out and supported that because we've got to get those
figures in the right direction again.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Clay Tayler, I could talk to you all day, but
I'm out of time and I've got Federated Farmers chomping, champing,
chomping at the bit. Over there, Toby Williams the Meat
and Wool Chair to come on lovely to catch up
with you last night, and we'll look forward to spending
some time with you. And I'm really looking forward to
your address this afternoon.
Speaker 5 (34:45):
Thanks so much. Great to be back on the program.
Speaker 3 (34:47):
There we go, Clay Tayler, not Field scholar. Up next
Toby Williams Meat and Woolchair for Federated Farmers to wrap
the show from day one of the Primary industry Summit Capital. Okay,
just start wrapping the country very briefly. We're run out
of time. Always do this on obs. Toby Williams Meat
(35:08):
and Wall Chair for Federated Farmers along with Richard mcintyran
and Wine Lanthor. I think you guys have done a
really good job of fronting it for FEDS, but they
tell me you're being challenged for the meet and chair
position tonight or tomorrow at the Agmah.
Speaker 11 (35:22):
I am tomorrow at the AGM. And that's what makes
FEDS great, you know. The ability for someone to step
in is actually, I think I can do a better
job than you. So a young farmer from Malbors put
his hand up to say he thinks he can do
a bit of job.
Speaker 3 (35:33):
Well, we'll see what the folks say you've been doing.
You've been vociferous against carbon farming, and that's why I'm
saluting you because I think you've done a great job
leading the charge on that.
Speaker 11 (35:44):
Yeah, thanks Jamie. What this legislation has been passed the
first reading today in Parliament and we need a clause
change in that desperately. And that that's about the seedings
owning seedings as a way to get out around the
rules from the summerforet.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
It's been a row. Let's be honest, it has been
a raw. It's an absolute rute. And now we're loosing
the stable door horse bolted.
Speaker 11 (36:04):
Yeah, and the people who are planning their own farms
and now saying well we'll already own this evenings, they
can go and buy another farm and get around this
whole thing was worry about planning my one later and
we need that change made desperately and we've been talking
to that Joe Luxon to do that for us as well,
so hopefully we'll get that through.
Speaker 3 (36:19):
All right, Hell listen more out of time. Thank you
very much. Congratulations to the Federated Farmer's team for putting
on the summer. You've got a great lineup of speakers.
You know, we had Michael every Todd maclay this morning.
Clear Taylor's outstanding. We'll hear from her this afternoon. The
awards are tonight. We will bring you all the big
winners on tomorrow's show from Tapai Conference Center here in Christchurch.
(36:42):
We will catch you then.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
Catch all the latest from the land. It's the Country
Podcast with Jamie McGue. Thanks to Brent, you're specialist in
John Deere machinery.
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