August 2, 2026 • 40 mins
Jamie Mackay talks to Jim Ward, David Seymour, and Farmer Tom Martin.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Catch all the latest from the land. It's The Country
Podcast with Jamie McKay thanks to Farmlands, Better Drenched Plans
and Better Heard Health. Start here you.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Good afternoon, New Zealand. Welcome to the Country. I'm Jamie McKay.
The show is brought to you by Isuzu. Get into
one of those m UX seven seats trust me and
of course our friends at Farmland's Human League. Kicking off
the show today, They're coming to New Zealand next year.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Friday's big news story.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Striving south to head to the Riversdale Rugby Cabaret. What
a great night it was in the capital of Northern
Southland and I heard the news that Nightahoo will be
blessing New Zealand's biggest farm, Molesworth, all one hundred and
eighty two thousand hectares of it. Now we're going to
(01:15):
kick off the show with Jim Ward, who's an old
school and rugby mate of mine. He was the former manager.
He'd put together a consortium they wanted to run it
as New Zealand's biggest farm for New Zealanders. So we'll
just see what he has to say, and of course
Nightahoo and we'll discuss this with Jim have a very
good track record when it comes to running successful farming
(01:38):
or primary industry businesses. David Seymour, Deputy Prime Minister, for
his sins, wasn't Winston cunning getting his shift out of
the road early? Anyhow, he's the Deputy Prime Minister, Act
Party leader. They're going to get the little shits poor
Henry's words, not mine, out of our classrooms. Winston's getting
into baby farming and tops tax plan. Well, if you
(01:59):
can understand that, you're a better man than me. Earlier
this morning I caught up with our UK farming correspondent,
farmer Tom Martin. They're having a terrible time of it
in the UK. British farmers. They've got drought, they've got
wildfires like I've never seen, terrible returns for arable farmers,
really low yields because of the drought. There are some
(02:21):
good things happening though. There's had been a big digital
celebration of British farming, and Andy Burnham seems to be
making a good start at number ten Downing Street, Fell Duncan.
On the weather month a winter ago, depending on where
you live in the country, she's pretty wintry in the
Deep South today, but you expect that late July early
August Michelle will have rural news for you as well
(02:44):
and will update the latest and sport. Commonwealth Games done
and dusted. I really enjoyed the Commonwealth Games. I don't
know what people are moaning about Jim Ward, former manager
of Molesworth to kick off the country. This new story
(03:21):
broke on Friday afternoon. No surprise, some people might be
a weep bit disappointed with the result. nightA who has
got the lease of New Zealand's biggest farm from dock
and the biggest farmers of course, Molesworth Station, or one
hundred and eighty two thousand hectares of it. The former manager,
as an old schoolmate of mine, Jim Ward and Jim You,
(03:41):
along with mark Ingalls and several other interested parties, had
put forward another proposal. Are you a bit disappointed you
were cut off at the pass by Nightahoo.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Oh we are but pretty gathered, but you know it's
been a huge body of work in the last twelve
months to put this thing together, to tye and nuts
and bolts up and then get it in front of
the decision makers. So yeah, we are, but well a
bit flat at the moment. But as I'm saying to people,
the sun will still rise tomorrow morning.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
So up till now, Pamu has held the least land
Corp from DOC. I understand that hasn't been that profitable.
That's in the rare vision mirror. Nita, who has a
reputation and has been very successful in several of its businesses,
will Nightahu do a better job than Parmu.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Well, I probably should correct. It's ony it's actually been.
In the twenty four years I was there, we only
had one year where we didn't make a profit. That's
because we overspent a little bit on some projects. But
it generally returns quite a healthy return, you know, anywhere
from three hundred and odd k north. But obviously this
year it'll be doing really well. I think that's a
(04:53):
little bit of a maybe. I mean, you've still got
to maintain the assets. You've still got to put a
lot of effort in to all those historic buildings on there.
Lot we used to spend eighty eighty five K year
to stop paying alone, and then you've got building maintenance
and fence maintenance, yard maintenance all wired up to two
hundred K. So there's a lot goes out. But so
(05:15):
you sort of profit is not really the right word.
But my belief is that you know, this is the
road that people have taken. Got to accept that and
looking forward to seeing what happens.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
How did your plan for Molesworth differ from nightahus because
you but well you were two of the five interested
parties that submitted offers.
Speaker 5 (05:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Correct, there was four proposals to lease it and we
were a fifth, which we weren't proposing to lease it
at all. We were proposing to manage it on pay
half of the people of the country, and we were
going to set up a board structure to run everything
inside the boundaries and that big thing some years ago.
We sort of in two years the same We did
(06:00):
a business plan then and we sort of started to
think about what's the future. And we really wanted New Zealand,
the public in New Zealand to have a greater empathy
or something but a great understanding of what went on
there and greater access. So their plan was to have
to be able to this is a phrase we call Mum,
(06:21):
Dad and the kids, to be able to come and
enjoy what MULTI had to offer, had no charge, and
do it at a time when it saved had them in.
There's those sorts of things. So yeah, we weren't planning
on leasing it, so we sat outside that where all
we needed was the money upfront to purchase the stock
and the plant, which was around roughly eight million, And yeah,
(06:41):
we had that sort of sort of and it was
to then there was going to be a charity, so
you don't pay rent, you don't pay rates, you maintain
everything aside those boundaries for the public of New Zealand
on their behalf. We had a plan to give the
farming program here at is Sagas so it goes on
into the future. So we had a lot of things
(07:04):
that we were tidying, tiding up and as I said
that before, the nuts and bolts were starting to get handled.
But anyway, that's not going to happen, so we've just
got to look at the future.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Do you think Knight Tahu will be good stewards of
Molesworth because there's not only the public access as you
excuse me, there's also the weed and pest control, which
is a major problem on that farm. And I know
you've been pretty big on the wild and pine issue.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Yeah, well, I mean that's an ongoing thing right around
the country and you've just got to that's discover that
it's a thing that the country has to be in now.
The cost of those wilding pints, the weed and pest thing, well,
we were well on the way, you know with the
TV work we've done with us, but we were well
on the way. They're getting possibles. Well, we had to
possible under control. There's a lot of work done that
(07:56):
inside the boundaries on fear and fear and cats and
all that sort of stuff. So that was a big
part of air day. So yeah, there's a lot of
we'k being done. Yeah, we just got to hope that
it continues.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
So, as I said, Molesworth one hundred and eighty two
thousand hectares there in the Marlborough region. The stocking rate
is very low because a lot of the land isn't
that grazible. Zero point three of a stock unit per hectare.
There's a limit of six and a half thousand adult
cattle that can be run on the station. Currently Palmer's
(08:32):
only carrying five thousand cattle and no sheep. So yes,
it's a big operation, but not as big as other
farming operations.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
No definitely not you know, like bigg in size, but
smaller numbers. But that's part of the thing that really
makes it special for news and I think like the
impact of the stock on there is absolutely minimal, and
actually in some areas is quite well and a lot
of areas is quite beneficial. So you would say that
the numbers. Actually it's one of those situations where the
(09:03):
stock are actually doing a lot for the land, i e.
Bringing an income which then can go back in. And
that was the beauty of setting up air process was
that we all the money, every cent that was went
back into the property for whatever it was required, and
that would amount to quite a bit. So I'm thinking
that in the future this will be you know, I'd
(09:25):
like to think this goes right through the high Country.
Now people understand that stock can be used in inverted commas,
as been for we control, et cetera. In certain areas
at certain times of the year, and we were sort
of proving out on molds with the money that they
were generating coming back in. So it's onward and upwards.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Just an interesting we quirk of fate if you want.
I didn't realize there's doing some background reading on this
James Ward. There's no operating woolshed on Molesworth, so you're
running no sheep and I thought that must have been
a recent decision. But it goes back apparently to the
nineteen forties, which really surprised me.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Yeah, the period just an early war years. That's when
there's some significant snows in there. And I remember Loie Ray,
who's now passed away, that he was the owner of
the ossage station next door. He was shepherding on Moldwath
in those years, on Saint Helen's which was part of Maforth,
and he told me that I think nineteen forty the
(10:28):
snows of that year they put out fifty four thousand
sheep and nineteen thousand made it back. And he said
when the snow thought and the spring, all the valleys
leading up from the Clearns towards the Leader and that
sort of country and there, he said, the valley falls
were still quite, but the had sheep come the spring.
So yeah, that was the reason for the sheep moving
(10:51):
out of there. It was just the losses for too great.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Wow, what a great story, what interesting history. That is
the woolshed. There is a woolshed there, but I think
it's a museum now.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
Yeah. Correct. We had an eighteen stand shared right at
the homestead, which was a combination of the shed that
they pulled down from Tanda and took to the homestead
under it them and here we've got a lot of
photos of the we're from that shared they sure. I'm
pretty sure the numbers were something like fifty to sixty
thousand feet and over a two month period starting in
(11:25):
January most years.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
So that would have been a long stint the main
share all two months of it. Jim Ward, thanks for
your time. Commiserations for not getting your plan through, but
we wish Nitarho all the best and if it can
become a farm for all of New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
I think that's great.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
Thank you, Jeri.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Seventeen after twelve. Thanks Jim Radio. Some of your feedback
coming in on Nightahoo are they're not lumbered with the
same tax rate. Why would you lease it to Molesworth, Well,
Molesworth to nightA who they don't pay tax is no
money for US taxpayer, fair comment. Interestingly, Jim Ward, he
(12:04):
was going to set up a charitable trust, so if
his lot, him and mark Ingalls had got it, they
wouldn't have paid tax either. I guess the income for
the crown from knightah who was from the lease. We
don't know the numbers around the lease. They're confidential, so
there will certainly be lease income from KNIGHTA who to
run Molesworth station. Here's another one, Jamie, I thought that
(12:28):
Namatia Station on the Talpo to Napier Road was New
Zealand's biggest farm from John Well. It might be the
biggest in terms of stock units and that, but in
terms of size, no, it is definitely Molesworth one hundred
and eighty two thousand hed guests. But I stand to
be corrected. Keep your feedback coming in on five double
(12:51):
O nine. But isn't that Wasn't that a really interesting
story that he threw in there about the sheep. You know,
I knew they didn't run sheep there now, but I
thought that might have been a change in farming patents
in the last decade or two. But it goes back
to the nineteen forties in the snow fifty would they
put out over fifty thousand sheep only seventeen thousand or
(13:12):
something like that came back? You imagine all getting caught
in snow drifts and then the snow thawing in the spring,
and it would look like a cotton field, wouldn't it
with all the white from the dead sheep, because basically
that snow would have sort of preserved them until it melted.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
There you go, we'll.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Get some more e your feedback on that one, or good,
bad or otherwise. Up next, David Seymour, Deputy Prime Minister,
Act Party leader, him and Paul Henry wants to get.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
The little shits out of our classrooms.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
A lot of people and I know a few teachers
probably agree with them. Winston's getting into baby farming and
top well, do we really understand what their tax plan
is like, especially for you farmers out there? That land
tax will be a killer for you. Farmer Tom Martin
and Phil Duncan on the weather. David Seymour is the
(14:26):
Deputy Prime Minister and the ACT Party leader. David, here's
a starter for you. You and Paul Henry are getting
rid of the little shits in the classroom while Winston's
going the full hog on baby farming. Aren't there like
bigger issues to deal with, you know, like say the economy.
Speaker 6 (14:43):
Well, the economy in the long term will depend on
how skilled our population is. We're not going to get
wealthy by selling stuff to each other or digging stuff up,
although we should do a bit more of that. Ultimately,
we're a knowledge economy, but we're also a society where
children's reading, maths and science scores have been falling off
(15:05):
a cliff pretty much all century. Back of the year
two thousand, we're a top five country. Now we're a
top twenty country on a good day, often worse than that,
so that really matters. One of the reasons why we're
not doing so well an education is that students aren't
showing up as much as they are in a Canada,
America or Australia or England. And one of the reasons
(15:26):
they're not showing up is that we have the worst
classroom disorder and children actually feel less safe going to
school in New Zealand than they do in the United States,
where they have to do regular drills in case there's
a shooting incident. Unfortunately, so this is about as serious
as it gets. Can we pass knowledge from one generation
(15:48):
to the next, and all of the evidence from the
OECD and the Education Review Office and the teachers you
talk to on the street the parents whose children's learning
is disrupted. I don't think there are many more serious
issues than this, frankly, And what their party is proposing
is that instead of being wrapped up in stupid rules
and bludgeoned by bureaucratic process, a teacher should be able
(16:11):
to order a kid out of a classroom, give them
a bit of help along the way if necessary, and
not be wrapped up in bureaucracy, and ultimately that kid
has to go to a place in the classroom where
they'll be under supervision. If they assault a teacher along
the way, it's an automatic suspension, and the parents are
required to attend a meeting. And if the parents don't
(16:34):
want to basically participate in that and support the school,
then the government can come in and find them. So
what we are doing here is standing up for the
authority of the teacher to control the classroom on behalf
of those children who just want to learn, because right
now we're the worst in the developed world, and if
we don't do something about it, we won't be in
the developed world.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Okay, so David say more, getting rid of the little
shits is a better policy than Winston's baby farming.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
I'm worried. Worried he'll just encourage the wrong people to breed.
As harsh as that sounds.
Speaker 6 (17:05):
Look, I think the truth is, first of all, it
probably won't do much either way for anyone. A few
people probably have children earlier then they would off because
they get the extra money. But I don't think you're
going to see people say, gee, for one hundreds a
week for the first three years, I'm going to have
a kid that I'm going to have to bring up
(17:26):
for eighteen years. I think people are a bit smarter
than that. Certainly in other countries where they've tried much
more generous policies, they haven't actually got the baby bump
that they thought they were going to get. You look
at a place like Hungary, if you have four kids,
you don't have to pay any tax at all. If
you have two kids, you get fifty percent tax rebate.
(17:47):
So you know, if that's not going to make people
have more kids, I mean their futilities lower than ours.
So if that's not going to make people have kids,
I don't think this plan will. But having said that,
another four hundred million, by the way Checkers numbers, I
think it's probably closer to six hundred dollar back of
oveolope basis. But let's say it's four hundred million. You know,
(18:07):
that's four hundred million a year that we've either got
to borrow, increased taxes or cut something else worth four
hundred million a year. And you know, four hundred millions
real money. So if it's not going to actually achieve
what it sees on the tin, you'd have to ask
yourself why you're putting that four hundred million into it.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Let's talk about some real issues here. What about the
Holidays Act? You're keen to talk about that, and how
will all the changes will affect farmers and businesses.
Speaker 6 (18:37):
Yeah, because Brooklyn Valden, you know, took this on nearly
three years ago. She was told it was nearly impossible.
She inherited a whole lot of work that labor and
national ministers had done, decided it couldn't work, through it out,
started again with a blank sheet of paper, and in
less than three years she's passed a law that is
(18:58):
going to dramatically simplify holiday pay for people up and
down this country, particularly relevant to farming where you have
variable hours and some seasons and some types of farming.
And she's also made sure that because everything is going
to be based on the number of hours, not the
number of days or weeks. This ten days sick leave.
(19:20):
If you don't work a full day, then you don't
get a whole day of sickly because at the moment,
people who work a couple of hours a week can
end up getting ten days worth of sickly even though
they don't actually work much more than ten days a year.
So she's actually, I think, pulled off something really grunty
and substantial. Other people have followed. Small business, including agribusiness,
(19:42):
had been crying out for this for a decade, and
I just give it as an example of the party
being consistent and effective at getting stuff done.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
You're going to miss her, David Seymour, the Opportunity Party is.
Tax policy doesn't have any credibility. I am dead against
this land tax will be a killer for farmers, and
I'm not sure how they're going to make the numbers
stack up on their text policy full stop. But there
doesn't seem to be much scrutiny at the moment. They
seem to be the political flavor of the month.
Speaker 6 (20:12):
Yeah, you know, it gets a bit tiring. I mean,
you know, I had to do a speech at a
thing for the Blue Light, the police program for troubled
youth on the weekend, and I said, I've got apologies
for all the other parties. I went through a few.
I said, you know, the Opportunities Party. They said they
(20:32):
consider at any table and they're above politics. The problem
is no one actually wants them at their table, and
I think that hits it right. You know. Chris Luxon
said we can't work with them because we disagree with
their policies. They came out and said, oh, well, but
you're just so tribal. It's like, no, well, sorry, your
policies are insane. You want to put every single person
(20:54):
on a benefit, and they call that a universal basic income,
except it's not universal because they top up, so it's
just like the current welfare system plus giving free cash
to people who don't actually want or need it right now.
And then in order to pay for that, they go
into lump taxes, and it's only that it's only the
top thirty percent of taxpayers that are going to get
(21:16):
lump with us. That means that if you're a farmer
and you've got a farm with ten million dollars, say
that's fifty grand in tax just for doing nothing every day.
You still got your other taxes, by the way, But
that's basically the transaction. Whack people with extra taxes in
order to pay for this universal unemployment benefit, even for
people who are employed. And here's the next thing, you
(21:39):
put that tax on. But they said, love, there's too
much speculation in land, so it's actually their purpose to
drop the value of land. And for people that have
been working and farming for generations, maybe people that have
just taken over the parents farm, they're going to be underwater.
So you know, it's difficult to overstate how damaging and
(21:59):
crazy this stuff is. But at the moment that the
media is sort of going along with this whole, you know,
we're above it and we can work with anyone. It's
just it's just getting really tiresome. We don't want to
work with you. It's not because we're travel because your
policies are nuts very.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Thankful, all right, we've got to go. Thanks for your time.
Do you want to pay your old mate Winston Peters?
Of course you do clash swords occasionally, even though you're
supposedly on the same side. I think you need to
give him a pat on the back for recycling saving
the planet.
Speaker 6 (22:25):
Ron Mark, Well, yeah, he certainly, you know, benished to
avoid having to recruit any new talent. He seems to
be running a lot of retreads. He's just lucky that
under our new policies not in place, he might get
ejected for the classroom for some of his attention seeking behavior.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Hey David Seymour, thanks for your time. I'm always appreciated
here on the Country. Pleasure open, just go one twelve thirty.
You're worth the country, So Maria feedback coming in m Molesworth.
It doesn't seem to matter who the government is. We
have a choice between Laurel and Hardy, both useless administrators,
(23:08):
says my Texter. Interestingly, in the stories on the Herald,
a company boss, a bloke who runs a company. I
think it's called Steelworks or something like that. He's quoted
and it's the lead story on the Herald website.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Dumb and dumber.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
He says, labor destroyed the economy, national hasn't fixed it.
Maybe that's why people are flocking to Qula Wong and
her universal basic income and a land tax for farmers
at half a percent was zero point five percent. You've
got a ten million dollar farm. It's fifty grand every
(23:44):
year before you start go.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
Figure that one. How does that work?
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Anyhow, It's going to be an interesting run into the election, Michelle.
She's all fired up about greyhounds and we're going to
have rural news from Michelle. We'll have a look at
sport for you as the Commonwealth Games wraps before the
end of the hour. A bit earlier this morning, I
caught up with our UK farming correspondent.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
A farmer, Tom Martin.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
This bloke's a big social media influencer. They had a
big digital celebration for New Zealand or for British farming,
should I say, but perhaps of more importance for the
poorole farmers over there. Droughts, wildfires, low yields for their
crops and terrible returns. Tough times for britt farmers. All
that before the end of the hour, including Phil Duncan
(24:31):
on the weather. It is winter after all, twenty five
away from one. You're with the country Human League coming
to New Zealand next year. Michelle Watts wandered in air
(24:52):
with Rural News. Are you a Human League fan? It's
your music selection today. This reminds me of Lincoln College.
Speaker 7 (24:58):
I love the eighties music, Jamie. I don't know why,
but I've just got a real title, especially that UK
sort of pops since this kind of stuff, I love it.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Yeah, I'm sort of more than New Romantics with spandal ballet.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
Jan Jarea Great. I shouldn't say that.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Should I People will be being dismissive of my musical taste.
Spit Music's a very subjective thing right here. Let's see
what you've got for rural news.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
To the country's world news with cub Cadet, New Zealand's
leading right on lawn, bower bread, visit steel for dot
co dot Nz for your.
Speaker 7 (25:32):
Local stoggist and Ravensdown has returned to profit and announced
a shareholder rebate following a strong recovery and fertilizer demand.
The farmer owned cooperative reported a fifty point one million
dollar profit before tax and a rebate for the year
from May to May thirty. First revenue rose twenty percent
to nine hundred and seventeen million dollars, while fertilizer sales
(25:53):
increased eight percent to more than one million tons. The
boarder proved a shareholder rebate of fifteen dollars per ton
on qual flying tons. Despite ongoing global supply chain uncertainty,
ravensdown Seys, its supply relationships and local manufacturing capability have
helped ensure a reliable fertilizer supply for New Zealand farmers.
And that's rural news.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Well, they might need the old rebate from the firt
companies or co ops in order to pay for the
fertilizer this spring. Mind, dude Trumpy may have finished the war.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
Who knows. Okay, let's have a look at sport.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Sports on the country with afco ke we owned.
Speaker 4 (26:29):
That's rare.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Zealand has finished sixth, which is a pretty good effort
really on the Commonwealth Games medal table with ten gold,
fourteen silver and twelve brands behind Australia, England, Canada, India
and Scotland. And I wonder if on a per capita basis,
because that's what the comparison we need, I reckon we
would well, we would beat everyone. Maybe Scotland, I need
(26:53):
to look at check the population of Scotland. They might
edge us, but the rest we'd definitely beat on a
per capita basis, especially India. Australia won more than twice
as many gold as the next nation, seventy compared to
twenty nine for England. I think it was, and almost
five times as many medals as New Zealand and total.
But once again that's fair enough. They've got about five
(27:16):
times the population.
Speaker 7 (27:17):
Also, they've got a lot of swimmers. You got to
remember there's a lot of events in swimming. You can
gather a lot of medals and swimming.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
Yeah, but they cleaned up on the track as well.
The women's mile one two three? How good was the
I know you're a runner and we've still got to
have the country running challenge.
Speaker 7 (27:31):
Yet we do the one hundred meter dash. Oh, we
cut it to sixty meters because that master's leve orders
sixty men.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
Who was the other one?
Speaker 2 (27:39):
We were going to get Hunter McGregor, he's still in
the rock one. Well, if Hunter comes and runs, I
might be a starter. I think it should be a
handicap race anyhow, Josh Kerr, how good was he in
the men's mile?
Speaker 7 (27:50):
So good? Was that your favorite moment of the Games?
Speaker 2 (27:53):
No, No, it's probably the same as you and we
haven't you've asked me about this. I said, I'll tell
you live on air. My favorite at moments Zoey Hobbes
and one hundred.
Speaker 7 (28:01):
Meters one hundred percent. Zoe was fantastic, wasn't she? And
what a great story about not giving up when other
people tell you you can't do it. It's just amazing. She's
an inspiration for us all on and so the rest
of the team as well. Does fantastic result that Nitbull
redemption story too. Nolin tayroa fantastic Yes.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
It is okay and Laurie Daily stepped down as the
new South Wales State of Origin League coach. Up next
Farmer Tom Martin and the UK tough times for British farmers.
He is our UK farm and correspondent Farmer Tom Martin,
social media influencer arable farmer just north of London and Tom,
(28:40):
I'd like to say how you're going, but I'm afraid
to ask. With all the droughts and wildfires, how are
you going?
Speaker 5 (28:46):
Well? We won't mention the cricket. The weather is terrible,
the harvest yields are very low. We're desperate for rain,
but that is in the south and the east there
is whilst it's dry in the West and the North.
They have had a little bit more rain. That said,
what the whole of Wales is in droughts, it's it's
been and then and then everything seems to be on fire.
(29:07):
It's it's it's a challenging time.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Have you known wildfires like this before? We know that
Europe is getting used to them these days, but this
is sort of a new phenomenon, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
In England.
Speaker 5 (29:20):
I mean, we've we've always had we've always had fires,
but there are some very intense fires that There's been
a movement in the last kind of few years, really
five ten years to reduce sort of ban that the
winter season burning of heather. Now that basically burns off
any old material and doesn't affect the living heather beneath.
But what when you don't burn that off, you end
(29:41):
up with with an enormous fuel load of dead material,
And of course you get a you get a spark
in the summertime and you get really intense hot fires
burning down into peat, which is our important carbon store.
So it's it's been, it's been a hell of a time.
We've had really north northwest east south fires all over
the place.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Talk to me about your cropping operation, because I'm reading
that you've got record low crop yields and some places
I think it's the earliest harvest in Britain for twenty.
Speaker 5 (30:11):
Years, well, the earliest harvest I've known about. Our wheat
harvest finished on the second of August this year. We
finished the twenty second of July, so it's not a
day or two early, it's it's markedly earlier, and that's
reflected across the East and the South. I mean, we're
all we're all done, and this is we typically be
getting into the wheat about now. You know, I've forgotten.
(30:34):
It's in the rearview mirror. We had we had a
very warm autumn, so we're getting a lot of balle
yellow dwarf virus I think affecting our yields. And then
we've had just incredibly dry time when we're used to
having on our farm two hundred and fifty millimeters of
rain between the first of March and now we've had
(30:57):
sixty and that all came in one weekend. So it's
been it's been hellish. But interestingly, my crop of buckwheat,
my crop of sunflowers, which is not something that's grown
in the UK, or certainly not this part of the UK.
One not in the UK at all are looking great.
So maybe we need to look at some more, look
at what they're doing in the meterranean in the warmer
climates and try and imitate that, because it seems like
(31:19):
this is a pattern which is continuing.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
Give me an example of how much your yields are
down by.
Speaker 5 (31:27):
It varies across different varieties, but I would say on
our farm they're down by about a quarter. Last year
they were down by nearly the same amount. So yeah,
we've had a really, really challenging time. And I'm hearing
about a big estates who I would be expecting to
be harvesting eight tons of wheat per hectair that are
down at two and three tons, and that is that's
(31:50):
a disaster.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
Coupled with Trump's tariffs, or maybe not so much tariffs
as war in the Middle East and the resultant effect
that has ahead on fuel and fertilizer, it must be
incredibly difficult at the moment for British arable farmers.
Speaker 5 (32:07):
Well it must be the same all over the world
where we've not seen that that global price rise that
we had when Putin invaded Ukraine. When you know when
fuel and fertilizer went up then and wheat for US
was two hundred and fifty pounds a ton. You can
deal with that if everything just rises at the same time,
but there's been very little response by the global by
(32:29):
the global grain markets to you know, to reward what
is now going to be a kind of ongoing increased
cost of production. So it's a really I don't want
to sound like a winging pomp, but it's a tough
time and it's a tough time for farmers around the world,
but especially in the UK. There's a lot of things coinciding.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
Talk to me about some good stories or I've got
one good story, I've got another shocker of the story
to get through. But I want to turn it around
pervot as they say, Tom Farm twenty four hashtag farm
twenty four a powerful twenty four hour hour digital celebration
of British farming. No doubt, being the big social media
influencer you are, you would be fronter and you would
(33:11):
have been front and center.
Speaker 6 (33:12):
At d.
Speaker 5 (33:15):
I've been involved in it over several years and it's
not something that anyone's particularly front and center on. They
just encourage, which I completely believe in everybody to take part.
Anybody can take a photo of what they're up to
on that particular day, post it and just with a
little bit of an explainer. It's a great way for
people to connect with where their food comes from, food
(33:38):
farming and rural life. But it's also had fantastic media
coverage from all the kind of major channels, radio stations
and print and online media right down to the local
BBC station. So and I listened throughout the day it
was there was some great coverage and I think particularly
so much going on and so much that's relevant to
the everyday person. It really landed particularly well this year.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
And that was held on July the thirtieth. Okay, that's
the end of the good news stories. And I don't
know whether you've picked up on this one. There's a
new TikTok trend encouraging young and may I say, dopey,
bloody dopey people to sit fire to anything in front
of them. Consequently, there's been a spate of overnight arson
attachs on hayestacks in the north of England.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
I mean, how dumb can you be?
Speaker 5 (34:24):
I wasn't aware of this, but I mean it's a
head in hands moment. I mean, how unbelievably stupid. I
don't understand the thrill of it. I don't understand why
that will be a thing. I don't understand why the
social media platforms are even allowed to carry that. It's
incitement to commit a crime, if at the very base level.
(34:45):
So it's insane, and our firemen and women are busy
enough as it is. There's RSPB Men's Mere, there's a
big nature reserve. If had two nature reserves in Suffolk
very close to us that have been burning for days.
They've had one hundred and eighty fivemen and women there,
engines all over the place, and so when they're that stretched,
(35:08):
what kind of an idiot would start another fire? I mean,
it's it's unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Andy Burnham seems to have started. Well, he's got on
to the front foot there in UK politics. They're talking
about him lasting more than a few months, like your
typical prime minister of recent years.
Speaker 5 (35:26):
Well, I'm all in favor of the prime minister being
voted in and getting a chance to get his or
her feet under the table before they get they get
put out to pasture. I don't know how he's going
to be he's doing. He's making lots of him certainly
made a lot of announcements in his first week or two.
I agree with him on the National Care Service. I
think the care situation of the uk IS is very
(35:47):
challenging and money could be spent better. So he's doing
some seemingly making some half well thought out at least announcements,
But it could just be to court the media and
become of national national opinion very much taking a leaf
out of a Tony Blair's book. Actually came in a
real surge of popularity, made some very popular announcements and uh,
(36:11):
you know, and then and then continued on. We will see.
I don't think the Labor Party are held in particularly
high esteem by a fair chunk of the country, but
they're certainly doing a good job at putting the Reform
down at the moment, which course is fascinating by election
going on in Clacton, where the leader of the Reform Party, Nigerfrager,
(36:32):
stepped down over a seemingly a petty squabble. He's then
triggered a by election where he's looking to be re
elected with a new mandate as they now say, they
like the word mandate don't they And none of the
major parties are standing against him, so it's basically the
race is going to come down to him or a
comedian with a bin on his head called count Binface.
(36:53):
Couldn't you couldn't make it up.
Speaker 3 (36:55):
I love that story.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
I'm just run out of time to talk about the
Commonwealth Games and the Antipothy and to Lopus coming to
the mother Land and taking all the gold medals, mainly
Australia to be there. I think you guys finished second,
but you haven't even watched the Commonwealth Games because they.
Speaker 3 (37:09):
Weren't on BBC.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
Farmer Tom Martin, thanks for your time, appreciated.
Speaker 4 (37:14):
Thanks, Jamie tear.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
Away from one. Thanks Tom? Did that recorded that earlier
this morning? Obviously it's like one o'clock, one or two
o'clock in the morning over there. Phill Duncan next, Thanks,
welcome back to the country. We're just having a little
bit of trouble tracking Phil Duncan down from weather Watch.
(37:39):
We'll definitely get him on the show tomorrow. Gee, there's
a lot of feedback coming in. I need to get
through some of this great red Jamie An Election twenty
twenty six. The risk behind the opportunity parties rapid rise
in the polls and that's written by Bruce cottrel election
might get Bruce on the show tomorrow. Very smart guy,
(38:02):
and I haven't read his piece in the Herald yet,
but well worth a look. Some of you aren't too
pleased about knightar Who getting a lease on Molesworth because
they're not paying any tax and why should knighta Who
not pay tax when we have to? Others of you
are commenting on the profitability of Molesworth. I did challenge
(38:25):
Jim James as I knew him at school about the
profitability of Molesworth. He said, no, no, they were profitable
every year apart from one when he ran it. But
the profit, when you consider the size of the place,
not the stocking rate. The size of it anyhow, not
a brilliant profit if it's only three hundred grand. Here's
someone coming in. I can't believe how little profit are
(38:46):
that farm made considering its size. Where dry stock on
a thousand hect is and are paying income tax on
about a million dollars. Something must be wrong with his numbers. Anyway,
they're paying more in come tax and Molesworth was getting
as profit. Here's Another one is Nita Who paying open
(39:09):
market rental for the Molesworth lease and if not, why not?
Says don Look, I honestly don't know. It's all confidential.
You would think they would be paying market lease rates.
There were five parties interested. Five parties submitted bids, including
Jim and mark Ingalls.
Speaker 3 (39:28):
And those sort of guys.
Speaker 2 (39:29):
So interesting times Radio were going to wrap the country
after the break with Samoria feedback. Okay, wrapping the country.
So much feedback coming in on Molesworth and Nita Who.
It's the process that is the sow point. As soon
as Nita Who was in the frame, it was inevitable
(39:50):
they would get it. Jim Warden Co basically wasted a year.
So those are some of your thoughts on that. There's
another one here about Namatia was the largest New Zealand
station ever when they had pastor or leases. Molesworth is
currently the largest.
Speaker 3 (40:07):
So there you go.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
Some fascinating history there, the sheep dying in nineteen forty one.
Speaker 3 (40:14):
I love that sort of stuff.
Speaker 2 (40:15):
Hey, we'll catch you back tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
Catch all the latest from the land. It's the Country
podcast with Jamie Mackay. Thanks to Farmlands, Better Drenched plans
and better heard health start here.
Catch all the latest from the land. It's The Country
Podcast with Jamie McKay thanks to Farmlands, Better Drenched Plans
and Better Heard Health. Start here you.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Good afternoon, New Zealand. Welcome to the Country. I'm Jamie McKay.
The show is brought to you by Isuzu. Get into
one of those m UX seven seats trust me and
of course our friends at Farmland's Human League. Kicking off
the show today, They're coming to New Zealand next year.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Friday's big news story.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Striving south to head to the Riversdale Rugby Cabaret. What
a great night it was in the capital of Northern
Southland and I heard the news that Nightahoo will be
blessing New Zealand's biggest farm, Molesworth, all one hundred and
eighty two thousand hectares of it. Now we're going to
(01:15):
kick off the show with Jim Ward, who's an old
school and rugby mate of mine. He was the former manager.
He'd put together a consortium they wanted to run it
as New Zealand's biggest farm for New Zealanders. So we'll
just see what he has to say, and of course
Nightahoo and we'll discuss this with Jim have a very
good track record when it comes to running successful farming
(01:38):
or primary industry businesses. David Seymour, Deputy Prime Minister, for
his sins, wasn't Winston cunning getting his shift out of
the road early? Anyhow, he's the Deputy Prime Minister, Act
Party leader. They're going to get the little shits poor
Henry's words, not mine, out of our classrooms. Winston's getting
into baby farming and tops tax plan. Well, if you
(01:59):
can understand that, you're a better man than me. Earlier
this morning I caught up with our UK farming correspondent,
farmer Tom Martin. They're having a terrible time of it
in the UK. British farmers. They've got drought, they've got
wildfires like I've never seen, terrible returns for arable farmers,
really low yields because of the drought. There are some
(02:21):
good things happening though. There's had been a big digital
celebration of British farming, and Andy Burnham seems to be
making a good start at number ten Downing Street, Fell Duncan.
On the weather month a winter ago, depending on where
you live in the country, she's pretty wintry in the
Deep South today, but you expect that late July early
August Michelle will have rural news for you as well
(02:44):
and will update the latest and sport. Commonwealth Games done
and dusted. I really enjoyed the Commonwealth Games. I don't
know what people are moaning about Jim Ward, former manager
of Molesworth to kick off the country. This new story
(03:21):
broke on Friday afternoon. No surprise, some people might be
a weep bit disappointed with the result. nightA who has
got the lease of New Zealand's biggest farm from dock
and the biggest farmers of course, Molesworth Station, or one
hundred and eighty two thousand hectares of it. The former manager,
as an old schoolmate of mine, Jim Ward and Jim You,
(03:41):
along with mark Ingalls and several other interested parties, had
put forward another proposal. Are you a bit disappointed you
were cut off at the pass by Nightahoo.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Oh we are but pretty gathered, but you know it's
been a huge body of work in the last twelve
months to put this thing together, to tye and nuts
and bolts up and then get it in front of
the decision makers. So yeah, we are, but well a
bit flat at the moment. But as I'm saying to people,
the sun will still rise tomorrow morning.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
So up till now, Pamu has held the least land
Corp from DOC. I understand that hasn't been that profitable.
That's in the rare vision mirror. Nita, who has a
reputation and has been very successful in several of its businesses,
will Nightahu do a better job than Parmu.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Well, I probably should correct. It's ony it's actually been.
In the twenty four years I was there, we only
had one year where we didn't make a profit. That's
because we overspent a little bit on some projects. But
it generally returns quite a healthy return, you know, anywhere
from three hundred and odd k north. But obviously this
year it'll be doing really well. I think that's a
(04:53):
little bit of a maybe. I mean, you've still got
to maintain the assets. You've still got to put a
lot of effort in to all those historic buildings on there.
Lot we used to spend eighty eighty five K year
to stop paying alone, and then you've got building maintenance
and fence maintenance, yard maintenance all wired up to two
hundred K. So there's a lot goes out. But so
(05:15):
you sort of profit is not really the right word.
But my belief is that you know, this is the
road that people have taken. Got to accept that and
looking forward to seeing what happens.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
How did your plan for Molesworth differ from nightahus because
you but well you were two of the five interested
parties that submitted offers.
Speaker 5 (05:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Correct, there was four proposals to lease it and we
were a fifth, which we weren't proposing to lease it
at all. We were proposing to manage it on pay
half of the people of the country, and we were
going to set up a board structure to run everything
inside the boundaries and that big thing some years ago.
We sort of in two years the same We did
(06:00):
a business plan then and we sort of started to
think about what's the future. And we really wanted New Zealand,
the public in New Zealand to have a greater empathy
or something but a great understanding of what went on
there and greater access. So their plan was to have
to be able to this is a phrase we call Mum,
(06:21):
Dad and the kids, to be able to come and
enjoy what MULTI had to offer, had no charge, and
do it at a time when it saved had them in.
There's those sorts of things. So yeah, we weren't planning
on leasing it, so we sat outside that where all
we needed was the money upfront to purchase the stock
and the plant, which was around roughly eight million, And yeah,
(06:41):
we had that sort of sort of and it was
to then there was going to be a charity, so
you don't pay rent, you don't pay rates, you maintain
everything aside those boundaries for the public of New Zealand
on their behalf. We had a plan to give the
farming program here at is Sagas so it goes on
into the future. So we had a lot of things
(07:04):
that we were tidying, tiding up and as I said
that before, the nuts and bolts were starting to get handled.
But anyway, that's not going to happen, so we've just
got to look at the future.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Do you think Knight Tahu will be good stewards of
Molesworth because there's not only the public access as you
excuse me, there's also the weed and pest control, which
is a major problem on that farm. And I know
you've been pretty big on the wild and pine issue.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Yeah, well, I mean that's an ongoing thing right around
the country and you've just got to that's discover that
it's a thing that the country has to be in now.
The cost of those wilding pints, the weed and pest thing, well,
we were well on the way, you know with the
TV work we've done with us, but we were well
on the way. They're getting possibles. Well, we had to
possible under control. There's a lot of work done that
(07:56):
inside the boundaries on fear and fear and cats and
all that sort of stuff. So that was a big
part of air day. So yeah, there's a lot of
we'k being done. Yeah, we just got to hope that
it continues.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
So, as I said, Molesworth one hundred and eighty two
thousand hectares there in the Marlborough region. The stocking rate
is very low because a lot of the land isn't
that grazible. Zero point three of a stock unit per hectare.
There's a limit of six and a half thousand adult
cattle that can be run on the station. Currently Palmer's
(08:32):
only carrying five thousand cattle and no sheep. So yes,
it's a big operation, but not as big as other
farming operations.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
No definitely not you know, like bigg in size, but
smaller numbers. But that's part of the thing that really
makes it special for news and I think like the
impact of the stock on there is absolutely minimal, and
actually in some areas is quite well and a lot
of areas is quite beneficial. So you would say that
the numbers. Actually it's one of those situations where the
(09:03):
stock are actually doing a lot for the land, i e.
Bringing an income which then can go back in. And
that was the beauty of setting up air process was
that we all the money, every cent that was went
back into the property for whatever it was required, and
that would amount to quite a bit. So I'm thinking
that in the future this will be you know, I'd
(09:25):
like to think this goes right through the high Country.
Now people understand that stock can be used in inverted commas,
as been for we control, et cetera. In certain areas
at certain times of the year, and we were sort
of proving out on molds with the money that they
were generating coming back in. So it's onward and upwards.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Just an interesting we quirk of fate if you want.
I didn't realize there's doing some background reading on this
James Ward. There's no operating woolshed on Molesworth, so you're
running no sheep and I thought that must have been
a recent decision. But it goes back apparently to the
nineteen forties, which really surprised me.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Yeah, the period just an early war years. That's when
there's some significant snows in there. And I remember Loie Ray,
who's now passed away, that he was the owner of
the ossage station next door. He was shepherding on Moldwath
in those years, on Saint Helen's which was part of Maforth,
and he told me that I think nineteen forty the
(10:28):
snows of that year they put out fifty four thousand
sheep and nineteen thousand made it back. And he said
when the snow thought and the spring, all the valleys
leading up from the Clearns towards the Leader and that
sort of country and there, he said, the valley falls
were still quite, but the had sheep come the spring.
So yeah, that was the reason for the sheep moving
(10:51):
out of there. It was just the losses for too great.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Wow, what a great story, what interesting history. That is
the woolshed. There is a woolshed there, but I think
it's a museum now.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
Yeah. Correct. We had an eighteen stand shared right at
the homestead, which was a combination of the shed that
they pulled down from Tanda and took to the homestead
under it them and here we've got a lot of
photos of the we're from that shared they sure. I'm
pretty sure the numbers were something like fifty to sixty
thousand feet and over a two month period starting in
(11:25):
January most years.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
So that would have been a long stint the main
share all two months of it. Jim Ward, thanks for
your time. Commiserations for not getting your plan through, but
we wish Nitarho all the best and if it can
become a farm for all of New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
I think that's great.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
Thank you, Jeri.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Seventeen after twelve. Thanks Jim Radio. Some of your feedback
coming in on Nightahoo are they're not lumbered with the
same tax rate. Why would you lease it to Molesworth, Well,
Molesworth to nightA who they don't pay tax is no
money for US taxpayer, fair comment. Interestingly, Jim Ward, he
(12:04):
was going to set up a charitable trust, so if
his lot, him and mark Ingalls had got it, they
wouldn't have paid tax either. I guess the income for
the crown from knightah who was from the lease. We
don't know the numbers around the lease. They're confidential, so
there will certainly be lease income from KNIGHTA who to
run Molesworth station. Here's another one, Jamie, I thought that
(12:28):
Namatia Station on the Talpo to Napier Road was New
Zealand's biggest farm from John Well. It might be the
biggest in terms of stock units and that, but in
terms of size, no, it is definitely Molesworth one hundred
and eighty two thousand hed guests. But I stand to
be corrected. Keep your feedback coming in on five double
(12:51):
O nine. But isn't that Wasn't that a really interesting
story that he threw in there about the sheep. You know,
I knew they didn't run sheep there now, but I
thought that might have been a change in farming patents
in the last decade or two. But it goes back
to the nineteen forties in the snow fifty would they
put out over fifty thousand sheep only seventeen thousand or
(13:12):
something like that came back? You imagine all getting caught
in snow drifts and then the snow thawing in the spring,
and it would look like a cotton field, wouldn't it
with all the white from the dead sheep, because basically
that snow would have sort of preserved them until it melted.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
There you go, we'll.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Get some more e your feedback on that one, or good,
bad or otherwise. Up next, David Seymour, Deputy Prime Minister,
Act Party leader, him and Paul Henry wants to get.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
The little shits out of our classrooms.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
A lot of people and I know a few teachers
probably agree with them. Winston's getting into baby farming and
top well, do we really understand what their tax plan
is like, especially for you farmers out there? That land
tax will be a killer for you. Farmer Tom Martin
and Phil Duncan on the weather. David Seymour is the
(14:26):
Deputy Prime Minister and the ACT Party leader. David, here's
a starter for you. You and Paul Henry are getting
rid of the little shits in the classroom while Winston's
going the full hog on baby farming. Aren't there like
bigger issues to deal with, you know, like say the economy.
Speaker 6 (14:43):
Well, the economy in the long term will depend on
how skilled our population is. We're not going to get
wealthy by selling stuff to each other or digging stuff up,
although we should do a bit more of that. Ultimately,
we're a knowledge economy, but we're also a society where
children's reading, maths and science scores have been falling off
(15:05):
a cliff pretty much all century. Back of the year
two thousand, we're a top five country. Now we're a
top twenty country on a good day, often worse than that,
so that really matters. One of the reasons why we're
not doing so well an education is that students aren't
showing up as much as they are in a Canada,
America or Australia or England. And one of the reasons
(15:26):
they're not showing up is that we have the worst
classroom disorder and children actually feel less safe going to
school in New Zealand than they do in the United States,
where they have to do regular drills in case there's
a shooting incident. Unfortunately, so this is about as serious
as it gets. Can we pass knowledge from one generation
(15:48):
to the next, and all of the evidence from the
OECD and the Education Review Office and the teachers you
talk to on the street the parents whose children's learning
is disrupted. I don't think there are many more serious
issues than this, frankly, And what their party is proposing
is that instead of being wrapped up in stupid rules
and bludgeoned by bureaucratic process, a teacher should be able
(16:11):
to order a kid out of a classroom, give them
a bit of help along the way if necessary, and
not be wrapped up in bureaucracy, and ultimately that kid
has to go to a place in the classroom where
they'll be under supervision. If they assault a teacher along
the way, it's an automatic suspension, and the parents are
required to attend a meeting. And if the parents don't
(16:34):
want to basically participate in that and support the school,
then the government can come in and find them. So
what we are doing here is standing up for the
authority of the teacher to control the classroom on behalf
of those children who just want to learn, because right
now we're the worst in the developed world, and if
we don't do something about it, we won't be in
the developed world.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Okay, so David say more, getting rid of the little
shits is a better policy than Winston's baby farming.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
I'm worried. Worried he'll just encourage the wrong people to breed.
As harsh as that sounds.
Speaker 6 (17:05):
Look, I think the truth is, first of all, it
probably won't do much either way for anyone. A few
people probably have children earlier then they would off because
they get the extra money. But I don't think you're
going to see people say, gee, for one hundreds a
week for the first three years, I'm going to have
a kid that I'm going to have to bring up
(17:26):
for eighteen years. I think people are a bit smarter
than that. Certainly in other countries where they've tried much
more generous policies, they haven't actually got the baby bump
that they thought they were going to get. You look
at a place like Hungary, if you have four kids,
you don't have to pay any tax at all. If
you have two kids, you get fifty percent tax rebate.
(17:47):
So you know, if that's not going to make people
have more kids, I mean their futilities lower than ours.
So if that's not going to make people have kids,
I don't think this plan will. But having said that,
another four hundred million, by the way Checkers numbers, I
think it's probably closer to six hundred dollar back of
oveolope basis. But let's say it's four hundred million. You know,
(18:07):
that's four hundred million a year that we've either got
to borrow, increased taxes or cut something else worth four
hundred million a year. And you know, four hundred millions
real money. So if it's not going to actually achieve
what it sees on the tin, you'd have to ask
yourself why you're putting that four hundred million into it.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Let's talk about some real issues here. What about the
Holidays Act? You're keen to talk about that, and how
will all the changes will affect farmers and businesses.
Speaker 6 (18:37):
Yeah, because Brooklyn Valden, you know, took this on nearly
three years ago. She was told it was nearly impossible.
She inherited a whole lot of work that labor and
national ministers had done, decided it couldn't work, through it out,
started again with a blank sheet of paper, and in
less than three years she's passed a law that is
(18:58):
going to dramatically simplify holiday pay for people up and
down this country, particularly relevant to farming where you have
variable hours and some seasons and some types of farming.
And she's also made sure that because everything is going
to be based on the number of hours, not the
number of days or weeks. This ten days sick leave.
(19:20):
If you don't work a full day, then you don't
get a whole day of sickly because at the moment,
people who work a couple of hours a week can
end up getting ten days worth of sickly even though
they don't actually work much more than ten days a year.
So she's actually, I think, pulled off something really grunty
and substantial. Other people have followed. Small business, including agribusiness,
(19:42):
had been crying out for this for a decade, and
I just give it as an example of the party
being consistent and effective at getting stuff done.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
You're going to miss her, David Seymour, the Opportunity Party is.
Tax policy doesn't have any credibility. I am dead against
this land tax will be a killer for farmers, and
I'm not sure how they're going to make the numbers
stack up on their text policy full stop. But there
doesn't seem to be much scrutiny at the moment. They
seem to be the political flavor of the month.
Speaker 6 (20:12):
Yeah, you know, it gets a bit tiring. I mean,
you know, I had to do a speech at a
thing for the Blue Light, the police program for troubled
youth on the weekend, and I said, I've got apologies
for all the other parties. I went through a few.
I said, you know, the Opportunities Party. They said they
(20:32):
consider at any table and they're above politics. The problem
is no one actually wants them at their table, and
I think that hits it right. You know. Chris Luxon
said we can't work with them because we disagree with
their policies. They came out and said, oh, well, but
you're just so tribal. It's like, no, well, sorry, your
policies are insane. You want to put every single person
(20:54):
on a benefit, and they call that a universal basic income,
except it's not universal because they top up, so it's
just like the current welfare system plus giving free cash
to people who don't actually want or need it right now.
And then in order to pay for that, they go
into lump taxes, and it's only that it's only the
top thirty percent of taxpayers that are going to get
(21:16):
lump with us. That means that if you're a farmer
and you've got a farm with ten million dollars, say
that's fifty grand in tax just for doing nothing every day.
You still got your other taxes, by the way, But
that's basically the transaction. Whack people with extra taxes in
order to pay for this universal unemployment benefit, even for
people who are employed. And here's the next thing, you
(21:39):
put that tax on. But they said, love, there's too
much speculation in land, so it's actually their purpose to
drop the value of land. And for people that have
been working and farming for generations, maybe people that have
just taken over the parents farm, they're going to be underwater.
So you know, it's difficult to overstate how damaging and
(21:59):
crazy this stuff is. But at the moment that the
media is sort of going along with this whole, you know,
we're above it and we can work with anyone. It's
just it's just getting really tiresome. We don't want to
work with you. It's not because we're travel because your
policies are nuts very.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Thankful, all right, we've got to go. Thanks for your time.
Do you want to pay your old mate Winston Peters?
Of course you do clash swords occasionally, even though you're
supposedly on the same side. I think you need to
give him a pat on the back for recycling saving
the planet.
Speaker 6 (22:25):
Ron Mark, Well, yeah, he certainly, you know, benished to
avoid having to recruit any new talent. He seems to
be running a lot of retreads. He's just lucky that
under our new policies not in place, he might get
ejected for the classroom for some of his attention seeking behavior.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Hey David Seymour, thanks for your time. I'm always appreciated
here on the Country. Pleasure open, just go one twelve thirty.
You're worth the country, So Maria feedback coming in m Molesworth.
It doesn't seem to matter who the government is. We
have a choice between Laurel and Hardy, both useless administrators,
(23:08):
says my Texter. Interestingly, in the stories on the Herald,
a company boss, a bloke who runs a company. I
think it's called Steelworks or something like that. He's quoted
and it's the lead story on the Herald website.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Dumb and dumber.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
He says, labor destroyed the economy, national hasn't fixed it.
Maybe that's why people are flocking to Qula Wong and
her universal basic income and a land tax for farmers
at half a percent was zero point five percent. You've
got a ten million dollar farm. It's fifty grand every
(23:44):
year before you start go.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
Figure that one. How does that work?
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Anyhow, It's going to be an interesting run into the election, Michelle.
She's all fired up about greyhounds and we're going to
have rural news from Michelle. We'll have a look at
sport for you as the Commonwealth Games wraps before the
end of the hour. A bit earlier this morning, I
caught up with our UK farming correspondent.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
A farmer, Tom Martin.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
This bloke's a big social media influencer. They had a
big digital celebration for New Zealand or for British farming,
should I say, but perhaps of more importance for the
poorole farmers over there. Droughts, wildfires, low yields for their
crops and terrible returns. Tough times for britt farmers. All
that before the end of the hour, including Phil Duncan
(24:31):
on the weather. It is winter after all, twenty five
away from one. You're with the country Human League coming
to New Zealand next year. Michelle Watts wandered in air
(24:52):
with Rural News. Are you a Human League fan? It's
your music selection today. This reminds me of Lincoln College.
Speaker 7 (24:58):
I love the eighties music, Jamie. I don't know why,
but I've just got a real title, especially that UK
sort of pops since this kind of stuff, I love it.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Yeah, I'm sort of more than New Romantics with spandal ballet.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
Jan Jarea Great. I shouldn't say that.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Should I People will be being dismissive of my musical taste.
Spit Music's a very subjective thing right here. Let's see
what you've got for rural news.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
To the country's world news with cub Cadet, New Zealand's
leading right on lawn, bower bread, visit steel for dot
co dot Nz for your.
Speaker 7 (25:32):
Local stoggist and Ravensdown has returned to profit and announced
a shareholder rebate following a strong recovery and fertilizer demand.
The farmer owned cooperative reported a fifty point one million
dollar profit before tax and a rebate for the year
from May to May thirty. First revenue rose twenty percent
to nine hundred and seventeen million dollars, while fertilizer sales
(25:53):
increased eight percent to more than one million tons. The
boarder proved a shareholder rebate of fifteen dollars per ton
on qual flying tons. Despite ongoing global supply chain uncertainty,
ravensdown Seys, its supply relationships and local manufacturing capability have
helped ensure a reliable fertilizer supply for New Zealand farmers.
And that's rural news.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Well, they might need the old rebate from the firt
companies or co ops in order to pay for the
fertilizer this spring. Mind, dude Trumpy may have finished the war.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
Who knows. Okay, let's have a look at sport.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Sports on the country with afco ke we owned.
Speaker 4 (26:29):
That's rare.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Zealand has finished sixth, which is a pretty good effort
really on the Commonwealth Games medal table with ten gold,
fourteen silver and twelve brands behind Australia, England, Canada, India
and Scotland. And I wonder if on a per capita basis,
because that's what the comparison we need, I reckon we
would well, we would beat everyone. Maybe Scotland, I need
(26:53):
to look at check the population of Scotland. They might
edge us, but the rest we'd definitely beat on a
per capita basis, especially India. Australia won more than twice
as many gold as the next nation, seventy compared to
twenty nine for England. I think it was, and almost
five times as many medals as New Zealand and total.
But once again that's fair enough. They've got about five
(27:16):
times the population.
Speaker 7 (27:17):
Also, they've got a lot of swimmers. You got to
remember there's a lot of events in swimming. You can
gather a lot of medals and swimming.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
Yeah, but they cleaned up on the track as well.
The women's mile one two three? How good was the
I know you're a runner and we've still got to
have the country running challenge.
Speaker 7 (27:31):
Yet we do the one hundred meter dash. Oh, we
cut it to sixty meters because that master's leve orders
sixty men.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
Who was the other one?
Speaker 2 (27:39):
We were going to get Hunter McGregor, he's still in
the rock one. Well, if Hunter comes and runs, I
might be a starter. I think it should be a
handicap race anyhow, Josh Kerr, how good was he in
the men's mile?
Speaker 7 (27:50):
So good? Was that your favorite moment of the Games?
Speaker 2 (27:53):
No, No, it's probably the same as you and we
haven't you've asked me about this. I said, I'll tell
you live on air. My favorite at moments Zoey Hobbes
and one hundred.
Speaker 7 (28:01):
Meters one hundred percent. Zoe was fantastic, wasn't she? And
what a great story about not giving up when other
people tell you you can't do it. It's just amazing. She's
an inspiration for us all on and so the rest
of the team as well. Does fantastic result that Nitbull
redemption story too. Nolin tayroa fantastic Yes.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
It is okay and Laurie Daily stepped down as the
new South Wales State of Origin League coach. Up next
Farmer Tom Martin and the UK tough times for British farmers.
He is our UK farm and correspondent Farmer Tom Martin,
social media influencer arable farmer just north of London and Tom,
(28:40):
I'd like to say how you're going, but I'm afraid
to ask. With all the droughts and wildfires, how are
you going?
Speaker 5 (28:46):
Well? We won't mention the cricket. The weather is terrible,
the harvest yields are very low. We're desperate for rain,
but that is in the south and the east there
is whilst it's dry in the West and the North.
They have had a little bit more rain. That said,
what the whole of Wales is in droughts, it's it's
been and then and then everything seems to be on fire.
(29:07):
It's it's it's a challenging time.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Have you known wildfires like this before? We know that
Europe is getting used to them these days, but this
is sort of a new phenomenon, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
In England.
Speaker 5 (29:20):
I mean, we've we've always had we've always had fires,
but there are some very intense fires that There's been
a movement in the last kind of few years, really
five ten years to reduce sort of ban that the
winter season burning of heather. Now that basically burns off
any old material and doesn't affect the living heather beneath.
But what when you don't burn that off, you end
(29:41):
up with with an enormous fuel load of dead material,
And of course you get a you get a spark
in the summertime and you get really intense hot fires
burning down into peat, which is our important carbon store.
So it's it's been, it's been a hell of a time.
We've had really north northwest east south fires all over
the place.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Talk to me about your cropping operation, because I'm reading
that you've got record low crop yields and some places
I think it's the earliest harvest in Britain for twenty.
Speaker 5 (30:11):
Years, well, the earliest harvest I've known about. Our wheat
harvest finished on the second of August this year. We
finished the twenty second of July, so it's not a
day or two early, it's it's markedly earlier, and that's
reflected across the East and the South. I mean, we're
all we're all done, and this is we typically be
getting into the wheat about now. You know, I've forgotten.
(30:34):
It's in the rearview mirror. We had we had a
very warm autumn, so we're getting a lot of balle
yellow dwarf virus I think affecting our yields. And then
we've had just incredibly dry time when we're used to
having on our farm two hundred and fifty millimeters of
rain between the first of March and now we've had
(30:57):
sixty and that all came in one weekend. So it's
been it's been hellish. But interestingly, my crop of buckwheat,
my crop of sunflowers, which is not something that's grown
in the UK, or certainly not this part of the UK.
One not in the UK at all are looking great.
So maybe we need to look at some more, look
at what they're doing in the meterranean in the warmer
climates and try and imitate that, because it seems like
(31:19):
this is a pattern which is continuing.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
Give me an example of how much your yields are
down by.
Speaker 5 (31:27):
It varies across different varieties, but I would say on
our farm they're down by about a quarter. Last year
they were down by nearly the same amount. So yeah,
we've had a really, really challenging time. And I'm hearing
about a big estates who I would be expecting to
be harvesting eight tons of wheat per hectair that are
down at two and three tons, and that is that's
(31:50):
a disaster.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
Coupled with Trump's tariffs, or maybe not so much tariffs
as war in the Middle East and the resultant effect
that has ahead on fuel and fertilizer, it must be
incredibly difficult at the moment for British arable farmers.
Speaker 5 (32:07):
Well it must be the same all over the world
where we've not seen that that global price rise that
we had when Putin invaded Ukraine. When you know when
fuel and fertilizer went up then and wheat for US
was two hundred and fifty pounds a ton. You can
deal with that if everything just rises at the same time,
but there's been very little response by the global by
(32:29):
the global grain markets to you know, to reward what
is now going to be a kind of ongoing increased
cost of production. So it's a really I don't want
to sound like a winging pomp, but it's a tough
time and it's a tough time for farmers around the world,
but especially in the UK. There's a lot of things coinciding.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
Talk to me about some good stories or I've got
one good story, I've got another shocker of the story
to get through. But I want to turn it around
pervot as they say, Tom Farm twenty four hashtag farm
twenty four a powerful twenty four hour hour digital celebration
of British farming. No doubt, being the big social media
influencer you are, you would be fronter and you would
(33:11):
have been front and center.
Speaker 6 (33:12):
At d.
Speaker 5 (33:15):
I've been involved in it over several years and it's
not something that anyone's particularly front and center on. They
just encourage, which I completely believe in everybody to take part.
Anybody can take a photo of what they're up to
on that particular day, post it and just with a
little bit of an explainer. It's a great way for
people to connect with where their food comes from, food
(33:38):
farming and rural life. But it's also had fantastic media
coverage from all the kind of major channels, radio stations
and print and online media right down to the local
BBC station. So and I listened throughout the day it
was there was some great coverage and I think particularly
so much going on and so much that's relevant to
the everyday person. It really landed particularly well this year.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
And that was held on July the thirtieth. Okay, that's
the end of the good news stories. And I don't
know whether you've picked up on this one. There's a
new TikTok trend encouraging young and may I say, dopey,
bloody dopey people to sit fire to anything in front
of them. Consequently, there's been a spate of overnight arson
attachs on hayestacks in the north of England.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
I mean, how dumb can you be?
Speaker 5 (34:24):
I wasn't aware of this, but I mean it's a
head in hands moment. I mean, how unbelievably stupid. I
don't understand the thrill of it. I don't understand why
that will be a thing. I don't understand why the
social media platforms are even allowed to carry that. It's
incitement to commit a crime, if at the very base level.
(34:45):
So it's insane, and our firemen and women are busy
enough as it is. There's RSPB Men's Mere, there's a
big nature reserve. If had two nature reserves in Suffolk
very close to us that have been burning for days.
They've had one hundred and eighty fivemen and women there,
engines all over the place, and so when they're that stretched,
(35:08):
what kind of an idiot would start another fire? I mean,
it's it's unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Andy Burnham seems to have started. Well, he's got on
to the front foot there in UK politics. They're talking
about him lasting more than a few months, like your
typical prime minister of recent years.
Speaker 5 (35:26):
Well, I'm all in favor of the prime minister being
voted in and getting a chance to get his or
her feet under the table before they get they get
put out to pasture. I don't know how he's going
to be he's doing. He's making lots of him certainly
made a lot of announcements in his first week or two.
I agree with him on the National Care Service. I
think the care situation of the uk IS is very
(35:47):
challenging and money could be spent better. So he's doing
some seemingly making some half well thought out at least announcements,
But it could just be to court the media and
become of national national opinion very much taking a leaf
out of a Tony Blair's book. Actually came in a
real surge of popularity, made some very popular announcements and uh,
(36:11):
you know, and then and then continued on. We will see.
I don't think the Labor Party are held in particularly
high esteem by a fair chunk of the country, but
they're certainly doing a good job at putting the Reform
down at the moment, which course is fascinating by election
going on in Clacton, where the leader of the Reform Party, Nigerfrager,
(36:32):
stepped down over a seemingly a petty squabble. He's then
triggered a by election where he's looking to be re
elected with a new mandate as they now say, they
like the word mandate don't they And none of the
major parties are standing against him, so it's basically the
race is going to come down to him or a
comedian with a bin on his head called count Binface.
(36:53):
Couldn't you couldn't make it up.
Speaker 3 (36:55):
I love that story.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
I'm just run out of time to talk about the
Commonwealth Games and the Antipothy and to Lopus coming to
the mother Land and taking all the gold medals, mainly
Australia to be there. I think you guys finished second,
but you haven't even watched the Commonwealth Games because they.
Speaker 3 (37:09):
Weren't on BBC.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
Farmer Tom Martin, thanks for your time, appreciated.
Speaker 4 (37:14):
Thanks, Jamie tear.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
Away from one. Thanks Tom? Did that recorded that earlier
this morning? Obviously it's like one o'clock, one or two
o'clock in the morning over there. Phill Duncan next, Thanks,
welcome back to the country. We're just having a little
bit of trouble tracking Phil Duncan down from weather Watch.
(37:39):
We'll definitely get him on the show tomorrow. Gee, there's
a lot of feedback coming in. I need to get
through some of this great red Jamie An Election twenty
twenty six. The risk behind the opportunity parties rapid rise
in the polls and that's written by Bruce cottrel election
might get Bruce on the show tomorrow. Very smart guy,
(38:02):
and I haven't read his piece in the Herald yet,
but well worth a look. Some of you aren't too
pleased about knightar Who getting a lease on Molesworth because
they're not paying any tax and why should knighta Who
not pay tax when we have to? Others of you
are commenting on the profitability of Molesworth. I did challenge
(38:25):
Jim James as I knew him at school about the
profitability of Molesworth. He said, no, no, they were profitable
every year apart from one when he ran it. But
the profit, when you consider the size of the place,
not the stocking rate. The size of it anyhow, not
a brilliant profit if it's only three hundred grand. Here's
someone coming in. I can't believe how little profit are
(38:46):
that farm made considering its size. Where dry stock on
a thousand hect is and are paying income tax on
about a million dollars. Something must be wrong with his numbers. Anyway,
they're paying more in come tax and Molesworth was getting
as profit. Here's Another one is Nita Who paying open
(39:09):
market rental for the Molesworth lease and if not, why not?
Says don Look, I honestly don't know. It's all confidential.
You would think they would be paying market lease rates.
There were five parties interested. Five parties submitted bids, including
Jim and mark Ingalls.
Speaker 3 (39:28):
And those sort of guys.
Speaker 2 (39:29):
So interesting times Radio were going to wrap the country
after the break with Samoria feedback. Okay, wrapping the country.
So much feedback coming in on Molesworth and Nita Who.
It's the process that is the sow point. As soon
as Nita Who was in the frame, it was inevitable
(39:50):
they would get it. Jim Warden Co basically wasted a year.
So those are some of your thoughts on that. There's
another one here about Namatia was the largest New Zealand
station ever when they had pastor or leases. Molesworth is
currently the largest.
Speaker 3 (40:07):
So there you go.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
Some fascinating history there, the sheep dying in nineteen forty one.
Speaker 3 (40:14):
I love that sort of stuff.
Speaker 2 (40:15):
Hey, we'll catch you back tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
Catch all the latest from the land. It's the Country
podcast with Jamie Mackay. Thanks to Farmlands, Better Drenched plans
and better heard health start here.
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