Farming & Rural

Agricultural training in the South took a major step forward today, with the commencement of the Southern Institute of Technology's Telford campus refurbishment, Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds says. "Today marks the beginning of the $2.4 million campus refurbishment and the start of even more positive change

Southlanders who want to buy a beast from a local farmer and put it in the freezer could soon have an easier time doing it, if proposed rule changes get the go-ahead. The Government is consulting on reforms to homekill rules — some of which haven't been touched in

Southland farmers may soon be able to pull gravel from rivers and their own properties without going through a resource consent process, under proposals announced by National at the South Island Election Conference. Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds has backed the plans, saying gravel build-up in local rivers is already a

Megan Whitehead is coming for the record she used to hold. The Southland shearer will attempt to break the women's world solo nine-hours strongwool lambs shearing record on December 18 at Grant Brothers' 'Tin House' property on Otapiri-Mandeville Road near Gore — the same property where

A new $1 million fund will back community groups, volunteers and landowners fighting wilding pines across the country. Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard made the announcement Tuesday at the national Wilding Pine Conference in Southland. The money, available through the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme, will be spread over two years

New Zealand's long-troubled Holidays Act is finally being replaced, after the Employment Leave Bill passed its third and final reading in Parliament this week. Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden described the reform as the delivery of something workers and businesses have been asking governments to

New Zealand's firearms laws have been overhauled for the first time in more than four decades, with the Arms Bill passing its final reading in Parliament. For Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee, it is the culmination of six years of work. "On a personal level, this is

Tom Slee is heading straight back to calving. But first, a national title. The Southland dairy farmer was crowned the 2026 FMG Young Farmer of the Year at the Grand Final in New Plymouth on Saturday evening, beating six other regional champions to claim New Zealand's most prestigious