Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand. The first episode of the new series airs this Saturday April 27 at 7pm on TV3/ ThreeNow. Each of the series six episodes features a top New Zealand chef creating a three-course meal for 50 diners using ingredients they receive on the day that were destined for landfill. Chefs appearing in the series are passionate about food rescue and each provides insights on how to ..read more

OPINION: The new government has clearly signalled big cuts across the public service. Given the 34% blowout in the size of the Wellington bureaucracy in recent years, The Hound is all for it. Between 2017 and 2023, ten departments increased staff numbers by more than 64%. As for growth in absolute numbers, MBIE led the way at 2917 new staff. MPI added 1300, so will no doubt be looked at. All the same, despite the need for savings, it was pleasing to hear Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard say frontline biosecurity services at MPI will not be cut. This is vital to defending our biggest expor ..read more

The Director General of MPI, Ray Smith says it's important for his department to celebrate the success of a whole range of groups and people around the country. He says biosecurity is more than just what happens on the farm - it's what's happened in waterways, at the border and in the community. "What we want is to get a whole range of people who get involved in biosecurity, including kids in schools, and get lots of them looking for things like pests and diseases. In the case of children, they often come home with ideas and educate their parents," he says. Smith says the goal is to get all ..read more

A small company which mobilised veterinarians around the country to deal with Mycoplasma bovis was one of the winners in this year's Biosecurity Awards, held at Parliament. The awards are designed to recognise inspiring and diverse biosecurity champions who are making significant contributions to biosecurity in New Zealand. These include schools, community groups, companies, science institutes and local authorities. More than 200 people attended the function hosted by the Minister for Biosecurity Andrew Hoggard. As the M. bovis crisis escalated and the task of testing on farm was beyond the ..read more

One of the country's top Māori sheep and beef farms is facing a five-year battle to get back to where it was before Cyclone Gabrielle struck just over 14 months ago. Wi Pere Farms, located just northwest of Gisborne, won the prestigious Ahuwhenua Trophy for the top Māori sheep and beef farm in October 2022. The steep, hard hill country property consists of 4900 effective hectares, divided into two blocks, and carries 51,000 stock units comprising 32,400 sheep and 4600 cattle. The farm is managed on behalf of the trust by Tim Rhodes, with fifteen full-time staff. The farm won praise ..read more

Graham Brown, the executive chef for Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ), is excited about Korea. Brown has been promoting this country’s farmed venison to chefs and consumers around the world for more than 30 years, but until last month he had never been to Korea. There is an understandable reason for that: Korea is best known to the New Zealand deer industry as the main market destination for deer velvet antler, but thus far the other main deer product – venison – has only been sold there in very small amounts. Brown has developed a knack over the years for matching national and regional cuis ..read more

The world’s largest wool processing facility, badly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle over one year ago, has re-opened following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. The Woolworks’ Awatoto scouring facility in Napier is the largest of its kind in the world. Woolworks scours 80% or 100 million kilograms of New Zealand’s wool each year. The Awatoto facility scours more than half of New Zealand’s wool. Chief gust at the re-opening, Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson said the reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand ..read more

Kiwi rugby star Renee Holmes is set for a fruitful year. Renee, who made her Black Ferns debut against England in Exeter in 2021 and was a member of the Black Ferns victorious Rugby World Cup 2021 squad, is the first ever brand ambassador for Gisborne based produce company, First Fresh. The two-year deal will commence from early April, just as the 2024 fruit supply season gets underway. It's the first ambassadorship agreement for the company as it looks to take its First brand closer to the consumer. "To have Renee who is a born and bred Gisborne girl on our team to help us tell our story is ..read more

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