Rural
Morning Rural News for 27 February 2025
The latest rural news with Gianina Schwanecke. Audio
Morning Rural News for 26 February 2026
The latest rural news with Gianina Schwanecke. Audio
Labour MPs dust off gumboots for annual Federated Farmers meeting
President Wayne Langford was hopeful that, if elected, Labour would better acknowledge the contribution farmers make to the country.
Scales corporation profits off the scale
The company's net profit for the 2025 financial year was $117.7 million - a 137 percent lift on the year before.
School bus cuts hit Hawkes Bay community
If you want farmers to support the economy, you need to help them get their kids to school. That's the message from a Hawkes Bay farmer and vet whose kids can't get the local school bus due to route… Audio
Morning Rural News for 25 February 2026
The latest rural news with Gianina Schwanecke. Audio
MPI wants to better track pig and sheep movement
The government has proposed new options to improve pig and sheep traceability so it can better respond to disease outbreaks.
PGG Wrightson increases half-year profit on back of increased sales
PGG Wrightson made a net profit of $17.3 million up from $16m.
Scheme helping teens enter the farming industry
From being chased by bulls to killing sheep and ensuring the budget is balanced, there's no end of things to learn from life on a farm. Now, 19 teenagers are being put through their paces in a new… Audio
Moonshine matriarch: Southland's tradition of distilling Scottish whisky
A look inside the Hokonui Moonshine Museum where the manufacture of this legendary spirit continues in the modern day.
Biochar made with hops, slash, and number 8 wire magic
Waste hops from a Wellington brewery, cotton offcuts from a New Zealand clothing brand and forestry slash are being turned into so-called "black gold" at a kiln in the heart of the Akatarawa Valley.
How UK farmers inspired New Zealand's agricultural festival
The Underground Festival in Waipara, held this week, brought farming families together to share information, a feed, and time off the farm together.
Turning brewery gunk and forest junk into something good
Hops from a Wellington brewery, cotton offcuts from a fashion label and forestry slash has turned Matt Welton into a bit of a Heath Robinson. His first job was collecting scrap metal in London's East… Audio
Moonshine matriarch
A look inside the Hokonui Moonshine Museum where the manufacture of this legendary spirit continues in the modern day. Audio
A festival for farmers
Underground Festival organiser Fran Bailey chats with Anisha Satya about what goes into a festival for farmers, and what inspired the event. Audio
Country Life Friday 20 February 2026
Country Life heads to Waipara for the Underground Festival, looks at the tradition of whiskey making in Southland and meets a biochar-maker north of Wellington. Audio
