October 19, 2025 • 38 mins
Jamie Mackay talks to David Seymour, Riley Kennedy, Pete Turner, Graeme Williams, and Phil Duncan.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Catch you're the latest from the Land. It's the Country
Podcast with Jamie mckaye. Thanks to Brent, you're specialist in
John Deere construction equipment.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I'll me home on Monday.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Somewhere around.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
When good anew Zeeland. Welcome to the Country, brought to
you by Branton Jamie mckaye home on a Monday somewhere
around noon. That's me been out of the office for
a few weeks. It'll be fair to say it's good
to be back here. I hope I can remember how
to drive this baby. Anyhow, We'll try our best because
I've got waiting on hold Deputy Prime Minister and act
(00:48):
Leader David Seymour. The inflation numbers are out. Plus we've
got two big farmer votes coming up in the next
couple of weeks. The Alliance Group deal we're propose to
all with Dawn meets. The meetings happening as we speak,
so we'll talk about that one. An actual fact. I've
got Riley Kennedy from Business Desk who's watching it for
(01:10):
me as as I speak, so we're going to chat
to him as well. David Seymour. As I said to
kick it off, Riley Kennedy We're going to go to
the coal face, very windy coalface, Southland. Pete Turner, Large
Alliance Group shareholder, son of a former chair John Turner.
Get his thoughts on today's big vote. Graham Williams. Other
(01:31):
end of the country, Gisbine. What a great place that
is why AMP shows are this heart and soul of Heartland,
Rural New Zealand. And Phil Duncan on the weather. It
is a shakra around the country. No time to waste
David Seymour to kick off proceedings, here's the Deputy Prime Minister,
(02:03):
Act Party leader. Today's headline story is the latest quarterly
CPI index IE inflation. For the past twelve months, we
have been running at three percent inflation, up from two
point seven percent in the June quarter. David Seymour, No
surprise here, but you think the Reserve Bank might be surprised.
(02:24):
Will this spook them when it comes to future drops
in the ocr.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Well, you've got to remember people say it's crazy that
we only get information every three months and then make
decisions looking through the rearview mirror. Of course we don't.
There is a bank have their own modeling, They have
lots of sources of data, and so I suspect the
fact that they did a fifty point cut just a
couple of weeks ago suggests that they were ready for
(02:51):
something like this and stuff priced it in. Having said that,
you know, if the Reserve Bank genuinely are surprised by
this two months old data, then you would expect that
they'll be take giving pause for thought, and that there
might not be any more interest rate cuts for a while.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
One of your predecessors, ad Act Rodney Hyde, came out
with the idea that local body rates, because that's a
big contributor to this inflation number, should be capped to
the rate of inflation, i e. Three percent plus a
maximum of one more percentage point. So that would mean
no one would have to pay more than four percent
this year of an increase in their local body rates.
(03:34):
Spell I'd vote for that.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
David Seymour, Yeah, I learned a lot of economics from Rodney.
He was an award winning economics lecturer via at Lincoln. Actually, however,
I don't think he got everything right, and I think
skeptical and reasonable people should have some doubts about a
rates cap. Starting with the basic maxim that if something
(03:59):
sounds too good to be true. It probably is. The
reality we face is years of under investment in infrastructure,
leaky pipes and major problems up and down the country.
Now that's a problem we need to solve. And I
think resource management law reform works. I think reforming the
layer of local government called regional councils works. I think
(04:22):
simplifying the building standards works. I think there's a lot
of stuff we can be doing to get the costs down.
But if you can't get the costs down, then a
rates cap is not going to work. They're either going
to raise other types of user fees, they are going
to pake on or debt. They're just going to defer
(04:42):
the maintenance and run capital assets down further. Everything but
sensible governance. On the other hand, if you figured out
how to get those costs down, then you may not
need a rates cap anyway. So look, I'm a skeptic
on it. I know Rodney supported, I know other people
in the government today support it, But I just asked
(05:03):
the question, if you've solved the problem of a cost blowout,
do you still need it? And if you can't solve
the problem of the cost blowout, is it going to work.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Okay, let's have a look at the two big farmer
votes coming up this week. Their Lions Group vote with
the Dawn Meats deal is happening as we speak. Will
know the result of that one tomorrow and later this
month we obviously have the Fonterra vote on the divestment
of the consumer brands business. Does ACT have a view
on this or David Seymour? Should politicians stay the hell
(05:37):
out of it? Because I had a crack at Winston
poking his nationalistic nose into this. Surely it's up to
the farmers who own the co op to decide.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Well, that is exposition, and I think it comes back
to values. I think that if you make an effort,
you should be rewarded, and if you own something you
should have control over it, and if you do something
wrong you should face consequences of it. That this is
just life in general. I don't think that people who
(06:07):
get up at five in the morning are to work
their way up from contract milking perhaps share milking, to
eventually own a farm and be shareholders and Fonterra. I
don't think people like that should lose their decision making
power to a politician interfering. And I say that as
somebody who I lead a party. We've got two actual
(06:28):
Fonterra shareholders, and Mark Cameron and Andrew Hogart, And you
think how crazy it would be if I, as a politician, said, guys,
I think this is how you should vote, because you
know I know all about it. Well, I don't, And
I wouldn't dream of telling Mark or Andrew how to
vote as Fonterra shareholders. And I'm not going to start
(06:48):
telling the other thousands of Fonterra shareholders or Alliance shareholders
for that matter, how they should vote.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Let's just finish on politically motivated megastrikes. That's all we're
going to see this week. I cannot believe I may
have read fake news. I don't know that on the agenda.
On the top of the agenda was Palestine for striking teachers.
What the hell's going wrong with this country?
Speaker 4 (07:12):
Well, spare a thought for all the teachers out there
who actually don't believe in all this stuff, but they
join the union because they need protection if they are
ever falsely accused of doing something wrong. And I know
there's teachers out there like this. They don't agree with
the politics of the Post Primary Teachers Association, that is
the union. They signed up because they basically want to
(07:33):
help children reach their full potential, live good lives and
be good citizens. They have to put up with all
this as just an added burden of being part of
the sector, and so I just think it's crazy. The
stuff about Palestine is true. However, my thoughts go out
to all those students who actually have exams right now,
those parents having to reorganize their lives around it, and
(07:56):
all those teachers who don't actually believe in any of us.
I just want to help children reach their potential and
they can appreciate. But while everyone would like more money,
it's a very tough situation for the entire New Zealand
economy right now. Teachers have had fourteen and a half
percent increase in the last three years. That's more than
the vast majority of the taxpayers who are called on
(08:18):
to pay for this stuff, including of course they're students
who will be paying back debt on any extra money
that we borrow right now. So there's just a need
for a bit of realism, and I think we're getting
it from actually from most people. But the union organizes
at the top of the Union Heap. They seem to
be on another planet.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
David Seymour, thanks for your time as always on the Country.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Fifteen after twelve, quarter past twelve. You're with the Country.
Just remembering how to drive this desk. It's like driving
a new tractor anyhow. Up next Riley Kennedy from Business Desk.
He does some great work. If you're not subscribed to
Businessiness Desk, you should be excellent service.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
Riley's been watching for his sins. The Alliance Group meeting.
Apparently there's not that many there. We'll find out is
the deal done and dusted? And what about all the
excess capacity in the red meat industry? Pete Turner in Southland.
Get the view of someone at the coal face. Graham
Williams and Gisbone and Phil Duncan on this god awful weather.
Speaker 5 (09:24):
I was harbing to.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Catch you got a pitt your view?
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Where say we got your libstick? Markstlone, your cover cup.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Welcome back to the Country. Twenty after twelve. Well, it's
all happening, or it's all happened in the cargo, Short
and sweet, the big vote, the Alliance Group vote on
the Dawn meets Deal will get the results tomorrow morning
at about eight thirty nine o'clock. Mark Win will be
on the show the Alliance chair watching it for his sins.
(09:56):
And here is one of the country's leading rural journal's
Riley Entity from Business desk Riley all over in fifty
one minutes, what's your gut feel on this one?
Speaker 6 (10:06):
Yeah, good afternoon, Jamie. I would like to remain on
the fence.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Come on, Riley, You're not paid to sit on the fence.
We're paid to have an opinion.
Speaker 6 (10:17):
Well, were all paid to have an opinion. I'm paid
to report the facts.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
But if you were going to go so I don't
report the facts.
Speaker 6 (10:25):
Well that's a debate. But well that's a debate for
another day. But if I was going off the comments
at the meeting, I would say that at the Dawn
Deal or Dundale, depending on what we are, you on
to look at it, but you just you'd never know.
It's a pretty high three shold. They've already met one
threshold that I think, going into about ten thirty this morning,
eighty six percent the year is initially had voted, and
(10:49):
of course seventy five percent of him I've got to
vote yes, which we don't know. We'll know about eight
o'clock tomorrow morning.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Well, I'm going to speak to Pete Turner shortly. He's
a large or a large as large Gale well, a
bigger Alliance shareholder, son of a former chair. I'll get
his take on it. He's a fairly well informed sort
of bloke. There's certainly the feedback that I've been getting,
and I have been out of the country but I'm
still getting feedback, is that it will go through.
Speaker 6 (11:16):
Yeah, I suspect that will. You know, Mark, when the
meeting sort of spoke about the synergies I supposed for
the one of a better term between Dawn and an Alliance.
Alliance is very heavy on lamb, and of course we're
in the Southern Hemisphere. Dawn is very heavy on beef,
and they're in the Northern Hemisphere. They're strong and Europe
Alliance are strong in parts of Asia and obviously in
(11:39):
this part of the world. So I think if you
look at it looks like a look at a pretty
good deal.
Speaker 4 (11:44):
You know, you got the.
Speaker 6 (11:46):
Fabulous sixers they were described at the meeting, have put
up a bit of defense to it. I think that
probably some of what they said along the way had merit,
but there was just wrong time and.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
They should have well, well fabulous six And I know
most of them are a large scale, big suppliers to
their Alliance group. They're reasonably well healed. Let's be honest
about you. They don't necessarily reflect your stock standard Alliance shareholder. Certainly,
what I'm hearing from the mid range supplier is yeah,
they would like to keep it in farm ownership, but
(12:19):
they're not prepared to tip in any more money.
Speaker 6 (12:22):
No, exactly. So was someone that the meeting got up
and said that he'd spires about three thousand lambs to
Alliance a year, and going off their cultivations, he'd have
to sum up with about fifteen thousand dollars and he
just couldn't afford that and would rather spend that fifteen
thousand dollars on his own farm, which I think is
probably the sentiment along the among the share register. And
(12:44):
also Alliance pointed out that every option that could have
been thought about was thought about, and so this idea
had been well canvas prior to the Dawndale being announced
two months ago.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
We will discuss the result of that vote on tomorrow's show.
With Mark win the Lion's Chair, Pete Turner up next
from south and from the cole face. I'll get his
view on it. The other big farmer vote out there,
and I talked to see David Seymour about this. Winston
came out and stuck his nationalistic nose into this. I
don't think it's for him to comment on the Alliance
(13:16):
Group and Fonterra a farmer owned cooperatives. The only ones
who should be making the decision are the farmer shareholders.
Speaker 6 (13:25):
Yeah, exactly. I think Winston probably had to say something
about about the Lake Police still. I mean, he said
something about the Tiptop deal, so he probably would have looked,
you know, slightly odd if he hadn't said anything. But
I would sort of classes as a bit of a
side show. I've sort of looked at it and sort
of from the sidelines and the ADI. Well, you know,
(13:46):
he's just a politician at the end of the day.
I don't think farmers will really care about what he says.
You know, a lot of these farmers who are up
to four hundred thousand doors capital or two and so
that's the way they're going to they'll probably vote for that.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Yeah, you don't look a three point two billion dollar
gift horse in the mouth, So we'll find out that one.
Speaker 7 (14:06):
Awey.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
But later in the month I did sing your praises.
Did you hear me singing your praises before? After Seymour?
What a great bloke you were, and what a great
job you were doing at business desk?
Speaker 6 (14:15):
Well, thank you for that. No I didn't hear.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
Oh, well there you go. I was singing your praises
because you've written an excellent piece on excess capacity in
the red meat industry and you bang on. But the
problem being, if this dawn meat steal goes through, that's
probably not going to do anything to help excess capacity
in the industry.
Speaker 6 (14:35):
No, no, it's not, and that is some of the
criticism of it. But it's quite an interesting topic to
look at because all the see basically say that they're
ever comfortable and they've rationalized well over the years, or
they say no, we need to rationalize, but nobody seems
to be putting up their hands to actually rationalize themselves.
(14:59):
But I wouldn't be surprised there'll be more plant closures
over the coming months and years. It's just a matter
of who's going to pull the trigger fist. I suspect
that if a company is looking at closing a plant now,
they will be waiting to find out the outcome of
tomorrow before they if they.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Do it every Riley Kennedy from Business Desk, Thanks for
your time. Can you keep up the good work. You
are doing an excellent job.
Speaker 6 (15:23):
Thanks Jamie you two.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
There we go. Riley Kennedy Subscribe to Business Desk. It
is worth it. Up next, it's an awful day in
Dunedin where I'm back home. I don't know what it's
like at your place. Send me a Actually, well, it's
going to say, send me a text on five to
double O nine. We've got a new text system here.
It isn't set up in the studio yet, but Michelle's
(15:45):
out in the producer's boosts monitoring things. So if you
send a text to five double o nine with what
it's like at your place or what do you think
of the Alliance group vote or the Fonterra vote, she'll
be able to get it to me. But up next,
we're heading to the cold face windy, old wet, windy
old Southland. Pete Turner, former son of a chair of
(16:06):
the Alliance Group. John Turner will get his thoughts on
the big vote before the end of their Graham Williams
and Gisbane and Phil Duncan on the weather unaware but
under lie.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Every lie.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Like joh bar that is my goodness, my headphones allowed
twenty eight after twelve you aught worth the country. Big
vote happening today. In fact it's happened. It was all
over in fifty one minutes. This guy's got a rich
history with the Alliance Group as old man his father
(16:45):
to be more polite. John Turner was a longtime chair
of the Alliance Group. Pete Turner well known Southland farmer. Pete,
you didn't even bother turning up to the meeting.
Speaker 8 (16:57):
No, Jamie, don't think it was necessary because it's all
basically the boats are going to be tallied tomorrow. People
will know it was all about proxies today and we
are Jamie. We've actually had a heap of rain over
night and we've got rivers and flood here at the
head of the Parima, so we're sending us here bit
of water south highest it has been for a long time.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Actually, and the wind to boots.
Speaker 8 (17:23):
Yeah, we've had golf force ones. That's taking trees out
and that. So we're going to still getting a bit
of hammered down south here. But Yepuce it was the
darkest before the dawn, So hopefully we get a bit
of fine weather for the rest of October. Doesn't look
too good this week.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Gg I hope. So you guys got a thrashing last
spring and it hasn't been that flash this spring either.
Speaker 8 (17:44):
No, we yep, we've been hammered here probably for the
last three years in a row. But this year is
just the growth has been the issue this year and
the other years we've had a bit more growth. Yeah,
just had a part of growth that we normally get
at this time of year, which is going to affect
a bit of weaninge not, but we'll see how we go.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
You're you're very well connected in Southland farming or Southern
farming or what are your mates? What are your farmer
mates telling you? What's your gut feel?
Speaker 8 (18:12):
I reckon it's too close to call, to be honest, Jamie. Look,
I think you know Dave Pinckney and crew and Jeff
Grant have put a bit of doubt in people's place
in mind, and I'm not too sure. I think it's
just too close to call.
Speaker 7 (18:30):
Really.
Speaker 8 (18:31):
The disappointing thing with that is that they just haven't
come out and you know, shown us where that money
is coming from, or shown where the company's going to
move forward. I think that's been the big thing that's missing.
And this whole thing is we just haven't seen how
the company's going to operate moving forward. And as shareholders
have said over the last you know, in the road
shows with Alliance and over time that you know, we
(18:54):
just the company can't carry on functioning the way it is.
It's going to be a fundamental change there, and yeah,
we haven't really seen that any idea of how that's
going to help, you know, how it's going to play
out really well.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Jeff Grants a guy with a lot of street cred
or farming cred right around the country, born and bred Southland,
a former chief Whip when he was in Parliament in
the nineties. I hope I got that right, Jeff, and
also a former the chair of Beef and Lamb. He's
held so many positions in New Zealand farming. So when
a guy like that comes out in support of recapitalizing
(19:32):
from the farmers themselves, you got to sit up and
take note.
Speaker 8 (19:35):
I guess, yeah, no, one hundred percent you do. But
at the end of the day, like the lines have
made it clear, they need one hundred and eighty eight
or two hundred million by December, and you know the
vote doesn't go ahead, you know in the next twelve hours,
twenty four hours. You know, there's obviously the banks are
going to move. But in saying that, you know the
(19:56):
banks that lead Banks A and Z I believe you know,
they're going to sell up Allan, So they're certainly going
to be selling up all their farmers as well too.
So yeah, look, it's a bit of push and poke
at the stage to see where it's where it's all
going to end up.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
What do you make of the arguments for and against
for the continued excess capacity in the red meat industry.
Speaker 8 (20:18):
Oh, we've got to get rid of the capacity, there's
no two ways about it. We haven't got the supply
that we've had years ago. You know, it's been over
the last ten years, fifteen years, a lot of farm's
gone into daring, heat's gone into trees, so there's just
not the lamb or sheet ovine and meat that's there,
and so there's just got to be reduced capacity, and
(20:40):
farmers now are becoming a bit more better at supplying
all year round like we do. We're supplying basically ten
months of the year now and there's only a couple
of months in the middle of the winter that we
don't supply stop and farmers have become good at that.
So lot this excess supply is going to come out somehow.
And you know, I'll make it quite clear. Getting rid
(21:01):
of the lions isn't isn't going to fix the excess capacity.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Can I ask you what your father, John Turner, long
time share of the Alliance Group, thinks of this? Which
way would he vote?
Speaker 7 (21:12):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (21:12):
Look, look are you're not going to speak for him? No,
I won't ask him. I'll wring him up this afternoon.
Speaker 8 (21:18):
Yeah, look, I think his view would be you know,
you vote yes, would be your head, but the heart
would be no. I mean we're losing their cooperative. I
think you know, there's been a few more things that
need to be divulged to come out. But look, here'll
be disappointed. But whichever way it goes, because yeah, that's life.
(21:38):
But you know it's been over ten years since he's
there and there's a lot more changed since there, Jamie.
So you know there's a few current management and executive
have got to have a good look at themselves.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Yeah, okay, and we won't read litigate history, but it
has been a bit of a cock up in the
past ten years past management. I'll put it that way,
all right, Petter turn I hope the weather improves for
you down south.
Speaker 8 (22:01):
Thanks Jamie, Keevin touch Thanks.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
There we go Pete Tanner down in South and she
either getting a hammering down there, mind you, the West
coast got a hammering. Whether it's a Rowena actually, the
artist formerly known as Rowena sent me in text saying
it's lovely and fine and sunny in Auckland. There's no
farms in Auckland. Rowena. Up next, we're going to have
(22:23):
a look at rural news with Rowena's successor, Michelle. We'll
have a look at sports news for your Graham Williams
and Gisbon. No weather problems there and Phil Duncan on
the weather. Welcome back to the country. I'm Jamie McKay.
(22:51):
The show is brought to you by Brent. Very shortly
Michelle with the latest and rural news. We'll look at
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They've got your sorted. It is twenty I'm tossing up
(24:02):
between twenty one and twenty two away. I'm going to
stick with twenty two Away from One. Here's Michelle with
the latest and rural News.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
The country's world news with Could Cadet, New Zealand's leading
right on lawn Bower brand visit steel Ford dot cot
on In said for your locals Doggist.
Speaker 5 (24:18):
I'm surprised you know where you are after flitting around
everywhere the last three weeks.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Well, it's good, it's good. Honestly, I needed to come
back to work for a holiday from the holiday, if
you know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (24:29):
Yeah, I get it.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Grandchildren reminds me of my miserable a couple of years
as a house husband. Failed, failed miserably, and a few
things in my life. But being a house husband's probably
right up there. But anyhow, what doesn't Killy Michelle makes
you stronger? What's in rural news Real news.
Speaker 5 (24:45):
The world's largest variety of blueberry will soon be grind
and sold in New Zealand. Described as up to the
size of a ping pong ball, which is feely big,
The blueberries are being planted in the Kitty, Cury and
Wyketto regions. The Freshberry Company, which grows in markets the berries,
says it has partnered with international beer producer driscolls to
grow genetically enhanced fruit here, which is interesting. But yeah,
(25:06):
the size of a ping wore ball is pretty decent.
That's you know, almost probably a mandarin on a bit
smaller than a mandarin.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
It's Peter Sallas, the late great Peter Salace would say,
that's a jolly big blueberry.
Speaker 5 (25:16):
Is a jolly big blueberry. And that's right. And if
you got your sports news of RUNI sport.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
With the Asco Kiwi to the bone since nineteen.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
Oh four, indeed I have red bulls Max for Sharpin
believes he can still win this year's Formula One Drivers Championship,
having had a perfect weekend at the US Grand Prix.
The four time champion followed his sprint win with first
place in the feature race, with McLaren's Lando Norris and
second and Ferrari's Charles de clare third. Liam Lawson came
(25:49):
eleventh and out of the points. For Sharpin is now
forty points behind Oscar Piastre and twenty six off Norris
with five Grand three and two sprint races to go.
And Manchester United has broken a nine year football drought
at Anfield, beating Liverpool two to one to move into
(26:10):
the Premier League Top ten. There's your sports news. Up next,
We're off to sunny old Gisbone, Las Vegas. Now enjoyed
this man's company in Gisbane on Friday. His name is
Graham Williams, East Coast Farmer and bush poet Graham. Why
(26:34):
are A and p shows such as the Gisbone Show
the most quintessential of all Heartland rural events?
Speaker 7 (26:42):
But to be fair, Jamie, you know there's not that
many of them left, and a lot of them are struggling.
But you know the Poverty Bay Show is an absolute
iconic show, and you know, one of the best in
the country, if not the best in the country. An
actual fact straight from the horse's mouth. John from Main Amusements,
with the Varius wheels and the candy floss and everything
(27:05):
he presented at the luncheon on Friday that you saw
there one of the original horses off the Merry go
round and on it. He put the best show in
New Zealand. So you can't get more authority than that, Daniel, Jamie.
Speaker 3 (27:21):
Lots of fantastic rural events, the Donkey Race, the Wonky
Donkey Derby, the under five hundred pet Lamb Competition, dial trials,
just the normal. The mullet competition with the kids was
fantastic and the Shepherd's Challenge. Now these the Shepherd's Challenge
comes off some of the beautiful hill country farms you
(27:43):
have in the poverty Bay East Coast region. Could this
be an endangered event? Graham Williams.
Speaker 7 (27:49):
Well, absolutely, Jamie. I mean you weren't there on the Saturday,
but you know everyone else from the district was there.
And yeah, there were three iconic stations, Potutu, tangy Out
and put Toro, and you know they all presented a
team and Clark he was on the microphone. I mean
it was just like the goon show on steroids and
everyone was just laughing the bloody socks off. It was
(28:10):
absolutely fantastic. But the interesting thing about it, Jamie, was
that all those stations are Class six and seven land
and successive governments have sort of blandly dismissed them as
erosion prone rubbish. And the serious point I want to
talk about today is in the breakfast on Friday morning.
And I know it's a bit early for you professional
(28:31):
golfers because it started at about halp Ost seven and
you weren't there, but James Browne raised a question with
Christopher Luxen, and he's a farmer down and wire or farming,
you know, similar country to pook Toro and tangy how
and Potutu and Class six and seven land. And yet
you know he's got ten thousand stock units there he
(28:53):
fent in five you know, nearly six thousand of his
lambs all out at nineteen kilos and all the progeny
from four hundred and fifty cows. So this is our
gripe in this region about you know, the allocation of
land that's going into carbonrees. And it's all those families
on those farms that are running these shows, all on
(29:15):
a voluntary basis. And that's what makes this region and
this show the best in the country, Jamie. And you
saw it yourself, you know, and that's basically what it is.
Speaker 3 (29:26):
Here's your moment in the sun, Graham Williams. Wire A
and P shows the most quintessential of all Heartland rural events.
Awhere you go, well, here we.
Speaker 7 (29:35):
Go, Jamie. Well, what a celebration and outstanding couple of days,
epitomizing rural New Zealand in all its glorious ways. It
was the ultimate showcase of all one hundred and fifty
of those years where country comes to town for celebration,
unity and bears. The weather was exceptional, the crowds were
(29:57):
record highs. Optimism was revalent, with primary produce on the rise.
Every rural aspect, a huge, diverse array was showcased to
perfection in a carnival atmosphere way, the best show in
the country. A claim I make no less. I heard
(30:18):
it from many sources with authority to confess. A credit
to Patrick Sheriff, a committee and their teams, all done
as volunteers. Almost unheard of these days, it seems, and
therein lies the message that is rural New Zealand. We
share the proven historic unity that as a community we
(30:41):
better fare people on the land, not foreign carbon trees,
will keep traditions alive, and fiscal imbalance will appease Jamie. You,
like Christopher Luxon and a number of his team, experienced
in person yourself what in Poverty Bay we call the dream.
(31:03):
We've done it against all odds. You saw the passion
and the mood. You met some of the world's best
producers of undoubtedly the world's best food. It's incumbent upon
you Jamie to fight to save our farming land as
national wealth and food production will always go hand in hand.
(31:25):
Christopher Luxen admitted this as well as the best agricultural
rural host in his view. I thought I wasn't hearing right,
Jamie when Christopher said it wasn't you. A bloke called
Andy Thompson who lasted both days of the show captured
for posterity. What the world it needs to know?
Speaker 4 (31:47):
B plea.
Speaker 7 (31:47):
Then to the pair of you, seeing both of you
were there, is to spread the word of rural New Zealand,
so in its wealth we all do share. I'll finish
with a shout out Patrick Sheriff and his crew plus
one hundred and fifty years of volunteers in the voluntary
where they do a special mention for Clarky, a non
(32:12):
stop show within himself, epitomizing in rural New Zealand that
the people are its wealth. And that's why, Jamie the
Poverty Bay Show is the best show in the country.
It's the people and the fact that they do it
all voluntarily, you know, for the for the whole country
and the nation. Fantastic stuff.
Speaker 3 (32:32):
Well, that was a great poem. Apart from the Andy Thompson.
But everyone makes a mistake every now and then. Graham Williams,
thanks for your time today on the Country.
Speaker 9 (32:40):
Well, you're a hard man to please, Jamie, and you've
got a bit of competition on that because poor old
bloody Andy, you know he did. He was here for
two days and he was at the working piece, so
I think he's trying to challenge you off your man.
Speaker 3 (32:52):
Look, it wasn't he staying with JORDI What is your
old mate who owns the vineyard?
Speaker 7 (32:58):
Yeah, and the two old soaks here they were drinking
the best of the stuff, and.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
I think Jeordie just invited him to get rid of
the backlog of old unsellable wine and Thompson scoffed the lot. Anyhow,
that's enough about him. I'll get the sack if I
start talking about him. See you later on.
Speaker 7 (33:15):
You see Jamie.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
Tearing away from one live radio. What else can you do?
I hope you enjoyed, Graham Williams. You may not ever
hear him again on the show Blasphemy. Up next, Phil
Duncan on the Weather. We've got some great texts coming
in on the weather. Yeah, not flash at our end
of the country. Pretty good at the other ends. That's
to wrap the country.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Were weather on the country with farmlands helping you score
some wins this summer.
Speaker 3 (33:52):
Here, thank you farmlands. Big Phil Duncan joins us from
weather Watch. Gee, we've got a Let me refer to
my notes because I've prescripted something here another wild, wet
and windy weekend store as we head towards the windiest
weekend of the year, or traditionally it is labor weekend.
(34:12):
Phil Duncan, Good afternoon. Here's some of the texts that
have come in from our new text machine that I
can't work. Twenty seven degrees here in Hawk's Bay today
with thirty on the forecast for later in the week.
Great conditions to grow apples except rocket. That's a reference
to rocket falling over which is a bit of a shame.
And New Hako are beautiful, warm, bit windy here, I'm
(34:35):
putting on more sunscreen. Beautiful day in Winchester from Laura
and Winchester's of course in Canterbury. Beautiful day here in
the middle or two no rain or wind cracker day
in Northland, Horrible weather in Tiano, which is of course
in Southland. And twenty five degrees in Napier from n Rightio.
(34:57):
It's awful. We spoke to a south and farmer Pete
Turner a bit earlier in the show that I've had
horrendous amounts of rain and it's blowing its backside off
here in Dunedin.
Speaker 10 (35:07):
Yeah, and you know that it's unfortunate as you're reading
up those temperatures, you know, summer light temperatures now starting
to pop up around the North Island. Pretty mild in
Canterbury as well for the most part. But yeah, Otago,
Southland and southern parts of Westland pretty miserable. Temperatures still
in the single digits right now at this time of
the day. Where you got other parts of the country,
you know, twenty five to twenty seven, that polar air
(35:29):
boundary kind of hangs around this week, really big storms
coming through and in fact there could be a low
on Thursday right near the Catlands down in the southeast
of the South Island of nine seventy hecta pascals and
then you've got high pressure just up around the far North,
so that is a big air pressure gradient drop over
the country. So severe gales are often on this week
(35:51):
coming through again tomorrow, peaking again on Thursday. They might
be the strongest on Thursday with that storm tracking by,
and also between now and Thursday, over four hundred millimeters
of rain in parts of the West coast. It's mostly
the southern half, but you could be seeing heavy rain
around Pocketia and up towards Greymouth, so they're very wet
where that carries on. Well, if you're on the East
(36:13):
coast right near the sea north of Dunedin up to Gainsbin,
for example, very little in the way of rain coming
as around Northland and parts of Auckland as well well.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
This is an intense where the system. Certainly where I
am and I'm reading from the Met Service, Phil, sorry
to throw another weather forecasts are at you. No, no,
that's all right, but the Met Service is saying a
more intense system on Thursday.
Speaker 10 (36:36):
Yeah, yeah, Thursday. This is a big stormy system on Thursday.
I think you'll suddenly see a big ramping up in
the weather warnings and the conversations about it the next day,
because at this time of year, you can see a
storm in the weather maps and then you have a
look a day later or two days later, and it's
kind of gone because everything's so chaotic, but this does
look like a significant storm, very fast moving being caught
(36:58):
up in these gales. There's a positive and the long
weekend is looking kind of, you know, pretty good, I
had said, did say my video today. If you're in
Southland you might have to take a bit of a
drive northwoods to get out of the wintry stuff that
you're still going to be in going into the weekend unfortunately.
Speaker 3 (37:14):
Yeah, Hey, I've got a text from your old mate
Blocker Drysdale. I know you chat to him a bit.
He's an arable farmer down there in Southland. He said,
it's absolutely appalling. He said he didn't think he would
have to face two shocking springs in a row because
I think most Southland farmers thought it can't be any
worse than last season. But it's getting close.
Speaker 10 (37:33):
Yeah, you know, there was some Antarctica, the South Pole
having I think it's coldest lowest temperature and since the
nineteen eighties, and you're seeing the pole of vortex all
messy around the south of New Zealand. And that's why
the polar air is bursting out into Australia into southern
New Zealand, hanging around longer spring is hanging around longer
this year. But those windy westerlies, you know, that's why
(37:55):
the temperatures are roaring up in the North Island, So
some area is going to dry out very fast. Husband
might have to wait a little longer for that to
happen further south, obviously.
Speaker 3 (38:05):
Phil Duncan wrapping the Country. Look, I've run out of
time for the latest on the text machine. We'll catch
you back tomorrow with that bigger lion spot God.
Speaker 2 (38:14):
Catch all the latest from the land.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
It's the Country Podcast with Jamie McKay thanks to Brent
starkest of the leading agriculture brands
Catch you're the latest from the Land. It's the Country
Podcast with Jamie mckaye. Thanks to Brent, you're specialist in
John Deere construction equipment.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I'll me home on Monday.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Somewhere around.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
When good anew Zeeland. Welcome to the Country, brought to
you by Branton Jamie mckaye home on a Monday somewhere
around noon. That's me been out of the office for
a few weeks. It'll be fair to say it's good
to be back here. I hope I can remember how
to drive this baby. Anyhow, We'll try our best because
I've got waiting on hold Deputy Prime Minister and act
(00:48):
Leader David Seymour. The inflation numbers are out. Plus we've
got two big farmer votes coming up in the next
couple of weeks. The Alliance Group deal we're propose to
all with Dawn meets. The meetings happening as we speak,
so we'll talk about that one. An actual fact. I've
got Riley Kennedy from Business Desk who's watching it for
(01:10):
me as as I speak, so we're going to chat
to him as well. David Seymour. As I said to
kick it off, Riley Kennedy We're going to go to
the coal face, very windy coalface, Southland. Pete Turner, Large
Alliance Group shareholder, son of a former chair John Turner.
Get his thoughts on today's big vote. Graham Williams. Other
(01:31):
end of the country, Gisbine. What a great place that
is why AMP shows are this heart and soul of Heartland,
Rural New Zealand. And Phil Duncan on the weather. It
is a shakra around the country. No time to waste
David Seymour to kick off proceedings, here's the Deputy Prime Minister,
(02:03):
Act Party leader. Today's headline story is the latest quarterly
CPI index IE inflation. For the past twelve months, we
have been running at three percent inflation, up from two
point seven percent in the June quarter. David Seymour, No
surprise here, but you think the Reserve Bank might be surprised.
(02:24):
Will this spook them when it comes to future drops
in the ocr.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Well, you've got to remember people say it's crazy that
we only get information every three months and then make
decisions looking through the rearview mirror. Of course we don't.
There is a bank have their own modeling, They have
lots of sources of data, and so I suspect the
fact that they did a fifty point cut just a
couple of weeks ago suggests that they were ready for
(02:51):
something like this and stuff priced it in. Having said that,
you know, if the Reserve Bank genuinely are surprised by
this two months old data, then you would expect that
they'll be take giving pause for thought, and that there
might not be any more interest rate cuts for a while.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
One of your predecessors, ad Act Rodney Hyde, came out
with the idea that local body rates, because that's a
big contributor to this inflation number, should be capped to
the rate of inflation, i e. Three percent plus a
maximum of one more percentage point. So that would mean
no one would have to pay more than four percent
this year of an increase in their local body rates.
(03:34):
Spell I'd vote for that.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
David Seymour, Yeah, I learned a lot of economics from Rodney.
He was an award winning economics lecturer via at Lincoln. Actually, however,
I don't think he got everything right, and I think
skeptical and reasonable people should have some doubts about a
rates cap. Starting with the basic maxim that if something
(03:59):
sounds too good to be true. It probably is. The
reality we face is years of under investment in infrastructure,
leaky pipes and major problems up and down the country.
Now that's a problem we need to solve. And I
think resource management law reform works. I think reforming the
layer of local government called regional councils works. I think
(04:22):
simplifying the building standards works. I think there's a lot
of stuff we can be doing to get the costs down.
But if you can't get the costs down, then a
rates cap is not going to work. They're either going
to raise other types of user fees, they are going
to pake on or debt. They're just going to defer
(04:42):
the maintenance and run capital assets down further. Everything but
sensible governance. On the other hand, if you figured out
how to get those costs down, then you may not
need a rates cap anyway. So look, I'm a skeptic
on it. I know Rodney supported, I know other people
in the government today support it, But I just asked
(05:03):
the question, if you've solved the problem of a cost blowout,
do you still need it? And if you can't solve
the problem of the cost blowout, is it going to work.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Okay, let's have a look at the two big farmer
votes coming up this week. Their Lions Group vote with
the Dawn Meats deal is happening as we speak. Will
know the result of that one tomorrow and later this
month we obviously have the Fonterra vote on the divestment
of the consumer brands business. Does ACT have a view
on this or David Seymour? Should politicians stay the hell
(05:37):
out of it? Because I had a crack at Winston
poking his nationalistic nose into this. Surely it's up to
the farmers who own the co op to decide.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Well, that is exposition, and I think it comes back
to values. I think that if you make an effort,
you should be rewarded, and if you own something you
should have control over it, and if you do something
wrong you should face consequences of it. That this is
just life in general. I don't think that people who
(06:07):
get up at five in the morning are to work
their way up from contract milking perhaps share milking, to
eventually own a farm and be shareholders and Fonterra. I
don't think people like that should lose their decision making
power to a politician interfering. And I say that as
somebody who I lead a party. We've got two actual
(06:28):
Fonterra shareholders, and Mark Cameron and Andrew Hogart, And you
think how crazy it would be if I, as a politician, said, guys,
I think this is how you should vote, because you
know I know all about it. Well, I don't, And
I wouldn't dream of telling Mark or Andrew how to
vote as Fonterra shareholders. And I'm not going to start
(06:48):
telling the other thousands of Fonterra shareholders or Alliance shareholders
for that matter, how they should vote.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Let's just finish on politically motivated megastrikes. That's all we're
going to see this week. I cannot believe I may
have read fake news. I don't know that on the agenda.
On the top of the agenda was Palestine for striking teachers.
What the hell's going wrong with this country?
Speaker 4 (07:12):
Well, spare a thought for all the teachers out there
who actually don't believe in all this stuff, but they
join the union because they need protection if they are
ever falsely accused of doing something wrong. And I know
there's teachers out there like this. They don't agree with
the politics of the Post Primary Teachers Association, that is
the union. They signed up because they basically want to
(07:33):
help children reach their full potential, live good lives and
be good citizens. They have to put up with all
this as just an added burden of being part of
the sector, and so I just think it's crazy. The
stuff about Palestine is true. However, my thoughts go out
to all those students who actually have exams right now,
those parents having to reorganize their lives around it, and
(07:56):
all those teachers who don't actually believe in any of us.
I just want to help children reach their potential and
they can appreciate. But while everyone would like more money,
it's a very tough situation for the entire New Zealand
economy right now. Teachers have had fourteen and a half
percent increase in the last three years. That's more than
the vast majority of the taxpayers who are called on
(08:18):
to pay for this stuff, including of course they're students
who will be paying back debt on any extra money
that we borrow right now. So there's just a need
for a bit of realism, and I think we're getting
it from actually from most people. But the union organizes
at the top of the Union Heap. They seem to
be on another planet.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
David Seymour, thanks for your time as always on the Country.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Fifteen after twelve, quarter past twelve. You're with the Country.
Just remembering how to drive this desk. It's like driving
a new tractor anyhow. Up next Riley Kennedy from Business Desk.
He does some great work. If you're not subscribed to
Businessiness Desk, you should be excellent service.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
Riley's been watching for his sins. The Alliance Group meeting.
Apparently there's not that many there. We'll find out is
the deal done and dusted? And what about all the
excess capacity in the red meat industry? Pete Turner in Southland.
Get the view of someone at the coal face. Graham
Williams and Gisbone and Phil Duncan on this god awful weather.
Speaker 5 (09:24):
I was harbing to.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Catch you got a pitt your view?
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Where say we got your libstick? Markstlone, your cover cup.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Welcome back to the Country. Twenty after twelve. Well, it's
all happening, or it's all happened in the cargo, Short
and sweet, the big vote, the Alliance Group vote on
the Dawn meets Deal will get the results tomorrow morning
at about eight thirty nine o'clock. Mark Win will be
on the show the Alliance chair watching it for his sins.
(09:56):
And here is one of the country's leading rural journal's
Riley Entity from Business desk Riley all over in fifty
one minutes, what's your gut feel on this one?
Speaker 6 (10:06):
Yeah, good afternoon, Jamie. I would like to remain on
the fence.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Come on, Riley, You're not paid to sit on the fence.
We're paid to have an opinion.
Speaker 6 (10:17):
Well, were all paid to have an opinion. I'm paid
to report the facts.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
But if you were going to go so I don't
report the facts.
Speaker 6 (10:25):
Well that's a debate. But well that's a debate for
another day. But if I was going off the comments
at the meeting, I would say that at the Dawn
Deal or Dundale, depending on what we are, you on
to look at it, but you just you'd never know.
It's a pretty high three shold. They've already met one
threshold that I think, going into about ten thirty this morning,
eighty six percent the year is initially had voted, and
(10:49):
of course seventy five percent of him I've got to
vote yes, which we don't know. We'll know about eight
o'clock tomorrow morning.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Well, I'm going to speak to Pete Turner shortly. He's
a large or a large as large Gale well, a
bigger Alliance shareholder, son of a former chair. I'll get
his take on it. He's a fairly well informed sort
of bloke. There's certainly the feedback that I've been getting,
and I have been out of the country but I'm
still getting feedback, is that it will go through.
Speaker 6 (11:16):
Yeah, I suspect that will. You know, Mark, when the
meeting sort of spoke about the synergies I supposed for
the one of a better term between Dawn and an Alliance.
Alliance is very heavy on lamb, and of course we're
in the Southern Hemisphere. Dawn is very heavy on beef,
and they're in the Northern Hemisphere. They're strong and Europe
Alliance are strong in parts of Asia and obviously in
(11:39):
this part of the world. So I think if you
look at it looks like a look at a pretty
good deal.
Speaker 4 (11:44):
You know, you got the.
Speaker 6 (11:46):
Fabulous sixers they were described at the meeting, have put
up a bit of defense to it. I think that
probably some of what they said along the way had merit,
but there was just wrong time and.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
They should have well, well fabulous six And I know
most of them are a large scale, big suppliers to
their Alliance group. They're reasonably well healed. Let's be honest
about you. They don't necessarily reflect your stock standard Alliance shareholder. Certainly,
what I'm hearing from the mid range supplier is yeah,
they would like to keep it in farm ownership, but
(12:19):
they're not prepared to tip in any more money.
Speaker 6 (12:22):
No, exactly. So was someone that the meeting got up
and said that he'd spires about three thousand lambs to
Alliance a year, and going off their cultivations, he'd have
to sum up with about fifteen thousand dollars and he
just couldn't afford that and would rather spend that fifteen
thousand dollars on his own farm, which I think is
probably the sentiment along the among the share register. And
(12:44):
also Alliance pointed out that every option that could have
been thought about was thought about, and so this idea
had been well canvas prior to the Dawndale being announced
two months ago.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
We will discuss the result of that vote on tomorrow's show.
With Mark win the Lion's Chair, Pete Turner up next
from south and from the cole face. I'll get his
view on it. The other big farmer vote out there,
and I talked to see David Seymour about this. Winston
came out and stuck his nationalistic nose into this. I
don't think it's for him to comment on the Alliance
(13:16):
Group and Fonterra a farmer owned cooperatives. The only ones
who should be making the decision are the farmer shareholders.
Speaker 6 (13:25):
Yeah, exactly. I think Winston probably had to say something
about about the Lake Police still. I mean, he said
something about the Tiptop deal, so he probably would have looked,
you know, slightly odd if he hadn't said anything. But
I would sort of classes as a bit of a
side show. I've sort of looked at it and sort
of from the sidelines and the ADI. Well, you know,
(13:46):
he's just a politician at the end of the day.
I don't think farmers will really care about what he says.
You know, a lot of these farmers who are up
to four hundred thousand doors capital or two and so
that's the way they're going to they'll probably vote for that.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Yeah, you don't look a three point two billion dollar
gift horse in the mouth, So we'll find out that one.
Speaker 7 (14:06):
Awey.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
But later in the month I did sing your praises.
Did you hear me singing your praises before? After Seymour?
What a great bloke you were, and what a great
job you were doing at business desk?
Speaker 6 (14:15):
Well, thank you for that. No I didn't hear.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
Oh, well there you go. I was singing your praises
because you've written an excellent piece on excess capacity in
the red meat industry and you bang on. But the
problem being, if this dawn meat steal goes through, that's
probably not going to do anything to help excess capacity
in the industry.
Speaker 6 (14:35):
No, no, it's not, and that is some of the
criticism of it. But it's quite an interesting topic to
look at because all the see basically say that they're
ever comfortable and they've rationalized well over the years, or
they say no, we need to rationalize, but nobody seems
to be putting up their hands to actually rationalize themselves.
(14:59):
But I wouldn't be surprised there'll be more plant closures
over the coming months and years. It's just a matter
of who's going to pull the trigger fist. I suspect
that if a company is looking at closing a plant now,
they will be waiting to find out the outcome of
tomorrow before they if they.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Do it every Riley Kennedy from Business Desk, Thanks for
your time. Can you keep up the good work. You
are doing an excellent job.
Speaker 6 (15:23):
Thanks Jamie you two.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
There we go. Riley Kennedy Subscribe to Business Desk. It
is worth it. Up next, it's an awful day in
Dunedin where I'm back home. I don't know what it's
like at your place. Send me a Actually, well, it's
going to say, send me a text on five to
double O nine. We've got a new text system here.
It isn't set up in the studio yet, but Michelle's
(15:45):
out in the producer's boosts monitoring things. So if you
send a text to five double o nine with what
it's like at your place or what do you think
of the Alliance group vote or the Fonterra vote, she'll
be able to get it to me. But up next,
we're heading to the cold face windy, old wet, windy
old Southland. Pete Turner, former son of a chair of
(16:06):
the Alliance Group. John Turner will get his thoughts on
the big vote before the end of their Graham Williams
and Gisbane and Phil Duncan on the weather unaware but
under lie.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Every lie.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Like joh bar that is my goodness, my headphones allowed
twenty eight after twelve you aught worth the country. Big
vote happening today. In fact it's happened. It was all
over in fifty one minutes. This guy's got a rich
history with the Alliance Group as old man his father
(16:45):
to be more polite. John Turner was a longtime chair
of the Alliance Group. Pete Turner well known Southland farmer. Pete,
you didn't even bother turning up to the meeting.
Speaker 8 (16:57):
No, Jamie, don't think it was necessary because it's all
basically the boats are going to be tallied tomorrow. People
will know it was all about proxies today and we
are Jamie. We've actually had a heap of rain over
night and we've got rivers and flood here at the
head of the Parima, so we're sending us here bit
of water south highest it has been for a long time.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Actually, and the wind to boots.
Speaker 8 (17:23):
Yeah, we've had golf force ones. That's taking trees out
and that. So we're going to still getting a bit
of hammered down south here. But Yepuce it was the
darkest before the dawn, So hopefully we get a bit
of fine weather for the rest of October. Doesn't look
too good this week.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Gg I hope. So you guys got a thrashing last
spring and it hasn't been that flash this spring either.
Speaker 8 (17:44):
No, we yep, we've been hammered here probably for the
last three years in a row. But this year is
just the growth has been the issue this year and
the other years we've had a bit more growth. Yeah,
just had a part of growth that we normally get
at this time of year, which is going to affect
a bit of weaninge not, but we'll see how we go.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
You're you're very well connected in Southland farming or Southern
farming or what are your mates? What are your farmer
mates telling you? What's your gut feel?
Speaker 8 (18:12):
I reckon it's too close to call, to be honest, Jamie. Look,
I think you know Dave Pinckney and crew and Jeff
Grant have put a bit of doubt in people's place
in mind, and I'm not too sure. I think it's
just too close to call.
Speaker 7 (18:30):
Really.
Speaker 8 (18:31):
The disappointing thing with that is that they just haven't
come out and you know, shown us where that money
is coming from, or shown where the company's going to
move forward. I think that's been the big thing that's missing.
And this whole thing is we just haven't seen how
the company's going to operate moving forward. And as shareholders
have said over the last you know, in the road
shows with Alliance and over time that you know, we
(18:54):
just the company can't carry on functioning the way it is.
It's going to be a fundamental change there, and yeah,
we haven't really seen that any idea of how that's
going to help, you know, how it's going to play
out really well.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Jeff Grants a guy with a lot of street cred
or farming cred right around the country, born and bred Southland,
a former chief Whip when he was in Parliament in
the nineties. I hope I got that right, Jeff, and
also a former the chair of Beef and Lamb. He's
held so many positions in New Zealand farming. So when
a guy like that comes out in support of recapitalizing
(19:32):
from the farmers themselves, you got to sit up and
take note.
Speaker 8 (19:35):
I guess, yeah, no, one hundred percent you do. But
at the end of the day, like the lines have
made it clear, they need one hundred and eighty eight
or two hundred million by December, and you know the
vote doesn't go ahead, you know in the next twelve hours,
twenty four hours. You know, there's obviously the banks are
going to move. But in saying that, you know the
(19:56):
banks that lead Banks A and Z I believe you know,
they're going to sell up Allan, So they're certainly going
to be selling up all their farmers as well too.
So yeah, look, it's a bit of push and poke
at the stage to see where it's where it's all
going to end up.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
What do you make of the arguments for and against
for the continued excess capacity in the red meat industry.
Speaker 8 (20:18):
Oh, we've got to get rid of the capacity, there's
no two ways about it. We haven't got the supply
that we've had years ago. You know, it's been over
the last ten years, fifteen years, a lot of farm's
gone into daring, heat's gone into trees, so there's just
not the lamb or sheet ovine and meat that's there,
and so there's just got to be reduced capacity, and
(20:40):
farmers now are becoming a bit more better at supplying
all year round like we do. We're supplying basically ten
months of the year now and there's only a couple
of months in the middle of the winter that we
don't supply stop and farmers have become good at that.
So lot this excess supply is going to come out somehow.
And you know, I'll make it quite clear. Getting rid
(21:01):
of the lions isn't isn't going to fix the excess capacity.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Can I ask you what your father, John Turner, long
time share of the Alliance Group, thinks of this? Which
way would he vote?
Speaker 7 (21:12):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (21:12):
Look, look are you're not going to speak for him? No,
I won't ask him. I'll wring him up this afternoon.
Speaker 8 (21:18):
Yeah, look, I think his view would be you know,
you vote yes, would be your head, but the heart
would be no. I mean we're losing their cooperative. I
think you know, there's been a few more things that
need to be divulged to come out. But look, here'll
be disappointed. But whichever way it goes, because yeah, that's life.
(21:38):
But you know it's been over ten years since he's
there and there's a lot more changed since there, Jamie.
So you know there's a few current management and executive
have got to have a good look at themselves.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Yeah, okay, and we won't read litigate history, but it
has been a bit of a cock up in the
past ten years past management. I'll put it that way,
all right, Petter turn I hope the weather improves for
you down south.
Speaker 8 (22:01):
Thanks Jamie, Keevin touch Thanks.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
There we go Pete Tanner down in South and she
either getting a hammering down there, mind you, the West
coast got a hammering. Whether it's a Rowena actually, the
artist formerly known as Rowena sent me in text saying
it's lovely and fine and sunny in Auckland. There's no
farms in Auckland. Rowena. Up next, we're going to have
(22:23):
a look at rural news with Rowena's successor, Michelle. We'll
have a look at sports news for your Graham Williams
and Gisbon. No weather problems there and Phil Duncan on
the weather. Welcome back to the country. I'm Jamie McKay.
(22:51):
The show is brought to you by Brent. Very shortly
Michelle with the latest and rural news. We'll look at
sports news for you as well. But woo Mise has
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They've got your sorted. It is twenty I'm tossing up
(24:02):
between twenty one and twenty two away. I'm going to
stick with twenty two Away from One. Here's Michelle with
the latest and rural News.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
The country's world news with Could Cadet, New Zealand's leading
right on lawn Bower brand visit steel Ford dot cot
on In said for your locals Doggist.
Speaker 5 (24:18):
I'm surprised you know where you are after flitting around
everywhere the last three weeks.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Well, it's good, it's good. Honestly, I needed to come
back to work for a holiday from the holiday, if
you know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (24:29):
Yeah, I get it.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Grandchildren reminds me of my miserable a couple of years
as a house husband. Failed, failed miserably, and a few
things in my life. But being a house husband's probably
right up there. But anyhow, what doesn't Killy Michelle makes
you stronger? What's in rural news Real news.
Speaker 5 (24:45):
The world's largest variety of blueberry will soon be grind
and sold in New Zealand. Described as up to the
size of a ping pong ball, which is feely big,
The blueberries are being planted in the Kitty, Cury and
Wyketto regions. The Freshberry Company, which grows in markets the berries,
says it has partnered with international beer producer driscolls to
grow genetically enhanced fruit here, which is interesting. But yeah,
(25:06):
the size of a ping wore ball is pretty decent.
That's you know, almost probably a mandarin on a bit
smaller than a mandarin.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
It's Peter Sallas, the late great Peter Salace would say,
that's a jolly big blueberry.
Speaker 5 (25:16):
Is a jolly big blueberry. And that's right. And if
you got your sports news of RUNI sport.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
With the Asco Kiwi to the bone since nineteen.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
Oh four, indeed I have red bulls Max for Sharpin
believes he can still win this year's Formula One Drivers Championship,
having had a perfect weekend at the US Grand Prix.
The four time champion followed his sprint win with first
place in the feature race, with McLaren's Lando Norris and
second and Ferrari's Charles de clare third. Liam Lawson came
(25:49):
eleventh and out of the points. For Sharpin is now
forty points behind Oscar Piastre and twenty six off Norris
with five Grand three and two sprint races to go.
And Manchester United has broken a nine year football drought
at Anfield, beating Liverpool two to one to move into
(26:10):
the Premier League Top ten. There's your sports news. Up next,
We're off to sunny old Gisbone, Las Vegas. Now enjoyed
this man's company in Gisbane on Friday. His name is
Graham Williams, East Coast Farmer and bush poet Graham. Why
(26:34):
are A and p shows such as the Gisbone Show
the most quintessential of all Heartland rural events?
Speaker 7 (26:42):
But to be fair, Jamie, you know there's not that
many of them left, and a lot of them are struggling.
But you know the Poverty Bay Show is an absolute
iconic show, and you know, one of the best in
the country, if not the best in the country. An
actual fact straight from the horse's mouth. John from Main Amusements,
with the Varius wheels and the candy floss and everything
(27:05):
he presented at the luncheon on Friday that you saw
there one of the original horses off the Merry go
round and on it. He put the best show in
New Zealand. So you can't get more authority than that, Daniel, Jamie.
Speaker 3 (27:21):
Lots of fantastic rural events, the Donkey Race, the Wonky
Donkey Derby, the under five hundred pet Lamb Competition, dial trials,
just the normal. The mullet competition with the kids was
fantastic and the Shepherd's Challenge. Now these the Shepherd's Challenge
comes off some of the beautiful hill country farms you
(27:43):
have in the poverty Bay East Coast region. Could this
be an endangered event? Graham Williams.
Speaker 7 (27:49):
Well, absolutely, Jamie. I mean you weren't there on the Saturday,
but you know everyone else from the district was there.
And yeah, there were three iconic stations, Potutu, tangy Out
and put Toro, and you know they all presented a
team and Clark he was on the microphone. I mean
it was just like the goon show on steroids and
everyone was just laughing the bloody socks off. It was
(28:10):
absolutely fantastic. But the interesting thing about it, Jamie, was
that all those stations are Class six and seven land
and successive governments have sort of blandly dismissed them as
erosion prone rubbish. And the serious point I want to
talk about today is in the breakfast on Friday morning.
And I know it's a bit early for you professional
(28:31):
golfers because it started at about halp Ost seven and
you weren't there, but James Browne raised a question with
Christopher Luxen, and he's a farmer down and wire or farming,
you know, similar country to pook Toro and tangy how
and Potutu and Class six and seven land. And yet
you know he's got ten thousand stock units there he
(28:53):
fent in five you know, nearly six thousand of his
lambs all out at nineteen kilos and all the progeny
from four hundred and fifty cows. So this is our
gripe in this region about you know, the allocation of
land that's going into carbonrees. And it's all those families
on those farms that are running these shows, all on
(29:15):
a voluntary basis. And that's what makes this region and
this show the best in the country, Jamie. And you
saw it yourself, you know, and that's basically what it is.
Speaker 3 (29:26):
Here's your moment in the sun, Graham Williams. Wire A
and P shows the most quintessential of all Heartland rural events.
Awhere you go, well, here we.
Speaker 7 (29:35):
Go, Jamie. Well, what a celebration and outstanding couple of days,
epitomizing rural New Zealand in all its glorious ways. It
was the ultimate showcase of all one hundred and fifty
of those years where country comes to town for celebration,
unity and bears. The weather was exceptional, the crowds were
(29:57):
record highs. Optimism was revalent, with primary produce on the rise.
Every rural aspect, a huge, diverse array was showcased to
perfection in a carnival atmosphere way, the best show in
the country. A claim I make no less. I heard
(30:18):
it from many sources with authority to confess. A credit
to Patrick Sheriff, a committee and their teams, all done
as volunteers. Almost unheard of these days, it seems, and
therein lies the message that is rural New Zealand. We
share the proven historic unity that as a community we
(30:41):
better fare people on the land, not foreign carbon trees,
will keep traditions alive, and fiscal imbalance will appease Jamie. You,
like Christopher Luxon and a number of his team, experienced
in person yourself what in Poverty Bay we call the dream.
(31:03):
We've done it against all odds. You saw the passion
and the mood. You met some of the world's best
producers of undoubtedly the world's best food. It's incumbent upon
you Jamie to fight to save our farming land as
national wealth and food production will always go hand in hand.
(31:25):
Christopher Luxen admitted this as well as the best agricultural
rural host in his view. I thought I wasn't hearing right,
Jamie when Christopher said it wasn't you. A bloke called
Andy Thompson who lasted both days of the show captured
for posterity. What the world it needs to know?
Speaker 4 (31:47):
B plea.
Speaker 7 (31:47):
Then to the pair of you, seeing both of you
were there, is to spread the word of rural New Zealand,
so in its wealth we all do share. I'll finish
with a shout out Patrick Sheriff and his crew plus
one hundred and fifty years of volunteers in the voluntary
where they do a special mention for Clarky, a non
(32:12):
stop show within himself, epitomizing in rural New Zealand that
the people are its wealth. And that's why, Jamie the
Poverty Bay Show is the best show in the country.
It's the people and the fact that they do it
all voluntarily, you know, for the for the whole country
and the nation. Fantastic stuff.
Speaker 3 (32:32):
Well, that was a great poem. Apart from the Andy Thompson.
But everyone makes a mistake every now and then. Graham Williams,
thanks for your time today on the Country.
Speaker 9 (32:40):
Well, you're a hard man to please, Jamie, and you've
got a bit of competition on that because poor old
bloody Andy, you know he did. He was here for
two days and he was at the working piece, so
I think he's trying to challenge you off your man.
Speaker 3 (32:52):
Look, it wasn't he staying with JORDI What is your
old mate who owns the vineyard?
Speaker 7 (32:58):
Yeah, and the two old soaks here they were drinking
the best of the stuff, and.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
I think Jeordie just invited him to get rid of
the backlog of old unsellable wine and Thompson scoffed the lot. Anyhow,
that's enough about him. I'll get the sack if I
start talking about him. See you later on.
Speaker 7 (33:15):
You see Jamie.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
Tearing away from one live radio. What else can you do?
I hope you enjoyed, Graham Williams. You may not ever
hear him again on the show Blasphemy. Up next, Phil
Duncan on the Weather. We've got some great texts coming
in on the weather. Yeah, not flash at our end
of the country. Pretty good at the other ends. That's
to wrap the country.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Were weather on the country with farmlands helping you score
some wins this summer.
Speaker 3 (33:52):
Here, thank you farmlands. Big Phil Duncan joins us from
weather Watch. Gee, we've got a Let me refer to
my notes because I've prescripted something here another wild, wet
and windy weekend store as we head towards the windiest
weekend of the year, or traditionally it is labor weekend.
(34:12):
Phil Duncan, Good afternoon. Here's some of the texts that
have come in from our new text machine that I
can't work. Twenty seven degrees here in Hawk's Bay today
with thirty on the forecast for later in the week.
Great conditions to grow apples except rocket. That's a reference
to rocket falling over which is a bit of a shame.
And New Hako are beautiful, warm, bit windy here, I'm
(34:35):
putting on more sunscreen. Beautiful day in Winchester from Laura
and Winchester's of course in Canterbury. Beautiful day here in
the middle or two no rain or wind cracker day
in Northland, Horrible weather in Tiano, which is of course
in Southland. And twenty five degrees in Napier from n Rightio.
(34:57):
It's awful. We spoke to a south and farmer Pete
Turner a bit earlier in the show that I've had
horrendous amounts of rain and it's blowing its backside off
here in Dunedin.
Speaker 10 (35:07):
Yeah, and you know that it's unfortunate as you're reading
up those temperatures, you know, summer light temperatures now starting
to pop up around the North Island. Pretty mild in
Canterbury as well for the most part. But yeah, Otago,
Southland and southern parts of Westland pretty miserable. Temperatures still
in the single digits right now at this time of
the day. Where you got other parts of the country,
you know, twenty five to twenty seven, that polar air
(35:29):
boundary kind of hangs around this week, really big storms
coming through and in fact there could be a low
on Thursday right near the Catlands down in the southeast
of the South Island of nine seventy hecta pascals and
then you've got high pressure just up around the far North,
so that is a big air pressure gradient drop over
the country. So severe gales are often on this week
(35:51):
coming through again tomorrow, peaking again on Thursday. They might
be the strongest on Thursday with that storm tracking by,
and also between now and Thursday, over four hundred millimeters
of rain in parts of the West coast. It's mostly
the southern half, but you could be seeing heavy rain
around Pocketia and up towards Greymouth, so they're very wet
where that carries on. Well, if you're on the East
(36:13):
coast right near the sea north of Dunedin up to Gainsbin,
for example, very little in the way of rain coming
as around Northland and parts of Auckland as well well.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
This is an intense where the system. Certainly where I
am and I'm reading from the Met Service, Phil, sorry
to throw another weather forecasts are at you. No, no,
that's all right, but the Met Service is saying a
more intense system on Thursday.
Speaker 10 (36:36):
Yeah, yeah, Thursday. This is a big stormy system on Thursday.
I think you'll suddenly see a big ramping up in
the weather warnings and the conversations about it the next day,
because at this time of year, you can see a
storm in the weather maps and then you have a
look a day later or two days later, and it's
kind of gone because everything's so chaotic, but this does
look like a significant storm, very fast moving being caught
(36:58):
up in these gales. There's a positive and the long
weekend is looking kind of, you know, pretty good, I
had said, did say my video today. If you're in
Southland you might have to take a bit of a
drive northwoods to get out of the wintry stuff that
you're still going to be in going into the weekend unfortunately.
Speaker 3 (37:14):
Yeah, Hey, I've got a text from your old mate
Blocker Drysdale. I know you chat to him a bit.
He's an arable farmer down there in Southland. He said,
it's absolutely appalling. He said he didn't think he would
have to face two shocking springs in a row because
I think most Southland farmers thought it can't be any
worse than last season. But it's getting close.
Speaker 10 (37:33):
Yeah, you know, there was some Antarctica, the South Pole
having I think it's coldest lowest temperature and since the
nineteen eighties, and you're seeing the pole of vortex all
messy around the south of New Zealand. And that's why
the polar air is bursting out into Australia into southern
New Zealand, hanging around longer spring is hanging around longer
this year. But those windy westerlies, you know, that's why
(37:55):
the temperatures are roaring up in the North Island, So
some area is going to dry out very fast. Husband
might have to wait a little longer for that to
happen further south, obviously.
Speaker 3 (38:05):
Phil Duncan wrapping the Country. Look, I've run out of
time for the latest on the text machine. We'll catch
you back tomorrow with that bigger lion spot God.
Speaker 2 (38:14):
Catch all the latest from the land.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
It's the Country Podcast with Jamie McKay thanks to Brent
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