Podcasts about Federated Farmers

Last month National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, or NAWAC, member Sandra Faulkner confirmed that despite being elected as Vice President of the Federated Farmers she would continue her role on the committee. This has raised serious concerns of conflict of interest, NAWAC is meant to provide independent advice to the minister responsible for animal welfare while Federated Farmers is a lobby and advisory group which often pushes for policies which try impact the commercial use of animals. To discuss the decision to allow Faulkner to remain on the committee and what impacts the conflict of interest could have producer Thomas talked to SAFE Campaign Manager Emily Hall.  

Last month National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, or NAWAC, member Sandra Faulkner confirmed that despite being elected as Vice President of the Federated Farmers she would continue her role on the committee. This has raised serious concerns of conflict of interest, NAWAC is meant to provide independent advice to the minister responsible for animal welfare while Federated Farmers is a lobby and advisory group which often pushes for policies which try impact the commercial use of animals. To discuss the decision to allow Faulkner to remain on the committee and what impacts the conflict of interest could have producer Thomas talked to SAFE Campaign Manager Emily Hall.  

Federated Farmers spokeswoman on local body amalgamations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(00:00:00) Full Show | August 7 (00:02:19) Solar farms and tallow: Two rural trends to watch (00:09:33) Lamb markets signal a slight correction (00:18:43) How local government reform could weaken biosecurity (00:30:27) Regulations strangling pest management This week we examine the issues shaping rural New Zealand. Hawke's Bay Council's Sophie Siers discusses biosecurity reform, AgriHQ's Mel Croad explains the lamb market outlook, Neal Wallace looks at solar farm expansion and rising demand for tallow, and Federated Farmers' Brent Mountford outlines why pest control regulations are becoming a growing concern for volunteers.

How do you keep an arable farming business profitable in an environment of changing markets, tightening regulations, and unpredictable weather? In this episode, Matt and Wade are joined by David Birkett, Canterbury arable farmer, to explore how he uses data, irrigation, and a simplified cropping system to make better decisions and build resilience into his operation. David shares how his rotation balances productivity with practical constraints like harvest timing, soil traffic, and seasonal risk.The team unpack David's approach to nutrient management, including organic matter testing, nitrogen mass budgeting, and simple on-farm strip trials to validate decisions. They also dive into precision agriculture, discussing the value of yield monitoring, satellite imagery, and variable rate applications, and why understanding the numbers remains critical for decision-making. David also shares insights from his governance roles with FAR and Federated Farmers, covering seed certification, traceability, biosecurity, research funding, and the future of New Zealand's arable sector. 

(00:00:00) Full Show | July 31 (00:02:10) What climate policies are parties pitching? (00:07:58) Ewe market steady as lambs enter mix (00:13:56) Indian appetite for strong wool grows (00:21:47) How to farm smarter through El Niño (00:31:29) Feds take issue with ACT hunting policy This week on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, senior reporter Neal Wallace examines the political parties' climate policies and what they could mean for farmers, before looking at how declining global livestock numbers are supporting New Zealand's red meat outlook. AgriHQ analyst Fiona Quarrie reviews the ewe market, Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson discusses opportunities for strong wool in India, Ravensdown's Mike White shares El Niño advice, and Federated Farmers responds to ACT's proposed game animal policy.

Is the former President of Federated Farmers bored at home on the dairy farm? He’s now the founder and chairman of the Wild Game Recovery Trust. Could feral deer and pigs be the answer to feeding hungry Kiwi families?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT's plan to transfer responsibility for managing game animals on conservation land to the Game Animal Council needs a major rethink, according to Federated Farmers. Richard Dawkins, pest management spokesperson, says allowing the Game Animal Council to set game population targets is extremely concerning.

The new president of Federated Farmers comments on Trump’s new tariffs and how his first month in the job is going.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's Farmers Weekly Podcast, senior reporter Neal Wallace discusses the latest progress on RMA reform and China's changing economy. AgriHQ's Alex Coddington explains how dairy beef is reshaping livestock markets, Melissa Clark-Reynolds explores AI's impact on farming, and Federated Farmers' Mark Hooper welcomes the latest RMA changes.

Stuart Nash is out of politics for good after another massive, self-inflicted wound. After falling out of Cabinet under Labour and trying to rebuild his career with Winston Peters and New Zealand First, Nash lasted just one week before sending a text to former National minister Chris Finlayson criticizing a local Napier candidate. We look at how Winston Peters acted quickly to force him out, why Christopher Luxon ruled him out of Cabinet, and how Nash repeatedly ruined his own political comebacks through a lack of discipline and poor judgment. Plus, we speak with Mark Hooper, a Taranaki farmer with Federated Farmers, about the government stepping in to halt iwi co-governance agreements with local councils. We discuss what needs to replace these agreements under the new planning rules, the high costs and delays of cultural impact assessments for regular landowners, and why New Zealand needs a transparent, high-trust planning system that works for all farmers and ratepayers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first female president of Federated Farmers is taking on a new challenge: standing for National in her home patch, the West Coast-Tasman electorate. Today we get her well-considered thoughts on ag emissions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federated Farmers are welcoming the government's decision to stop existing Mana Whakahono a Rohe agreements with the new resource management system. Federated Farmers RMA Reform spokesperson, and Taranaki farmer Mark Hooper spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Federated Farmers’ vice-president is at the Beehive - what’s happening there today? A big win for Feds yesterday with the RMA and the removal of the Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreements. Plus, adverse events and providing help for Kaikōura farmers affected by severe weather.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federated Farmers have quite rightly raised what you would loosely call "the alarm" around a rush of new deals between councils and local Māori. The rush is on because of the Government's new Natural Environment and Planning bills. They were released late last year, saying you can't do local Māori deals under it. It's passed its first reading and is sitting at committee level and due back soon. Like rust, councils don't sleep, so the deals are being inked. Canterbury is the latest, but deals have already been done in Manawatu, Whanganui, Northland, and Taranaki. Obviously, we could focus on the duplicitous nature of all this. We could focus on the fundamental dishonesty of giving people a say over major matters without having to ever face a voter. But let us, for this moment in time, wonder aloud whether this very sort of thing might be a reason for the softness in the National Party vote at the moment. We are late in the term and, yes, there was a lot to do to try and stitch up the chaos Labour left behind. But the Māorification of this country was a centrepiece for all the players in the current Government, and yet you can argue, and I do, that it never got the attention it needed. It never seemed to have the urgency. It started with the smaller, you could argue, simpler stuff i.e. Māori names for everything. There should have been stroke-of-pen edicts that ended the nonsense on the spot. We had the vote at local level around Māori wards. That was democracy in action as some kept them, some didn't. But at least we had a say. But stitch-up deals with local tribes who decide what gets done and doesn't, simply because of race, is a gargantuan example of what needed addressing on day one. Here we are on day 962 and we still haven't closed it off and, given it's July and Parliament rises in September, there are only a handful of sitting days left. ChatGPT tells me there's only ten. I assume they plan to pass it in that time, but in the ensuing period the piss is well and truly being taken. Delivery is everything in government. On this, even if they deliver, they have looked lackadaisical in their approach, hence the bleeding of support. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federated Farmers banking and RMA reform spokesman talks about the latest banking survey and why Feds are sounding the alarm over councils rushing to sign new Iwi partnership agreements before the RMA is replaced. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I know the real reason why Federated Farmers is so brassed-off with Environment Canterbury. Nevertheless, I agree with them. They're saying that ECan is showing “flagrant disregard” for the community, with this push it's making for Ngāi Tahu to have a permanent role in the region's resource management after ECan disappears. Because, with the Government's local government reforms, ECan is toast. But what ECan wants to do before it goes out of existence, is sign a deal with Ngāi Tahu and eight of the 10 Canterbury rūnanga, which would have given them a mandatory, permanent role in planning, resource consent processes, monitoring and reporting. Which has got Federated Farmers' RMA spokesperson Mark Hooper all excited. He is condemning the move - saying it shouldn't be happening before the local government reforms. And he wants the Government to step in and tell ECan to drop the idea. And I agree with him. The real reason Federated Farmers is so spooked by this, is that it wil be thinking that it's a repeat of the co-governance sideshow we saw with the previous Labour Government's 3 Waters reforms. But what ECan is doing here is, to put it politely, a case of the cart before the horse. And the Government must step-in and tell them to drop it. Because, if these reforms are going to be worth all the upheaval, we can't have any premature side deals and arrangements being made before it's even known how many councils there are going to be and where they're going to be. To me, this move by ECan looks like an outfit that has its nose out of joint because of the reforms and wants to make some sort of political statement doing this deal with Ngāi Tahu. What ECan will tell you, is that, since 2013, it's had an agreement with Ngāi Tahu which effectively means it doesn't do anything without getting the iwi's approval first. But, because ECan is going to be disestablished, it wants to sneak this one through before the lights go out. Which is a bit like someone selling a business and, before they hand over the keys, giving all the staff a massive pay rise and signing them up to lifetime contracts. Which wouldn't be tolerated. And that's why this move by ECan, which is refusing to talk about it, shouldn't be tolerated. As Mark Hooper from Federated Farmers says: “ECan is showing flagrant disregard for its community, pushing this through with no public notification before it appeared on the agenda.” He says: “That's deeply concerning and we're calling on the Government to intervene, so councils can't rush these agreements through before the system is reformed.” And he's spot on. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federated Farmers' Wairarapa president Robert Hickson tells Bryan that recent rain in the region caused unnecessary flooding as a result of poor or non-existent riverbed maintenance. He says the buildup of gravel in key rivers exacerbated the floods and wants to see agreement reached on how to avoid the same situation in future.

This autumn's been positive for farmers, with less debt and an improved relationship with banks. Agricultural lending dropped $1.4 billion to $61.2 billion in the year to April. A Federated Farmers survey also reveals record satisfaction with bank communication, with fewer farmers feeling undue pressure. Banking Spokesperson Mark Hooper told Ryan Bridge that banks are currently competing quite strongly for a share of the rural market, which in turn drives good service. He says a good relationship tends to override a lot of other outcomes – there may be variations in interest rates, but if they have good communication and a good relationship, people tend to be more satisfied. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(00:00:00) Full Show | July 9 (00:01:52) Is America's beef boom starting to slow? (00:09:46) A closer look at Ingka's new Hawke's Bay forest (00:20:13) Red light for Green water policy Ingka Investments country manager Kelvin Meredith joins the Farmers Weekly Podcast to discuss the company's newest Hawke's Bay forest and its long-term approach to production forestry and sustainability. AgriHQ senior analyst Mel Croad explains why America's appetite for beef may be starting to cool, and what that could mean for red meat prices. Plus, Federated Farmers national board member Mark Hooper shares his concerns about the Green Party's freshwater policy and its potential impact on farming and food prices.

Federated Farmers' national board member Mark Hooper says the Green Party's freshwater policy is scientifically and economically illiterate, and would push up the price of food here in New Zealand. He says while everyone wants improved water quality, that doesn't have to come at the cost of food affordability.

Federated Farmers North Canterbury president and vice dairy chair on the challenging weather conditions in her region. Plus, the Greens’ plan to phase out synthetic nitrogen, and what it means to win the Federated Farmers advocacy award.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federated Farmers is challenging the Green Party's crack down on nitrate levels in fresh water. If elected, the party's promising stronger national standards for fresh water, more robust rules for wastewater discharges, and the phasing out of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. Federated Farmers West Coast President Simon Cameron told Ryan Bridge there have been issues in the past, but the industry has come a long way. He says phasing out nitrogen fertilizer would reduce the country's production by at least 25%, and as an export nation, our income would be threatened. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We catch up with a Wairakaia farmer, recently announced as Federated Farmers’ new vice president.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We ask the new President of Federated Farmers about the brutality of the politics within the Feds after he rolled his predecessor yesterday. Also, what does he hope to bring to the role and can he attract younger farmers to the cause?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federated Farmers has elected a new national president from South Canterbury. Waimate arable and dairy farmer Colin Hurst has replaced Wayne Langford. He's served as vice president for the last three years - and been spokesperson for freshwater, biodiversity, and fire and emergency issues. Former Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says he's worked with Colin Hurst for a number of years and he's got confidence in his replacement. "He'll go well and he'll bring a different style to me, but that tends to be what you find - if you look at Andrew Hoggard, who was before me, he's quite different to me." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A fresh start for Federated Farmers, which has elected a new president after three years. Wayne Langford has been replaced by his Waimate vice president - arable and dairy farmer Colin Hurst. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We head live to Auckland for the latest in the Federated Farmers leadership spill with BusinessDesk senior journalist, Riley Kennedy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In breaking news, we head back to Auckland to catch up with the now former President of Federated Farmers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We chat with a Waikato dairy farmer who claimed the Emerging Leader Award for her roles with Young Farmers and Federated Farmers. She discusses he hopes for the future of the dairy industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senior journalist at BusinessDesk and Excellence in Agricultural Journalism Rongo Award finalist gives his predictions on tomorrow’s Federated Farmers presidential vote at the annual general meeting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We catch up with the Minister of Agriculture and Trade, whose address, "Releasing the future potential of the primary industries to deliver growth," was the first of the summit this morning. We also speak with the Federated Farmers’ national president about his future in the role.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT wants to add 100,000 police patrol hours to rural areas and create a dedicated rural crime unit. Federated Farmers rural crime spokesman Karl Dean spoke to John Campbell.

A proposed boost to rural policing is being seen as a positive move, but farmers say more action's still needed. The ACT Party's promising funding for an extra 100 thousand patrol hours in rural communities. It also wants tougher penalties for armed poachers and livestock thieves, and the expansion of 111 texting for farmers with patchy mobile coverage. Federated Farmers spokesperson Karl Dean told Heather du Plessis-Allan rural connectivity is worse than five years ago, following the 3G shutdown. A big concern, he says, is that some crime never gets reported – like fuel theft. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doubling funding for the QEII National Trust would be the best bang for buck conservation investment the next Government could make, Federated Farmers says. The National Party recently announced it will double the trust's funding if it's part of the next Government. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight, on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Andrew Clay and Sarah Perriam-Lampp. First up, Federated Farmers are pushing for loosened regulations this election year, in a pitch they say could keep food costs down. Then, some Hamiltonians are getting fed up with local buskers - so much so, that the council is considering creating busking zones.

Federated Farmers has launched a five-point plan for the next government, setting out what it says should be a major focus for political parties heading into the November election. President Wayne Langford says the organisation’s election platform, Backing Kiwi Farmers, is a practical blueprint for whichever parties form the next government.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federated Farmers has launched a five-point plan setting out what it says should be the major focuses for the next Government. The plan focuses on reducing farming cost, enabling technology and infrastructure, empowering community conservation, supporting young farmers, and fixing local government. Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford told Heather du Plessis-Allan that a thriving farming sector is a thriving country. "If we want to get the cost of food down then we've got to take this cost out of farming because that's obviously where the food comes from." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Agricultural lobby Federated Farmers have a lot to celebrate in the last parliamentary term. Their 2023 election policy priority list has almost all been picked up by the coalition government, with projects like revised freshwater rules, rethinking forestry incentives in the Emissions Trading Scheme, and scrapping the Labour government's 'ute tax' all achieved in the past three years. Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford joins Q+A to announce the new, 25-point election wishlist, which he says is for any political party willing to work with the group. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

Federated Farmers swing big for Election 2026 Agricultural lobby Federated Farmers have a lot to celebrate in the last parliamentary term. Their 2023 election policy priority list has almost all been picked up by the coalition government, with projects like revised freshwater rules, rethinking forestry incentives in the Emissions Trading Scheme, and scrapping the Labour government's 'ute tax' all achieved in the past three years. Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford joins Q+A to announce the new, 25-point election wishlist, which he says is for any political party willing to work with the group. Could Christchurch terror attack have been stopped? He told us what he was going to do: that's the stark conclusion of two extremism researchers who've uncovered previously unreported public communications from the Christchurch terrorist in the years leading up to the 2019 March 15 attack. Researchers Chris Wilson and Michal Dziwulski say the Royal Commission into March 15 failed to ask some of the most important questions after the attack - and whether it might have been prevented - and reached conclusions about Brenton Tarrant that were not supported by evidence. How three AI-linked IPOs could reshape economy When Elon Musk's Space X is listed on the NASDAQ, it's set to be the biggest IPO in history - valuing the company at $3 trillion New Zealand dollars. Two AI giants, Anthropic and Open AI, have also signalled they'll list in the coming months. Jonty Kelt, the founder at Fantail Ventures, Q+A to preview the historic launches. Election deadline rapidly approaching for small parties Any political parties wanting to contest the 2026 general election in November need to have their registration papers submitted by the end of this week. Political hopefuls - and returning hopefuls like the Alliance party - are rallying to get the required 500 financial members in time. Whena Owen reports for Q+A, meeting a set of smaller parties vying for the chance to win party votes. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

The wool sector is continuing its rebound. The latest auction prices are sitting around $6.80 a kilo – the best returns in 15 years. Strong demand and low global supply are driving the recovery. Federated Farmers Meat and Wool Chair Richard Dawkins told Heather du Plessis-Allan that the rising cost of synthetics means they're no longer the cheap and reliable option. He says the pressures caused by the war in the Middle East won't last forever, but once people make a conscious decision to switch to wool and renewable fibres, they don't generally go back. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After years of pushing for more funding to tackle wilding pines, Federated Farmers’ pest spokesperson says today’s Government announcement is a breakthrough. The Government has committed an extra $79 million to wilding pine control over the next three years, taking the total commitment to $109 million, targeting some of the country’s worst-affected areas.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The President of Federated Farmers is back on the tools today in Greymouth, after his Italian “that’s amore” sojourn with Mrs YOLO. It’s AGM season for the Feds, with several women stepping up to the presidential plate in the provinces. Plus, we preview the PINZ Conference and Awards.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has outlined who will get priority access to fuel if New Zealand should ever be forced to ration. It said Aotearoa continues to have sufficient fuel supply and it's highly unlikely it would need to prioritise supply. But phase four would be activated in case of a severe and prolonged disruption of fuel supply. David Birkett from Federated Farmers, Arable group chairperson and national board member spoke to Lisa Owen.

Federated Farmers’ local government spokeswoman on the prospect of some much-needed local body reform.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT's newly released immigration policy includes a $6 daily levy on temporary work visas to help fund infrastructure. Federated Farmers employment spokesperson Karl Dean joined Mike Hosking to chat about the proposed changes and how they would impact our farming and agricultural industries. "We struggle to get skilled migrants now, they look at Australia, they look at Canada, they choose those over New Zealand. This is another barrier," Dean said. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Marlborough-based Federated Farmers meat and wool chair on wool prices and reinstating a wool levy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fonterra shareholders are flush with cash this morning, after receiving their share of the sale of the company's consumer brands. Wayne Langford is a sixth-generation dairy farmer in Golden Bay, and the president of Federated Farmers. He spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

What was meant to be a bumper season for dairy farmers is now starting to look bleaker, as the war in the Middle East shows little sign of de-escalating. Canterbury sharemilker and Federated Farmers dairy chair Karl Dean spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Soaring diesel prices are forcing some farmers to change what they grow and how they grow it. Federated Farmers Arable Chair David Birkett spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.