Federated Farmers of New Zealand

CHRISTCHURCH — With over 300 farmers, university students, school students and the army working in Christchurch today, both the Farmy Army and Student Volunteer Army (SVA) are aiming for a big push on Thursday and Friday.

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Federated Farmers has settled on an impressive shortlist for the 2011 Agribusiness Person of the Year Award.

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Farmers have jumped two places to be New Zealand’s fourteenth most trusted profession in Readers Digest New Zealand's Most Trusted Professions 2011.

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CHRISTCHURCH — The mammoth task of removing Christchurch’s liquefaction continues today and will continue each day up to and including Friday.

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CHRISTCHURCH — With the Farmy Army, Student Volunteer Army and Christchurch City Council combining from tomorrow to remove silt following the latest earthquake, residents are being advised how to make contact to request assistance.

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An Occupational Health and Safety Manual has been launched by Federated Farmers to improve agricultural health and safety and could help save agriculture and the wider agricultural community, millions of dollars each year in direct and indirect costs.

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CHRISTCHURCH — Federated Farmers’ Adverse Events Trust (AET) is to donate $285,000 to nine charities and groups in Christchurch.

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Federated Farmers is welcoming two developments marking agriculture’s economic sunrise.

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Federated Farmers is welcoming the continued hold of the OCR at 2.5 percent, though a more upbeat outlook means that farmers should plan for tightening as early as the fourth quarter with new bank lending requirements likely to increase the cost of borrowing before then.

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Farmers and hunters should celebrate 9 June as Canada Geese freedom day, with the bird now a pest.

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Federated Farmers is counselling the Government against forcing Government Industry Agreements (GIA) on the export agricultural sector.

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Conservation organisation Forest & Bird and Federated Farmers today praised the report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) on the use of 1080.

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Since 2000, Varroa has seen the loss of at least 200,000 bee colonies.

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Following World Environment Day, Federated Farmers is to ask the Government to put protected areas on private land, such as QEII National Trust type covenants and Significant Natural Areas, on the same footing as the Department of Conservation (DoC) for council rating purposes.

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Honey bees, so vital to every New Zealander, are just 500 grams away from a disaster warns Federated Farmers.

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With no alternative to nature’s 100% Pure pollinator, Federated Farmers is highlighting that everyone can make a difference as to whether bees are ‘fat or skinny’, by planting trees for healthy bees.

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As part of Bee Week 2011, Federated Farmers is highlighting the pollination activities of honey bees.

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Having called for implementation of the National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) scheme to be delayed or abandoned, Federated Farmers is welcoming the decision by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) to delay the scheme from its planned 1 November start.

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CHRISTCHURCH — Federated Farmers’ Adverse Events Trust, a registered charity (no.

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SOUTHLAND — Following Federated Farmers Southland Annual General Meeting yesterday, 23 May, the Province elected a new provincial president to replace Rod Pemberton, who is now farming in Central Otago.

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Federated Farmers has welcomed Fonterra Cooperative Group locking in $7.50 per kilogram of milk solids (kg/MS) as its forecast milk price for the 2010/11 season.

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The real cost of an Emission Trading Scheme on dairy farmers – The New Zealand Experience.

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InternetNZ, the Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand (TUANZ) and Federated Farmers have expressed concern that a substantial number of schools and students in Zone 3 may be missing out on fibre connections in the initial rollout of the Government’s broadband programmes.

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Federated Farmers has welcomed the complete lack of electoral lollies in Budget 2011 as well as the track towards a balanced budget by 2015 “It is refreshing to have a Budget promoted as being a zero-sum game that delivers on that promise,” says Philip York, Federated Farmers economics and commerce spokesperson.

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Lachlan McKenzie is Federated Farmers chairperson The 2008/9 season was an annus horribilis for the nation's 11,618 dairy farms.

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Federated Farmers is responding to the front page story in today's Dominion Post, also carried in The Press, which suggested the average dairy farm in 2009 had income of $500,000, but apparently paid $1506 in tax.

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Federated Farmers supports Fonterra Cooperative Group converting a cropping farm in Brazil’s Goiás State, into a pilot 850 hectare dairy farm.

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Federated Farmers believes the latest Agricultural Production Statistics for the year to June 2010, as well as agriculture’s revised emissions profile, shows that agriculture is not ‘intensive’.

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NAPIER — Following the Federated Farmers Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 4 May Bruce Wills was elected as the new provincial president.

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The Reserve Bank’s latest Financial Stability Report accords with Federated Farmers view that improved commodity prices will not rapidly translate into economic activity.

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Federated Farmers’ Gisborne/Wairoa Annual General Meeting was held on Thursday 5 May and saw new Dairy and Meat & Fibre chairpersons voted in.

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Federated Farmers deputy leader Donald Aubrey is way off the mark with his hysterical claim that land occupiers are going to be charged for game bird hunting, says Fish & Game NZ chief executive Bryce Johnson.

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OTAGO — Federated Farmers' Otago Annual General Meeting was held on Tuesday 3 May and saw new Dairy and Meat & Fibre chairpersons voted in.

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Federated Farmers will work with the Government given yesterday’s announcement of a National Policy Statement (NPS) for water and the Cleanup Fund.

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Federated Farmers is hailing the significant announcement yesterday on both water storage and on policy as moves that will cement New Zealand as the real ‘lucky country’.

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Federated Farmers rejects a recent push by Fish and Game looking to force landowners to pay new hunting fees to shoot ducks on their own land.

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Conor English, Chief Executive Officer Federated Farmers New Zealand is big.

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NELSON — Following the Federated Farmers Nelson Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 4 May, Gavin O’Donnell was elected as the new provincial president.

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Federated Farmers lobbying looks like it could deliver much cheaper mobile phone calls and texts for over a quarter of a million rural telecommunication customers.

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While the recession continues to dampen wages and salaries outside the farm gate, inside it, farm workers recorded an overall average salary rise of 4.9 percent in the year to October 2010, according to the Federated Farmers/Rabobank Farm Employee Remuneration Report for 2010.

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HAWKE'S BAY — Federated Farmers has welcomed the Government’s declaration of a medium scale adverse event for farmers in the Hawke’s Bay.

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HAWKE'S BAY — Following Central Hawke’s Bay District Council declaring a state of emergency, Federated Farmers Hawke’s Bay province has started collating reports from affected farms.

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This morning’s hold of the Official Cash Rate (OCR) at 2.5 percent, following last month’s 50 basis point cut, sends a powerful pre-Budget message to the Government.

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Federated Farmers believes two recent and significant policy initiatives are coming together that will make the Red Meat Market Development Contestable Fund fly for not just farmers, but all New Zealanders.

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Federated Farmers fully backs biosecurity resources at the border because biosecurity is the alpha and omega of not just farming, but the entire economy.

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The Hon Rodney Hide is the keynote speaker at the 2011 Federated Farmers Otago Provincial AGM, where he will talk about what local government reform will deliver for farmers.

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GISBORNE — Farmers on the east coast of the North Island, only just recovering from several seasons of drought, could be dealt a crippling blow if a planned Government policy on managing biodiversity goes ahead unchanged.

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Federated Farmers is welcoming confirmation the $252 million increase for rural broadband it successfully lobbied for, will finally generate results for rural New Zealand.

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Proposals by the Ministry of Agricultural and Fisheries (MAF) to relax import health standards for raw pork from the United States, Canada, Mexico and the European Union (EU), is like playing Russian roulette with the entire agricultural sector.

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Federated Farmers believes the application by China’s Shanghai Pengxin Group Limited, though its locally owned subsidiary, Milk New Zealand Holding Limited, will be an acid test for revised Overseas Investment Office (OIO) rules.

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Federated Farmers believes any company receiving raw milk at the regulated price, concerned about retail competition, is free to install processing plant in order to supply liquid milk to consumers.

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While Federated Farmers welcomes the Reserve Bank’s Outlook for commodity prices and implications for New Zealand monetary policy, with Federated Farmers Dairy chairperson urging caution after returning from a fact finding visit to the United States.

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The Government’s introduction of a new ‘Game Animal Council’ will have to prove its worth and not just be another MMP-era minor party ‘bribe’ paid for with taxpayer money.

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SOUTHLAND — Federated Farmers welcomes one of the first practical measures to emerge from last September’s devastating storms in Southland and South Otago, FMG’s introduction of a ‘Livestock Catastrophe Policy’ for sheep farmers.

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TARANAKI — Chief Coroner Neil McLean will be the keynote speaker at Federated Farmers Taranaki Meat & Fibre section’s Annual General Meeting and conference at the TSB Hub in Hawera on 28 April at 3pm.

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To celebrate the lighter aspects of farming life, Federated Farmers is putting up a brand new iPad 2 for the winner of its first ever funniest farming video competition.

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Federated Farmers is welcoming the Commerce Commission’s preliminary analysis into retail milk prices as a chance to help end the speculation over milk prices.

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The pastoral sector has told the Select Committee reviewing the Biosecurity Law Reform Bill, that exporters and taxpayers shouldn’t be expected to pay for import biosecurity.

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Fonterra shareholders will welcome the strong and positive performance turned by Fonterra Cooperative Group over the past half-year.

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Research by Federated Farmers has found that Australian milk was more expensive than New Zealand milk until February’s ‘milk war’, which has seen prices fall to as little as AU$1 (currently NZ$1.36) per litre.  “The first casualty of war is truth,” says Lachlan McKenzie, Federated Farmers Dairy chairperson.

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The Government’s announcement that the Canada Goose will no longer be protected as a game bird is welcomed by Federated Farmers, meaning they will now be allowed to be hunted freely as a pest.

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Ninety percent of inspected dairy farms in 2009/10 were either fully compliant with regional council plan and Resource Management Act (RMA) consent requirements, or guilty of no more than not complying with technical conditions.  “The truth is like a good story, it needs to be told,” says Lachlan McKenzie, Federated Farmers Dairy chairperson.

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CANTERBURY — Federated Farmers welcomes the announcement of Bill Bayfield as the new Chief Executive Officer of Environment Canterbury (ECAN) and hopes he will bring an even handed approach to the water issues plaguing the region.

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The weather has aligned nicely for Federated Farmers Farm Day 2011, which will be held near the major centres this Sunday, 13 March between 10am and 3pm.

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Plans to create a ‘super’ primary industries Ministry made up of the Ministry of Fisheries and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has the full backing of Federated Farmers.

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This morning’s cut of the Official Cash Rate (OCR) to 2.5 percent comes as no surprise following the devastation of the Christchurch Earthquake in addition to concerns about our already sluggish economy.

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WAIKATO — Waikato’s Greenlea Premier Meats is the first meat processor to make a $150,000 donation to ‘Meat the needs of Christchurch’, being run via the Adverse Events Trust, a registered charity administered by Federated Farmers (no.

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CANTERBURY — Federated Farmers of New Zealand in conjunction with Federated Farmers North Canterbury has decided to cancel its annual North Canterbury Farm Day due to the Christchurch Earthquake.

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CHRISTCHURCH — Wool Partners International has confirmed that it too will ‘Meat the needs of Christchurch’ – a charitable initiative being led by Federated Farmers.

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CHRISTCHURCH — Teams from Federated Farmers ‘Farmy Army’ are working hard on schools in the Shirley area of Christchurch.

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CHRISTCHURCH — With Federated Farmers ‘Farmy Army’ swelling in numbers, it is now in a position to go looking for work that needs to be attended to around Christchurch.

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Federated Farmers appreciates the long notice that Fonterra Cooperative Group Chief Executive, Andrew Ferrier, has given to the cooperative.

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CHRISTCHURCH — The Federated Farmers led ‘Farmy Army’ has today removed in excess of 1,100 tonnes of liquefaction from homes in the New Brighton area.

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CHRISTCHURCH — At a daily average of some 200,000 litres of water, over 600,000 litres have now been delivered by Bleeker Contracting and Raymond Hart since Thursday evening.

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CHRISTCHURCH — Federated Farmers is pleased to announce that an estimated 1,000 tonnes of earthquake debris was today removed from the Christchurch suburb of New Brighton, heavily impacted by last Tuesday’s earthquake.

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CHRISTCHURCH — To assist with the Christchurch cleanup, Federated Farmers has organised well over 300 farmers and urban residents to work in the St Martins and St Albans areas.

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CHRISTCHURCH — Within hours of calling on Canterbury’s farmers, Federated Farmers has assembled well over 58 pieces of equipment and skilled volunteers to start a major clean-up of Christchurch in conjunction with Fulton Hogan.

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CANTERBURY — North Canterbury Federated Farmers is reminding people not to resort to panic buying which would only lead to stations running out of fuel before fresh deliveries arrive.

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Vodafone and Telecom, preferred bidders for the $300 million Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI), were late withdrawals from today’s Federated Farmers rural broadband solutions meeting.

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Dr Richard Wild, President of the New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA), spoke to the Federated Farmers annual Dairy Council Meeting in Ashburton to discuss an issue close to both groups’ hearts, our animals.

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New Zealand’s farmers are not exploiting high local food prices, with farmers receiving less than 30 percent of the retail value.

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Federated Farmers is welcoming guidelines for the safe use of quad bikes released by the Department of Labour (DoL) today.

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Federated Farmers believes the failure of Wool Partners Cooperative (WPC) to secure $55 million in farmer backing, while disappointing, may still see a new farmer run cooperative emerge.

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From a speech to Federated Farmers Dairy Council, Hotel Ashburton 18 February 2011.

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Federated Farmers is disappointed at a rural newspaper's poor analysis of employment relationship problems relating to the agricultural sector.  "The analysis in Farmers Weekly was frankly disappointing for what is a very serious matter," says David Rose, Federated Farmers employment spokesperson.

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Federated Farmers is awaiting the imminent release to landowners of Transpower’s revised standard easement, for the acquiring of rights to construct and maintain transmission lines.

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Federated Farmers, having called for a Ministry for Primary Industries at its National Council last November, is delighted the Prime Minister now suggests it is a distinct possibility.

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Federated Farmers is lauding the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s (MAF) options for amendment to the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA) that will allow Fonterra Cooperative Group to trade shares among shareholders.

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Federated Farmers has made it clear in its submission to the Government’s Budget Policy Statement (BPS) that its spending needs to be affordable, efficient and effective to boost New Zealand’s economic resilience.

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Federated Farmers is considering media reports that Canadian agricultural giant, Agrium, may be the latest suitor for rural services company, PGG Wrightson.

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Federated Farmers welcomes Silver Fern Farms (SFF) and the New Zealand Merino Company’s (NZMC) partnership to push Merino sheep meat into untapped markets.

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While appreciating commodity prices will be positive for the New Zealand economy, it is only part of the cost equation for goods for all farmers, whether you’re producing cheese or lamb.

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Federated Farmers is celebrating the Environmental Risk Management Authority’s (ERMA) approval for the importation and release of eleven dung beetle species.

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Federated Farmers welcomes the new Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) but still has some reservations on how the new body will work and whether it will deliver the promised efficiencies.

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Despite one of the toughest seasons in memory, the agricultural sector’s contribution to the export economy has maintained its high, according to the latest Statistics New Zealand Overseas Merchandise Trade statistics.

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Following recent media speculation on the outcome of the $300 million Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI), Federated Farmers is challenging the initiative to ensure it delivers radically improved broadband for over one million New Zealanders.

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If we look back over the last half century no-one predicted the discovery of penicillin.

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TASMAN — In late December, while parts of New Zealand basked in sunshine, the top of the South Island and Golden Bay in particular was hit by the worst flooding in 169 years.

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This morning’s unsurprising hold of the Official Cash Rate (OCR) at three percent reflects general economic fundamentals.

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Federated Farmers latest mid-season farm confidence survey, has joined other recent business confidence indicators showing greater optimism in farming over the next 12 months.

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