Category: Rural

Source: Radio New Zealand

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

State-owned farming enterprise Pāmu has selected its new equity partners for Mahiwi farm from a pool of about 80 applicants.

It’s Pāmu’s first livestock equity partnership building on it introducing dairy sharemilking arrangements in 2024.

Wairoa sheep and beef farmers Cameron Hassall and Alice Wilson will help run the 1755-hectare farm – a new entity co-owned by Pāmu and Hassall will lease just over 700-hectares used for sheep and beef farming – with Pāmu retaining control of the remainder of sheep, beef and forestry property west of Wairoa.

The nine-year lease will run with a right of renewal every three years.

Hassall and Wilson – who both grew up locally – farm a nearby leaseblock, which Wilson will continue to manage alongside helping with the Mahiwi operations.

Hassall said it was “unique to have skin in the game at the place you work” in the sheep and beef sector as there weren’t the same pathways to building equity or farm ownership as there are in dairy.

“Every dollar that we can save by doing something ourselves or increasing production means another dollar dropping out the bottom which we get a share of at the end of the year,” he said.

“I enjoy getting stuck into a farming business and helping create a system that’s efficient and profitable. Improving grass quality, ewe performance, and lamb and calf weaning weights has been a focus in every role I’ve had.”

He said it was the “start of a journey” alongside Pāmu and hoped by the end of the lease it would provide the framework for a model that could be rolled out nationwide.

For Wilson, it was about building “something real”.

“We want to grow our stake in Mahiwi, improve the farm’s performance, and show that this model works, not just for us, but for other young farmers looking for a way into ownership.”

Looking ahead, the couple see the Mahiwi partnership as a pathway to scale, security, and opportunity for themselves and their growing family – they are expecting their first child later this year.

Pāmu chief operations officer Will Burrett said it was about backing ambitious, capable people into farm ownership through helping them build equity.

It was about providing a stepping stone to grow equity within a “structured, safe environment” which created liquidity for both younger generations looking to get their foot on the farm ownership ladder as well as older generations looking to exit the industry.

“Mahiwi is a strong example of how we can support operators to lift farm performance, grow equity, and strengthen business capability while retaining Crown ownership of the land.”‘

Burrett said Pāmu had seen “tangible progression” from within its own workforce through the dairy partnerships.

“[This] brings the total to seven dairy and one livestock operation now operating under contract or equity‑style arrangements. It shows the model is opening up genuine career and ownership pathways for our people and to the sector.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Infant milk formula exporter a2 Milk has recalled three batches of Synlait-manufactured a2 Platinum infant milk formula in the United States due to the presence of cereulide.

Cereulide was a heat-stable toxin produced by some strains of the bacterium Bacillus cereus which could cause nausea and vomiting – symptoms typically developed within 30 minutes to six hours of ingestion.

a2 Milk told the NZX on Monday, the recall related to a “relatively small” quantity of about 63,078 tins in the US – over 16,000 of which had been sold to consumers.

No confirmed incidents of infant illness or harm had been reported to the company.

The impacted batches were distributed through a2MC’s website, Amazon and Meijer stores as part of Operation Fly Formula.

Chief executive David Bortolussi said the recall does not impact infant milk formula products sold in New Zealand, Australia, China and other markets .

He said the food safety and quality of its products was its “highest priority”.

“For this reason, we have voluntarily recalled three batches of our a2 Platinum USA label infant milk formula sold only in the US which had previously been discontinued with no products currently available for sale.”

The probable source of cereulide is an ingredient in the product and the recall was initiated after cereulide was detected through additional testing of the product following the release of New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) industry update and expectations for managing cereulide on April 15 with application retrospectively for New Zealand infant formula manufacturers.

a2 Milk said it was communicating with US Food and Drug Administration with respect to the recall and has released guidance to its United States consumers.

The recall is not expected to impact a2’s financial results, with total infant milk formula sales in the US accounting less than 0.1 percent of its total sales revenue.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Farmers need to be paid to start using methane-busting technology in their herds and on their land, agri-climate leaders say.

Their comments follow earlier warnings from industry and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment that, without penalties or incentives, there are few reasons for farmers to invest in some of the tools.

Climate Change Minister Simon Watts said the government would work with farmers to “maximise the emissions reduction innovation underway” but would not be drawn on whether the government was looking at subsidies or other incentives.

Last year, the government scrapped its previous plans to put a tax on agricultural methane by 2030 and weakened the country’s 2050 methane emissions reduction target.

Instead, it opted for a market- and industry-led approach, with Watts saying that widespread uptake of the new mitigation tools would be “critical”.

The government-industry partnership AgriZeroNZ had so far invested $78 million into developing methane-inhibiting technologies such as vaccines and genetics.

Some, such as low-methane sheep genetic selection and effluent pond treatments, were available now, while others are still in much earlier stages of development.

Overall, the government has committed $400m to accelerate development and commercialisation.

At the annual Agriculture and Climate Change conference in Wellington last week, AgriZeroNZ chief executive Wayne McNee said some of the technologies had a commercial benefit because they also improved animal productivity.

However, many – including a methane-inhibiting capsule or ‘bolus’ being developed by New Zealand company Ruminant Biotech – did not.

“In the absence of productivity improvement, which is often quite hard to prove, there will need to be an incentive,” he said.

Speaking to RNZ afterwards, he said there were already some industry incentives available for the lowest-emitting dairy farmers.

“But to get broader-scale adoption, there’ll need to be a reason for farmers to use them,” McNee said.

“If there’s a productivity improvement, great, that”ll be a key driver. If there’s not, there’ll need to be some sort of payment to the farmer to take the technology up.”

Other countries had used direct subsidies, or made use of voluntary carbon markets.

AgriZeroNZ was “looking at all options”.

“It’s part of our role to get the tools available, but also part of our role to work with farmers and others to get them used.”

Methane – which is a short-lived gas but has a huge warming effect while it exists in the atmosphere – makes up roughly half of New Zealand’s emissions.

Almost all of it comes from farms, especially the burps and breaths of ruminant animals like cows and sheep.

Only 40 percent would use methane vaccine – survey

A 2025 survey of farmers by the Bioeconomy Science Institute (formerly Manaaki Whenua Landcare) found only seven percent of dairy farmers who responded said reducing their emissions would be a major focus in the next two years.

Only 40 percent of respondents planned to use a methane vaccine, if it became available.

Ruminant Biotech market access director George Reeves told the conference that New Zealand risked losing its global competitiveness unless it developed a “robust, long-term, scalable incentive for methane abatement”.

He told RNZ that did not necessarily have to be taxpayer-funded.

Instead, New Zealand could use voluntary carbon markets, or set up a scheme similar to one being developed in Australia, where farmers could earn carbon units by reducing their emissions intensity.

Ruminant Biotech planned to launch its bolus for certain types of beef cattle later this year and expected that “early adoption is going to be okay”, Reeves said.

However, he wanted to see a broader incentive scheme in place by 2028.

AUT industry fellow and climate economist David Hall said a direct government subsidy scheme for deployment of some tools would make sense while they were still new and did not have general buy-in.

“In the economics of innovation, that’s recognised as a justified and reasonable cost.”

Once the tools had a market foothold, that direct support could be withdrawn, and a low-level price on emissions introduced to keep driving uptake, he said.

Incentive to use potential methane vaccine removed

In a speech to a DairyNZ forum in March, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton raised concerns about both the timeframe and uptake of some promised technologies.

He pointed out that the government’s baseline emissions projections relied on at least 37 percent of dairy cattle receiving a methane vaccine – which were still at ‘proof-of-concept’ stage – by 2030.

“I personally find this assumption heroic,” he said.

“Not only do we not yet have such a vaccine, but the government’s decision to abandon a price on methane removes the incentive to use one should it materialise.”

Significant taxpayer funding was being invested into vaccines and other technologies.

“Taxpayers are entitled to ask why this outlay should continue if the vaccines are not going to be adopted,” he said.

Subsidies could be a pragmatic approach, “but the quid pro quo has to be uptake”.

In a submission on the amended emissions reduction plan last year, industry group DairyNZ also called the assumptions about uptake “ambitious”.

“DairyNZ has consistently encouraged government to be cautious when making assumptions on technology availability, efficacy and uptake.”

Incentives were essential, but the tools also needed to be practical to implement, and must not affect food safety or threaten overseas trade, the organisation said.

In a written statement, Watts said the government had “increasing confidence in the technology pipeline” and expected to see the first tools that AgriZero had invested in available this year.

“While emission predictions inherently carry some uncertainty, the government is committed to working with the agriculture sector to boost productivity while lowering emissions,” he said.

There would be ” range of opinions” on any new technology, he said.

“However, I have heard from many in the sector who support the development of new methane inhibitors and other incentives that increase production while reducing emissions.”

He did not answer questions about whether any policy work had been commissioned on an incentive or offset scheme, or what would drive uptake in the absence of any productivity gains.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Turakina Valley farmer hopes to turn Hunterville into the shopfront of the North Island wool industry.

Sophie Hurley says there’s plenty of life in the 1970s motel on the main highway, which she’s shaping into a new flagship store for her luxury woollen bag business.

She saw the real estate advertisement for the well known Hunters Motel and Cafe, and “jumped at it”.

The 2122 sq m commercially zoned property was listed by experienced Hunterville and Arizto real estate agent Tony Hewitt with an asking price of $724,500.

The space comprises seven “once vibrant” one-bedroom and combined two-bedroom motel suites, with offstreet parking.

Sold on as ‘as is’ basis, Hewitt said it was an amazing, busy establishment. He’s thrilled the new “down to earth” owners are giving it a new lease on life.

Hurley is the co-owner of upmarket brand Honest Wolf, which she manages with partner Sam. The new store is across the road from the building they currently rent.

The wool insulation is already going in to warm the large 70s open-plan space of the old cafe, with a winter opening a possibility.

Hurley is used to creating something out of what’s already there.

“We use our wool off our own family farm up the Turakina Valley,” she said. “We shear our ewes and use our wool.

“Obviously, being on the main highway, you’re getting travellers, people coming through all the time, whether they’re international or local.

“Initially, people wondered why we might put a face up in a little rural town, but for us, our store is becoming a huge part of our business.

“It’s a place to stop between Wellington and Taupō, or wherever you might be travelling, and Hunterville is a destination now – it’s gaining more and more offerings.”

As well as selling a variety of products, the space will also be used to educate school groups and tourists about the wool industry, and it’s not the only place to stop in Hunterville.

Two years ago, a group of farmers and locals banded together to buy the town’s former art deco pub, the Argyle.

It’s now an upmarket watering hole and eatery. The town known for hits Huntaway Festival and the iconic Shemozzle shepherds race, now has a growing reputation as an escape from the city.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Australasian bosses across agriculture, aviation and freight sectors are in the ear of their government officials in dealing with the chaotic global supply chain.

The government announced on Tuesday it secured an initial agreement with Z Energy to procure an additional 90 million litres of diesel for Aotearoa, as key shipping routes in the Middle East remained blockaded.

Through late March and April, the Australian federal government secured hundreds of millions of litres of diesel from markets like Singapore and Malaysia, as well as locking in fertiliser deals covering 250,000 tonnes of urea from Indonesia, and supply commitments from Brunei.

It also introduced various tax relief packages on fuel excise and heavy vehicle user charges, and underwrote imports of fuel and fertiliser.

Finance minister Nicola Willis met with Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers last week, followed by a large roundtable meeting with Australasian bosses of industries exposed to supply chain disruptions, like agriculture.

Featured was Australia’s peak farming industry body, the National Farmers’ Federation.

Chief executive Mike Guerin said he applauded his federal government for its response after the beginning of the war in late February, and welcomed more collaboration with New Zealand.

He said Australia went “hard and early”, such as with the underwriting of fuel imports.

“That’s an example where Australia went very early, and New Zealand’s done something similar, but perhaps not quite as well as Australia has.”

New Zealand-born Guerin said both countries shared challenges around fuel and fertiliser shocks.

“Both countries have very little fuel supply onshore, but neither country has much processing capacity left to process and refine oils, for example, into finished product. The same broadly applies to fertiliser.”

But he said there was good discussion at the meeting about possibly sharing infrastructure in the longer term, including linking up vessel schedules.

“We could see lots of things we could do for each other, and they’re very willing to do so.”

• How have fuel and fertiliser challenges affected your farm? Let us know monique.steele@rnz.co.nz

Guerin said while no actions were firmly agreed to during the initial conversation, there were options tabled for manufacturing and storage.

“Rather than each of us working away, an issue which is difficult given our lack of scale in global terms, if we work together, there could be enormous value in that,” he said.

“Save some money, save some costs and give us both more confidence in storage and processing and manufacturing, and those big inputs to agriculture, because as we know, in both countries, for generations we’ve been able to take food security for granted.”

He said it was all about protecting food security and building a supply chain for Australasia together to deal with the immediate and longer term issues ahead.

Finance Minister

New Zealand’s Finance Minister Nicola Willis said close co-operation between New Zealand and Australia made sense, particularly to share information on fuel markets, shipping movements, supply chain risks and resilience options.

She said it was a valuable opportunity to gain feedback from across agriculture, freight, aviation, retail and energy sectors about the impact of higher costs and supply uncertainty, when considering our own planning and response options.

“Industry engagement helps ensure decisions reflect operational realities and the needs of key sectors such as food production, freight and emergency services. And more detail of phases 3 and 4 will be announced next week,” she said.

She said both countries were facing similar supply challenges.

“We have also amended fuel specifications to better align with Australia, helping ensure New Zealand can access supply headed into the same regional market,” she said.

“Alongside that, the Government is progressing practical regulatory changes identified by industry to improve fuel efficiency and resilience, including freight and transport settings.”

Earlier advice on fertiliser supply from key New Zealand-based supplier Ravensdown was that the country had sufficient fertiliser supply through to mid-August.

Willis said the Government was in regular contact with the fertiliser industry and monitored international supply chains closely, while Australia’s recent arrangement focused on securing winter supply.

“As a food-producing country, we [New Zealand] remain connected to major suppliers and producers, and ready to act to any emerging pressure points,” she said.

“Farmers and growers are critical to New Zealand’s economy. We know higher fuel and input costs create pressure, which is why our focus remains on targeted, timely and practical measures that support supply continuity, strengthen resilience and keep the economy moving.”

Willis described the situation on Wednesday’s Morning Report as “the worst oil supply shock in history.”

The latest Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment fuel supply statistics lifted, showing of Sunday, the country had 52 days of petrol, 46 days of diesel and 49 days of jet fuel either in country or on its way.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand’s wool industry is looking to spin a sustainable future backed by farming from its farmers and industry.

Wool-producing farmers paid a wool levy for many years that helped promote the sector, build markets and fund research and development.

But dissatisfied sheep farmers voted to disestablish the governing New Zealand Wool Board and hence its levy, in 2003.

Since then, industry groups have become fragmented and low profitability entrenched a decline in the size of the national flock.

Subsequent attempts at reinstating the levy in that time failed.

Wool Alliance launched late last year as a not-profit bringing together Wool Impact, Campaign for Wool, Wool Research of New Zealand (WRONZ), and Beef and Lamb New Zealand, with former-Fonterra chairman John Monaghan at the helm.

General manager Kara Biggs – ex-Campaign for Wool – told the primary production select committee on Thursday it was hoping to secure one-third of its required funding from industry, and another third from farmers in the future.

She said industry’s funding contribution would be voluntary, as commodity levies could only apply to producers.

“Coming back to growers, yes is the short answer, we are looking to run a levy campaign and it would sit under the Commodity Levies Act,” she said.

“So the work that we’re doing at the moment is trying to figure out exactly how much funding comes from each.”

Biggs said based on its calculations, it was working with a proposal of about 2-3 cents per kilogram, and was asking a selection of growers about their possible contribution threshold.

“What we’re looking for is a different model where we actually enable the current players to be more profitable with what they’re already doing, rather than kind of trying to take control and trying to sort of do it all ourselves,” she said.

Would you pay a commodity levy for wool, and how much? Let us know by emailing monique.steele@rnz.co.nz

“I think that would really feel like another wool board 2.0.”

Biggs said a single-desk model like Zespri’s would be expensive to set up and could exacerbate some of their current challenges.

More farmer members support levy, says Feds

Most of New Zealand’s large primary producers pay levies, including horticulturalists, growers and farmers across dairy, red meat, arable, poultry and eggs.

An anonymous Central North Island shearing contractor said ending levies ceased seed funding for training and qualifications programmes for shearers, which was now a user-pays model.

Federated Farmers’ meat and wool council chairman Richard Dawkins said farmers voted out the NZ Wool Board, because they were dissatisfied with the return on investment for their levy.

He said any new levy would need to be transparent and accountable for farmers’ financial contribution.

“There is majority support of the idea of a levy. You know, farmers are keen to invest in this industry,” he said.

“While there is that support, we would like to see significant transparency and understanding and real measurables on that return on investment.”

He said more than half its members supported the idea of bringing back a levy.

“What farmers are really looking for is just a significant return on investment for their levy, we just don’t want to re-invent the wheel and go round in circles. We actually need to see outcomes from our investment.”

Dawkins said the sector organisations had become quite siloed, and it made sense to bring them together.

After many tough years for sheep farmers, strong wool prices were rebounding, and just hit a ten-year high earlier this month.

The Fusca platform’s strong wool indicator increased 130 percent compared to 2022 levels at $5.46 per kilogram, with prices reaching $5.80/kilo in recent North Island wool auctions.

Also speaking at the select committee, Wool Impact chief executive Andy Caughey said that meant an extra $200 million a year was coming directly into rural communities.

“From a government’s point of view, your $4.5m investment in Wool Impact is looking like a good return on investment,” he said.

Caughey said brands were drivers of demand and manufacturers could no longer access the supply of wool it used to, creating good opportunity for New Zealand wool, now that growers were profitable again.

“Now is the time for us to bring the two parties together and look at what we can do to use this as an opportunity to solidify the price point that we’ve got, and use it as a platform for price stability so we can maintain sheep in our communities.”

Wool Impact received Government and industry funding to improve demand for New Zealand wool by encouraging new supply deals with manufacturers, and awaited further guidance on any future funding, but would be rolled into the new Wool Alliance.

Major wool broker PGG Wrightson ended its Napier sale after 140 years last month, and will launch its national wool auction system in Christchurch this week.

It could still be some time before a levy would come into force, until the next Commodity Levy Order could be made.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Putting up fences, riding farm bikes and wielding chainsaws – responsibly, of course – are part of the curriculum for a course at Geraldine High School.

It’s called the Primary Industries Academy (PIA), and aims to teach students skills that translate into real-world farming jobs.

“All our units of work are NCEA but they’re unit standard,” head of department Sarah Foley-Smith said, “Which means that they’ve been written by industry for industry.”

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PIA, a course offered for Years 11, 12 and 13, is part of the Trades Academy through Primary ITO (Industry Training Organisations).

The course loops in industry businesses and experts, like Struan Moore from Strainrite Fencing, who share their expertise in a hands-on way.

” help a little bit with the coaching, mainly with the wire work,” Moore said.

He and fellow fencer Dan Douglass were on site, helping students put strainer fence posts in the ground, when Country Life visited.

Moore said PIA students had the know-how and capability to become contract fencers after school.

“They could go and work at any fencing contractor.”

He attributes that success to Foley-Smith’s teaching style.

“The kids respond to her in a way that they achieve.

“I’ve actually heard from some parents that the sole reason their children stayed at school was because of the academy.”

Similar praise rings from the courses’ students, such as 15-year-old Sophia McDonald.

“It’s helped me a lot, because last year I was a bit naughty and all that.

“I was actually going to drop out next year, but I’m going to stay, because I like PIA.”

McDonald is one of several students who will head north for this year’s Fieldays to compete in the Silver Staples, a fencing competition that the school won in 2025.

Like most PIA students, she enjoyed the practical work and getting outdoors.

The course is selected-entry. Hopeful Year 10s send in a written application, partake in a practical interview and attend a sit-down meeting with their parents.

Foley-Smith said selections are less focused on excellence, and more on teamwork and persistence.

“A lot of my students probably would normally leave school [by] end of Year 11,” she said.

“It’s just nice if we can keep them at school and they can actually grow up; that’s the big thing about remaining at school until Year 13.”

Learn more:

• Learn more about Geraldine High School’s Primary Industries Academy here.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The bunting’s up, sandwiches have been cut, crosses bearing the names of fallen soldiers are around the cenotaph and freshly made wreaths are ready to be placed.

It’s a common scene on Anzac Day around rural New Zealand but one small town goes to special lengths to involve its community every year.

This year in the Manawatū township of Halcombe, baggy 1940s-style suits have come out, the sleeves adorned simply with the letters H.G.

They’ll be worn by a contingent representing the local Home Guard, platoons of volunteers set up to protect New Zealand in case of invasion during WW2.

Each year Halcombe features a different theme “so we really get a sense of what was happening, and so we can all really learn from it”, one of the organisers Alex Short told Country Life.

Follow Country Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts.

Last year the emphasis was on the “Land Girls” who looked after farms and food production when many of the workers went overseas to fight.

This year Short’s father Wayne had done a lot of research on the local Home Guard platoons for a display in the town’s Memorial Hall where locals, and many out-of-towners, would gather for a cup of tea and baking after the ceremony.

Among letters, diaries and training manuals from the period, he discovered a secret group, given priority access to weapons, led by his grandfather Bruce Short.

“The Guide Platoon was actually a guerrilla warfare group, so they were trained in sabotage, to attack at night and all sorts of things like that.

“Not even the wives knew about what they were going to do, it was that top secret.”

His wife’s grandfather Eric Pryce, a WWI Miltary Cross holder, was the commander for the area, and his letters show some frustration at the lack of resources for the volunteers, Wayne said.

In the regular platoons, the men were well trained and relied on ingenuity a lot of the time, he said. They were busy working but still found time to train.

He still has the one and only gun belonging to his grandfather which had to be passed among men for firing practice.

They were expected to know the local terrain “so well they could walk it with their eyes shut”.

Dummy grenades made out of wood by his grandfather are among the artefacts on display.

“It was all about just slowing down any invading force, so drop the bridges, blow up railway lines and stuff like that, and drop trees across the roads.

“Rural people really got in behind it – they saw the need to actually support the country.

“In the cities, it was a little bit different, and they had problems getting people on board. In 1942 they made it compulsory for anyone from 35 to 50 had to join the Home Guard.”

Wayne’s daughter Alex said, through the research for this year’s theme, some people had discovered the role their forebears played in the local Home Guard, and that would be brought to life this weekend.

“We have about 20 men who will be dressed in period costume, just reasonably casual 1940s suits and stuff, with their armlets on, the Home Guard armlets, and they will be walking behind in the parade.

“I think it’s just sort of helping the people realise that these were just regular people in our community that stood up and did this job, and it makes you think, if something happened to us today, would we do the same thing? Who knows?”

The Halcombe service starts at 10.45am at the cenotaph.

Learn more:

• Watch the National Film Unit film Citizen Soldiers (1942) here

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Farm work offers young people a path to higher pay more quickly than many other sectors, Federate Farmers says as it releases its latest farm remuneration report.

The 2026 Federated Farmers-Rabobank Farm Remuneration Report shows the average salary of a farm worker increased three percent across the 13 roles it tracks compared to 2024, to $72,778 a year.

A dairy farm assistant, the most common position on a dairy farm, had a five percent annual pay increase to an average $63,359.

Federated Farmers employment spokesperson Karl Dean said the smaller wage increases followed a period of significant growth.

“Average annual salaries in our sector jumped 13 percent between 2022 and 2024, with a weighted average rise of 17 percent for sheep and beef farm roles.”

Pay growth was moderating back to something more normal, he said.

Rabobank general manager for country banking Bruce Weir said the report showed strong growth in total package values for farm employees.

Many are offered other perks.

“The salary figures don’t include the range of other benefits provided to farm employees, which can include things like vehicle usage, meat, firewood, phone and power allowances,” he said.

“For many farm employees, those extras can add up to several thousand dollars a year.

“Overall, the weighted average TPV across all farm employees lifted five percent to $77,030, nearly $4252 more than the average salary.”

Dean said it was a “compelling” option for young people considering the future.

“There are endless pathways and the majority of people, when they get through those lower levels, get on to higher-skilled jobs.

“There’s not many roles where you can leave school and be on to $65,000, $70,000 in your first year as a package. It’s pretty compelling.”

The wages of an arable farm machinery operator jumped 30 percent to $82,651.

On dairy farms overall, the average salary this year was $73,172 in 2026, up from $70,923 in 2024. The total package value was up five percent.

Sheep and beef farm workers overall had a drop in income, from $72,608 in 2024 to $71,504 but their total package value lifted 2 percent.

A Federated Farmers survey in February this year showed strong profitability on sheep and beef farms, but much more caution over forward expectations, reflecting ongoing cost pressures and market volatility.

“Even with conditions improving, farmers will be conscious of how cyclical schedules are, and are likely to take a cautious approach to reinvesting in staff until returns prove more reliable and consistent,” Dean said.

Arable farm workers had a pay rise from $71,541 to $73,850. The average total package value rose seven percent.

Machinery operators saw big increases in both TPV and salary, but general farm hands and farm managers experienced declines.

Deans said the pay boost for machinery operators was largely attributable to the lift in technology in harvesting and other equipment coming on to farms, and the greater level of knowledge required to operate this equipment.

“These skills are becoming harder to find and come at a cost of remuneration.

“The lift in pay also reflects the fact that the past two wet harvests have increased the number of hours worked by operators to get the harvest done and extra time spent getting crops established.”

Dean said it could be hard to find staff.

“In rural New Zealand it is still seemingly very difficult to get good staff. There’s still migrant labour required due to the fact we have very low unemployment rates in provincial New Zealand compared to the urban centres.”

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