The Country 04/11/25: Julian Raine talks to Jamie Mackay

Nelson-based dairy entrepreneur and former president of Horticulture NZ, who updates on the recent storm damage in his region.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Running songs the Beg's I forgot what a good song
that was run to me from the Beg's early begs,
pre disco begs. This man predates disco as well, although
he might have been in his prime in the late seventies,
I don't know. Julian Rain, former President of Horticulture in
New Zealand, Nelson based dairy entrepreneur and horticulturalist. Hey, we've

(00:23):
been talking about Julian about the damage that's been caused
in Southland, Southwest Otago, Canterbury of late because of the winds.
But it's easy to forget that you guys had your
share from Mother Nature midwinter. You had a couple of
events in a row.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
We did in June and then mid July in quick
succession really smash us around, Jamie.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
So you had you had a lot of trees down,
didn't you smashed?

Speaker 2 (00:53):
Yes? Saw the wind event is more recent. So the
flooding and water and inundation that was all winter. It's
been more a spring event when we've had these wind
events that have come in and dealt to the foresters.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
So how's the recovery going for them? Can they? You know?
I know if the trees get blown over, they're still
salvageable or are.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
They There's sort of various aspects. And firstly they've got
to be old enough and if they are old enough,
they get in and take them out. They get sap
stained if you don't harvest them quickly enough. But they,
I can tell you, they're like beavering ants up there

(01:38):
at the moment, taking out as much of the downwood
as they can go on.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
It's this time of the year that you're really as
a horticultural to start to worry about hail.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Yes, so we have had some hail around Nelson. Ironically,
you don't really know you've got hale or in a
hale zone until you actually start growing crops, and apple's
are a really good indicator for hale. And we've had
some hail already unfortunately, but it's just the nature of

(02:10):
the industry we're in.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
How is the recovery going from those flooding events, those
two events one after another late June mid July.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
They well, no one wants the event in the first place,
but it's really encouraging to see the communities pull together,
contractors out, their council doing it's but central government doing
a wee bit and getting in behind the people who
have been badly affected and just get in and clean

(02:43):
it up.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
I've got an eighth of the field in the Melbourne Cup.
I bought three horses because no one else would buy them,
so I said, if I won't, I'm going to shout
coffee for the staff tomorrow. What about you. You've got
three horses as well, and you are the boss.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
You've got to have a flatter once a year at least, Jamie.
And to make it all work, you've got to have
someone bet on all of the field, otherwise it doesn't work.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
Well. I've got three, five and fourteen.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
What are your three, one, eight and twelve? So between
us we've got a fear change.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yes we have. Well, I hope you get a bonus
point and I'm pinning my hopes on number fourteen. It's
one of the favorite half yours. We'll see how we
go tomorrow. It could be a lean day for the
staff here. Julian Rain, thanks for your time.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
Cheers, Jamie. Thank you