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Country headlines with summaries.
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'Premium beverages' for pets made from catnip
27 May 2025An Auckland startup making wines for cats and dogs says catnip could be the next big thing in New Zealand's diverse horticulture offering. Audio
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High quality agreements with new trade partners priority for agricultural sector - report
28 May 2025The report asked local industry leaders their views on where the sector needs to go.
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The business turning kiwifruit into a leather alternative
26 May 2025KiwiLeather Innovations aims to repurpose the 50,000 tonnes of kiwifruit rejected in New Zealand each year.
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Economy could earn extra $10b in five to seven years through better land use - report
27 May 2025A new report suggests the country needs to change its thinking about how it uses agricultural land to get better productivity and economic returns from farmers.
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'Massive' hay shed fire cost company up to $1.5 million
26 May 2025A Canterbury business owner is absolutely gutted after more than half of his winter feed went up in flames.
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Former Timaru meatworks site sold for undisclosed amount
26 May 2025Six hundred meatworkers lost their jobs last year when the 139-year-old site was closed.
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New Zealand's best country music song of the year named
23 May 2025The exhaustion of first-time parenting has inspired Aotearoa's top country tune for 2025.
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Telling stories from the country for 100 years
23 May 2025As RNZ celebrates an important centenary, Country Life dips back into the archives to bring you some of the well-loved voices and shows from its rural team through the decades.
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Preserving native bush and local history on the 'perfect farm'
23 May 2025Former South-Taranaki mayor Ross Dunlop has led the way with conservation efforts on his family's dairy farm.
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AgriTech leaders say Budget sows seeds but real growth requires bold vision
23 May 2025Tax incentives and a $100 million venture capital boost signal government support for food and fibre innovation but agritech leaders say it's time to step up with a bold national growth strategy. Audio
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New discovery in the fight against facial eczema
New Zealand scientists studying a complex fungal disease that affects sheep have made a scientific breakthrough.
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Horse riders feel 'overlooked' by snubs for road protections
21 May 2025Equestrians are feeling "frustrated" as repeated bids for greater safety measures fall on deaf ears.
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NZ wool being used to make eco-friendly caskets
24 May 2025A Christchurch wool business has found a successful and unusual niche for its product.
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Kiwifruit giant Zespri posts $155m profit, while corporate profit soars
Orchard gate returns have dipped across most kiwifruit varieties per tray in the 2024/2025 fruit season, off records last year, while marketing giant Zespri's corporate profits hit a record.
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'Seems crazy': Bakery using Aussie broker to buy butter
21 May 2025It is too expensive to buy butter directly from NZ dairy companies.
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MPI wants to increase amount of glyphosate allowed on some crops
20 May 2025The agrichemical is the active ingredient in weedkillers like Roundup.
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Hygiene-grade wool producer wants to be the Fonterra of wool
20 May 2025Wellington start-up Woolchemy is challenging a $126 billion industry dominated by synthetic materials.
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Raw sewage dumping threatens oyster farmers' businesses
20 May 2025Dumping of raw sewage into the Mahurangi Harbour has led to frequent restrictions on their ability to harvest.
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The benefits of wrapping yourself in a woollen blanket this winter
17 May 2025Taranaki weaver Alison Ross is trying to bring back woollen blankets made from locally-grown wool to highlight the fibre's benefits.
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'In the winter, the roads can be a bit scary': The life of a rural midwife
17 May 2025Fording rivers and driving dangerous, winding roads is all in a day's work for Coromandel midwife Sheryl Wright.
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Changing the game: Female hunters find their tribe
15 May 2025Sammi Holland and Alesha Tomasi are behind Daughters of the Wild dedicated to women who hunt.
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New welfare code for sheep and beef cattle proposed
15 May 2025Feedback is being sought on the draft proposals include a ban on electro-immobilisation devices.
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Limits for residues of weedkiller glyphosate in food could rise
16 May 2025Public consultation for a proposal to raise maximum residue limits closes at 5pm on Friday.
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Canterbury dairy farm wins grant for injecting beneficial bacteria and fungi in soil
14 May 2025A Selwyn District farm is defying convention.
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