Category Archives: New Zealand

Cricket - ICC Cricket World Cup - West Indies v Bangladesh - The County Ground, Taunton, Britain - June 17, 2019. Bangladesh's Tamim Iqbal in action. Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

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Nov 23 (Reuters) - Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal has been ruled out of their two-test series in New Zealand in January because of a thumb injury, cricket website Cricbuzz reported on Tuesday.

The report quoted Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief physician Debashish Chowdhury as saying Tamim would need a month's rest to recover from the injury he picked up last month.

Tamim, who opted out of this year's Twenty20 World Cup citing a lack of game time as he recovered from a knee injury, was last week ruled out of Bangladesh's two-test home series against Pakistan, which starts on Friday, due to the injury. .

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"He met the physician and they have advised him to take a one-month rest though he won't require any surgery," Chowdhury told Cricbuzz.

"In that case, he's missing the New Zealand tour."

Reuters has contacted the BCB seeking confirmation.

Bangladesh are due to play the first test against New Zealand at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui from Jan. 1 followed by the second match at Hagley Oval in Christchurch from Jan. 9.

Both tests will be part of the teams' World Test Championship 2021-23 cycle.

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Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Originally posted here:

Bangladesh's Tamim ruled out of New Zealand tour - report - Reuters

Princess Cruises has announced its 2023-2024 cruises and cruisetours season from Australia and New Zealand, which includes the longest ever world cruise from Australia.

According to a press release, four MedallionClass ships the Majestic Princess, Royal Princess, Grand Princess and Coral Princess will sail to 117 destinations in 43 countries across Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, Europe and South America.

With the 2024 World Cruise onboard the Coral Princess, guests will be able to visit 32 countries in 110 days, from the comfort of a cruise ship where the cruise line takes care of all the planning, local connections in port, meals, entertainment and more.On sale Dec. 1, the cruise departs on Apr. 30, 2024 from Sydney and May 2, 2024 from Brisbane.

The newly announced program allows departures from six Australia and New Zealand homeports including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth (Fremantle), Adelaide, and Auckland.

Extended shore time in a variety of destinations includes overnights in Tahiti (Papeete) and Cairns, as well as late night stays in Auckland, Hong Kong, Honolulu, San Francisco, Tahiti (Papeete) and Vancouver.

More than 14 UNESCO World Heritage Sites will be visited in the season, including The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia (from Port Douglas), the Greater Blue Mountains (from Sydney) and The Tasmanian Wilderness (from Burnie).

Two cruisetours available include Australian Outback with the opportunity to immerse in Aboriginal culture and visit two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: soak in the underwater colors of the Great Barrier Reef and watch the sunset in Uluru National Park's Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock).

Ultimate Australia is an extensive cruisetour that guides guests through the highlights of Sydney, Uluru/Ayers Rock in the heart of the Outback, Darwin, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.

According to the press release, voyages will be open for sale at 2 p.m. PST on Dec. 1, 2021. Guests booking the 110-day world cruise by Apr. 30, 2022 will receive 1,000 Australia dolars of Onboard Credit per person.

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Princess Announces 2023-2024 Cruises and Cruisetours From Australia and New Zealand - Cruise Industry News

New Zealand head coach Ian Foster has plenty of time on the long flight home from Paris to Auckland to reflect on the past few months and pick apart the good, and the not so good.

Saturdays loss to France was New Zealands first defeat on French soil since 2000, and their first defeat anywhere to them since 2009 at Carisbrook.

It is also New Zealands worst year, with three defeats, since 2009, and the first time they have lost back-to-back Tests to northern hemisphere sides, having been beaten by Ireland the previous week in Dublin, since the 1930s.

What makes the All Blacks predicament interesting is the reaction in New Zealand.

Do you accept that both defeats have come at the end of a long, testing year, or, believe they point to more deep-rooted issues within the All Blacks under the current regime?

Fosters post-match comments highlighted two key factors behind the loss to France.

First, that New Zealand had started poorly for the second week in a row, with France scoring two tries in the first 12 minutes.

But the other factor was of greater interest, with Foster admitting that the All Blacks had allowed France to impose themselves on us.

Wayne Buck Shelford, the former All Blacks captain, recently highlighted the sides lack of power when speaking to Radio New Zealand, noting that Ireland and Frances packs had set the physical tone and that the All Blacks had lacked the power ball-carriers required to get over the gain line and create momentum and space for their backs.

Where that will come as a concern for Foster is that Saturdays pack was arguably the All Blacks strongest available, with Sam Cane back in the side after his long injury lay-off to join Ardie Savea (at No 8) and Akira Ioane in the back row, and a tight five of Joe Moody, Dane Coles, Nepo Laulala, Brodie Retallick and captain Sam Whitelock.

Codie Taylor could arguably start ahead of Coles, who is now 34, at hooker, while Ethan Blackadder and Dalton Papalii have impressed at times on this tour in the back row.

But otherwise there is little debate around the pack selection, which puts the spotlight on performance and tactics to explain how New Zealand have been overpowered in their three defeats this year up front by South Africa, Ireland and now France. Les Bleus even scored two line-out drive tries.

Foster added in his press conference that some teams had played too much rugby in 2021.

Paris was the All Blacks 15th and final Test of a long year spent in bubbles touring the globe, which goes part of the way to explaining their slow start and perhaps physical fatigue.

But unless New Zealand can improve physically up front to contain powerful packs such as South Africa, Ireland and France, creating the platform for their backs to do what they do, then they have a problem. The kicking game, often too inaccurate, has also come in for heavy criticism.

Fosters appointment as head coach has been under pressure since the start, when the former assistant under Steve Hansen was appointed as his successor following the last World Cup instead of serial Super Rugby-winning coach Scott Robertson.

With Robertson still picking up silverware in the background with the Crusaders in Christchurch, you can forgive Foster for occasionally looking over his shoulder.

Robertson understandably still has his supporters, and you sense is going to become the All Blacks head coach sooner or later.

Fosters contract was extended in August through to the next World Cup, after he was initially appointed only on a two-year contract.

The timing of that extension ahead of the European tour is now being targeted as a questionable move given New Zealands recent losses although South Africa and Australia have lost more Tests this year. Its a hard year to say teams have sorted us out, Foster added.

The coach highlighted the Covid-19 disruptions and noted that several players had been on their first tours to Europe.

For centre Quinn Tupaea, 22, and lock Tupou Vaai, 21, the experience should make them better players and open some eyes.

Foster and his coaching staff have now used 50 different players in this World Cup cycle, and he cited the use of five All Blacks captains this year as a sign of further disruption.

The statistic that really matters is the one that says New Zealands win percentage has dropped from 83 per cent in the last World Cup cycle to 71 per cent.

The All Blacks lost seven Tests between 2015 and 2019. They have already lost five out of 16 since Foster took charge.

There is every chance that could all change next year, that the time for tweaking and experimenting will be over and a well-rested All Blacks side will be physically rejuvenated and more accurate in their kicking and attacking game, rolling out their best side and winning that three-Test series with Ireland next July convincingly.

But after such a disappointing end to 2021, and given the way the All Blacks struggled physically against Ireland and France, a response is now required.

And that puts more pressure on Foster and his coaches with the World Cup beginning to creep into view.

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Twelve-year low leaves powerless New Zealand in need of urgent recharge - The Telegraph

FlipFarm, a semi-automated oyster-growing system created in New Zealand, has won the Global Seafood Alliances 2021 Global Aquaculture Innovation Award.

FlipFarm Managing Director Aaron Pannell helped launch the company while looking to improve his equipment at Blenheim, New Zealand-based Marlborough Oysters, where he grows 15 million oysters per year. The companys existing oyster-farming system involved clipping plastic bags to lines that floated on the surface, which would regularly be lost to severe storms in the region.

It was a lot of handling individually handling one unit at a time, Pannell said. We had 40,000 bags and they all had to be sorted about every eight weeks. Its a lot of work.

This led to the invention of the FlipFarm system, a semi-automated oyster growing setup in which Hexcyl Pro baskets are connected to a backbone that rolls up on the side of a harvesting vessel. It saves equipment costs in the long-run and employees from daily backbreaking labor.

FlipFarm Systems is honored to be awarded the Global Seafood Alliance Innovation award for 2021! Pannell said. Considering the extremely high caliber of the finalists, we feel very privileged to win this award on behalf of our hard-working team.

On top of being a labor-reduction tool, the FlipFarm system also helps provide an ideal environment for oyster growth and conditioning, as well as the ability to efficiently control fouling levels, pests, and predators. Its also cultivating innovation among Marlborough Oysters employees.

Because theyre not physically exhausted, theyve got time to actually stop and think, Pannell said. Our guys are thinking about innovation. How can we make the work easier? How can we make the quality of the oysters better? And because the operation is so much quicker, weve gone down to a four-day working week.

The system is adaptable to diverse growing environments and is now used by more than 70 farmers in 12 countries worldwide.

The winner of the Global Aquaculture Innovation Award was determined by an attendee vote. FlipFarm beat out two other finalists: Ace Aquatec, which developed a marine mammal-friendly seal-deterrent technology, and Nucleic Sensing Systems, with a tracker that can detect pathogens and other biological issues in aquaculture environments.

Photo courtesy of FlipFarm

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New Zealand-based oyster-farming system FlipFarm takes home GSA innovation award - SeafoodSource

The news last week that University of Auckland public health researcher Simon Thornley was retracting a co-authored paper about supposed vaccination risks during pregnancy raised deeper questions about the limits of academic freedom.

Thornleys own head of department had called for the paper to be retracted due to the anxiety it is creating for expectant parents and those planning to have a child. Other experts in the field had strongly criticised the papers methodology and conclusions.

The university itself responded publicly by asserting, As an academic staff member [] Dr Thornley has the right to exercise his academic freedom. The vice-chancellor later said, While the University supports academic freedom, we do require research to be conducted with a high degree of integrity.

The controversy follows an earlier one in July, when a group of academics published an open letter questioning the scientific status of mtauranga Mori (Mori knowledge). The Royal Society Te Aprangi issued a statement rejecting their views and affirming the value of mtauranga Mori as a knowledge system.

The society is now reported to be investigating two of its fellows who were co-authors of the letter. In response, a group calling itself the Free Speech Union has called the Royal Societys response an attack on free speech, saying it sends a chilling message to other academics.

These are just two of several conflicts currently playing out in Aotearoa New Zealand over the limits of academic freedom.

Tricky trade-offs surround particular cases like these, and they are not easily resolved. But debates over difficult cases are too often hampered by shallow conceptions of the role of universities within society and flimsy understandings of academic freedom.

Public universities have a public mission: they serve society through generating new knowledge and teaching students. They also, in the language of the Education and Training Act 2020, serve as a repository of knowledge and expertise and play a role as critic and conscience of society.

Read more: Let's choose our words more carefully when discussing mtauranga Mori and science

University staff and students are granted certain freedoms under the act to fulfil these socially valuable functions.

Two fundamental ideas provide the rationale for academic freedom. The first is that freedom of inquiry is essential for the advancement of knowledge. Without the freedom to explore new ideas and to test received wisdom, the quest for knowledge cannot progress.

The second is the idea that universities should be free from interference that would corrupt the integrity of research and the dissemination of research findings. It is in the publics interests that neither the state nor private individuals and corporations are allowed to muzzle researchers from publicising what they know when the public would benefit from knowing.

Institutional autonomy and the right to critically question are essential if universities are to be reliable sources of knowledge and expertise for society at large. But neither implies academics should be free to do what they like or to say what they like with impunity.

The Education and Training Act couples the freedoms granted to universities with expectations of public accountability. It says tertiary institutions should have

as much independence and freedom to make academic, operational, and management decisions as is consistent with the nature of the services they provide, the efficient use of national resources, the national interest, and the demands of accountability.

Read more: How a fake 'free speech crisis' could imperil academic freedom

In turn, the legislation places on tertiary institutions the responsibility to ensure the highest ethical standards are maintained.

Thats as it should be. Just as we expect medical associations to hold doctors accountable to high standards of competent practice and ethical conduct, so should we expect tertiary institutions to hold academics to the same high standards.

Controversial or unpopular opinions are sometimes just what society needs to hear. Thats why the law recognises a critic and conscience of society role for academics the role of speaking truth to power, as we like to say.

But the usefulness of dissenting views to society cannot be defended if these opinions rest on faulty evidence or demonstrable falsehoods. Misinformation is incompatible with performing a role as critic and conscience of society.

Read more: Four fundamental principles for upholding freedom of speech on campus

From the publics point of view, a university is malfunctioning if it harbours and protects misinformation. It ceases to be a reliable source of knowledge and expertise.

Likewise, academic freedom does not provide an exemption from ethical standards. Like all public institutions, we should expect universities to be places that foster healthy and respectful relationships, and serve wider societal goals of improving well-being, overcoming injustices and combating environmental destruction.

Universities that tolerate bullying and harassment of staff and students, or marginalise already disadvantaged social groups, fail to live up to their public mission.

New Zealand universities need to look hard at these issues. In todays political and media environment, the challenge of mis- and disinformation is only going to intensify. Institutional culture, practices and policies need to account for this.

And universities have barely begun to address the reality that campuses are often experienced as hostile spaces by minority groups, not least Mori and Pacific staff and students.

A genuine democratisation of university life including tackling institutional racism is also vital to ensure all communities in Aotearoa New Zealand can see themselves as participants in and beneficiaries of what universities do. Principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi should not only be acknowledged but given meaningful expression.

Read more: If not in a university, then where? Academia must define harm to allow open debate on difficult issues

Hard work will be required for our universities to become highly trusted institutions by all communities. This is especially true of tangata whenua and Pacific people. In fact, our tertiary institutions have a lot to learn from tangata whenua about handling disagreements and responding to unethical behaviour in a way that upholds the mana of all involved.

We would do well to take a lead from legal scholar Moana Jackson who has envisioned universities as a marae tea where robust debate and criticism should flourish, but also as a whare where relationships should be nurtured and enhanced, and where all students and staff should feel safe and free.

To realise such a vision will require clear-headed and courageous leadership at all levels within our universities.

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Are New Zealands universities doing enough to define the limits of academic freedom? - The Conversation AU

Like other countries, New Zealand has both international and domestic targets to reduce emissions, but they run on different timelines and are based on different assumptions.

This week, public submissions close on New Zealands first emissions reduction plan which proposes policies for staying within the emissions budget for 2022-25 and keeping on track for future budgets.

New Zealand also pledged to cut emissions by half by 2030 when it announced its upgraded nationally determined contribution (NDC) during the recent COP26 climate summit. This is part of the global effort, under the Paris Agreement, to limit warming to 1.5 above pre-industrial levels.

The co-existence of international commitments, domestic laws and carbon budgets shows how complex climate change regulation is. This complexity can be confusing. It highlights the messiness of New Zealands current regulatory regime and the need for a legislative tidy-up.

Under domestic legislation, the Climate Change Response Act 2002 (CCRA) requires the government to set emissions budgets for five-year periods up to 2050 and to publish an emissions reduction plan for each period. Following the current consultation period, the government will release its first emissions reduction plan in May.

New Zealands new international pledge has a timeline to 2030 and equates to an emissions budget of 571 Megatons of CO-equivalent (MtCOe) to spend between now and then. Under the domestic climate change law, the proposed combined budgets for 2022-30 add up to 28MtCOe more than this (599MtCOe).

Its not yet clear whether the budgets in the law will be revised down in light of the new NDC, or whether the gap will be filled by financing emissions reductions overseas.

Read more: COP26: New Zealand's new climate pledge is a step up, but not a 'fair share'

Different timelines add to the confusion. Our international commitment works towards 2030, while domestically, provisional budgets are already available until 2035. And the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act 2019 requires that greenhouse gas emissions (other than biogenic methane) reach net zero by 2050.

Once released, the consequences of the emissions reduction plan will be wide ranging. Stakeholders in all sectors will look to incorporate its emissions reduction policies.

Unless everyone clearly understands its goals and purpose, the plan risks an unnecessarily negative reception. There is widespread public support for more action on climate change mitigation in New Zealand. But the roles everyone can play must be made clear.

Read more: Lawyers challenge New Zealand's proposed emissions budgets as inconsistent with the 1.5 goal

The emissions reduction plan provides an opportunity to rethink how the law could better align national and international targets, timelines and milestones to improve the clarity of messaging on what must be achieved, when and by who.

Aotearoas emissions reduction plan must be clear, innovative and inclusive, directing public concern for the climate emergency and showing us where real change is possible.

Theres no need for fresh legislation if the emissions reduction plan begins with a vision statement, weaving together all relevant obligations, to create a clear and measurable set of goals. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals provide a good example of how complex goals can be articulated simply, and how targets and indicators can be used to add detail and help track progress.

The emissions reduction plan should be launched as a living document which not only sets out a plan of action but also acts as a place to track progress, and to get involved. It should make full use of interactive tools and apps so it becomes something people can easily navigate and interact with.

For example, in the transport sector, one of the draft targets is to reduce vehicle kilometres travelled by cars and light vehicles by 20% by 2035 through providing better travel options. Such a target could link directly to individually tailored options for car sharing and public transport timetables and could include opportunities for users to set their own goals and challenges, too.

Reducing emissions significantly, and transitioning towards a net-zero carbon economy, offers a host of opportunities. But the scale of change required also carries risk. Consultation begins next year on a national adaptation plan, with the goal of limiting the risks to people.

The government has already committed to delivering a fair, equitable and inclusive transition. For this to happen, all sectors must be involved and it will require a mix of emissions pricing, well-targeted regulation, tailored sectoral policies, direct investment and incentives for businesses.

Getting the balance right, in particular between incentives and regulation, will be crucial. Private sector leadership should be encouraged and supported so that low-emissions business models become normalised. But well also need regulation to prohibit certain behaviour.

The recently announced ban on most single-use plastics, including plastic bags and straws, is a good example of regulatory intervention to change harmful consumer behaviour. The emissions reduction plan should not shy away from similar policies to address the ecologically destructive behaviour of industry and consumers.

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New Zealand's climate change regulation is messy and complex -- heres how to improve it - The Conversation AU

A venue for the 37th America's Cup needs to be locked in by the end of March and as Team New Zealand continues to evaluate overseas locations, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) is being asked to take another look at Auckland as an option.

Photo: Photosport

Former Team New Zealand director Jim Farmer QC has lodged a petition, with the support of some RNZYS members, "that the America's Cup be defended in the waters adjacent to the City of Auckland".

In a letter to members, commodore Aaron Young said RNZYS understood the desire of some of their 3500-strong membership to keep the America's Cup defence in Auckland but told members "the answer is not that simple".

Funding was the biggest roadblock Young identified.

RNZYS will address the petition at a special meeting for their members next month, even though Young was "disappointed" to have to do so.

The petition was currently not in format that members could vote on but Young said this was being worked on so voting could take place at the meeting.

"It would be an unprecedented achievement to win the America's Cup three times in a row, and taking the defence overseas - while not our preferred choice - may well offer the best chance for us to do so," Young wrote.

"There needs to be a reality check on the current situation in respect to a New Zealand based AC37 Match.

"TNZ needs to secure the necessary funding with local and Government support to hold this event in Auckland. Unless this happens we need to consider offshore venues.

"The consequences of not doing so are potentially dire - no cup defence at all, and giving the America's Cup back, having been unable to stage a defence and meet obligations under the Deed of Gift. This means a loss of the America's Cup, a loss of our Team New Zealand, and the potential loss of any future America's Cup challenges from the RNZYS, and most likely New Zealand."

RNZYS is the trustee of the America's Cup and hands off the responsibility for organisation, management, and fundraising to TNZ. The club makes no financial contribution to America's Cup activities.

"Legal threats and misinformation do not help the leadership at the RNZYS (or TNZ for that matter) work towards what we are all here for - the encouragement of Corinthian yachting generally and such other purposes connected with aquatics.

"To encourage Corinthian yachting, the club should be striving to (again) win the oldest trophy in international sport."

Businessman Mark Dunphy who had called on Team New Zealand to keep the defence in Auckland - and was subsequently shutdown by TNZ chief executive officer Grant Dalton - agreed with the petition.

"The only apparent venue activity is the team shopping 'around the clock' for international locations. It is clear from the team's own actions and omissions that it is not having any of these discussions in New Zealand and that it currently has no intention to defend the Cup in New Zealand," Dunphy said.

"Our research tells us that the firm funding of $40 million we have offered to support an Auckland defence, along with the generous support proffered by the Auckland Council and the Government, plus the team's own funding including sponsorship, entry fee, television and other income, will be more than sufficient to hold a successful defence here."

The rest is here:

Club behind Team New Zealand gets venue petition - RNZ

The New Zealand Breakers have cancelled their final pre-season game after four members of their touring party tested positive for Covid-19.

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

All players and staff associated with the Breakers in Australia are double vaccinated but the 39-strong touring party have been self-isolating in their inner-city Melbourne Apartments since Sunday night after one member of the group felt unwell on Saturday.

As a precaution, the person took a rapid antigen test that came back negative, but still felt unwell the following day and had a PCR test which subsequently showed a positive result for Covid-19.

The entire touring group, including children, underwent PCR tests on Monday, which uncovered a further three positive results.

No member of the group has needed hospitalisation.

"Our team has followed best practices, but unfortunately, a number of individuals have experienced symptoms," Breakers owner Matt Walsh who is with the team in Australia said.

"We will continue to follow the advice of medical professionals and the NBL and look forward to being back on the court soon."

Thursday's pre-season game against the Illawarra Hawks in Wollongong will no longer go ahead.

Read more here:

New Zealand Breakers camp hit by Covid-19 - RNZ

OPINION: Its time to imagine New Zealand without production animals. Anti-farming lobbyists probably dont mean this to be the outcome of their activities, but outcomes are difficult to predict, even when the predictor is an expert in the appropriate discipline.

Lobbyists are experts at getting noticed in the media. The negative coverage of agriculture this month has been extraordinary. Anybody who has read the press, listened to the radio, watched the television or gone to a cinema would be forgiven for thinking that New Zealand is an environmental cot case.

The reality is that pre-Covid, tourists rated the environment at the top of New Zealands attractions. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has the data. The reality is also that without dairy, beef and sheep, New Zealanders would not have a first-world and flourishing economy.

In her speech to the Labour Party Conference this month, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern emphasised the fact that the New Zealand economy has done more than survive through Covid-times; in fact it has grown, keeping people in jobs.

READ MORE:* Beef exports top 100,000 tonnes in third quarter for first time* Covid-19: What has the NZ farming industry learned from coronavirus?* The surprise entries in NZ's list of top climate polluters

Much of the growth has been due to primary production.

This month the ASB economists have shown that dairy, beef and lamb are setting new record prices, offsetting increased farm costs. This means more export dollars coming into the country and more money circulating within New Zealand.

Despite all the good things that the primary sector is enabling, the activist lobbying continues.

Stuff

Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, Adjunct Professor Lincoln University, is a farmer-elected director of DairyNZ and Ravensdown.

On November 8 we were hit by what was described as new research linking nitrate in drinking water with colorectal cancer and 800,000 people at risk. Dairy cows and nitrogen fertiliser were blamed.

The research isnt new. It was leaked by a couple of the authors in February and debunked then. Professor Frank Frizelle (Professor of Colorectal Cancer, University of Otago) and co-workers have tried to reassure people.

The International Agency of Research on Cancer and the World Health Organisation has published reports on the issue stating that dietary nitrate intake is not associated with the risk for colorectal cancer in cohort studies and overall, there is no clear association between nitrate or nitrite in drinking-water and risk of cancer of the gastrointestinal tract, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, tumours of the central nervous system, urinary tract tumours, thyroid cancer, breast cancer or pancreatic cancer.

These statements are being ignored by those with an agenda. The agenda is moving New Zealand to organic regenerative agriculture and reducing the number of production animals, particularly dairy cows.

For anybody thinking that organic regenerative agriculture really is the answer think again. Production will decrease (which means more land needed for food somewhere in the world with impacts on biodiversity and greenhouse gases) and a premium for the product is required to maintain farm income.

People are already concerned about rising food prices and what they say theyll pay for a type of food (organic, free-range, whatever) frequently doesnt come to pass. Most farmers have mortgages, just like house owners, and the banks mind about solvency.

Alden Williams/Stuff

People are already concerned about rising food prices and what they say theyll pay for a type of food (organic, free-range, whatever) frequently doesnt come to pass.

Farmers cant just reduce animal numbers and maintain the economies of scale needed to support employees, infrastructure maintenance, implementation of new technologies and bank repayments. If income is reduced, who will own the farm? Who would want to buy and run it?

The implications for New Zealand are considerable.

Without production animals, the export economy would be almost halved. Forestry might take over the land, but 30 years is a long time to wait for payday. The tax take would then be reduced because of a restricted economy. The Department of Conservation (DoC) is already inadequately funded for the native forest; how would it cope with ex-farmland as well?

The animal protein that humans need to provide essential amino acids would have to come from other countries, not necessarily with the same high standards of production in animal welfare and low environmental impact.

Agricultural scientists will keep investigating, putting research from overseas into the New Zealand context, and identifying an appropriate better future.

New Zealand production systems have undergone constant improvement over the decades as scientific understanding has refined systems for New Zealand soils, topography, climate and markets. The team of scientists, researchers, rural professionals and farmers have enabled New Zealand to produce food with lower environmental impact than other countries can achieve.

We have the data.

Per unit of food, greenhouse gases are lower than in other countries. From 1.7 million hectares (less than 7 per cent) of New Zealand, dairy farmers produce 35 per cent of the export economy. In beef and sheep production, land that isnt suitable for anything except pastoral agriculture (or forestry) maintains productive capacity and employment, whilst generating income for families and environmental protection including control of introduced weeds and animals.

Farmers, like anybody else, need to be able to pay the mortgage. Farmers, like anybody else, want to feel valued and know that their work is worthwhile. People choosing careers want it too. Thank a farmer as you eat your next meal. The alternative isnt pretty.

- Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, Adjunct Professor Lincoln University, is a farmer-elected director of DairyNZ and Ravensdown. The analysis and conclusions above are her own. jsrowarth@gmail.com

See more here:

It's time to imagine New Zealand without production animals - Stuff.co.nz

The Detail is a daily news podcast produced for RNZ by Newsroom and is published on Stuff with permission. Click on this link to subscribe to the podcast.

OPINION: When Joanna MacKenzie goes to hot yoga classes inside a blow up tent near her home in Cambridge, England, there's no mask in sight and not a lot of social distancing.

Yet, outside the tent, around 200 people are dying and 38,000 more are getting Covid-19 every day. And many European countries are bringing back restrictions as they battle another wave of the virus.

MacKenzie, a journalist, moved from Auckland to Cambridge with her husband and two young daughters just before the pandemic hit.

Life has been pretty weird, she says, but people are now embracing their covid rules-free world.

READ MORE:* Covid-19: Angela Merkel says Germany's virus spike 'worse than anything we've seen'* Dutch leader condemns violence by 'idiots' after rioting * Health minister tells Germans: Get vaccinated or get Covid

"It looked like a scene from the movie, Love Actually, when I got off the train the other day. There were people everywhere, coming and going.

"It was so exciting and Christmassy. Its getting cold and dark and there's lights everywhere.

Martin Pope/Getty Images

New Zealand's double dose vaccination rates are creeping up to nearly 70 percent of the total population, slightly more than the UK and the highest vaxed parts of the US, such as New York.

"It feels like its going to be a very different Christmas because of course we were in lockdown for the whole of November last year and then there was a kerfuffle about Christmas. It was totally confusing."

Today, The Detail's Sharon Brettkelly calls on friends and family in England and the US to get a taste of what living with covid might look like down the track.

New Zealand's double dose vaccination rates are creeping up to nearly 70 percent of the total population, slightly more than the UK and the highest vaxed parts of the US, such as New York.

While Aotearoa is counting down to a summer of greater freedoms under the new traffic light system, most other parts of the world are closer to pre-Covid normality.

But . "what do you mean by normality?" asks Kevin Coldiron.

He describes the shock of landing in Los Angeles recently, after 10 months living in New Zealand with his youngest son Cy and his wife, Jody Brettkelly.

"When we went to New Zealand it was like we were escaping this kind of war-torn country, the insurrection where people took over the Capitol.

"When we flew out of LAX it was like a ghost town, and then we arrived in New Zealand and once we cleared the MIQ, you were back into the real world.

"It was the reverse going back," Coldiron says.

Shortly after, he was among 20,000 others - mask free - at a basketball game in New York. Vaccination cards are checked at any public event in the city, as well as restaurants, but attitudes to mask-wearing are relaxed.

Back home in the Bay Area of California, he says many of his friends still work from home doing meetings on zoom, and students and teachers have to wear masks in class.

He believes New Zealand should take heart from its high vaccination numbers and relax its conservative approach.

The Detail also talks to Heather Mandow at her small town in England. She is double-vaxed and has had a booster shot but still does not feel comfortable about getting on a train to attend live events in big cities.

"I think the mood of people I meet is becoming much more relaxed," she says.

"We're told though that we're not out of the woods yet, we're continually told this from the medical point of view. And the figures that we watch on the television every night for people catching Covid and being admitted to hospital and even dying from Covid, they're still alarming and rising.

"So the danger or the anxiety is still there."

Excerpt from:

The Detail: What will living with Covid look like in the future? - Stuff.co.nz