Category Archives: New Zealand

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The seven-year-old gentoo penguin had bad posture, and struggled to socialise as a result of vision-blocking cataracts in both eyes.

A penguin from Auckland's Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium has become the first of its kind to undergo cataract surgery in New Zealand.

Cardi, a seven-year-old gentoo penguin, underwent the surgery on April 29, after developing vision-blocking cataracts in both eyes.

The symptoms started when she was young, and continued to develop over time, taking away more of her vision as they progressed, said Amy Wardrop, penguin keeper at Kelly Tarltons.

This began to impact her quality of life, as she would startle easily when keepers or other penguins moved around her suddenly.

READ MORE:* The couple who have travelled the world to see every species of penguin* Cataract sufferer gets lucky break launching petition for improved access* Timaru man urges looking ahead after savings cover cataract surgery* Optometrist runs to help restore the eyesight of Pasifika people

She often had a hunched posture as she tried to angle her head, so she could see through the limited window of vision she had around the cataract.

Gentoo penguins are a social species, so being able to interpret and respond appropriately to social cues is important for their welfare, and a lot of these cues are visual, Wardrop said.

Staff became concerned about the cataracts developing further, and taking away even more of her vision.

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Symptoms started when Cardi was young, and continued to develop over time, prompting staff at the aquarium to act.

Operating surgeon Dr Peter Hadden said Eye Institute regularly performs cataract surgery on human patients, however, they were up to the challenge of welcoming their first ever feathered patient into the operating theatre.

Specialist equipment, separate from what is used on human patients, was ordered to ensure the staff could operate safely on a penguin, he said.

There was a rigorous process required both before and after the surgery to ensure the highest levels of safety and cleanliness were met at all times.

The operating team had a refrigerated truck waiting outside because it was important Cardi did not overheat.

Supplied

The operating team working on Cardi ordered specialist equipment, different to what is used on humans, for the surgery.

Our usual bed also wasnt appropriate for a penguin, so we had to modify it, said Hadden.

Vets from Auckland Zoo who specialise in animal anaesthesia attended the surgery to administer the anaesthetic and monitor Cardi throughout surgery.

The surgery took longer than usual, because the cataract was so advanced.

Most humans would have had cataract surgery much earlier due to the severe impact on vision.

SUPPLIED

Oh Baby! A king penguin chick named Primo has hatched at Sea Life Kelly Tarltons Aquarium in Auckland.

However, Cardi's recovery and reintegration into the colony was a complete success.

The cataract was successfully removed from her right eye, Hadden said.

She was then placed into a smaller area of the penguin section for three weeks post-surgery to keep her out of the pool.

This was also to ensure the team could reliably administer eye drops and medication to prevent any infection or inflammation in the eye as it healed, he said.

We had completed some eye-drop training with Cardi before her surgery so these caused minimal stress, and we let her partner and any other interested Gentoos in with her throughout the day, so she had company while she recovered.

Since her recovery, the sea life team have noticed a change in Cardis confidence.

She no longer displays a hunched posture and is much more interactive with other penguins, keepers and enrichment items, said Wardrop.

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First penguin in New Zealand to undergo cataract surgery makes full recovery - Stuff

Mt Taranaki, picture:Taranaki_nz Instagram Page

While we reported on Mt. Lyford resort closing and Mt. Ruapehu temporarily closing this southern hemisphere season, there is a resort in New Zealand that has not even opened yetat all.

The Manganui Ski Area at Mt. Taranaki on New Zealands North Island is located 45 mins from the coastal town of New Plymouth which is on the west coast. New Plymouth is on track for one of the warmest winters on record. Records go back to 1944 NIWA principal scientist Chris Brandolino said.

The Manganui Ski Area is one of New Zealands many club resorts. Club resorts are still widespread in New Zealand. Though they are clubs they are open to the public, but they run the resort not for profit but rely on volunteers. The focus is not on comfort but authenticity; they have a bit of an old-school skiing vibe. Lifts are all surface lifts, mainly rope tows and some t-bars. There is a very typical rope tow here referred to as the nut cracker (no not those nuts, dont worry, guys!). The nut refers to the anchor point with which the skier tethers themselves to the rope.

Mt. Taranakis ski resort, which is located in the Egmont National Park, is run by the Stratford Mountain Club.Club President Jenni Fletcher said they wereclose to opening in July and early August but the snow was too wet and it just was not possible. Somepeople did ski without lifts operating but 10 days of rain recently washed all the existing snow away.

Without cold airflow from the antarctic in the south and a marine heatwave over the coast in the north, things are looking rather bleak right now.The cost to operate the resort is low at only $732 (NZD1,200) a day, so it could pivot quickly. As a club resort, it is not motivated by profits but is run mainly by volunteers and grassroots ski enthusiasts.

Mt. Taranakis Manganui Ski Area goes from a base elevation of 4,134 ft (1,260 m) to 5,512 ft (1,680 m). The peak of the volcano Mt. Taranaki is at 8,261 ft (2,518m), making it the second highest elevation on New Zealands North Island. The resort has a skiable area of 59 hectares (145 acres) that is serviced by three surface lifts and a t-bar. There is a natural half-pipe and miles of backcountry skiing. The resort has no snow-making facilities but the resort has an average snowfall of 300 cm a year.

It has been known to open as early as May in some years but this would be the very first time in more than three decades that the resort has not opened to skiers and riders at all.

The resort is not unfamiliar with extreme seasons. In 2009, the resort opened as early as May 16, whereas in 2018 there was a late snow dump not enabling skiing until November.

There is still a chance for snow andshould the region get snow, the resort could turn around to open quickly.Odds are against the little resort, as the southern hemisphere is heading into spring and days are getting longer. But we keep our fingers crossed for all struggling New Zealand resorts this season.

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The New Zealand Resort That Might Not Open At All This Year: Mt. Taranaki - SnowBrains

SAN FRANCISCO (PRWEB) September 01, 2022

UNYQ makes and designs 3D-printed personalized prosthetics. UNYQs proprietary technology captures user design preferences and biometrics using among others a simple smartphone App, a process that involves 3D imaging , 3D-printing and design finishing. Custom UNYQ Wears are shipped to thousands of clinics in 30 different countries.

The aim of the Aleamed and Massons Healthcare - UNYQ distribution partnership is to collaborate in scaling 3dprinted prosthetic products to all the prosthetic clinics throughout these territories, starting in September 2022. This milestone is important because the regions will have a stable local representation for the first time, including support for the latest and upcoming product launches, such as the 3DFlex UNYQ covers that since the beginning of July this year are available in all colors.

'I am very happy that Aleamed is able to bring another innovative product to the BENELUX market. UNYQ is an example of creativity, innovation and aesthetics. We at Aleamed are happy to contribute to this beautiful adventure. says Bart De Pooter , CEO of Aleamed.

The team and I at Massons Healthcare are very excited to be partnering with UNYQ and to be able to bring their innovations the Amputee community within our markets in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore and I cant wait to see what they will do next. said. Anton Karak.., Director of Massons Healthcare.

Our goal is to make UNYQ Wears available to as many amputees as possible worldwide offering the same consistent clinical service. That is impossible to do without strong local partnerships with experienced local distribution leaders that share our passion and vision. We are very excited to collaborate with Aleamed and Massons Healthcare to achieve this goal." said Eythor Bender, CEO and Co-Founder of UNYQ.

Press contact: Irene Camargo, Press Relations, UNYQeythor@unyq.com

Sofie Mertens, Marketing and Press, AleamedSofie.mertens@aleamed.be, info@aleamed.be

Marketing and Press, Massons Healthcare info@massonshealthcare.com.au

ABOUT UNYQUNYQ is a designer of prescription prosthetic wears. UNYQ uses digitization and 3D printing to enable mass customization and personalized design. UNYQ that was founded in San Francisco and Seville Spain collaborates with close to 1000 UNYQ Clinics in over 50 countries across the world to provide its wears to fashion amputees in 50 countries. To learn more about UNYQ, its UNYQ Hub Network and complete product lines, visit http://www.unyq.com

ABOUT MASSON HEALTH CAREMassons Healthcare is a privately owned, family operated for over 70 years based in Knoxfield, Melbourne providing orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) clinical patient care, CFAB (central fabrication) manufactured devices, wholesale and retail products and services. During this unpredictable and challenging time, our team continues to stay active in the medical device industry, supporting and servicing your O&P needs.

ABOUT ALEAMEDAleamed - founded in 2009 - is a distribution company that specializes in the sales of medical devices for the different departments in the hospital, prosthetics clinics and doctors. We only consult with suppliers who produce medical devices that meet our strict requirements for quality, durability care, and innovation.

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Quest for global access to UNYQ Wears: Benelux, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore - PR Web

By the end of next year, Bridget Webster will be living her dream of being a veterinarian, but willalso be graduatingwith $100,000 worth of student debt.

Peak lobby groupthe Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) is calling for the federal government to invest in the regional vet workforce by scrapping student debts for vets who live and work in rural areas.

"It'd give me a lot of financial freedom any relief would be phenomenal," Ms Webster said.

"I wouldn't have to stress too much [about] how much of my wage is going to my HECS debt, or living expenses I'd have to cut down on, or how long it's going to take me to pay off."

President of the AVA Bronwyn Orr said after "chronic underinvestment" in rural veterinary services, it was time for the government to take "immediate action".

"With emergency animal diseases like foot-and-mouth disease on our borders in Indonesia, there's never been a more important time to make sure that we have enough vets in the bush," Dr Orr said.

She said"HECS forgiveness" would encourage more vets to look outside city centreswhere clinics are "crying out for staff".

"The hardest years of being a veterinarian and probably any professional is the first couple of years after graduation," Dr Orr said.

"That's when you're earning the lowest amount in your entire career and you have the most amount of debt.

"For them to not have this additional financial burden, it would really make it attractive for them to go to the regions and we know that if you can get people to go regional for a couple of years, they're more likely to integrate into that community and settle down."

Dr Orr said the policy would offer a longer-term solution for the vet shortage.

"We think that this is a pretty quick policy solution that can yield some good results," she said.

Dr Orr said HECS assistance could be the answer or Australia could take lead from our New Zealand neighbours.

The head of New Zealand's Veterinary Association Kevin Bryant said the country'svoluntary bonding schemefor veterinarians had been highly successful for more than a decade.

"The incentive is $11,000 per annum for five years with the first three years being paid out in a lump sum in the end of three years," Mr Bryant said.

"It's really intended to support these people and their lives in the community, whether it's paying debt, putting a deposit on a house, buying a car whatever it may be, there's no restrictions.

"People were staying in the profession, staying in the rural practices so it was good for the individuals.

"They had stability, they were becoming part of their community, the practices didn't have to worry about constantly recruiting so there's been a lot of benefits of it."

Mr Bryant said the drop-out rate within five years had decreased dramatically and the scheme was easing the chronic vetshortage that New Zealand like Australia was facing.

But there were only 30 places for the scheme each year, something the NZVA was pushing its government to expand after a positive 10-year review conducted in 2019.

"There's a level of comfort now that we've got a scheme that's working," Mr Bryant said.

"So it's an ongoing conversation and we'd love to see that number a lot higher."

Back in Australia, Ms Webster said while young vets were looking to the regions for more experience, other incentives should be explored too.

"With human medicine, they have a rural incentive program and, depending on the isolation status or the status of the townthat you're going to work in, you can get more subsidies, or financial relief or some sort of bonus," she said.

"Unfortunately for vets, there's nothing like that as of yet, so even something like that would be an incredible drawcard."

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Regional Australia is 'crying out' for vets and a scheme pioneered by New Zealand could be the answer - ABC News

As the first new apple variety commercialized in the club model in China, Charlo apples with a red and beautiful color and crisp, sweet, and rich flavor, are favored by growers for their early launch and high commodity rate. At present, the first season of domestically produced Charlo apples has officially entered the trial sale stage, and all parties are looking forward to its performance in the consumer market.

Charlo apples, with the variety name Puri A280, are managed and sold under the brand Charlo in China. Shenzhen SVM Co., Ltd. has the exclusive right to operate this variety in China.

"After eight years of trial planting observations and preliminary preparations, and fully understanding the adaptability of the variety in China, we decided to officially launch commercial authorization in 2020. Our first Charlo apple demonstration plantation was built in 2021. Although it is only in the early stage of fruiting and coincides with the abnormal global climate this year, it can still maintain its excellent appearance and crisp and sweet taste," SVM staff said.

Puri A280 - Charlo apple is the first apple variety operating in the club mode in China, with good comprehensive characteristics. It was selected by the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture and Foodstuffs and is a cross between Braeburn and Royal Gala apples. Privat New Zealand is its breeder.

It has an outstanding appearance, good fruit shape, and a yellow-green background color with red patches, or red blush. Its coloring area is as high as 90%. It has milky white flesh and crispy and delicious fresh flavor. It has a rich balance of sweet and tart, and it tastes better than most Fuji and Gala apples. It is an apple with a commodity rate of 85%. Puri A280 - Charlo ripens a week earlier than the Royal Gala, and the fresh fruit is available in mid-to-late August every year, bringing freshness and sweetness to the hot summer. At present, Charlo apples have been listed in wholesale markets in Guangzhou and Zhejiang.

Source: Shanghai International Fruit EXPO

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New Zealand apple varieties grown and sold in China for the first time in a club model - FreshPlaza.com

Taipei, Taiwan The boss of a Taiwanese clothing company thinks that it would buy more wool from New Zealand if the country joins a powerful trading bloc.

Jason Chen, the chairperson of Singtex, which supplies materials to clothing brands like Mizuno and Champion, said that if Taiwan joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) it could grow his business by 30%.

Taiwan wants to join the to widen its trading partners with increased free trade and reduce its economic ties with China, which views Taiwan as a breakaway province rather than as a thriving self-ruled democracy.

James Halpin/Stuff

Singtex uses New Zealand wool in its jackets and chairman Jason Chen thinks its business could grow 30% if Taiwan accedes to the CPTPP.

Singtex imports two to three tonnes of New Zealand wool a month, Chen said, and uses wool in about 5% of its products, which are higher end jackets and coats that are then exported to Germany, Italy and Japan.

New Zealand already has zero tariffs with Taiwan, but Chen said the removal of textile tariffs between Taiwan and Vietnam, where Singtexs factories are, would allow him to grow the business and therefore need to import more wool.

If we can make the agreement together, then the tax is down, he said. People like wool very much, its comfortable, he said.

READ MORE:* How I bungled my way through one of the world's strictest Covid borders* US sails warships through Taiwan Strait in first since Nancy Pelosi visit* US senator visits Taiwan amid high tensions with China

Becoming a CPTPP member would lead to no tariffs on Australian wool for Chen, but Singtexs total need for wool from New Zealand would increase, even if a higher ratio was imported from Australia.

Everything is growing, maybe we start importing more Australian wool, but our production is increasing, our investments are increasing, Singtex brand manager Nicola Craig Hora said.

James Halpin/Stuff

Singtexs brand manager Nicola Craig Hora wearing a jacket which contains New Zealand wool.

Chen wasnt able to forecast exactly how much more wool he would buy from New Zealand, but said that he wanted to use wool more in his rain jackets, which had proved popular for the company.

Taiwans vice minister for foreign affairs, Alexander Yui, said on Monday multilateral trade, like the CPTPP, shared the political risk from blowback from China amongst countries within the pact rather than Taiwan and the bilateral partner.

When we talk about bilateral trade agreements there is some political sensitivities, he said.

Yuis comments were made a day before the Solomon Islands suspended all visits by the US Navy after striking a security pact with China in May.

Chiang Ying-ying/AP

People walk past a billboard welcoming U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in Taipei, Taiwan. (File)

Taiwans security is in the global spotlight after China surrounded the island in a mock-invasion naval blockade following the visit of US House speaker Nancy Pelosi at the beginning of August.

Its part of their expansionist agenda, Yui said. They want to break from the first island chain, take over the Pacific, the South Pacific the same thing, he said.

They have a very large plan, it will not stop at Taiwan, it will go on if we dont stop it, Yui said.

It would benefit Taiwan if countries like New Zealand, the US and Australia were more intertwined with Pacific Island countries, like the Solomon Islands.

They have a very large plan, they will just go on if we dont stop it, he said. Be clear of what PRCs intentions are, have better coordination and if Taiwan can be part of the coordination the better.

Yuis comments were made to a group of journalists invited to the country largely to cover the islands desire to join the CPTPP trade deal.

AP

In this image taken from video footage run by China's CCTV, a projectile is launched from an unspecified location in China. (File)

Following the Chinese exercises around the island, New Zealands foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta said she was deeply concerned at recent actions that increase the risk of miscalculation, including the launching of ballistic missiles by China.

Taiwans representative in New Zealand has previously said the island would love more support from New Zealand and to see Aotearoa participate in freedom of navigation exercises through the Taiwan Strait.

When asked whether the vice minister thought New Zealands statement was strong enough support for a like-minded country and would like to see New Zealand participate in the navaigation exercises, Yui was diplomatic and said Taiwan welcomed any support and it was up to other countries how they responded.

Yui said some countries were more quiet in voicing their support for Taiwan because of trade dependence on China, but wouldnt name any.

James Halpin travelled to Taiwan courtesy of the Taiwan ministry of foreign affairs.

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Taiwan will buy more NZ wool if it joins trade bloc, clothing maker says - Stuff

Thursday, 1 September 2022, 3:23 pmPress Release: Young Farmers

New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF) is proud to launch theFMG Young Farmer of the Year Contest into its 55thseason.

The Contest kicks off on the 15th of October2022 with the first of 11 District Contests to be heldthroughout Aotearoa. NZYF members are invited to registerfor the agricultural challenge where theyll flaunt theirpractical and theoretical know-how in the bid to qualifythrough to the next round, the Regional Finals.

TheDistrict Contests are one-day events organised by NZYFClubs. Whether it be through organising, competing, orcoming along as support, all members are encouraged to getbehind their local District Contest to be a part of NZYFslargest event.

The top contestants from each DistrictContest will progress through to the Regional Finals, wherethey will once again demonstrate the broad and variedskillset of a modern farmer. Seven Regional Finals will beheld between February and April 2023.

From here, thehighest scoring contestant wins the honour of representingtheir region at the coveted FMG Young Farmer of the YearGrand Final set to happen in Timaru in July 2023.

Theannual contest has been going for now 55 Seasons, with beeffarmer Tim Dangen becoming the latest FMG Young Farmer ofthe Year to join the long line ofchampions.

Were fantastic farmers, we know it,we just need to continue to tell the positive stories fromour industry.

Dangen is a member of the AucklandCity Young Farmers Club and came out on top at the Season 54FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final in Whangrei lastJuly, earning him hometown hero status in the NorthernRegion.

It was a great day, we had a great time andworked through a bunch of different modules, had our farmletthat we kept going back to, and then we closed it out withAgri-Sports at the end which was a highlight forme.

Dangen is keen to inspire young people toget amongst it and is complimentary of the Contestsplatform within New Zealands primarysector.

Its such good advocacy for theindustry... I love this competition to bits.

Weneed to be proud of what we do, were world-leadingfarmers, there are challenges out there, but solutions areavailable to all these challenges, we just need to make surewe continue to attract the right people towards the sector,and well carry on being world leaders like weare.

The FMGYoung Farmer of the Year Contest is trialling a newstructure this year in the Northern and Waikato/Bay ofPlenty Regions. These will be two-day events, with day oneresembling the traditional District Contest and day twoaligning more closely with a Regional Final.

The endgoal remains the same to find the regions best torepresent them as Grand Finalists, says NZYF ChiefExecutive, Lynda Coppersmith.

We know that FMGYoung Farmer of the Year is a long season normally and itputs a lot of pressure on our member volunteers to deliver alot of events.

Were trialling this to look atways that we can still find New Zealands best YoungFarmer, but in a way that is potentially morestreamlined.

The FMG Young Farmer of the YearContest is proudly supported by FMG, Ravensdown, WorkSafe,Environmental Protection Authority, Ministry for PrimaryIndustries, Honda, Lincoln University, Massey University,PTS Logistics, New Holland, andStihl.

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An incident management team has been brought into Immigration New Zealand to speed up work and visitor visas.

Immigration New Zealand says demand for visitor visas is about three times higher than expected when the border reopened at the start of the month. (File image) Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Minister of Immigration Michael Wood said the team was set up last week and was looking at issues such as IT.

"Generally speaking, visa processing is going very well," he said.

"We do want to see that improved and increased particularly across visitor visa and work visas areas. So this just assists us to get the resources in to try and unclog any points where it's being held up and get the process moving as quickly as possible.

Immigration Minister Michael Wood Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver

"Periodically these are set up to in order to lift performance in areas we want to see that happen. It'll be in place as long as it needs to in order to bring the processing up to the level that we want it to be. You'd anticipate between a few weeks and a few months."

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said the team could leverage the scale of ministry resources to deliver results.

In a statement, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) said employers and applicants should expect to see more measures in place to help with processing over the coming weeks and months.

INZ general manager Richard Owen said demand for visitor visas was about three times higher than expected when the border reopened at the start of the month.

"Our new visa processing platform continues to bed in," he said.

"We're processing Employer Accreditation applications in 10 days or less and are on track to do the same for Job Checks, following significant improvements.

"We have more work to do to process work and visitor visas at the speed employers and applicants expect, and to prepare for the surge in student visas from September.

"To support these efforts, we have established a Reconnecting New Zealand (RCNZ) Incident Management Team (IMT), with authority to make decisions to ensure a smooth processing of applications."

National Party immigration spokesperson Erica Stanford said it was a highly irregular move that would have to address failings in IT, visa processing delays, and staff turnover.

"For an IMT to be called into Immigration New Zealand suggests that it is very, very serious - this is not your run-of-the-mill everyday situation, where you get this crack team being sent into your government department. This suggests there's something seriously wrong."

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Work and visitor visas: Immigration New Zealand sets up team to pick up pace - RNZ

Mori-Owned Wine Company Committed to Sustainability Produces Premium Wines of Outstanding Quality

Marlborough, New Zealand, August 30, 2022Kono, a Mori-owned wine company in the Awatere Valley of New Zealand, reports an outstanding 2022 harvest despite early environmental challenges during the growing season. As demand for New Zealand wines skyrocket and summer sales opportunities abound, the success of this years vintage is paramount. Although February was cooler and wetter than average in the Awatere Valley, ideal weather over the following months created excellent conditions for a slow ripening season. Kono escaped major disease pressure and produced record-breaking yields.

While Awatere can often be a challenging environment for grape growing, our hardworking and detail-oriented vineyard team produced excellent quality and perfectly ripened grapes, says chief winemaker Bruce Taylor. The 2022 Kono Sauvignon Blanc is on its way to the States as we speak, ready to fill the demand for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. 2022 wines from our Tohu Whenua Matua vineyard are maturing in the winery now, and I think they will be the ones to watch in the coming year or so.

Despite unpredictable growing seasons in the Awatere Valley, every year Kono remains committed to sustainable winegrowing and winemaking. Konos winery, which produces both Tohu and Kono Wines, is accredited by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ), as are the companys vineyards. SWNZ is managed by New Zealand Winegrowers, the national wine industry body developed to provide a best-practice model for environmental sustainability.

During the harvest, we strive to work in ways that are gentle on the environment without compromising quality and integrity, and we adhere to the strictest of standards, comments Anthony Walsh, vineyard manager at Tohu Wines. We stick to a 500-year plan because we want our childrens children to have the same resources that we did.

New this year, Kono is working hand-in-hand with ToitEnvirocare, which provides science-based tools, action plans, and evidence of progress in sustainability through carbon emissions management. Kono will receive itsToit carbonreduce certification by the end of this year, effectively managing and reducing its carbon impacts.

Since its establishment in 1998 as New Zealands first Mori-owned wine company, Kono has become known for its premium wines produced from a range of grape varieties. Kono has received numerous accolades for its wines, including its Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Mthode Traditionnelle Sparkling Wine. Most recently, the 2021 Tohu Awatere Valley Pinot Gris and 2021 Tohu Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc were each awarded 97 points at the Decanter World Wine Awards, both earning Platinum medals. According to Sarah Jane Evans MW, co-chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards, a Platinum medal indicates that the wine is on a stratospheric level.

About Kono

Kono is a Mori-owned, top 100 New Zealand food and drinks company employing over 400 staff, farming over 530 hectares of land and sea, and exporting to over 40 countries. Brands include Tohu Wines, Kono Wines, Hop Federation, TutCider, Kono mussels, and Annies fruit snacks. Kono also grows apples, pears, kiwifruit, and hops.Learn more about Kono atkono.co.nz.

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New Zealand's Kono and Tohu Wines Report Record-Breaking Harvest in 2022 - wineindustryadvisor.com

The key message of this article is that dairy is of fundamental importance to the future of Aotearoa New Zealand. However, the journey to get there is not straight forward and it will be controversial.

First, I set out the reasons why dairy is so important, and hence the need to face-up to the challenges that lie ahead. This then leads towards necessary actions to address the challenges.

It is no accident that New Zealands most important export industry is dairy, comprising some 30 percent of the export value of goods that leave New Zealands shores. Add in sheep, beef, timber, fish, kiwifruit and wine, and New Zealands primary industries contribute a little over 80 percent of the export earnings derived from merchandise goods.

The remaining exports are led by aluminium and some machinery. However, with these and other manufactured goods, the net contribution is typically much less than the export earnings, given the imports that are required to feed into the manufacture of these exports.

There are also non-merchandise invisible exports. These are largely tourism and international education of foreigners who come to New Zealand.

Alas, even in the good times these invisible inflows are more than balanced by the invisible outflows of foreign currency. These invisible outflows include Kiwis spending money on their own overseas tourism, plus interest paid to foreign lenders, plus profits to the overseas-owned businesses operating in New Zealand, with banks and insurance institutions being the standouts.

So, the bottom line when it comes to imports such as pharmaceuticals, computers, vehicles, machinery and fuel, plus surprisingly high quantities of imported food of types we do not grow, is that physical imports need to be balanced by physical exports.

The only alternative to this balance is to keep importing capital from overseas. New Zealand has become very good at this. But there has to be a day of reckoning.

Accordingly, the inevitable conclusion is that New Zealands future depends critically on its export industries.

It is no accident that New Zealand is so dependent on its primary industries for these exports. This follows naturally from being a small country isolated from much of the world. Very simply, New Zealand will never have the scale required to build a comparative advantage for large-scale manufacturing. Also, although some would like to pretend otherwise, New Zealand education levels provide minimal advantages and significant disadvantages when comparisons are made to that bigger world.

As for the specific primary industries, the development path that New Zealand has followed is also no accident. For example, the temperate maritime climate, the topography, and the low inherent fertility of nearly all New Zealands soils, all lead inevitably to pastoralism rather than large-scale cropping.

A quick look at export statistics confirms that exports of staple crops such as wheat, barley, oats and maize are insignificant. Major crops such as rice and soy are not even grown at all in New Zealand. This is not going to change.

As for horticulture, kiwifruit is clearly the stand out but there are other successes such as apples and some sub-tropical fruit. But if anyone thinks that horticulture can save New Zealands export economy, they lack understanding of the issues.

The major non-horticultural crops that New Zealand does export are small seeds, with this mainly linked to out-of-season production on behalf of overseas plant breeders. This trade is also at close to peak, given the need for isolation between cross-fertile cultivars.

The long-term perspective of Treasury economists, echoed by the Climate Change Commission, is that resources allocated to dairy and pastoralism can over time be re-allocated to other industries. However, the key resources that underpin dairying are the sunlight and rain that falls on the New Zealand countryside. How will those resources be allocated given the fundamental unsuitability of most of this land to non-pastoral activities?

I have yet to hear an answer to that question. I suspect this reflects the lack of biological understandings held by quantitative desk economists.

The other argument I hear from people who consider themselves economically literate is that not only dairy but also the overall agriculture sector is unimportant because it comprises such a small part of GDP. As I have pointed out many times, the GDP of agriculture captures only a small proportion of the on-farm value-add and none of the off-farm added value. Also, much of the on-farm contribution, including shearers and all other contractors, is allocated to the service sector. It is a crazy anomaly bound up in distant history when farmers did everything on-farm themselves.

I also read regularly that dairy consumption globally is supposedly in decline. But this is false news. Fresh milk consumption is in global decline, but overall dairy consumption, led by cheese, continues to increase.

I also read that New Zealands dairy will in future supposedly face trade barriers. However, I only hear that from people who are well-versed in political lobbying but are not out there in the Asian markets which New Zealand exports to.

The overall trend in dairy and other food prices, albeit with inevitable volatility, has been upwards for the last two decades, with populations increasing and producers struggling to meet the increasing demand. There is no evidence that this will change. Growing more food is now a huge global challenge, largely disguised until recently by massive historical productivity gains in both plant and animal agriculture combined with huge fossil fuel inputs.

So, given the fundamental importance of dairy, there is a need to face-up to the environmental and other challenges that dairy faces, going forward. If New Zealand walks away from its pastoral industries, it is inevitable the whole economy will decline as imports have to be reined in.

A starting point is to address vociferous calls that dairy somehow threatens planetary survival.

There is no point in denying that methane and nitrous oxide, both fundamental by-products from dairy farming, are greenhouse gasses. These emissions have been with us since ruminant animals first evolved some millions of years ago. The issue is complex because methane is a short lived but powerful greenhouse gas, whereas carbon dioxide has less power but over a much longer atmospheric life.

The focus on methane is driven by short term temperature targets rather than long-term planetary sustainability. Holding informed debates on that issue is challenging.

I am reasonably relaxed about the current legislated 2030 methane target of 10 percent reduction from 2017 levels. This is a combined target for all biogenic methane and some, perhaps most, will come from the current transformation of sheep and beef land being converted to forestry. However, the 2050 target of between 24% and 47% methane reduction across all ruminant species is of a very different order. Quite simply, there are no technologies currently available to achieve this without a huge reduction in all of dairy, sheep and beef.

The second challenge facing dairy is the impact of dairy on water quality. Once again, there is no doubt that dairy can have a big impact on water quality, but sorting out truth from fiction is challenging. A key fact is that most of the nitrogen-leaching comes from urine deposited on paddocks in the second half of autumn and in winter.

I am closely associated with the development of composting-shelter farming systems where cows and in some cases beef animals are off-pasture during the winter, and are also bedded in these shelters at night time in autumn. This greatly reduces the leaching.

One of the current ironies is that development of these farming systems, which can also be super friendly for animals, are being led by innovative farmers who are learning through trial and error. It is time for the formal research and development (R&D) system to catch up.

There are also health challenges with some dairy products. I have for the last 15 years been closely associated with researching and communicating the health issues associated with A1 beta casein and the need to convert to A2. Right now, the A2 issue seems to have gone quiet in New Zealand but elsewhere things are steadily moving ahead. Given the lack of commitment in New Zealand within the mainstream dairy industry, most of my own A2 work is now focused offshore.

Each of these challenges to the dairy industry deserves multiple articles of its own. All of them are big issues, with progress inhibited by a mix of misinformation and defensive lethargy.

There are tough times ahead for most New Zealanders, and it is not just dairy farmers. There is an old saying that one reaps what one sows.

*Keith Woodford was Professor of Farm Management and Agribusiness at Lincoln University for 15 years through to 2015. He is now Principal Consultant at AgriFood Systems Ltd. You can contact him directly here.

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