Rural

Get your pets in their beachwear!

Western Bay of Plenty's much-loved annual Wander Dog series is this summer offering three walks around the district and a Doggy Day Out party, where pets are... Read More

Solar farm a waste of soil - Edgecumbe farmers

Edgecumbe farmers say large scale solar farms on some of the Rangitaiki Plains' most elite soil is shortsighted. Six neighbouring landowners, who submitted... Read More

Dawn blessing to open Pāpāmoa Hills Upgrade

There's a new look and experience to be had at Pāpāmoa Hills Cultural Heritage Regional Park this summer. A blessing by mana whenua on Saturday officially... Read More

Farmers reminded of fire danger while hay bailing

Farmers are being reminded to take care when hay bailing this season to avoid fires. Fire and Emergency's national wildfire manager Tim Mitchell says... Read More

Katikati welcomes unique toursim business

An innovative tourism business located in Katikati is breaking new ground by offering tours of a working avocado orchard, the first-of-its-kind in New Zealand.... Read More

Record forecast for Zespri growers

Zespri has released its November forecast for the 2023/24 season, with Green, Organic Green and RubyRed per tray returns forecast at record levels, and Zespri... Read More

Researchers awarded $6.1m to predict grape growth

Forecasting grape yield is tough and errors can be costly, so University of Canterbury researchers have been awarded $6.1 million to blend viticulture with robotics,... Read More

Police praise school group lost in bush

Police are praising a school group for keeping calm and doing all the right things after getting lost in bush in Western Bay of Plenty this last week. Fourteen... Read More

Female arborist climbs to world competition

A Te Puke woman is climbing her way towards international victory after winning the NZ Women's Arborist Tree Climbing Championship title last weekend in Invercargill. Stephanie... Read More

Children team with farmer to protect dotterels

It is all go at Waihī Beach with the northern New Zealand dotterels settling in all sorts of weird and wonderful places to breed, the latest nest this season... Read More

Tertiary students encourage rural health careers

In a bid to tackle the severe lack of health professionals in rural communities, two teams of tertiary students are heading to Hawke's Bay, Gisborne, and... Read More

The success of pairing avocados and mushrooms

Adding mushrooms to avocados has proved a recipe for success for a Northland couple. Greg Rathbun and Tann Duangprasit originally purchased an existing avocado... Read More