July 22, 2026 • 7 mins
NZME’s head of business content previews an excellent 28-page Agribusiness lift-out in the NZ Herald, where subjects as wide-ranging as global trade, AI, ag emissions, weight loss drugs and politics are covered.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It was great to catch up with fran O'Sullivan, head
of business content here at ENZ me at Field Days
and Franz said to me, you haven't had me on
the show for ages, And I said, and fran I said,
my bad. I apologize. I've got a great reason to
have you on the show today. You and this is
your baby. A twenty eight page agribusiness and trade lift
out in The Herald. A lot of the contents available
(00:22):
on our website, The Country, dot co, dot and z.
This is great if you don't mind me saying so,
fran Oh.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Thank you. I always like some excellent tradeback. It's wonderful
as it's made my day, Jamie.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Well, thank you, fran Look, we can't cover off twenty
eight pages, but I want to highlight some of the
stuff that is in this lift out and as I said,
available on our website. You've covered topics like New Zealand
rewiring its global trade playbook, Can AI make New Zealand
agribusiness more competitive? Election politics? Who does the sector favor?
(00:57):
And this is a really interesting one. Well well, weight loss, drugs,
drive meat sales. I want to start if I can,
with your introductory column or story in this lift out,
you're talking about we're ready for the next wave when
it comes to technology, and this is off the back
of what you saw and experienced at Field Days.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, that was very much part of it. And one
of the things obviously really since the evolution of Halter
and then of course you know, the Gallaghers have got
their own defense kind of app and everything else as well,
and so I've sort of been observing it. And one
of the things I've done in each Field Days, and
(01:40):
I've been going to them must about twenty odd years,
is going to the innovation tent and seeing what are
the new things coming through and then watching how they
evolve over years. And this has been pretty astounding to me.
And one of the things that jumps out on the
report as well from the article that Bill Bennett, who
(02:02):
is a tech writer, who talked to a number of
players about AI but also you know, the drones and
other developments around precision farming, and there was a quote
from Brendan O'Connell from agu Tech New Zealand who basically
said he could see a day in Decoes to come
where agritech itself was bigger than our dairy exports and
(02:26):
that is interesting because you've got all these bright younger
people developing technology that really not only makes our own
farming more competitive, but it actually makes it easier for
farmers worldwide.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Well, you mentioned Holter, there's the story in here from
Graham Skellen who writes virtual fencing is now a smart
wire of farming. And you talk about smart young people
and agribusiness, they don't get much smarter than Craig Pigot.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Well, that's right, and he's such a delight, such an
originally quite an underplayed guy, but now he's you know,
he's been involved in the US market, so you know
he's taken on more of that flavor of ambition and
projection that you need to perform well there and build
(03:16):
basically unicorn companies, which course Holton now pretty much is.
So it's you know, it's seen and he came out
of the Rocket Lab family and had a great idea
and he got a bit of backing also from Sir
Peter Beck and others and got that away. And now
that's just a sign of you know what can happen
(03:38):
when breakdown people turn their minds to it.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Minde, we've got some bright older people in this country
as well, and to you and I of course, friend,
but you know someone who would throw into that category,
he might mightn't like me calling him old as Ray Smith,
who's the director General of MPI obviously, and he said
we've earned the right to grow, but he says growth
must match environmental gains. And this is a really interesting column.
(04:04):
You can read this one on the Country dot co
dot NZ.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah. And the interesting thing about Ray Smith, of course
is at MPI they've invested into Agri Zero, which is
this group of backed by the government but also banks
and major companies in New Zealand who are looking to
develop ways to reduce methane and other emissions from on farm.
(04:32):
And he was pretty excited when I spoke to him
about a couple of developments which look as if they've
got a huge amount of promise. And one of them
is one of these bolus kind of like a pill
or whatever that a cow will swallow. And as as
far as I understand, I haven't hope, I haven't got
this role. Basically it acts within the system to you know,
(04:55):
stop so much methane being omitted by the car and
then the other things as well that he mentions in
the article. But he's always a joy to interview, and
I like the fact that he sees both sides. He
comes from the regulatory side, which MPI is, but he
also comes from the side of understanding what business and
(05:17):
farmers need to grow and putting some of the Crown's
capital behind that.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Yeah, he used to run prisons, so he knows how
to get it and still a bit of discipline into
everyday life. Look, election politics. Who does the sector The
farming sector obviously favor. That is one of the columns
in here. And I don't know what I mean. You've
been around a long time friend, even longer than I have,
as I say it that the farming sector absolutely favors
(05:46):
a center right coalition government.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Yes, very much does. And it's a bit of a
pity really that the left of center hasn't at this
stage grasped just how much things have to changing. And
if you look even from what Fonterra is doing, how
they've been working with their own farmer constituency on farm
(06:09):
to reduce their environmental footprint and you know, so basically
they can sustain their products being sold into international markets.
So which take all this stuff seriously, but it's interesting
that at seald Days and I did observe it there,
the mood was quite different and I think little things
(06:33):
like it was, you know, the Prime Minister and others
came to the announcement of Agriusera going to the next
stage where it was also putting more cash behind developments
that farmers might pick up. And also at the lad
News flexibility announcements and those sort of signs for government
(06:53):
has actually listened to the farming side of things, and
it's interesting at the moment. I mean, obviously there's still
a lot of issues out there, but at the moment
I would have to say they do have farmers facts well.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Fran O'Sullivan, head of Business Content for ENZ be great
to catch up again, great to catch up at Fielday's congratulations.
This is excellent work. You can read all about it
on our website The Country dot co dot nz. It
is the Agribusiness and Trade Lift out, all twenty eight
glorious pages of it. See you later.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Thank you,
It was great to catch up with fran O'Sullivan, head
of business content here at ENZ me at Field Days
and Franz said to me, you haven't had me on
the show for ages, And I said, and fran I said,
my bad. I apologize. I've got a great reason to
have you on the show today. You and this is
your baby. A twenty eight page agribusiness and trade lift
out in The Herald. A lot of the contents available
(00:22):
on our website, The Country, dot co, dot and z.
This is great if you don't mind me saying so,
fran Oh.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Thank you. I always like some excellent tradeback. It's wonderful
as it's made my day, Jamie.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Well, thank you, fran Look, we can't cover off twenty
eight pages, but I want to highlight some of the
stuff that is in this lift out and as I said,
available on our website. You've covered topics like New Zealand
rewiring its global trade playbook, Can AI make New Zealand
agribusiness more competitive? Election politics? Who does the sector favor?
(00:57):
And this is a really interesting one. Well well, weight loss, drugs,
drive meat sales. I want to start if I can,
with your introductory column or story in this lift out,
you're talking about we're ready for the next wave when
it comes to technology, and this is off the back
of what you saw and experienced at Field Days.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, that was very much part of it. And one
of the things obviously really since the evolution of Halter
and then of course you know, the Gallaghers have got
their own defense kind of app and everything else as well,
and so I've sort of been observing it. And one
of the things I've done in each Field Days, and
(01:40):
I've been going to them must about twenty odd years,
is going to the innovation tent and seeing what are
the new things coming through and then watching how they
evolve over years. And this has been pretty astounding to me.
And one of the things that jumps out on the
report as well from the article that Bill Bennett, who
(02:02):
is a tech writer, who talked to a number of
players about AI but also you know, the drones and
other developments around precision farming, and there was a quote
from Brendan O'Connell from agu Tech New Zealand who basically
said he could see a day in Decoes to come
where agritech itself was bigger than our dairy exports and
(02:26):
that is interesting because you've got all these bright younger
people developing technology that really not only makes our own
farming more competitive, but it actually makes it easier for
farmers worldwide.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Well, you mentioned Holter, there's the story in here from
Graham Skellen who writes virtual fencing is now a smart
wire of farming. And you talk about smart young people
and agribusiness, they don't get much smarter than Craig Pigot.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Well, that's right, and he's such a delight, such an
originally quite an underplayed guy, but now he's you know,
he's been involved in the US market, so you know
he's taken on more of that flavor of ambition and
projection that you need to perform well there and build
(03:16):
basically unicorn companies, which course Holton now pretty much is.
So it's you know, it's seen and he came out
of the Rocket Lab family and had a great idea
and he got a bit of backing also from Sir
Peter Beck and others and got that away. And now
that's just a sign of you know what can happen
(03:38):
when breakdown people turn their minds to it.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Minde, we've got some bright older people in this country
as well, and to you and I of course, friend,
but you know someone who would throw into that category,
he might mightn't like me calling him old as Ray Smith,
who's the director General of MPI obviously, and he said
we've earned the right to grow, but he says growth
must match environmental gains. And this is a really interesting column.
(04:04):
You can read this one on the Country dot co
dot NZ.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah. And the interesting thing about Ray Smith, of course
is at MPI they've invested into Agri Zero, which is
this group of backed by the government but also banks
and major companies in New Zealand who are looking to
develop ways to reduce methane and other emissions from on farm.
(04:32):
And he was pretty excited when I spoke to him
about a couple of developments which look as if they've
got a huge amount of promise. And one of them
is one of these bolus kind of like a pill
or whatever that a cow will swallow. And as as
far as I understand, I haven't hope, I haven't got
this role. Basically it acts within the system to you know,
(04:55):
stop so much methane being omitted by the car and
then the other things as well that he mentions in
the article. But he's always a joy to interview, and
I like the fact that he sees both sides. He
comes from the regulatory side, which MPI is, but he
also comes from the side of understanding what business and
(05:17):
farmers need to grow and putting some of the Crown's
capital behind that.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Yeah, he used to run prisons, so he knows how
to get it and still a bit of discipline into
everyday life. Look, election politics. Who does the sector The
farming sector obviously favor. That is one of the columns
in here. And I don't know what I mean. You've
been around a long time friend, even longer than I have,
as I say it that the farming sector absolutely favors
(05:46):
a center right coalition government.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Yes, very much does. And it's a bit of a
pity really that the left of center hasn't at this
stage grasped just how much things have to changing. And
if you look even from what Fonterra is doing, how
they've been working with their own farmer constituency on farm
(06:09):
to reduce their environmental footprint and you know, so basically
they can sustain their products being sold into international markets.
So which take all this stuff seriously, but it's interesting
that at seald Days and I did observe it there,
the mood was quite different and I think little things
(06:33):
like it was, you know, the Prime Minister and others
came to the announcement of Agriusera going to the next
stage where it was also putting more cash behind developments
that farmers might pick up. And also at the lad
News flexibility announcements and those sort of signs for government
(06:53):
has actually listened to the farming side of things, and
it's interesting at the moment. I mean, obviously there's still
a lot of issues out there, but at the moment
I would have to say they do have farmers facts well.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Fran O'Sullivan, head of Business Content for ENZ be great
to catch up again, great to catch up at Fielday's congratulations.
This is excellent work. You can read all about it
on our website The Country dot co dot nz. It
is the Agribusiness and Trade Lift out, all twenty eight
glorious pages of it. See you later.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Thank you,
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