Established by the United Nations, the day acknowledges the vital role rural women play in their communities and economies. This year’s theme is “Rural Women Farmers Caring for Mother Nature”.

Two women making an impact on the dairy sector and the environment are DairyNZ’s Jodie Goudswaard and Stephanie Gudgeon.

Different Pathways Into Dairy

Goudswaard and Gudgeon took different routes into dairy farming. Goudswaard was raised on a dairy farm but married a “townie”. Gudgeon was a “city girl” who enjoyed everything rural and outdoors, and she met her husband during a short rural work placement, which set her on a life on-farm.

“I’ve always found a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment in working on the land, farming and simply being outdoors in nature. It’s a place of peace for me,” Gudgeon says.

She has now been farming for 20 years. “It was a baptism of fire initially, as I knew nothing about dairy farming. There’s an initiation period for women entering farming systems. You need time to understand the jargon, the seasonality, and the grit and hard work involved. Finding your feet in farming takes time, but it’s an incredibly rewarding journey.”

Caring for the Land

Both women have applied their rural expertise and connection with nature on their own farms.

They have planted riparian margins and native species and protected waterways, supporting healthier ecosystems alongside productive, resilient farm businesses.

“We’ve put a strong focus on targeted planting on our farm,” Goudswaard says. “Farming is a business, but it’s also your home, so it’s easy to become deeply involved in it. I’m just as at home milking cows and trimming tails as I am crunching statistics and working with sector groups.”

Roles at DairyNZ

Goudswaard and Gudgeon help farmers apply science-based solutions that work on-farm. Goudswaard is manager of DairyNZ’s DairyBase, which is described as New Zealand’s largest and longest-running dairy benchmarking service. Gudgeon is an Area Manager in DairyNZ’s regional team.

“Being part of DairyNZ’s regional team, I feel I’m able to give back to the sector. I enjoy inspiring women to be strong, knowledgeable, confident farmers,” Gudgeon says.

Growing Support for Women in Farming

Goudswaard says there is far more support for rural women now.

“Women are running farms – we’re doing everything now. Our local truck driver is a woman, our vet is a woman, and we have female neighbours farming by themselves. There is so much support available for women in dairy farming. Dairy Women’s Network is amazing, and it’s very easy to ‘find your people’. The world is waking up to the idea that women are no longer simply the ‘farmer’s wife’,” she says.

DairyNZ says the women’s stories reflect those of rural women across New Zealand who are leading farm businesses, strengthening rural communities, sharing knowledge and caring for the land. On the International Day of Rural Women, it says, the sector celebrates their collective contribution to the sector, economy and environment.

That is what Hamilton founders Vineet and Vibhah Shiriwastow found out recently on the world stage.

The couple, founders of Four Leaves Co Ltd, are the brains behind NZ SmartMilk, a functional drink that blends premium New Zealand milk and MGO 120+ manuka honey with collagen, protein, prebiotic fibre, selected botanical extracts, zinc and vitamin D3.

At the World Dairy Innovation Awards, held in June as part of the Global Dairy Congress in Barcelona, NZ SmartMilk won World's Best Dairy Drink.

For the couple, the award is vindication of their years-long journey to take a family tradition to the global market.

Born in Fiji, the couple and their four children now call Hamilton home. Vibhah recalls that the inspiration is deeply personal. For four generations, a milk-based wellness drink prepared by mothers and grandmothers has been a staple for their families.

"Long before NZ SmartMilk existed, the ritual already did. It began at home, made with care, warmth, and intention.

"Over time, the ritual became part of everyday life, something comforting, nourishing and deeply familiar," she says.

When it came to feeding their children, the Shiriwastows grappled with finding a wellness drink that was not "overly processed or overly engineered".

This began their quest to develop a wellness drink that included tradition, functional performance, and New Zealand provenance, without comprising the nutrient value.

"The real innovation is making functional nutrition work in a product that still looks, pours and tastes like milk, without relying on gums, stabilisers or preservatives," Vineet told Dairy News.

Milk is sourced from a South Auckland company which has its own farms and processes milk. The MGO 120+ manuka honey comes from a local farmer.

Vineet, who gave a passionate speech while receiving the award, says it has put NZ SmartMilk on the world stage and they are ready to take the product around the world.

First stop for the couple is India. The New Zealand-India free trade agreement comes into force on 20 October.

Four Leaves is now working towards establishing manufacturing and commercial operations in India with local partners. The model is not simply to export a New Zealand drink into India, but to combine New Zealand innovation and key New Zealand ingredients with Indian dairy capability, manufacturing and scale.

The New Zealand Government is also throwing its support behind the couple. In a letter to the Shiriwastows, Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay congratulated them on the win in Barcelona. He says the award reflected the commitment that has gone into the establishment of Four Leaves Co.

"It's always encouraging to see New Zealand's reputation for world-class dairy production and innovation recognised on the global stage.

"Your plans to explore investment, manufacturing and brand development opportunities in India reflect the ambition of New Zealand entrepreneurs building commercial links with India."

In a note to the couple, FoodBev chair Richard Hall thanked them for making the journey to Barcelona.

"You took everyone by storm at our Congress. Winning a key award. Challenging traditional mindsets and tastebuds. And having a laugh at the same time.

"Thank you again so much for making the effort and for making the journey."

For the Shiriwastows, years of hard work are paying dividends.

Vibhah adds that they had never set out to create another wellness trend.

"We wanted to preserve something meaningful and refine it for modern life. What began as a personal ritual slowly evolved into a larger vision: to create a cleaner, more thoughtful approach to functional nutrition.

"And I'm glad the world has endorsed out product."

NZ Provenancee

New Zealand became part of the NZ SmartMilk story naturally.

The environment, the ingredients, the quality standards and the slower way of thinking all aligned with the philosophy we already believed in, says Vineet Shiriwastow.

NZ SmartMilk is sold at 13 FreshChoice stores across Auckland, Waikato, Wellington and Christchurch. It is also available online at lullaa.nz.

Up for grabs are awards and prizes over $1 million in three categories: Share Farmer of the Year, Dairy Manager of the Year and Dairy Trainee of the Year.

The regional winners will compete for the national title at the national awards dinner in Christchurch on Saturday, 15 May 2027.

NZDIA general manager Robin Congdon says the awards programme continues to shine a spotlight on the best of the New Zealand dairy industry, with strong entrant numbers last year across the categories and the backing of loyal national and regional sponsors.

"We are launching into our 38th year with real energy to drive and showcase best practice across the dairy sector.

"Following on from a strong year, farmers and businesses are in a good position to support the awards programme. It's a great way to invest in your people and your business, and to help secure the future of New Zealand's strongest primary sector."

The awards are an opportunity for entrants to better themselves and their business. Being able to benchmark against the best in the industry and gain insights from the judges puts entrants in a better position to advance their careers, he says.

Entrants get networking opportunities, the chance to find mentors and make key industry connections to help their future dairy careers.

The prize package of more than $1 million is the cherry on top, he says.

NZDIA has announced a new North Waikato/Hauraki region, which now takes in the Morrinsville district and continues to include Franklin and South Auckland, will run its first awards programme this season. The regional committee will be reaching out to farmers and potential sponsors across the new regional area.

Entries for the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards close 6 December.

They include sitting director Cathy Quinn and agribusiness leaders Jessie Chan, Mark Cox and Peter Moynihan.

Fonterra shareholders can stand for board elections in two ways: as independently assessed candidates or as non-assessed candidates.

All four candidates filed their nominations as assessed candidates. No shareholders chose to go through the non-assessment process this year.

Voting packs containing candidate profiles will be mailed to eligible shareholders next week.

Shareholders can vote online or by post. Voting closes at 10.30am on November 10 and results will be announced later that day.

The two successful directors take up their positions at Fonterra annual general meeting in Hamilton next month.

Cathy Quinn and Brent Goldsack, Waikato, are up for re-election this year. Goldsack is retiring after serving nine years on the board.

Quinn, vying for a third three-year term on the board, currently chairs of both the disclosure committee and the strategic review committee which oversaw the sale of Fonterra’s global consumer business.

She is trustee of a trust owning dairy farms of which she is also a director.

She also chairs Tourism Holdings and is a director of Fletcher Building and Rangatira Limited.

Prior to her governance career, she was a senior commercial and corporate lawyer at MinterEllisonRuddWatts for over three decades.

Chan draws from a farming career and various leadership roles across the primary sector.

She is a director of AgriZero, Āmua Innovation and the Ngāpuhi Investment Fund, a Crown-owned entity with $166 million in commercial assets.

Jessie Chan

She is a prior director of RuralCo, AgResearch, Ngāi Tahu Farming and the New Zealand Pork Industry Board (statutory industry body supporting pig farmers).

Prior to her governance career, Chan held various policy, research, environmental sustainability and advocacy roles across the dairy sector.

Cox is a founder of Coxco Group, a vertically integrated agri-business with a core focus on the growth of squash for the Japanese and Korean markets, and Craigmore Sustainables, an international investment group which builds and manages New Zealand based food and fibre businesses.

He has held a range of governance roles and is currently an advisory board member of Ngāi Tahu Farming and director of Rakaia Irrigation.

He has held a range of governance roles and is currently an advisory board member of Ngāi Tahu Farming and director of Rakaia Irrigation.

Peter Moynihan

Moynihan operates a large-scale dairy farming operation, owning two farms with a shareholding interest in a third.

He is the outgoing chair of The Power Company Limited Group (TPCL) and was an elected director of Ravensdown for 11 years.

Prior to his governance roles, he had a 30-plus year career as a senior agribusiness banking executive with extensive experience building stakeholder relationships across the primary sector and rural communities.

Council Vote

For Fonterra's Co-operative Council, an election is only required in one ward this year.

Two nominations were received for the Southern Northland ward – Kirsten Watson and Adam Cullen.

For six other wards, only one nomination was received.

Sitting councillors, Grant Coombes (Waikato West), Andrew Myers (Waipa), Kylie Leonard (Central Plateau) and Don Moore (Eastern Southland) are re-elected unopposed for another term.

In Piako Ward, Paul Manion and Hank van der Bosch (Wairarapa Ward) are confirmed as new councillors.

That's what retired All Black Sam Whitelock discovered as he adjusts to life back on the family farm in Manawatu.

Whitelock retired in May 2024 after playing 153 tests for New Zealand between 2010 and 2023.

The youngest New Zealander to reach 100 tests, he had stints at Japan and France after retiring as an All Black.

Apart from being a full-time dairy farmer, Whitelock is also an Ambassador for Farmstrong, a nationwide wellbeing programme that helps farmers and growers.

The career change is feeling a little strange, Whitelock told Dairy News.

"I left home almost 20 years ago to tackle the world, and coming back two decades later with a few stories, a few scars, a wife, and three kids is a wholesome moment.

"Getting to give my kids the same rural upbringing I had growing up on the family farm is pretty special."

The fifth-generation family farm is located about 15 minutes south of Palmerston North and milks 1500 cows.

Whitelock's brother owns the neighbouring farm which "makes it great for sharing information on what is working".

"We milk twice a day, though we keep our heifers on once a day to look after them and get them back in calf. In terms of feed, we buy in supplements and use a feed pad as needed.

"We are constantly adjusting to match animal needs and pasture quality - we are focused on getting the best out of our stock in a system that works for our land."

With seven full-time staff, there's plenty of support for Whitelock.

"Having just returned, I am pretty much the dog's body at the moment, learning the systems from staff who have been here a while.

"In rugby I was the senior guy helping upskill others, whereas here I am on the learning side of things, which I am really enjoying.

"I am doing a bit of everything across the week, ranging from shed washdowns and pasture management to calving and picking up calves, relearning skills I used to know well as a teenager."

For Whitelock, being one of the world's best locks and working on a clean and green dairy farm requires the same mindset.

He believes there are many crossovers between sport and farming. Team spirit is the key in both disciplines.

"In both, you are always looking for ways to improve, which is a great mindset, but you also have to remind yourself that Rome wasn't built in a day," he says.

"You need a good plan and just chip away at it over time.

"The biggest similarity is the team aspect. Whether it is a two-person operation of a large-scale enterprise, farming is never just one person out there, it is always a team effort, exactly like footy.

"We are always striving to do better, but sometimes you have to stop and look back at where you started to appreciate the improvements you have made to your farm system."

Farmstrong Ambassador

Apart from milking cows, Sam Whitelock also advocates for farmer wellbeing across New Zealand.

His decision to become Farmstrong Ambassador happened "very organically".

"A few years before Farmstrong existed, my parents went through a massive crisis when salmonella hit the dairy herd, and the vet advised culling heavily to stop the spread.

"The pressure on mum and dad was immense, to the point where mum did not leave the house for three weeks.

"They had great support from family and neighbours down the road, but it showed me how quickly farmers can isolate themselves and bottle things up during tough times.

"When Farmstrong formed a couple of years later, I jumped on board to help share those real stories and practical tools, and I have been involved for ten years now."

Whitelock believes mental health is a significant challenge, but he sees it as being wider than just mental health on its own.

There are a lot of small, everyday factors that build up, and if we can nail the little things, it helps prevent the major issues from taking hold, he adds.

"So many farmers are already doing simple things that make a world of difference, like pulling up at the fenceline or popping over to a neighbour's place for a cup of tea.

"It does not need to be a heavy conversation about mental health; just asking how someone is going provides that crucial connection place, so people do not feel like they are doing it alone."

Belonging Matters

With Mental Health Awareness Week running from 12–18 October, this year’s theme of ‘Belonging Matters’ is a timely reminder for the dairy sector. Genuine social connection keeps our rural communities strong, ensuring no one feels like they are walking the paddock alone. mhaw.nz

Farmstrong is a nationwide wellbeing programme that helps farmers and growers live well to farm well. It shares practical tools, resources and stories from farmers and growers around New Zealand to help people boost their wellbeing and handle the ups and downs of farming

Find out more at farmstrong.co.nz 

In a joint statement, Tatua's outgoing chair Stephen Allen and chief executive Brendhan Greaney say the co-op's largest capital investment in history - an $85 million Foods II project - will help meet demand for a range of cream-based UHT products.

"Tatua enters the new financial year with a positive outlook," they say.

"Additional capacity from Foods II is expected to assist in meeting demand in selected specialised product areas, while the co-operative continues to assess growth opportunities carefully.

"The board and management remain focused on maintaining a sound balance between current shareholder returns, ongoing reinvestment, and the financial strength required to support Tatua's longer-term plans."

The co-operative announced a final milk price of $12.42/kgMS for the 2025-26 season.

The co-op achieved total earnings of $13.93/kgMS, of which $1.51/kgMS was retained to support future growth and resilience.

Trading conditions across international dairy markets were mixed during the year. Although market pricing was broadly supportive, performance varied by product and region, with some customers affected by economic uncertainty, changing trade patterns and geopolitical disruption.

Tatua's diversified range of products, markets and customer relationships helped moderate these impacts.

Allen says the co-op's specialised nutritionals and foods & flavours businesses both achieved record revenue levels, building on long-term investment in product development, technical expertise and close customer partnerships.

The ingredients business, which is more closely linked to commodity dairy markets, also made a solid contribution to overall earnings.

During the year, several projects were advanced to support ongoing business performance, including work across manufacturing infrastructure, site reliability, environmental initiatives, business systems, and people capability, the company says.

The Government has declared the extreme wet and cold conditions across Southland and the Clutha District a "medium-scale adverse event", unlocking assistance, including tax relief and Ministry of Social Development special payments and other support.

Delaney manages the 349ha SDH at Wallacetown as a research and development farm on behalf of the Southern Dairy Development Trust.

He said the rain had been "just relentless" for six weeks.

"And as much as it affects the farm, it affects the staff, the people, and everyone's demeanour.

"We're seeing the back of it now, but leading up to this has been pretty challenging."

Delaney believes the farm has weathered the conditions better than many in the district because of its nature as a demonstration farm.

"We spend a lot of time planning and thinking about how best to run our operation.

"So, at the end of last season we made a deliberate decision to dry off with our targeted average pasture covers rather than push it for extra milk.

"It just meant that we went into winter with good cover and then we had a spring rotation planner that was based on optimising our feed usage over winter and we stuck to that diligently.

"When the rains came, we were in a really good position feed wise and we've been able to ride through the challenging winter from a feed perspective.

"That seems to be where most farmers are struggling."

SDH had also been doing targeted and shed feeding for at-risk cows rather than blanket coverage for all cows.

"We've actually been able to protect our feed really well," said Delaney.

"Those that didn't have a backup plan, or have enough feed reserves, are really struggling at the moment because there's just not the available feed and the animals are really crying out for it, given that they're getting into the milking stage now."

SDH runs 750 cows in two herds, one "standard" and one "future" where different feed and management strategies are trialled.

Federated Farmers Southland provincial president and national arable chair Chris Dillon said the last two weeks of September had been particularly bad.

"It was very wet and then it got wetter."

Dillon said that for dairy farmers, it meant pasture damage and lower grass growth.

"They might be able to make it up through the season, but they've had a pretty bad start to it." 

He said arable farmers had had only rare small windows to get fertiliser and spraying done.

"Luckily, there's not a lot of spring planting, its autumn planted. So that's been a blessing this year."

Meanwhile, Environment Southland reports very good compliance with the winter grazing rules despite the difficult conditions.

Acting compliance manager Brad Thomas said the council received 35 complaints about potential non-compliance - down from 77 last season. All but one had been satisfactorily resolved.

"We've been very impressed with the compliance levels across the sector," said Thomas.

Fonterra last month announced a record final organic milk price of $14.13/kgMS for 2025-26, surpassing the previous record of $12.35/kgMS set in 2024-25. The co-operative has lifted the forecast organic milk price for this season to even higher - a mid-point of $14.3/kgMS, within a range of $13.30-$15.30/kgMS.

Coastal Taranaki organic dairy farmer and Fonterra supplier, Rachel Short isn't surprised with the new record price.

She told Dairy News that the demand for organic is constant and the demand for NZ certified organic, grass-fed and non-GMO is much higher than current supply.

"Health and quality unadulterated foods is in increasingly global demand."

The global organic dairy sector is valued at approximately US$23 billion, growing at an annual rate of about 6%.

Fonterra has 100 fully certified milk suppliers and is growing its supply base. The co-op's organic business has been running since 2002 and is expanding into the South Island and recruiting more organic farmers in the North Island.

Fonterra's head of milk supply, Lisa Payne, says the record milk prices reflect continued global demand for organic, grass-fed dairy.

"Landing a record final organic milk price for the co-op's organic farmers is a fantastic outcome, and a direct reflection of how strongly customers value the dairy produced through organic farming practices," she says.

"To follow that with a lift in the forecast for 2026-27 really builds on that momentum as we look to grow the organics programme further."

Payne says there's room to grow the co-op's organic supply to help keep up with global demand.

"And we'd encourage any farmer who's been thinking about it to reach out and start that conversation with the co-op," Payne says.

Payne also acknowledged the hard work of Fonterra's existing organic farmers.

"Records like what we achieved in 2025/26 don't happen without the people behind them," she says.

"Our organic programme is in great shape and that ultimately comes down to the commitment of our farmers."

Short, who milks 350 cows, has been an organic farmer for eight years.

She's also a member of the Organics Aotearoa New Zealand board and says organic producers are doing well.

"Our market report and sector intelligence supports this."

However, the current Government's attempt to introduce a Gene Technology Bill is causing anxiety among some farmers.

While the Bill has been stalled due to a lack of support from New Zealand First, it's future will depend on the outcome of the upcoming general election.

Short agrees that many farmers are anxious about the Government's attempt to release gene technology into the environment.

She says these concerns aren't only shared by organic farmers.

"It simply does not make any economic or environmental sense."

Entries are open across eleven regions in the Share Farmer of the Year, Dairy Manager of the Year and Dairy Trainee of the Year categories, and close on 6 December.

Regional winners will compete for national titles at the National Awards Dinner in Christchurch on Saturday, 15 May 2027.

Entrants Gain Benchmarking and Networking

NZDIA General Manager Robin Congdon said the programme continues to spotlight the best of the New Zealand dairy industry.

He said entrant numbers were strong last year across the categories, and the awards have the backing of loyal national and regional sponsors.

"We are launching into our 38th year with real energy to drive and showcase best practice across the dairy sector," he said.

Congdon said farmers and businesses are in a good position to support the awards following a strong year.

"It's a great way to invest in your people and your business, and to help secure the future of New Zealand's strongest primary sector," he said.

He said entrants can benchmark themselves against the best in the industry and gain insights from the judges, which puts them in a better position to advance their careers.

Entrants also get networking opportunities and the chance to find mentors and make industry connections.

Prize Package Tops $1 Million

Congdon described the prize package of more than $1 million as "the cherry on top".

Power Farming is returning as a sponsor, offering the National Share Farmer of the Year runner-up the use of a KIOTI HX 140hp tractor for a year. LIC's GeneMark Genomics prize goes to the national winner of the LIC Animal Wellbeing Recording and Productivity Award, who will be able to DNA test the dams and replacement animals in their herd. CowManager will again award a two-year CowManager Experience in the Share Farmer of the Year category.

Honda is again offering early bird prizes to those who enter before 27 October. They are an EU22i Generator for Dairy Trainee, a WB20 Water Pump for Dairy Manager and an XR150L Motorbike for Share Farmer of the Year.

"Our national sponsors across the board continue to provide significant rewards for the top farmers coming through the awards programme," Congdon said. "We are incredibly grateful for their ongoing support, which allows us to celebrate and reward the very best in our industry."

Special Awards

Nominations for the Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award open in November. The award recognises leading farmers who showcase excellence, identify role models and best practice, and lift the overall standard in the dairy sector.

The Fonterra and ASB First Farm Award and the ASB Alumni of the Year Award are also on offer again. Entries for both open in the New Year.

The First Farm Award will be presented to three winners, who will receive up to $1 million of ASB Business Term Lending fixed at 1% for three years. It is open to farmers who have previously entered the Share Farmer of the Year category and plan to buy their first farm within two years. The award provides financial and strategic support to help them launch into farm ownership.

The Alumni of the Year Award is a collaboration between ASB and NZDIA that rewards alumni who have made significant contributions to the programme and the industry. The winner also receives up to $1 million of ASB Business Term Lending fixed at 1% for three years. Entrants must be former NZDIA participants who have progressed to farm ownership or hold more than 50% equity in a farm business. Lending terms and conditions apply to both awards.

Congdon said the awards give young dairy farmers another reason to enter the Dairy Trainee, Dairy Manager and Share Farmer categories, as the opportunities and value of being an alumni member continue to give back in the future.

New North Waikato/Hauraki Region

A new North Waikato/Hauraki region will run its first awards programme this season. It takes in the Morrinsville district and continues to include Franklin and South Auckland. The regional committee will contact farmers and potential sponsors across the new area. Enquiries about entering or sponsoring can be sent to nwh@nzdia.org.nz.

The awards are run by volunteer regional committees, many of whose members are former entrants. Several committee representatives attended the NZDIA Conference in Rotorua in September.

Congdon said there has been strong progression through the committee ranks, with members stepping up into leadership roles. "Being part of a regional committee is a fantastic way to give back to the industry and grow your own skills," he said.

The West Coast/Top of the South region is seeking a second-in-command to work alongside this year's Regional Manager. Interested people can contact wctos@nzdia.org.nz.

How To Enter

Entries close on 6 December. Information on categories and prizes, and the entry form, are available at dairyindustryawards.co.nz.

The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are supported by national sponsors ASB, CowManager, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Honda, LIC and Power Farming, along with industry partners Fonterra, DairyNZ and The Country.

The co-operative is paying $12.42/kgMS for milk supplied by its 100 shareholder farms last season.

The previous season, Tatua paid $12.30/kgMS.

In a statement, Tatua’s outgoing chair Stephen Allen and chief executive Brendhan Greaney say the co-op achieved a strong result for the year, with record shareholder milk collections, further development of its specialised product categories, and the commissioning of Foods II, a major investment in additional cream products manufacturing capacity.

Trading conditions across international dairy markets were mixed during the year, they say.

“Although market pricing was broadly supportive, performance varied by product and region, with some customers affected by economic uncertainty, changing trade patterns and geopolitical disruption. Tatua's diversified range of products, markets and customer relationships helped moderate these impacts.”

The business activities resulted in earnings of $13.93/kgMS of shareholder supplied milksolids. Of this, $1.51/kgMS will be retained to support the co-operative’s future growth and resilience, resulting in a cash payout to shareholders of $12.42/kgMS.

Last month Fonterra announced its annual results. The co-op also paid $12.42/kgMS to its farmer shareholders last season. However, this included a Mainland special dividend of $16c/share and $2/share capital return from sale of its global consumer business.

Fonterra shareholders received a milk price of $9.69/kgMS plus a cash dividend of 57/share.

Synlait farmer suppliers also received $9.69/kgMS milk price with average incentives of $0.38/kgMS paid on top. The total average payment to Synlait’s farmers is $10.07/kgMS.

Labour Party agriculture spokesperson Jo Luxton announced at the NZ Guild of Agricultural Journalists and Communicators’ ag policy debate last night that a Labour Government would "review and fix" the Act.

"It is something the sector has been asking for. We’ve listened and we will deliver," Luxton said.

Federated Farmers sharefarmer chair Sam Ebbett says Labour’s commitment is a positive step towards bringing the legislation into line with modern dairy farming.

"We’ve been calling for this review of the Sharemilking Agreements Act because the legislation has failed to keep pace with the way dairy farming operates today.

"Contract milking is now a major part of the dairy progression pathway, but contract milkers sit outside the Act because they’re paid a negotiated rate rather than a share of returns.

"So, even though contract milkers perform essentially the same role as variable-order sharemilkers, they can have quite different protections under the law because of how they’re paid.

"We don’t think that’s a good enough outcome - and a review of the law is urgently needed."

There were 1,367 dairy herds operated by contract milkers in the 2024/25 season, representing 13.2% of all herds.

Unlike variable-order sharemilkers, contract milkers aren’t guaranteed the minimum terms and dispute-resolution process provided by the Act and Sharemilking Agreements Order 2011.

Instead, they rely on their individual agreements and general contract law, even where there’s a significant imbalance in bargaining power.

Ebbett says that is increasingly out of step with the role contract milking plays in helping young farmers establish themselves in the industry.

"The Sharemilking Agreements Act was designed to provide a statutory floor for sharemilkers, but the industry has changed hugely since then.

"Contract milking has become a really important first step into self-employment for a lot of young farmers, and we need a framework that gives them confidence in those arrangements."

Federated Farmers sharefarm owner chair Brendan Attrill says the issue also matters for farm owners, particularly those using sharemilking and contract milking as part of succession and business planning.

"Sharemilking and contract milking are critical entry points into dairy farm ownership and succession pathways," Attrill says.

"They allow the next generation to build capability and capital while providing established farmers with a practical way to transition out of the business."

Attrill says the Sharemilking Agreements Act also predates modern arrangements such as hybrid contracts, processor incentives and environmental payments.

"We’ve got a dairy industry operating in a very different commercial environment from what this legislation was originally designed for back in the 1930s, especially with the increase in contract milking since the 2010s.

"We need the legislation to reflect how farming businesses actually operate today, while keeping the flexibility that makes these different progression pathways work so well."

Federated Farmers wants a review to consider whether the framework can provide appropriate and consistent minimum protections for comparable dairy operating arrangements, without converting operators into employees.

It also wants coverage to reflect the nature of the work rather than simply how an operator is paid, greater clarity around new revenue and incentive payments, and clearer, more accessible and proportionate dispute-resolution mechanisms.

Federated Farmers has written to the major political parties asking them to commit to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act 1937 and Sharemilking Agreements Order 2011.

"It’s great to have Labour on board - but now we’re calling on the other major parties to make the same commitment," Ebbett says.

"This shouldn’t be a partisan issue. There is a clear case for updating legislation that was written in the 1930s to reflect how the dairy sector actually operates today."

"It’s time to bring the law into the 21st century." 

The result marks the first full-year result since chief executive Richard Allen took over the co-operative.

Key FY26 Numbers at a Glance

• Total cash returns to shareholders: $19.6 billion
• FY26 total cash dividends, fully imputed: 73 cents per share, up from 57 cents
• 2025/26 final Farmgate Milk Price: $9.69 per kgMS
• 2025/26 final Organic Milk Price: $14.13 per kgMS
• Total Group: 
  • Operating profit: $3.4 billion, up 97.6% on prior year, including a $1.2 billion Mainland divestment benefit
  • Profit after tax: $2.6 billion, up 142%
• Underlying business:
  • Operating profit: $1.8 billion, up 23.6% on prior year
  • Earnings of 71 cents per share, up 17 cents
  • Return on capital: 14.2%, up from 11.7%
• FY27 forecast underlying earnings range: 65-85 cents per share
• 2026/27 forecast Farmgate Milk Price: $9.50 per kgMS, with a range of $8.50 - $10.50 per kgMS
• 2026/27 forecast Organic Milk Price: $14.30 per kgMS, with a range of $13.30 - $15.30 per kgMS

The final Farmgate Milk Price for the 2025/26 season was $9.69 per kgMS, the figure used to determine payments to dairy farmers supplying Fonterra.

The result reflects global demand for protein-based dairy ingredients and pricing and product-mix decisions within the co-operative's Ingredients business.

Fonterra declared a final fully imputed dividend of 33 cents per share, taking the full-year fully imputed dividend to 73 cents per share once combined with the 24-cent interim dividend and the 16-cent special Mainland dividend paid in April.

Profit Driven Partly by Mainland Divestment

Total Group reported operating profit was $3.4 billion, up from $1.7 billion the prior year. The increase includes a one-off $1.2 billion benefit from the Mainland Group divestment. Reported profit after tax was $2.6 billion.

Excluding the one-off item, underlying operating profit for the continuing B2B business was $1.8 billion, with underlying profit after tax of $1.2 billion, equivalent to 71 cents per share. Fonterra had set a target a year earlier to return earnings to FY25 levels within three years of the Consumer divestment; the company said it reached that target in the first year.

Return on capital for the year was 14.2%, above the co-operative's 10–12% target range. Fonterra attributed the result to its focus on business-to-business dairy ingredients rather than consumer brands.

Fonterra completed the sale of Mainland Group in March, following approval from farmer shareholders.

The company said the sale marks a shift toward operating as a global B2B dairy ingredients provider rather than a consumer-brand owner.

$1 Billion South Island Investment Announced

Fonterra announced an incremental $1 billion investment over the next three years in the South Island, directed at expanding protein manufacturing capacity and reducing environmental impact, including on water and emissions.

The company said the investment will be funded from capital retained through the Mainland divestment and from cash flow, is expected to be operational in 2029, and would create an estimated 50–60 permanent roles, in addition to construction-phase work for local businesses.

Fonterra said it expects total capital investment of approximately $1.3–1.6 billion per annum over the next three years.

Fonterra also confirmed plans to expand its organic milk business into the South Island and said it will continue recruiting organic farmers nationally. The season's organic milk price reached a record $14.13 per kgMS.

FY27 Outlook — What Farmers and Shareholders Can Expect

Looking to the 2026/27 season, Fonterra is forecasting:

• Milk collections just above 1.6 billion kgMS
• A Farmgate Milk Price of $9.50 per kgMS, within a range of $8.50–$10.50
• An Organic Milk Price forecast of $14.30 per kgMS, range $13.30–$15.30
• Earnings guidance of 65–85 cents per share for FY27

Having reached its FY25 earnings-recovery target ahead of schedule, Fonterra says it will revert to its prior practice of issuing a standard forecast earnings range each year, rather than tracking against that specific target.

Chairman Peter McBride credited the co-operative's consistency through a year of major change, including the Mainland divestment and CEO Richard Allen's transition into the role.

Allen described FY26 as "a year of delivery," pointing to near-record milk collection and shipping volumes despite weather events and geopolitical volatility during the year.

The Crack family manages a 456 hectare farm near the Waituna Lagoon. As part of this, Jo balances a 350 to 370-strong Jersey cow herd alongside 2000 ewes and some beef stock.

The farm’s transition from a conventional system to an automated grazing setup powered by four Lely Astronaut A5 robots has completely revitalised their business and family lifestyle.

Southern Star Farms didn’t always look this way. Jo and her family started on a smaller, conventional dairy farm further up the road, milking up to 400 cows in an old herringbone shed. While they loved the industry and the animals, they quickly discovered two major pain points: they disliked the day-to-day grind of putting cups on cows, and they did not want to manage outside staff.

The logical step was to bring the cows home to their main property, downsize the herd slightly to focus on efficiency, and let automation take over the labour. Now, the dairy unit thrives at the top of the farm, while the sheep occupy the bottom acreage closest to the lagoon.

The transition has empowered Jo to manage the bulk of the dairy operation mostly by herself. When peak seasons arrive, family support steps in seamlessly. Her husband, Darrin, helps train heifers in the mornings and evenings, and the second generation - daughter Kimberly and daughter-in-law Annabel - can walk in and run the system with zero formal training.

“The system is pretty easy to follow,” Jo notes, explaining that she simply leaves a list on the wall for them to reference.

Operating on a peaty soil base that naturally keeps the animals above the mud, Southern Star Farms features a highly strategic grazing layout. Nearly four years ago, they added a barn to the property to protect the pastures and house the winter milkers during Southland’s frequently rough weather spells.

While the farm originally launched with a three-way grazing model, Jo quickly realised that optimising cow flow required an upgrade to a strict four-way grazing system (A, B, C, and D blocks). Under this system, the herd spends exactly six hours in each even break across a 24-hour period.

According to Jo, keeping the blocks perfectly identical is the secret to a steady, predictable robotic system. If the allocations are uneven, cow flow becomes erratic, causing large groups to bottleneck at the lounge. By utilising four even intervals, the cows achieve an optimal milking frequency of two to three times a day, voluntarily spreading their traffic evenly across the day and night.

Passion for Genetics

One of Joanne Crack's greatest passions is cow genetics, and the Lely system has completely transformed her breeding programme. Dissatisfied with catalogues - where bulls are marketed as “robot ready” but fail to perform under real-world automated conditions - Jo took matters into her own hands.

By extracting deep data from her Lely Horizon management software, Jo meticulously monitors metrics like milk speed, culling information, and the performance of specific cow families. This level of granularity simply isn’t available in conventional systems, or even in large rotaries according to her.

“The last few years I’ve actually been keeping bulls from those families, and the resulting progeny, there’s no surprises with them,” Jo says. “They milk exactly as I expect them to and generally better than anything I get out of the catalogues.”

This customised breeding approach has driven consistent, yearon- year production increases without expanding the herd size. Seeing her top Jersey cows regularly achieve 800 to 900 kilograms of milksolids has set a new benchmark for what her entire herd could achieve.

Reflecting on their journey, Jo stands firmly by a sentiment she shared back in 2024: “If we hadn’t put in the robots, we wouldn’t be dairying right now. Robots have given us freedom and taken the stress away.”

Today, that statement remains entirely accurate. The automation allows the family to handle a highly diversified workload - including raising all their own Jersey replacements, selling yearling bulls, growing out beef crossbreeds, and managing their own cultivation and muck spreading - without burning out.

Looking ahead, Jo sees virtual fencing as the next evolutionary step for their property, which would allow her to shift grass breaks right from her phone and potentially explore batch-milking groups to minimise cow walking distances.

Ag First’s Lauren McEldowney, based in Stratford, says there’s been below average rainfall in July and August. As a result, overall it’s been drier across the region. She says colder than normal temperatures and more frosts, combined with the southerly winds, have resulted
in below average pasture growth rates.

McEldowney says for certain parts of Taranaki in late July and early August, pasture growth rates were a lot lower than long term averages and what had been experienced in the last couple of seasons. In those years it was a lot wetter and while more grass was grown, it wasn’t all utilised because the ground was so wet.

“But what we have seen in the last two weeks is that it’s got a lot better, with soil temperatures rising and pasture growth picking up,” she told Dairy News.

The other point of note in Taranaki is that there are normal climatic variations. In the coastal areas of the region there is greater exposure to wind and recently they got hit a lot harder than the central and northern parts. For example, in Stratford, which is sheltered by Mt Taranaki.

Latest reports say that milk production in Taranaki is now about on a par with other seasons, although it was a bit behind for the month
of August.

Calving is said to be going well, noting of course that some parts of the region calve earlier than other parts.

In terms of animal health, McEldowney says there have been some well publicised issues with salmonella, but vets are helping farmers with this.

Also, she says there appears to be a few more instances of mastitis, but nothing major and the cause may be related to management practices.

El Niño's Effect

According to Lauren McEldowney, the potential impacts of El Nino are in the back of farmers’ minds. But she points out that dry conditions are not unusual in the region, and in the case of El Nino, it’s a case of just how dry it might get.

She says, as rule, South Taranaki can get very dry.

“Interestingly, that central area around Stratford, twenty or thirty years ago you would have said we were summer safe, but not so much now,” she says.

McEldowney says farmers now need to get set up for summer in terms of feed and make sure that they have reserves, and know where they can get feed from, and at what price. She says they may need to look at reducing cow numbers before Christmas and follow the best management practices.

Overall, farmers in the region are generally in a positive frame of mind. McEldowney says Fonterra suppliers are benefiting from the capital payout, and many have used this to reduce debt. But she says with the threat of El Nino and the uncertainty of the election, farmers are cautious about what steps to take in the future and potentially what the outlook for them might be if there were to be a change of government.

May farms at Greendale, near Darfield, on land that has been in the family as a cropping farm for about 150 years.

But he says rising costs, poor returns and uncertainty in the arable sector have forced the change. His was just the second in a "new wave" of many dairy conversions now underway in a belt from Greendale through Darfield to the Waimakiriri.

"In the last two to three years here, land values have gone up because of one industry. And it's not the cropping."

May said dairying was very good for farm succession and business, while cropping was "living on the edge".

As a cropping farmer he grew clover and ryegrass, alongside specialist crops like spinach, radish and Chinese kale seed, which were high input and high return but at the mercy of the weather.

May said cropping was a lot more hands-on, and he's "not missing it".

Previously he could have 12 or more different crops all with their own management needs and schedules.

"We spent a hundred thousand a year just on chemicals.

"Then we pay for all the seed dressing. Then we pay for the germination test, even if it fails.

"Then we pay for the transport. We pay to get the seed here and then we pay to get it taken away.

"And then all that machinery we've got sitting in the yard."

Despite spending about $12,000 a year on leased bees, yield was poor in his last cropping season because of poor germination.

May also notes that many Canterbury arable farmers suffered crop losses in major hailstorms in the past couple of years.

"If a crop fails you only get one go at it. And in this modern age with our costs, the cost of being a cropping farmer, it hurts you.

"Once you lose those crops, that's it. Whereas we get another go with the cows. We can get more feed in."

Another big driver was rising costs. He could no longer afford to insure crops after premiums went up 30%.

The last big development on the farm was installing irrigation under the Central Plains Water scheme about nine years ago, when May put in a central lane dividing the farm into eight big paddocks, four each side. The lane is still the main highway for the dairy operation but the internal fences have been shifted to create multiple seven-hectare paddocks.

"It's been a two-year journey. Eleven months to build it, 12-months-plus planning it. So it's been on our mind for a while."

A Busy Last Season

May says it had been a busy last season trying to get the last crops off while building the dairying infrastructure.

The dairy shed, yards and effluent ponds have gone in at the centre of the farm under the existing large centre pivot, which has been raised to clear the shed.

CPW irrigation water cannot be used to run the shed or for stock water so a separate well and supply line was put in a year ago in readiness for the conversion.

May called CPW one of the best irrigation systems in New Zealand, albeit the priciest.

"We put that in because we knew, 10-pluis years ago, that water was gold. And water is the secret. You can do anything under it.

"Once you've had water there wouldn't be anyone that would farm without it."

May said that on the CPW system he was operating under "probably the strictest criteria in New Zealand," with every drop of water accounted for, and probes to monitoring leaching and soil moisture.

So, did May know how to milk a cow? Not at all, he readily admits.

"The kids laughed at me when I said what I was doing. But we knew we had to do it to keep the land."

He said there were a lot of good people in dairying and it was a matter of getting the right expertise.

Consultant John Donkers of Dairy Farm Management Services was instrumental, as was hiring an experienced dairy manager, Adrian Holden. May's wife Adrienne is looking after the calves and their son Locky is Holden's 2IC.

May owns the herd, which numbers 650 cows in the first season. The cows are KiwiCross with Jersey genetics, chosen because they are not too large for his heavy soils.

They are running a modern system with AllFlex SenseHub collars on the cows. The 54-ball rotary shed boasts a ProTrack auto drafting gate, automatic cup removers and scales on the feed silos.

Although the conversion required many new fences, May chose not to try virtual fencing collars because of the cost.

"We've got to walk before we run. We're mindful of that. These things you can add later if you want."

While milk production is easing, demand for dairy remains resilient especially across Asia.

This presents upside potential for the New Zealand milk price and a possible $10/kgMS milk price, according to RaboResearch senior agricultural analyst Emma Higgins.

In its Q3 Global Dairy Quarterly, Rabobank notes that global milk production has continued to expand across the major exporting regions through the third quarter of 2026, although the pace has slowed to an estimated 1.4% year-on-year, the weakest quarterly growth since early 2025.

It says the global dairy market is transitioning from a period defined by milk production growth to one increasingly influenced by supply uncertainty, with anticipated slowing production growth, tightening producer margins, structural constraints in Europe and a stabilising Chinese market providing greater support to global dairy commodity prices.

Milk supply remains elevated in the US, New Zealand and, at a headline level, the EU, although north-western Europe is showing clear heat impacts. Production growth in Brazil and Argentina is also moderating due to challenging year-earlier comparisons and heavy rainfall.

Higgins said milk powder markets - which are particularly significant for New Zealand as milk powder makes up just over half of all New Zealand dairy exports - have been the standout performer during quarter three.

While last week's Global Dairy Trade result saw a slight drop in whole milk powder prices, the previous two auctions delivered a significant lift in powder markets. Skim milk powder prices jumped more than 10% across the events, while whole milk powder prices gained nearly 3%, despite the large volumes on offer.

"We've also seen strong demand for New Zealand dairy product from Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand) throughout 2026, which has helped to ensure New Zealand farmgate prices have held up better than in the Northern Hemisphere," she says.

Higgins says New Zealand farmgate milk price prospects for 2026/27 were weakened when Fonterra's opening midpoint figure of $9.75/kgMS was shifted 50c lower to $9.25/kgMS in July.

"However, RaboResearch thinks this position may be short-lived and we anticipate the final milk price for 2026/27 has room to land somewhere closer to $10 kgMS which would help maintain broad-based profitability for another season if costs are well managed," she says.

The Rabobank report says New Zealand milk production for the 2026/27 season is expected to grow marginally.

"The 2025/26 season closed at a record 2,027 billion kgMS, becoming the first season to exceed the 2 billion kgMS threshold," Higgins said.

"The first two months of the 2026/27 season have confirmed that strong momentum is continuing. June and July 2026 both set new monthly production records, surpassing the highs established in the same months last year."

At this stage, RaboResearch forecasts New Zealand production growth of around 1% in 2026/26, although this outlook is likely to change as the effects of El Niño become clearer.

Margins Under Pressure

As in other regions around the world, New Zealand producer margins are increasingly under pressure, says Higgins.

"Strong milk price forecasts continue to support farmer confidence, but increasing on-farm costs and rising interest rates mean that milk prices and input costs are beginning to move towards each other, reducing the margin buffer that has supported profitability over the past couple of years," she says.

"Although producer returns remain positive in most regions, profitability is less secure than it was earlier in the year, raising the risk that producers may become more cautious about expansion."

It shows that while right now most farmers are making a profit, 39% of dairy farmers are expecting a downturn. That's opposed to only 18% sheep and beef farmers who think that things will get worse.

Feds president Colin Hurst says this come at a time when profitability is the highest it's been in a decade, with the survey showing 72% of farmers are making a profit, with fewer than one in 20 making a loss.

That, he says, is an incredibly positive result, adding that just a few years ago high interest rates, low commodity prices and sky-high input costs were making it really hard for farmers to earn a living.

"Now dairy, sheep and beef farmers are getting strong returns again, meaning farming has been one of the main bright spots in an otherwise sluggish economy," he says.

But Hurst says confidence has started to wane and there is genuine uncertainty in the sector. He says the three main concerns of farmers are rising farm input costs, regulation, compliance and red tape, and thee potential result of the upcoming election.

He says the rising cost of fuel, fertiliser, freight, insurance and other costs are ratcheting up faster than returns, meaning profit margins could be eroded.

"Worries about commodity prices and weather, such as a potential El Niño-driven drought, are well back at 12% and 11% respectively," he says.

A key concern to come through in the survey is the plight of the arable sector, which supplies seeds, grains and feed for the country's livestock industry.

Hurst says it's deeply concerning that only one in five arable farmers are making a profit.

"The current conditions lifting the pastoral sector are not reaching our cropping farmers and that's bad news for all of us," he says.

Hurst says for political parties wondering what farmers want most from the Government, the clearest single instruction is to finish what has been started.

Stevenson, who milks 1500 cows in the Wairarapa, chaired the council since November 2022.

He will retire at Fonterra's annual general meeting in November after reaching the maximum nine-year tenure.

Stevenson told Dairy News that he has always enjoyed the direct nature of conversation with farmers.

"They never leave you wondering what they are thinking, and they demand accountability."

Stevenson believes the council is in a strong position moving forward.

"We have a group of really capable councillors and a strong management team, all of whom will ensure Fonterra farmers are strongly represented into the future."

However, Stevenson isn't slowing down on the final stretch of his term.

"There is plenty of work to do before I finish at the AGM.

"This includes running the director elections, the production of our annual report, analysing Fonterra's financial results and our assessment of how well Fonterra has performed against our letter of expectations."

Stevenson's successor is expected to be named at a council meeting this week.

He represents the Wairarapa ward in the 28-member council, which comprises 25 elected members and three appointed councillors.

Stevenson is one of seven elected councillors, who's terms are up for re-election. Other councillors retiring end of this year are Cushla Smith, Southern Northland ward, and Aleisha Broomfield, Piako ward.

Councillors seeking re-election are Grant Coombes, Waikato West, Andrew Myers, Waipa, Kylie Leonard, Central Plateau, and Don Moore, Eastern Southland.

Nominations close at midday, Thursday October 1.

The council's role is to support shareholders' democratic control of Fonterra and to actively represent members' interests as owners, investors and suppliers.

Meanwhile nominations are being called for Fonterra board elections.

This year, directors Brent Goldsack and Cathy Quinn retire by rotation, Quinn is standing for re-election while Goldsack is retiring from the board.

An independent assessment process, where candidates are assessed by a three-member panel, was held last month. Candidates who opted for the process will be announced this week.

The non-assessment process - where farmers can put themselves forward as a candidate for the board outside the Independent Assessment Process - is now open for nominations.

The Returning Officer will confirm all directors' election candidates on Friday 2 October.

That's the advice from Waikato Federated Farmers dairy chair Matthew Zonderop as DairyNZ warns a very strong El Niño could push farm working expenses higher.

The industry-good body warns that farm working expenses could rise to $6.78/kgMS and the national breakeven milk price to $9.07/kgMS.

DairyNZ is also urging farmers to prepare for tighter margins and potential feed shortages should an El Niño materialise.

Zonderop, sharemilking 400 crossbred cows in Te Poi near Matamata, told Dairy News that the industry good organisation has summed it up well.

"Get a plan in place, watch both the feed and financial budgets and talk with your bank and farm consultants," he says.

"The golden rule is that it's 90% planning and 10% execution."

Zonderop says it's also important for farmers to have a plan for all their livestock and staff.

"Don't forget them and your staff: cows don't perform well under heat stress and neither do we.

"Have a plan in place for both."

Zonderop is also calling for farmers to be realistic about the situation.

"Don't think rain is around the corner and 'she'll be right'. Be sensible and think of next season and not the here and now."

DairyNZ modelling shows the anticipated El Niño event adds a layer of uncertainty to a dairy season already marked by major global events and cost pressures, with the potential for drier conditions to affect pasture growth, feed supply and milk production.

Earth Sciences New Zealand (ESNZ) has confirmed El Niño conditions are developing in the tropical Pacific, with the event expected to strengthen through spring, peak in early summer and influence New Zealand's weather into autumn 2027.

DairyNZ head of economics Mark Storey says farmers are now facing the prospect of weather-related challenges on top of existing cost pressures.

"Three months ago, our focus was on the Strait of Hormuz and the impact of higher fuel, fertiliser and feed costs on farm," says Storey.

"While those pressures remain, another challenge has emerged in the form of the strong El Niño. We now need to consider what the weather could mean for pasture growth and feed supply on farm."

ESNZ chief scientist Chris Brandolino explains that this is shaping up to be a very strong El Niño, and more likely than not, the strongest on record.

"When considering previous very strong El Niño events, as well as what long-range modelling is indicating, drier-than-usual conditions are favoured over northern and eastern areas of New Zealand during spring and summer," says Brandolino.

"However, for western and lower parts of the South Island, spring and summer is likely to feature wetter than usual conditions. It's important that people stay up-to-date and regularly check for the latest outlooks and forecasts, as things may change."

In its EconTracker quarterly update, DairyNZ has modelled two El Niño scenarios - 'strong' and 'very strong' - comparing against a baseline season without significant El Niño impacts.

The modelling shows the national breakeven milk price could increase from $8.62/kgMS under the baseline scenario, to $8.90/kgMS under a strong El Niño, and $9.07/kgMS under a very strong El Niño.

Farm working expenses are also modelled to increase from $6.18/kgMS under the baseline scenario to $6.57/kgMS under a strong El Niño and $6.78/kgMS under a very strong El Niño.

"Pasture will take the first hit, creating the biggest driver of the additional cost pressure, with national feed expenses modelled to increase from $1.56/kgMS under the baseline scenario to $2.02/kgMS under a very strong El Niño," explains Storey.

Milk production is also expected to dip, rather than collapse, with national production modelled to be around 2.1% lower under a strong El Niño and around 3.3% lower under a very strong El Niño.

Incumbent director Cathy Quinn is joined by three new candidates as the co-operative seeks to fill two board positions.

Two Board Seats Up For Election

Quinn, who has completed two terms on the Fonterra Board, is seeking re-election and chose to go through the Independent Assessment Process again this year.

She is joined on the ballot by three independently assessed candidates put forward by the Independent Assessment Panel: Jessie Chan, Mark Cox, and Peter Moynihan.

Assessment summaries covering each candidate's skills and attributes, along with full candidate statements and biographies will be included in shareholders' voting packs.

Meet the Candidates

Cathy Quinn

Cathy Quinn currently chairs Fonterra's Disclosure Committee and Strategic Review Committee, the latter having overseen the sale of Fonterra's Global Consumer business.

She previously chaired the Long-Term Aspirations Review Committee and the Divestment Review Committee.

Outside Fonterra, Quinn chairs Tourism Holdings and sits on the boards of Fletcher Building, Rangatira Limited and the Auckland University Council.

She spent more than three decades as a corporate lawyer at MinterEllisonRuddWatts, including eight years chairing its board, and was made and Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2016.

Jessie Chan

Jessie Chan brings governance experience across agribusiness and regulatory sectors, with a focus on shareholder engagement and advocacy.

Chan is currently a director of AgriZero, the public-private joint venture investment fund focused on emissions reduction in the primary sector (owned by the government, major agribusinesses and banks). She is also a director of Āmua Innovation (a start-up in the nitrogen fertiliser space, under AgriZero’s portfolio) and the Ngāpuhi Investment Fund (Tupu Tonu), a Crown-owned entity with $166 million in commercial assets.

She is a prior director of RuralCo (a farming retail co-operative), AgResearch (a previous Crown Research Institute), Ngāi Tahu Farming and the New Zealand Pork Industry Board (statutory industry body supporting pig farmers). Prior to her governance career, Jessie held various policy, research, environmental sustainability and advocacy roles across the dairy sector.

Chan was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2022 for services to dairy and agriculture.

Mark Cox

Mark Cox has a career spanning dairy, horticulture, farm systems, export, food processing and institutional investment.

He founded Coxco Group, focused on squash exports to Japan and Korea, and Craigmore Sustainables, which grew to manage more than $1.3 billion in assets across a 39,000-hectare farming and forestry portfolio during his tenure.

Cox currently advises Ngāi Tahu Farming and directs Rakaia Irrigation, and now focuses on his own farming business in Canterbury.

Peter Moynihan

Peter Moynihan operates a large-scale dairy farming business, with ownership of two farms and a shareholding in a third.

He is the outgoing Chair of The Power Company Limited Group, a $1.1 billion Southland electricity network asset manager, where he led a restructure and strategy reset.

Moynihan served 11 years as an elected Ravensdown director and spent more than 30 years as a senior agribusiness banking executive.

How the Independent Assessment Process Works

Candidates who choose the Independent Assessment Process are reviewed by a three-member Independent Assessment Panel: Mark Verbiest (Chair of Meridian Energy and Summerset Group Holdings, and an ASB Bank director), Patrick Strange (a Transgrid director and former Auckland International Airport chair) and Dame Therese Walsh (Chair of Air New Zealand, ASB Bank and T20 2028 World Cup Limited).

The Panel provides shareholders with an independent assessment of each candidate's suitability.

Shareholders can also stand for the Board as Non-Assessed Candidates, provided they have the support of 35 fellow shareholders. Nominations for this route are open now and close at 12 noon on Thursday, 1 October 2026.

The full candidate list — Independently Assessed and any Non-Assessed Candidates — will be announced on Friday, 2 October 2026. Voting packs will be mailed to eligible shareholders from Monday, 19 October 2026, with voting available by internet or post. Voting closes at 10.30am on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, with results announced the same day. The election uses a First Past the Post voting system.

The co-operative's forecast midpoint has moved up from $9.25/kgMS to $9.50/kgMS.

Alongside the higher midpoint, Fonterra has also lifted and narrowed its forecast range, from $8.00-$10.50/kgMS to $8.50-$10.50/kgMS, signalling more confidence at the lower end of the rangee while keeping the top of the range unchanged.

Why The Forecast Improved

Fonterra chief executive Richard Allen says the upgrade reflects a stronger run of Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction results since the co-operative's last update in July.

Whole milk powder and skim milk powder - two of the most important products for New Zealand's dairy export mix - have both improved at recent auctions.

"Globally, we continue to see strength in demand," Allen says, pointing to sustained buyer interest as a key factor supporting the higher forecast.

He also credits the co-operative's performance, noting that the improving outlook reflects continued delivery from Fonterra's focused execution across its business-to-business operations.

A Note of Caution

Despite the upgrade, Allen is careful not to overstate the certainty of the outlook.

With only two months of the season complete, he says history shows conditions can shift quickly.

Geopolitical volatility also remains a live risk factor that could influence commodity prices and demand over the rest of the season.

As farmers look for pasture species better suited to increasingly variable weather conditions, DairyNZ is leading one of the country's biggest research programmes to address a gap identified by farmers: long-term pasture persistence and productivity.

As part of the Resilient Pastures programme, farmers have made it clear they need better information on how alternative pasture species perform on farm, and what establishment and management practices make these alternative species successful, DairyNZ senior scientist Dr Elena Minnee says.

During its first year, the programme has built a network of 15 farms across Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Northland, where farmers are testing a range of pasture species under commercial farm conditions.

The 15 network farmers have all planted three to five different species mixes and are monitoring and recording pasture growth.

"There has been an incredibly positive response to the Resilient Pastures programme," Minnee says.

Some of the network farmers have asked for more research on improved establishment and management guidelines for modern cultivars in current climates.

"The strength of this programme is that it's designed to stay responsive to what farmers are telling us they need," Minnee says.

"But it's also about connecting with farmers who've been testing different approaches and having successes."

In response, DairyNZ has initiated a trial at Scott Farm which will examine how different grazing management affects the persistence, productivity and quality of tall fescue pastures.

"It's about examining the benefits and any trade-offs in terms of long-term pasture production and persistence," Minee says.

"This grazing trial is informed by the practices top farmers are already using so we can quantify the benefit but also understand the underlying biological mechanisms."

Another season of variable weather events has only emphasised the importance for more resilient pastures to cope with periods of drought or high-rainfall events.

Network farmer Murray Jagger has been successfully growing tall fescue and cocksfoot-based pastures on his farm at Whangārei Heads in Northland for many years and says management is critical to getting the best results.

"Farmers have to unlearn what they've been taught around managing traditional ryegrass pastures and relearn how to manage these species," he says.

"If you treat them like a ryegrass pasture, you can run into trouble. Once you understand their growth pattern and manage them differently, they can perform really well."

The programme is key to gathering more data and knowledge around these alternative pastures, and eventually the industry can get more investment into breeding other pasture species, Murray says.

"It's a really critical piece of work. It's great there's been value seen in doing this programme to demonstrate that these alternative, more resilient pastures are actually not just additions to seed mixes, but a very valuable replacement to what we've been struggling with in ryegrass production."

The second year of the programme will focus on increasing farmer engagement through discussion groups and expanding data collection across the network farms.

The Project

The Resilient Pastures programme is a seven-year initiative led by DairyNZ with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Beef + Lamb New Zealand, focused on improving pasture performance and persistence on dairy sheep and beef farms in the upper North Island.

The programme involves:

• Climate
• Optimised farm systems
• Forage options
• Adoption

She says they don't know what the outcome of the election will bring or how a change of government might impact their lives and farming operations.

Brown says DairyNZ has always worked well with whichever government is elected.

Her comments come at a time when the polls and even the most clued-up political junkies struggle to pick which combination of political parties may take the treasury benches in the November election.

So that no political party is in doubt about what DairyNZ and their members want, they have prepared a simple, easy-to-read booklet outlining very clearly what they want from an incoming government. The six key priorities they would like enacted are:

• Getting resource management and freshwater systems right
• Building and funding a strong biosecurity system
• Strengthening the dairy workforce
• Boosting science funding and accelerating technology uptake
• Promoting low emissions technology and investing in rural infrastructure
• Backing strong animal welfare rules

The document provides a graphic snapshot of the contribution the dairy sector makes to the NZ economy, including the value of dairy exports, the number of people employed in the sector and the fact that the total wages bill for the sector is $4 billion.

Brown says while dairy farmers understand that change is a constant, they are also looking for certainty and need policy that rewards investment and encourages innovation.

She says future success won't come from just producing more - it will come from producing more value.

"The next government has an opportunity to build on the progress farmers have already made. Getting policy settings right now will provide confidence to invest, to adopt new technology and continue creating value for NZ. Delaying action risks slowing that progress," she says.

Brown says dairy farmers have spent years investing in environmental improvements, animal welfare, better infrastructure, planting, effluent systems, genetics and more resilient farm systems.

"Farmers need government to be a durable and practical partner providing policy that gives them confidence in invest, encourage development and recognises dairy's critical contribution to NZ," she says.

Organisers say this gives farmers and growers across the region an opportunity to have their work recognised and celebrated alongside some of New Zealand's leading farming and growing operations.

The awards, run by the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust (NZFET), recognise farmers and growers who are making thoughtful decisions about their land, environment, people and businesses, while demonstrating the innovation and commitment that goes into running a successful primary production operation.

West Coast Regional Council chair Colin Smith said the region's farming stories deserved a place in the national spotlight.

"The West Coast has a long proud history of farming well while caring for our natural landscapes, and it's time our farmers and growers had their place in the national showcase alongside every other region.

"The council is proud to partner with the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust to bring the Ballance Farm Environment Awards to the Coast, and we're committed to supporting the awards in the years ahead so this becomes a lasting part of how we celebrate farming here."

NZFET general manager Sarah Harris says the awards would provide an opportunity to shine a light on the people and practices that make West Coast farming so distinctive.

"The West Coast has a wealth of farming knowledge, experience and ingenuity, and we're looking forward to hearing the stories behind the people who are working the land there."

She says in her region, the Waikato, the dry weather has made calving a bit easier, but some late frosts have slowed down pasture growth, which she adds is a bit concerning. Overall, she says calving is likely to be better than last year because it’s been drier and pastures haven’t been damaged like they were a year ago when it was wet.

Hanging over all dairy farmers is the unknown impact of El Nino. Brown says some modelling suggests it could be more severe than past El Nino years, and if that’s the case, it will bring windy, dry conditions in eastern regions – impacting feed availability and causing heat stress for stock.

“But in the west, you might get high rainfall and there is a risk of flooding and damage to infrastructure. If the weather is bad, there is the risk of power being lost and farmers need to have a plan to deal with this eventuality,” she says.

Brown says DairyNZ is busy communicating with dairy farmers, telling them to be prepared and to understand the risks in their area and closely monitoring the weather conditions. She says farmers are being encouraged to start planning now around feed supply going into the autumn.

She says there are good resources on the DairyNZ website and this information will be updated throughout the season.

The other message that has gone out to all farmers is making sure that nitrogen is applied strategically, noting that soil temperatures must be right when it is applied.

Finally, Brown says she’s cautiously optimistic and although the milk price is a bit down on last at the start of the season, it’s still a strong milk price.

“But our costs have all gone up and so our margins continue to be eroded, so from now on its about good budgeting and good planning,” she says.

Like other farming leaders, Brown says no one really knows what’s going to happen next globally, so there is still some uncertainty on farms. She says the best advice is to have a plan and seek the right advice and to be aware that there is a lot of information and support available.

Speaking to Dairy News, deputy leader Daniel Eb says his party recognises that farming is a boom-and-bust industry, so the policy includes a deferral scheme should it come into effect.

“Prices are really good right now, but they weren’t two years ago, so that mechanism exists in the system,” Eb says.

The general election is set for Saturday, November 7. Several opinion polls suggest Opportunity may be in a front row seat to determine the next government. Some polls even suggest that neither the left nor right political blocs would be able to command a majority without them.

Opportunity’s proposed LVT has drawn the ire of farming groups.

But Eb says that it is important that New Zealand has some form of tax reform.

“The fact is our tax system was designed primarily in the mid-80s, before the fall of the Berlin Wall and before the first text message was sent,” he says. “You cannot continue operating an economy on 40-year-old tax settings. You need to set
tax settings as the world changes around you.”

Opportunity’s proposed LVT would see rural land taxed at 0.5% of its value annually.

The policy aims to discourage land-banking and large property portfolios and redirect money into businesses instead.

“I think it’s important to note that the land value tax sits alongside a citizen’s income,” Eb says. “And we are only proposing that these two are implemented together because you can’t have one without the other.”

He says that, on Opportunity’s projections, a farmer or farming family sitting at or close to the national average sale price of $6-7 million would not see significant changes to the taxes they pay.

“So that’s after you factor in that lower rate for rural land, which is 0.5% as opposed to 1.75% on urban land. That’s after you factor in the citizen’s income, which is effectively a negative income tax rate and significantly reduces your overall tax burden. That’s after you include a carve-out for any privately held conservation land on the farm.”

Eb says that some smaller farms or farms with a lower land value will likely see a tax cut under the policy.

He adds that there is also a plan in place to mitigate the possibility that the cost of the tax would be passed on to tenant farmers through higher lease rates.

“Primarily… we’ve proposed a 10-year transition for this tax,” he says.

Eb says this assumes the party is able to enact the policy within the next Parliamentary term, something he says seems unlikely.

“We’re going to be a minor party with limited influence. So, realistically, once you sort of bake in two election cycles, and then a 10-year transition plan, we’re talking about 2040-something for this to actually come into effect in full. And within the transition plan, we’ve built in a number of checkpoints to see how the market is baking in something like a land value tax.”

He says New Zealand’s land prices – both urban and rural – are overinflated and that is locking young farmers out of farm ownership.

The longer high prices last, the better for the farmgate milk price. Fonterra's mid-point forecast price is sitting at $9.25/kgMS.

The co-op could lift the mid-point when it announces its annual results for the 2025-26 season later this month.

Last week's Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction saw the skim milk powder (SMP) price jump 5.3% to US$3695/metric tonne. Whole milk powder (WMP) dipped slightly to US$3585/MT.

NZX head of dairy insights Cristina Alvarado says the auction delivered a more resilient result than the increase in seasonal supply might have suggested.

Milk powder demand remained firm, while milk fat declines were more contained than at the previous event, she says.

"With deliveries moving further into the seasonal stockpiling window ahead of Christmas, Chinese New Year and the beginning of Ramadan, buying activity has held despite the normal increase in volumes offered during this period," she says.

For Alvarado, the clearest signal from the event was continued strength in protein demand.

She noted that SMP was sitting US$110/t above WMP.

"The increase occurred despite SMP volumes rising 9.6% from the previous event, although volumes remained 5.8% below the same event last year.

"WMP, meanwhile, eased just 0.1%, despite Fonterra offering 7.9% more than at the previous event and 13.0% more than a year earlier.

"This suggests that additional supply was absorbed relatively comfortably rather than creating significantly downward pressure."

Alvarado says the result reinforces the increasingly divergent dairy market: protein demand is providing price support despite higher powder availability, while fats remain under the pressure and cheese faces a much heavier supply burden.

"The resilience of powders will remain important as Northern Hemisphere milk production responds to the effects of recent heatwaves and drought," she says.

ANZ agri economist Matt Dilly says processors are making a dent into 2026/27 sales at good prices, especially for milk powders.

He also points out that milk powders are the main drivers of higher dairy prices in recent months, offsetting weakness in milk fats.

The price spread between butter and SMP is a good way to look at this, he says.

In 2025, butter was US$5000/MT more expensive than SMP. Today the price spread is a much more reasonable US$2000/MT.

While butter demand is just as strong as ever, a concerted effort to increase production has helped turn the market back from its peaks in late 2024 and early 2025.

Dilly says dairy farmers are increasingly focusing on the milkfat component of their milk production, leading to sustained gains in production.

It builds on the co-operative's climate roadmap, with near-term emission reduction targets remaining a key part of the path towards their ambition to be net zero by 2050.

The roadmap is also important for Fonterra's global customers who recognise the inherent value of New Zealand's grass-fed dairy and are increasingly interested in the improvements the co-op is making across its supply chain.

Global customers are interested in the data and insights Fonterra can provide right down to an individual farm level, showing the hard work of its farmers.

Charlotte Rutherford, director of sustainability at Fonterra, told Dairy News that their commitment to sustainability remains strong.

Rutherford says the roadmap recognises the hard work their farmers do every day to care for the land, animals and environment that are the foundations of New Zealand's world-leading pasture-based farming.

"A huge thank you to our farmers, whose dedication and daily efforts underpin the path set out in this roadmap."

According to the refreshed roadmap, Fonterra is working alongside farmers to maintain high standards of animal wellbeing.

With high health and welfare standards, NZ cows live longer, productive lives.

The co-op says highly productive cows are essential for producing high quality milk.

"The way we farm in New Zealand means cows spend most of their time outdoors on pasture... This has positive animal health and wellbeing benefits for our cows."

On climate, Fonterra says reducing emissions remains a critical component of its climate action plan.

"However, we acknowledge that impacts of climate change are already being felt across the globe. This is why we are also considering how we adapt to climate change for the future of our co-operative."

Fonterra's 2026 emissions profile is made up of 4.5% scope one emissions - direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by the co-op.

Scope two - indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy - makes up 1.5%.

Scope three is 94% and is mad up of indirect emissions Fonterra incurs outside its ownership, primarily from farming activities.

The co-op says its net zero 2050 ambition is supported by eliminating remaining coal as an energy source in its operations by 2037.

On farming emissions, Fonterra notes that the same pasture-based system that helps them create grass-fed dairy products also presents unique challenges when it comes to reducing on-farm emissions.

The co-op acknowledges that progress with its on-farm emissions intensity reduction target has been challenging.

It is inventing in on-farm tools and services to strengthen on-farm decision making, while also preparing to adopt novel technologies as they become commercially available.

On nature, Fonterra says the significance of 'natural decline' (environmental degredation) is becoming a global focus.

"Key markets like Europe and Asia are advancing disclosure requirements relating to nature which will impact companies selling goods and services into these regions."

Joylato, a small gelato shop on Hurstmere Road in Takapuna that only opened its doors in January this year, was named Chelsea Sugar Supreme Boutique Champion for its Blueberry Yoghurt Gelato.

The win was part of a four-trophy haul for owner Esther Cai in her first year of business, with the same product also picking up Gelato Champion, New to Market Champion and New Entrant Champion honours.

At the other end of the industry, Motueka Creamery's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream was awarded the Hall's Cold Chain Logistics Supreme Champion title, recognising an established producer's mastery of a category widely regarded as the toughest to get right.

This year's competition drew a record 320 entries, up from 260 in 2025, reflecting continued growth and depth across New Zealand's ice cream and gelato sector.

Head Judge Cites Technical Execution

NZ Ice Cream & Gelato Awards Head Judge Geoff Scott said this year's results showed that scale was not a factor in quality, with both a single-storefront artisan and a large-scale dairy processor reaching the same technical standard.

"At this level, the difference between a good ice cream and a Supreme Champion isn't measured in miles – it's measured in millimetres," Scott says, adding that the judging panel was most impressed by consistency, balance and technical execution across entries, whether classic or experimental.

Of Joylato's winning gelato, Scott says the judging panel was unanimous, praising its clean, fresh yoghurt base, a natural tang balanced against blueberry that "complemented rather than dominated" the flavour, and a standout creamy texture.

Motueka Creamery's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream drew similarly high praise, with Scott describing it as rich, authentic and beautifully rounded, and noting that a truly excellent vanilla is often the benchmark by which the entire category is judged.

Bold Flavours and Sustainability Also Recognised

Beyond the two Supreme Champion titles, the 2026 awards highlighted the increasingly adventurous and multicultural nature of New Zealand's ice cream scene.

Entries ranged from cereal milk and garlic bread gelato through to Subi and Brother's Dulche de Letche Kheer, winner of the Formula Foods Open Creative Champion award, and Appleby Farms' Salted Lemongrass Ice Cream, which took out the Big Chill Export Ice Cream Champion title.

Sustainability was also a major theme.

Central Otago's Patagonia Chocolates won both the Pact Packaging Sustainability Champion trophy and the DKSH Chocolate Gelato, Sorbet or Dairy Free category for its Dark Chocolate Sorbet.

Sustainability judge Fiona Stephenson praised the company's business-wide environmental and social practices, including a 7-hectare organic fruit orchard, home-compostable packaging, electric equipment replacing diesel alternatives, and support for more than 40 local community causes over the past year.

Full List of 2026 Trophy Winners

Supreme Champions

• Motueka Creamery, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream — Hall's Cold Chain Logistics Supreme Champion
• Joylato, Blueberry Yoghurt Gelato — Chelsea Sugar Supreme Boutique Champion

Category Champions

• Much Moore Ice Cream Co, Premium Vanilla Ice Cream — Invita NZ Classic Vanilla Ice Cream Champion
• Much Moore Ice Cream Co, Awesome Salted Caramel Seduction Ice Cream — Bonson Packaging Classic Flavoured Ice Cream Champion
• Motueka Creamery, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream — International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) Premium Vanilla Ice Cream Champion
• New Zealand Natural, Boysenberry Dream — Americold Premium Flavoured Ice Cream Champion
• CrocShake, Spiced Plum and Pinot — RD2-International Best of Fusion Champion
• Kohu Road, Dark Chocolate Ice Cream — DKSH Performance Materials NZ Chocolate Ice Cream Champion
• Patagonia Chocolates, Dark Chocolate Sorbet — DKSH Performance Materials NZ Chocolate Gelato, Sorbet or Dairy Free Champion
• Joylato, Blueberry Yoghurt Gelato — Sensient Technologies Gelato Champion
• Kohu Road, Mango Sorbet — Infruit Sorbet Champion
• Appleby Farms, Salted Lemongrass Ice Cream — Big Chill Export Ice Cream Champion
• Much Moore Ice Cream Co, Wonders Strawberry Low Fat Yoghurt Ice Cream — Davis Food Ingredients | Provida Freight Low-Fat Champion
• MooMii Gelato, Golden Mango — Tetra Pak NZ Dairy-Free Champion
• Subi and Brother, Dulche de Letche Kheer — Formula Foods Open Creative Champion
• Joylato, Blueberry Yoghurt Gelato — Hawkins Watts New to Market Champion
• Joylato, Blueberry Yoghurt Gelato — NZICA New Entrant Champion
• Patagonia Chocolates — Pact Packaging Sustainability Champion
• Deep South, Mango Ripple Ice Cream — NZICA Kids' Choice Champion

DairyBase is New Zealand’s largest and longest-running dairy benchmarking service.

The tool supports practical decision-making across profitability, production and emissions. Its comprehensive datasets are used by farmers, government, industry, academia and financial institutions to benchmark, inform and support policy, advocacy and business matters

MINDA is a herd management system that helps farmers record, view and share real-time animal information to support on-farm decisions.

From this month farmers can connect their MINDA account with DairyBase.

Once connected, some of the herd data in MINDA will be automatically uploaded into DairyBase, reducing the amount of manual data entry required from farmers and advisors.

DairyBase manager Jodie Goudswaard says the data integration is a strong example of DairyNZ and LIC bringing their farm systems and credible, evidence-based approach together to benefit farmers.

“DairyNZ is continually seeking opportunities to make farmers’ lives easier, and reducing duplication of information is an important part of that. This is one of the most significant physical data integrations we’ve delivered into DairyBase,” she says.

“By securely using herd information farmers have already provided to LIC, we’re able to prefill up to 30% of DairyBase’s required physical information, including stock and herd records, reproduction and health. That means less time spent entering data and more time focused on understanding farm performance and identifying opportunities for improvement.

“Selected farmers have tested the integration on farm and provided positive feedback, reporting that it has already saved them heaps of time. Over the coming months, we will add more data integrations with MINDA, making the process even more streamlined,” she says.

LIC’s head of farm software, Blair Smith, says farmers expect the information they record once, to work across the tools they use every day.

“This integration is another step towards a more connected farm ecosystem, reducing double handling and making it easier for farmers to get value from the information they already record in MINDA.”

The package, announced last month, includes $2.5 million funding for a Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) training and support, expanded access to Primary Response in Medical Emergencies (PRIME) training, and $6 million for a refreshed National Rural Recruitment and Locum Support Service.

Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says that giving rural clinicians better training will mean more people can get the care they need closer to home, while ensuring that those who do need hospital care can be identified sooner.

“When someone needs urgent care in a rural community, having a highly trained clinician nearby can make all the difference,” Doocey says. “We’re making it easier for more clinicians to get the training they need so they’re ready to respond.”

Bronwyn Main, Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) board member and health policy action advisory group convenor, says RWNZ welcomes the announcement of the new investments.

“The investment is a positive step towards addressing some of the unique healthcare challenges faced by rural communities,” Main told Dairy News.

She says that investing in tools and training that expands what can be done in a rural setting is a practical way to back the people who care for their communities.

She says that the investment is “part of the puzzle and a positive step”, however the realities of rural life – issues like accessibility, distance, and isolation – are still proving to be a barrier for medical care in rural communities.

“For many rural families, a healthcare appointment isn’t just an hour out of your day. It can mean a round trip of several hours, taking leave from work, organising someone to pick the kids up from school, or finding childcare,” Main says.

Meanwhile, Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network chief executive Dr Grant Davidson says the announcement demonstrates the value of sustained advocacy and constructive engagement with Government.

“For many years we have consistently advocated that improving rural health outcomes requires investment in the people delivering care,” Davidson says.

He says the announcement recognises that rural clinicians require the correct training, support and workforce solutions to provide equitable healthcare for rural New Zealanders.

“Workforce recruitment and retention remain among the greatest challenges facing rural health providers. Expanding the service to include registered nurses and allied health professionals recognises the multidisciplinary nature of modern rural healthcare and will help build more sustainable teams,” says Davidson.

However, he says there is still more work to be done.

“Rural health services continue to face workforce shortages, funding inequities and increasing demand. We look forward to continuing to work alongside government, Health New Zealand and our sector partners to ensure rural communities receive the healthcare they deserve.”

The head of the school, Professor Paul Kenyon, says feedback suggests that people want to work with production animals such as sheep, cattle, pigs and poultry.

He says they have people who want to work with companion animals such as horses and cats and dogs and ruminant systems.

"So, this major is basically around pasture management, agronomy, soil science and a bit about farm systems. The second major is around animal agritech," he told Dairy News.

Kenyon says remote sensing and technologies such as wearables are now very much in vogue in the primary sector and the major on animal agritech is about catering for this change.

"However, we are not trying to train people to develop new technologies, rather our course is designed to teach them how to use the new technologies and to fully utilise the benefits that they offer to farmers and horticulturalists," he says.

Kenyon says options really suit the likes of rural professionals and those who intend to go back and work on farms.

International Students

While a relatively low percentage of NZ students don't tend to stay at university and complete a PhD, this gap is filled by international students, according to Professor Paul Kenyon.

Conversely, there are only a few overseas students doing undergraduate degrees.

This latter trend is very much in the interests of 'NZ Inc', he says, and a lot of the science in our country is underpinned and supported by those international students.

Kenyon says they come to NZ, often supported by their own country, but sometimes just off their own bat, and in time they will become future leaders in agriculture and horticulture back home.

"NZ is seen as a favourable destination for them. It is wrong to think about them coming here and taking away our secrets. The agricultural and horticultural systems in the countries that many of these students are coming from are so different from ours, and so they are not taking secrets away. What they are learning about is just principles and concepts," he says.

Kenyon says the reality is they are helping us to create new knowledge that we otherwise wouldn't be able to get done.

He says the international students come from places such as Sri Lanka, China, South America, India and the wider Asian region.

Wickham says strong farmer confidence in dairy, sheep and beef and horticulture sectors led to a 5% increase in nutrient sales.

At the same time, the co-op kept costs under control.

For the first time in three years, the farmerowned co-op announced a rebate totalling $18.2 million, averaging $17.55/ eligible tonne.

The cash rebate is only available to fully shared-up farmer shareholders. For partially shared-up farmers, the rebate will be in the form of shares to build up their stake.

Wickham says earlier this year a farmer roadshow was held to discuss shareholder returns and how Ballance needs to be a good custodian of farmers’ money.

A total shareholder return (TSR) target of 10% was set.

Ballance reported a TSR of 14.3% for the financial year. The rebate represented a 6.5% return on quota shareholding.

Wickham says the co-op has also reinvested in the business to make it more future proof. These investments include a digital upgrade, new service centres in Timaru and Kaikohe and upgrades to its Bluff site where its manufactures super phosphate.

Revenue for the 2026 year increased 17.7% to $1.14 billion. Underlying net operating profit before rebate and tax increased 126% to $86.7 million, before asset impairment and site closure costs.

Wickham said the year had also demonstrated the value of the co-operative model during a period of significant global supply pressure.

“Geopolitical events continue to create uncertainty across global nutrient, energy and shipping markets.

“As a co-operative, our job is to perform financially, and to do everything we can to secure supply and have cost-effective nutrients available when and where our farmers and growers need them.

“That means taking a longer-term view and balancing shareholder returns with investment in supply security, local manufacturing, our distribution network and the services our customers rely on.”

During the year, Ballance maintained flexibility in its global sourcing, secured gas for Kapuni through to 31 December 2026 and continued to firm up orders to support spring demand.

“Reliable nutrient supply is fundamental to New Zealand farming,” says Wickham.

“While there’s no doubt that global uncertainty will continue, we are confident in the strength of the business and our ability to respond.

“We enter FY27 focused on what matters most to our farmers - reliable supply, competitive value, strong on-farm support and a co-operative positioned to deliver for them over the long term.”

Ballance chair Duncan Coull said the result was driven by the progress the co-operative had made in resetting the business for the future, while continuing to deliver value for shareholders.

“It’s pleasing to be in a position to reinstate returns through a rebate after three years. More broadly, this year’s result shows the value of balancing direct returns to shareholders with retaining strength in the co-operative so we can continue to invest for the future.”

Ballance ended the year with total equity of $510.8 million. Loans and borrowings increased by $39 million during FY26, largely reflecting higher year-end inventory values as the co-operative ensured nutrient availability for spring supply, but remain $108 million below their 2023 peak.

The co-op is positioned to reduce borrowings through FY27 as inventory values normalise, while continuing its focus on reducing core debt.

"I spent more time explaining stuff around farming than actually debating stuff," recalls Cameron.

He believes MPs now have a better understanding of issues faced by farmers and rural communities. That's in part because of the leading role Cameron and other farmer MPs have played in relaying the voice and concerns of farmers.

In three months he steps down as an ACT MP. Health issues have forced the Ruawai dairy farmer to exit politics and go back to farming.

He recently bought a second farm - 200ha running 500 cows - a short distance from his home farm of 114ha milking 265 cows.

Cameron told Dairy News that he will leave Parliament satisfied that farmers' hopes and passion have been rekindled.

Cameron recalled an expression his grandfather had: if you allow bad things to happen, you become complicit in a bad outcome.

He learnt during his first three years that hope in farming had collapsed.

"It seemed like every time farmers went out the front door, someone was complaining about what they we were doing.

"Someone was telling them how to live their lives. And I asked myself, 'what farmer goes to the centre of Auckland and says, you can't do this, you can't do that?'

"We don't. Auckland, be there, we live our lives out in the country, and we bloody love it. So, leave us alone."

During his first term in Parliament, Cameron saw first-hand how Labour and the Greens took the rule book to farming.

He says morale among farmers collapsed the government wasn't listening.

"They just didn't believe in the same vision of rural New Zealand that we had."

He reminded politicians of the saying attributed to US President Dwight D. Eisenhower - "Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field."

"That's what it is - for us, it's hard work," says Cameron. "So, leave us the hell alone, because we're good at it."

In the current Parliament, the number of MPs from a farming background increased.

Cameron says rural people backed ACT and the party is backing them.

"I'm just a person. I've got a big heart. I haven't got much of a body left, but I've got a big heart.

"And I believe in what farmers are doing because they believe in what we're doing together."

ETS 'Blunder'

The inclusion of agriculture in an emissions trading scheme (ETS) has been a contentious issue for many farmers.

Cameron says the ACT Party has done everything to keep farmers out of any ETS.

He took a swipe at former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and former Climate Change Minister James Shaw for signing the country up to the Zero Carbon Act.

"We were the only party that voted against that.

"Because it's all very well being pious on the international stage, but at what cost?

"This is a dear little country, if you throw the baby out with the bathwater or give away the golden goose, and we're not minerally rich like Australia. Our wealth is in our farming."

Cameron says the current Parliament has delivered regulation relief for farmers on several fronts.

One was putting limitations on pine plantations, because carbon farming was running away and eating up rural New Zealand, he says.

And an issue dear to Cameron's heart has been reducing methane targets.

"We reduced the methane targets and I'm immensely proud of that.

"I don't think there should be any targets at all. Get rid of the whole bloody lot.

"You know you're taxing an animal for living, really. But apparently that's what the world wants to do. I think the whole thing is bollocks. Get rid of it."

National's Woes

Cameron is backing Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's stance on the latest National leadership vote.

Describing the leadership spill called by Luxon "very sad", he says politicians are there to serve the people.

"If we don't serve the people, we shouldn't be there.

"Now the fact that they've got all this in-house fighting does nothing for their brand.

"I hate to say the obvious, but mutineers get made to walk the plank."

Cameron praised Luxon for standing up for what is right.

"We get elected to serve the people, not each other."

He asks if Synlait's assets could be worth more to other owners than they are within Synlait itself?

Lees, a senior lecturer in agribusiness management at Lincoln University, says both Fonterra and a2 Milk could benefit in different ways.

For a2 Milk, the attraction is specialised nutrition manufacturing.

"Synlait's Dunsandel plant remains important to its infant formula supply chain, and greater control could reduce manufacturing risk," he says.

For Fonterra, the opportunity may be less about owning another factory and more about gaining access to Synlait's Canterbury milk pool.

"Fonterra can optimise milk across a much larger South Island network, potentially directing it into higher-value products and processing streams," he says.

"This is something Synlait has not been able to do. Synlait has needed to switch from high-value infant formula to lower-value commodities when milk supply peaks."

For Bright Dairy, the majority owner of Synlait, the calculation is different again.

"It must decide whether selling now provides better value than continuing to support Synlait as an independent business," he says.

Lees notes that Synlait has said it is not involved in discussions, so this remains speculative.

"The question isn't what Synlait is worth today, but what its different assets are worth to different owners."

Speaking to Rural News on the condition of anonymity, the former MP described the coup attempt as "untimely and unseemly" and an event that could damage National's chances at the November election.

The former MP noted that National has undeniably done a lot of good things for the primary sector during the past three years. They pointed to the RMA reforms and changes to other regulations that are of real benefit to the sector, which they add is looking in pretty good shape at present.

"But if there was a change of government back to a Labour-led coalition, these gains would likely be lost. Labour and the Greens would quickly move to nullify the changes to the RMA and other environmental regulations," they say.

They believe that voters in the right-leaning camp who don't like Luxon, may turn to ACT or NZ First, but are unlikely to switch to Labour. What is uncertain is what the significant number of undecided voters may do.

Few believe Luxon's claim that the present caucus is right behind him. The faces of those Ministers standing with him at his 'victory' press conference after the meeting was telling.

According to our source, there is a strong belief that the caucus is not united and that the dissatisfaction with Luxon's leadership will just bubble on until someone can organise a proper group. They also claim that when it comes to politics, Luxon is an amateur and that being a CEO doesn't always equate to being a good leader or chairman.

In the opinion of our informant, Luxon is prone to making mistake after mistake and that only time will tell just exactly what went on in that caucus meeting.

"Chris Penk was a very capable minister and a nice guy and I am sorry to see that he's now leaving politics," they say.

And one final word on the other parties - in particular NZ First. Despite all words being said about not working with Labour, they believe that if push came to shove, Winston Peters may go with Labour if only to keep the Greens out of office.

Unnecessary Distraction

Rural News also spoke to a former high profile farming leader who agreed that the attempted coup was "an unnecessary distraction", but that would not alter their support for Christopher Luxon.

They blamed the media for putting a slant on the story and claimed that they are out to get Luxon. They do admit that while Luxon lacks charisma, he has credibility and is thee right person to lead the country.

They believe that the worst outcome for National will be that some voters will change their allegiance to ACT.

Finally, the dissatisfaction within the National Party of Christopher Luxon's performance and leadership cannot be dismissed by a single press conference with him saying we are all together again. The public aren't that easily fooled. His premiership is on the line, but what is unclear is what voters actually think.

The polls are showing dissatisfaction with both Labour and National and bouncing around the various minor parties. What people are saying to pollsters now may not accurately reflect which way they will vote on election day. This would be the hardest election to call in more than half a century.

For a moment, National's leadership drama threatened the passage of two new pieces of legislation earmarked to replace the RMA.

RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop was one of the senior ministers named by media as gunning for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's job.

However, the leadership drama ended when Luxon sacked Defence Minister Chris Penk and told journalists that he didn't believe Bishop and Education Minister Erica Stanford were involved in the attempted putsch in any way.

Federated Farmers strongly backs the RMA overhaul and replacing the old framework with the new Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill.

Feds RMA spokesman Mark Hooper told Dairy News that he was still confident RMA reforms remain on track.

Officials will be completing redrafting work on the NEB and Planning Bill following select committee reporting and final ministerial consultation to prepare bills for second reading.

This will continue according to a tight timetable regardless of any other political, says Hoopr.

He doesn't think that the coalition's ambition to finalise the bills in this term of Parliament will be impacted by the leadership drama.

"There seems to be strong alignment within the coalition parties to get the bills passed before the end of the current term," he says.

"The general sense is that not passing the bills leaves too much planning etc in limbo waiting for direction from the new legislation.

"Whilst all parties may not agree on all the details within the bills, there seems to be a strong sense of urgency to get the primary legislation across the line and maybe consider amendments in the next term.

"Simultaneously there is considerable work going into new National Policy Direction, the secondary regulation that will support the bills, and announcements on NPD are expected anytime soon."

Hooper says they met with Minister Bishop and Under Secretary Simon Court, ACT, recently and "they are very focused on finalising decisions on various sections so the bills can progress to the next stage".

"We have discussed with and written to the Minister our suggestions on some final drafting edits. Whether any of these are adopted remains to be seen, but either way, we have been given every indication that the process is on track, albeit a tight timeline."

According to Federated Farmers, the RMA is the single biggest handbrake on growing agricultural productivity and rural economies.

For farmers, expensive resource consents, unachievable freshwater targets, Te Mana o te Wai, and outstanding natural landscape overlays, these are all things that sit under the RMA legislation.

Federated Farmers says investment, farmer confidence and productivity have been strangled in red and green tap for far too long.

The Carr Family Foundation, through its Rural Health & Wellness Programme, continues to take preventative healthcare directly to rural events and community gatherings, helping overcome barriers such as geographic isolation, workforce shortages, and limited access to health services.

Between 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, the programme has reinforced its commitment to improving health outcomes for rural New Zealanders, by completing over 700 preventative heath checks across rural communities across the country, that in turn, facilitated more than 100 referrals to GPs during the year, identifying individuals with elevated blood pressure and other health concerns that may otherwise have gone undetected.

Carr Family Foundation chairperson Stacey McKerchar said the programme continues to demonstrate the importance of making healthcare accessible within rural communities.

“Preventative healthcare can have a significant impact on long-term wellbeing outcomes. By taking health services directly to where people live and work, we are helping rural New Zealanders access support that might otherwise be difficult to obtain.”

Throughout the year, the Foundation attended a wide range of agricultural events, field days, and community gatherings across the country, providing health education, wellness advice, and free health assessments. A major milestone during the year has been the development of a nationwide network of highly skilled nurses who support the programme, enabling the Foundation to expand its reach and deliver services across an increasing number of rural communities.

Along the way, the Foundation has also experienced strong growth in donor support, with machinery distributor Kubota joined the programme as a Gold Donor, alongside silver donors Ansley & Associates and Nutrien Ag. Their support, alongside Platinum donor Carrfields and Silver donor Chemist Warehouse, together with contributions from community donors and supporters, has helped strengthen the programme’s impact.

“Growing support from businesses and individuals who share our vision is enabling us to reach more people and make a greater difference in rural communities,” said McKerchar.

Looking ahead, the Foundation plans to further expand the programme, with a longterm goal of operating two mobile wellness vans with both nurses and doctors available to increase access to preventative healthcare services throughout New Zealand.

initiatives, the Foundation continues to support rural communities through sponsorships and community partnerships, including a new long-term sponsorship agreement with the EA Networks Centre in Ashburton and its ongoing support of Westpac Trust Helicopter.

www.carrfamilyfoundation.co.nz 

Presented annually by Holstein Friesian New Zealand, the Mahoe Trophy recognises the top New Zealand-bred Holstein Friesian sire based on a combination of production, conformation, management and daughter performance traits.

Tronnoco AR Sadio-ET S3F achieved the highest overall score of 385 points to secure this year's title.

LIC livestock selection manager Kelli Buckley said the award recognises years of dedication to breeding excellence.

"Winning the Mahoe Trophy is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the dedication, patience and long-term vision that underpins successful breeding. Congratulations to Tony and Keri O'Connor, and everyone involved in developing Tronnoco AR Sadio-ET S3F."

Tony O'Connor said seeing Tronnoco AR Sadio-ET S3F receive the Mahoe Trophy was especially meaningful.

"It's incredibly rewarding to see a grandson of our exceptional brood cow, Tronnoco Mint Sunita VG85 19 Starbrood, recognised in this way. She was an outstanding cow that left many exceptional female descendants, so it's especially pleasing to see one of her male descendants receive this honour."

Tronnoco AR Sadio-ET S3F was bred through the Discovery Project, a collaboration between Holstein Friesian New Zealand and LIC established in 2004.

The programme helps identify and develop elite New Zealand-bred Holstein Friesian sires for New Zealand's artificial breeding industry.

Current forecasts indicate El Niño has the potential for stronger westerly winds, drier conditions in eastern regions and increased rainfall particularly in parts of Southland, Taranaki and the West Coast.

Ballance science strategy manager Warwick Catto says while every El Niño is different, farmers should expect greater variability and fewer ideal application windows.

"Whether it's dry soils, persistent winds, or saturated paddocks, the common theme here is that nutrient application may become more difficult to time," he says.

"Farming has always been about making good decisions in the conditions you've got, not the conditions you'd like. This season may require a bit more flexibility and forward planning than usual."

Warwick adds serial application could be particularly challenging in exposed hill country and high-country environments where stronger westerly winds are forecast.

"Waiting for the perfect conditions can sometimes mean missing the opportunity altogether. Our advice is to plan ahead and where possible, act early, so nutrients have time to generate the feed required heading into spring and further on into the season."

Recent research and field observations undertaken by Ballance show there are still productivity benefits from nutrient application even when conditions are less than ideal.

"Many farmers worry that if rain arrives unexpectedly after an application, or if soil temperatures are lower than they'd like, they've wasted their investment. The reality is that's often not the case," adds Catto.

"The timing may not be perfect but having some nutrient application when pastures and crops need it is far better than running short entirely."

Ballance's work examining nutrient performance across a range of environmental conditions has shown nitrogen continues to deliver productive pasture responses under both dry and wet scenarios, provided applications are made appropriately and aligned with farm feed requirements.

"Nobody is suggesting extreme weather is ideal for growing feed, but what we've seen is that nutrients continue to do their job across a wider range of conditions than many people assume," he says.

"The key is understanding the likely response and planning accordingly."

She says ‘fork to farm’ is the way to go, meaning that producers and manufacturers should be tailoring what they grow to the ever changing and sometimes fickle future food preferences of consumers.

Achariya says clinging to the old farm to fork concept is simply a case of remaining in the pack with other producers, instead of leading the way and setting and meeting evolving consumer trends.

“It’s about moving into the value-add space, creating new products and converting your supply chain to meet the demands of consumers. It’s about shedding the mentality of just production,” she says.

Achariya says there are well known, timeless global mega trends which show what consumers are looking for. Convenience, health and price are at the top of the list.

She points out that consumers are looking for food which can effectively double as a medicine and adds that they want natural things and minimally-processed foods.

Achariya says sophisticated companies look at market segmentation and divide the market into generation groups to identify the ‘bullseye’ market.

She notes that one of the biggest competitors of foods is pharmaceuticals and it’s a case of producing foods that offer functionality and health benefits.

“Convenience is now becoming a very important factor in consumer preference. People are busy, fewer are cooking and many modern homes don’t have kitchens or ovens – just microwaves. In some countries, consumers will pay a premium for foods that require little or no preparation,” she says.

Achariya says exporters selling into China, for example, need to be aware that people there have only a small amount of freezer space, so foods need to be tailored to deal with that fact.

In terms of where NZ sits in this picture, Achariya says there are some very good examples of our country being there in many of the foods it offers.

Fonterra is one company that has products that meet the fork to farm criteria. Another, she says, is kiwifruit, which is both healthy and convenient.

“This is all about seeing how people shop and the way they look at food and it’s about knowing the value curve. Back on the farm it’s about creating new products and extracting the maximum value from the basic raw product,” she says.

That's the view of George Dodson, the 2024 FMG Young Farmer of the Year and the founder of the Canterbury Young Dairy Farmers Leaders Network.

He was a special guest speaker at the recent Animal Health and Plant Association conference in Wellington, where he talked about his insights as a young up-and-coming dairy farmer.

George Dodson is a partner in a 50/50 share milking operation, along with his father and cousin. It milks 400 cows on a property at Leeston in Canterbury. As soon as he left school, Dodson began his farming career and by 20 was already managing a dairy farm. He has a great passion for the sector and in a relatively short time has emerged as leader with some valuable insights into dairy farming.

He says dairy farming has always been a low-cost business and it’s his intention to keep it that way.

“It’s just about managing production verses profitably. Obviously, costs are going to be tied to your production, so you will want to get as much production as you can to dilute your costs, but not for the sake of going out and spending money. It is just about being smart about what we put in our system,” he says.

Labour he says is a big cost and it’s hard in NZ because dairy farmers are very reliant on migrant labour. Dodson says the aim of his family is to run a low labour operation so that it can be run by him and his father, or him and his cousin or siblings. He says they want to get to a 600-cow farm and be able to ideally run it with just two people.

One of the pathways to this is applying innovation and technology.

“We are putting on Halter collars in September; that will make a big difference to our farm system. It will enable us to run two herds of cows, which means that we should get better performance out of our animals. As well, we are utilising a new fertiliser spreader and building a new cow shed. This will allow us to just have one person to milk the cows and this, and all the innovations, will drive efficiency and reduce labour,” he says.

A focus on management skills and keeping them up to date is another area identified by Dodson. He says embracing innovation and technology and such things as new pasture species are all part of a tool kit that can create a more profitable business.

“I think a lot of those sustainability targets are really well linked to financial and production efficiencies on the farms. For example, if you think you are losing a heap of nitrogen on your farm you are actually losing a heap of money,” he says.

Dodson says farmers should always want to do the best for the land because in the long term it’s the land that looks after them.

Final results from the farmlet trial at Lincoln University Research Dairy Farm showed annual nitrate leaching was reduced by an average of 33% from 18 kg/ha/year to 12 kg/ha/year in perennial ryegrass-white clover pastures containing an average of 17% plantain dry matter, compared with pastures without plantain.

The Lincoln trial, part of DairyNZ's Plantain Potency and Practice programme, compared nitrogen leaching and production between farmlets with perennial ryegrass and white clover pastures sown with, or without, Ecotain plantain.

The findings support those reported from the programme's grazing trial at Massey University, several smaller component studies, and the aligned Low N Farmlet Trial, also at Lincoln University, that stacks plantain with other nitrogen mitigation options.

DairyNZ senior project manager Kate Fransen says milk production remained consistent across both treatments. Herbage production and silage use were also similar between treatments.

"The findings demonstrate that plantain can deliver environmental benefits without compromising farm performance," says Fransen.

Fransen says the nitrate leaching reductions achieved at Lincoln are more than double those predicted by current models which only account for the effect of plantain on reducing urinary nitrogen.

"The high-water content of plantain dilutes the concentration of cow urine, and the nutritional makeup of plantain also causes more nitrogen to be diverted to faeces and milk, and less into urine.

"We are now gaining a better understanding of the effects of plantain on drainage and nitrogen cycling in soil which result in additional reductions in nitrogen leaching.”

The programme aims to have these additional effects of plantain reflected in models such as Overseer by 2028.

One of the key findings was that relatively low levels of plantain still delivered good reductions in nitrogen losses.

“At the Lincoln site, we achieved consistent reductions in nitrate leaching over four years, despite plantain content plateauing to 10-15% in the final years of the trial,” says Fransen.

The programme has also worked with more than 30 partner farmers in N-sensitive catchments. This has provided practical insights on using plantain, and supported understanding of the wider farm systems implications and potential catchment-scale impacts through benchmarking and modelling.

Plantain is a short-lived perennial and mixed swards require ongoing maintenance through oversowing or undersowing.

Partner farmers have successfully maintained 10–15% plantain content by including Ecotain in new pasture mixes and broadcasting seed annually, at an estimated cost of $46/ha per year.

DairyNZ modelling indicates that achieving similar reductions in nitrogen leaching without plantain would likely require substantial reductions in nitrogen fertiliser use, imported feed and stocking rates, or significant infrastructure investment, with greater impacts on farm profitability.

The benefits of plantain for reducing nitrogen leaching are recognised in regulatory frameworks in Canterbury, Southland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Horizons.

Ecotain plantain has been used in all programme trials where leaching has been measured and is proven to be effective at farm scale.

The Plantain Potency and Practice programme is a collaborative research initiative that commenced in 2021 led by DairyNZ and funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries through the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund (now Primary Sector Growth Fund), DairyNZ, PGG Wrightson Seeds and Fonterra.

Research is delivered in partnership with Lincoln University, Massey University, Lincoln Agritech and the Bioeconomy Science Institute.

First opened in 2015, the Chengdu Application Centre has moved to a more central location in the city's Jinjiang District. With the upgraded facilities, Fonterra's technical experts, chefs and customers are now better empowered to develop, test and showcase food and beverage products.

Fonterra chief executive of Greater China, Teh-han Chow, says the investment builds on Fonterra's nearly half-century presence in China and reflects the co-op's focus on staying close to customers in a fast-moving market.

"China's foodservice sector is evolving quickly, and our customers are looking for dairy solutions that help them respond to changing consumer tastes with speed, quality and confidence.

"Through our upgraded centre, we can co-create more closely with customers, develop more relevant applications, and bring the benefits of premium New Zealand grass-fed dairy to more Chinese consumers across Southwest China and beyond.

"By bringing our technical expertise closer to customers in Chengdu, we can better understand local needs, move faster on new ideas and help turn those insights into practical foodservice solutions."

New modern kitchens will allow customers to see how Fonterra products perform in applications such as cakes and beverages, supported by seminars, demonstrations and virtual learning sessions led by Anchor Food Professionals advisory chefs.

Chengdu, the megacity capital of Sichuan province, is known for its spicy food and teahouse culture. In 2010, it became the first city in Asia to be named a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, making it a natural place for Fonterra to expand its local investment.

Alongside sites in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzen and Wuhan, Chengdu is one of six Fonterra application centres in China. This network helps Fonterra work closely with customers to understand changing food trends, support innovation, grow demand for New Zealand milk and deliver more value for farmer shareholders.

Since paying shareholders a rebate of $20/tonne for the year ending May 31, 2022, the co-operative had been facing financial headwinds - caused mostly by plunging volumes.

But that's set to change. For the financial year ending May 31, 2026, Ravensdown is reporting a $50 million profit before tax, backed by a solid lift in fertiliser demand.

Fully paid shareholders will receive a cash rebate totalling $14 million or $15/tonne. Partly paid shareholders will this year receive their full rebate in the form of shares.

Revenue for the year topped $971m, 20% up on the previous year.

After several years of subdued fertiliser demand, improving agricultural returns, particularly for sheep and beef farmers, have supported a recovery in nutrient applications and sales volumes.

Overall fertiliser sales volumes were up 8% with over 1 million tonnes sold, compared to 962,000 tonnes sold in the previous financial year.

Ravensdown chief executive Garry Diack says the co-op last broke the 1m tonne sales mark in the 21/22 financial year. 

He told Dairy News that it was great to pay a rebate to shareholders after three years.

Diack says Ravensdown "operates inside the farmgate" of shareholders.

"We are part of their cost structure. If they do well, then we do well."

He says the jump in sales volumes was matched with better efficiency within the business, enabling the conditions to pay a rebate.

Over the past year, the co-op delivered a number of targeted projects to drive performance including significant investment in manufacturing commitment, freight optimisation, improved data decision support, and automation supported by AI.

"This result reflects the discipline we've applied across the business to become a more efficient, resilient co-operative," Diack says.

"By improving our operations, we've strengthened our financial performance while continuing to invest in the products, services and expertise our shareholders rely on."

Like other importers, Ravensdown continues to face shipping disruptions and be impacted by global oil price fluctuations.

But this financial performance demonstrated the value of the co-operative to deliver on its purpose in an increasingly uncertain global environment, according to Diack.

"International fertiliser markets remain heavily influenced by geopolitical events. Conflict in the Middle East, the ongoing war in Ukraine and broader supply chain disruptions continue to create volatility in both product availability and pricing."

Ravensdown's longstanding relationships with global suppliers and joint venture partnership with Ravensdown Shipping Services are valuable strategic assets that have proven their worth to the business and shareholders over the last year.

"Our supplier partnerships have been built over decades," he says.

Part of the new science curriculum, which comes into effect in 2028, includes a focus on soil, plant and animal science. To that end Massey University, in association with the Horticulture and Agriculture Teachers Association (HATA), have been busy designing courses that will upskill teachers to cope with the new requirements of the curriculum.

Leading the project to design these courses at Massey is Professor Chris Anderson, who says an exciting part of the reforms is that ag and hort will be taught to students in year 11 and this will continue through years 12 and 13.

In recent years there has been increasing demand by students for secondary schools to offer agriculture and horticulture, but one issue has been having teachers with the appropriate knowledge and skills to teach these subjects.

For some time, Massey University and HATA have been developing courses for teachers and some have already been run and the aim, says Anderson, is to have a suite of seven different ones on offer.

"We have already been running the soil science course and now we have two plant science and two hort crop courses, which will be offered for the first time. Then we have two animal science courses that we will have ready for next term, and finally an ag business course that will flesh things out," he says.

Anderson says the courses are introductory and are based on the 100-university level. He says they are targeted for teachers so they can get some robust, fit-for-purpose development to help them provide a better teaching experience. The courses are designed to be engaging and include some short videos but don't contain heavy technical detail.

"It's about providing the appropriate level of information the teachers would need to make them more confident when they get in front of the students, and then they are hopefully going to incentivise and excite the kids.

"In the long term, this is about making kids understand that ag is a cool subject and also increase their capability when they come to the university," he says.

All the individual courses are being delivered online over a ten-week period with participants expected to put in about five hours work per week and fifty hours over the ten weeks.

"It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to serve Tatua's supplier shareholders and to work alongside exceptional directors, management, staff, customers, and industry partners over the past 30 years," says Allen.

He steps down at Tatua's annual meeting in December, having served as chair for 23 years and a board member for 30 years.

Allen said one of the most important lessons from his career was that long-term success ultimately comes from people.

"When people understand the purpose, feel trusted and are encouraged to contribute, exceptional performance becomes the natural outcome.

"Whatever Tatua has achieved has always been the result of talented people working together with a shared purpose."

Based in Tatuanui, near Morrinsville, Tatua is one of only three dairy co-ops in the country - Fonterra and NZ Dairy Goat Co-op being the other two. During the 2001 mega-merger that formed Fonterra, Tatua shareholders voted to remain independent.

Allen joined the Tatua board in 1996, became deputy chair in 1997, and was appointed chair in 2003 following the retirement of Sir Alan Frampton.

During his tenure, he helped guide the co-operative through one of the most significant periods in New Zealand dairy industry history, including the lead-up to dairy sector deregulation.

Reflecting on his retirement, Allen says he leaves Tatua with a deep sense of gratitude for the people who have contributed to the co-operative's success.

Allen will be succeeded by director Mark Dewdney.

Robinson took on the role when the company's inaugural chief executive officer, Colin Glass, stepped away at the end of May.

He was formerly the Dairy Holdings chief operating officer, a role created eight years ago to help grow the business, focus on farm performance and provide for succession.

From its beginnings with about 30 farms in 2001, the Ashburton-headquartered company now has about 90 farms on its books, 69 of them dairy production and the rest support blocks.

Robinson said that as COO, he initially concentrated on the dairy farms before changes in the executive team saw him pivoting to add the dairy support farms as well.

"It's a big part of our business because we're fully self-contained," he told Dairy News.

"We don't go out to the market for any grazing for our young stock, or for our wintering."

Robinson said the business was very disciplined around a farming system that hasn't changed in a long time. He added that the management was fortunate to have a group of shareholders that was very stable and took a long-term view.

"We follow the pasture curve and the only feed we put on is to get our pasture curve back to where we want it.

"It's a little bit different to many farmers who are bringing in purchased feed to make milk. We're bringing it in to make sure we've got enough grass going forward."

The self-contained model helped Dairy Holdings remain unscathed by the Mycoplasma bovis epidemic and is now helping insulate the company from external price shocks.

Robinson points out that many dairy farms in New Zealand buy in significant amounts of feed - and those input prices "have really jumped up in the last six months".

Robinson says it keeps things simple.

"If we were running a system that was using more purchased feed, it would create more decisions to make during the season."

He said it was a matter of matching pasture supply with pasture demand and stocking rates through the year. Culls are removed early, to ensure enough grass to feed the pregnant cows so they're in good condition by the end of May, and the farm has enough grass for calving in August.

"We're never second guessing how we are going to run the farms.

"All we're trying to do is the same thing we did the prior year, just slightly better."

Robinson adds that the sector has an issue with pasture productivity, with pasture harvested by stock on many farms diminishing, and increasing amounts of purchased feed being used.

"This is and will erode New Zealand's competitive advantage in the global market."

Robinson says Dairy Holdings has been performing well and growing, and there will be no wholesale changes with him at the helm.

The business was not just about milk but was increasingly a people business, with about 450 people now employed, either directly or through its various contractors and sharemilkers.

Growing cows and grass is not easy but finding and retaining good people make it that much easier, he says.

Farm Ownership Goals

Dairy Holdings currently has eight sharemilkers, 57 contract milkers and 19 farm managers (including dairy and dairy support) as part of the team. It encourages its people to build their own herds and move up through the system, with any direct company employees in areas such as finance and health and safety also able to own animals.

Blair Robinson says Dairy Holdings was very proud of the number of couples - now approaching 60 - who had come through its system and gone on to buy their own farms.

"Three of our sharemilkers bought their own farms last season, which is quite incredible given land prices in Canterbury have jumped up a bit in the last 24 months."

Robinson himself is an equal partner with Mick and Kirsten O'Connor and one other in a 278ha, 1000-cow farm at Burnham. He says the farm has very good soils and irrigation, and benchmarking with others shows the farm has "really good numbers".

But he is not hands-on, except when he comes at weekends to tackle only the "most manual" tasks.

"I just get out of Mick and Kirsten's way. They're the real farmers."

Fonterra Supplier

Dairy Holdings has recently divested itself of the remaining three Westland Milk Products supplying farms in the Spring Junction area, to consolidate operations to Canterbury, Waitaki and Southland, supplying only Fonterra.

Blair Robinson says these are the areas where the company sees further opportunities for growth.

It has also beeen selective in buying farms where irrigation costs are likely to remain low.

Colin, his wife Janis, son Nick and partner Alice took over a dairy farm right next to their established arable operation in June and last week a Fonterra tanker arrived to pick up the first milk from their new dairy farm.

The 600-cow operation is based on a 260ha effective platform, a mere fence away from where they grow wheat, grass seed and turnips.

The Hursts already have a 700ha property of which 450ha is cropped and the remainder is devoted to grazing their own and other farmers' cattle.

Colin Hurst says the purchase of the dairy farm was part of the family's succession planning and will enable son Nick and partner Alice to have a stake in the overall business.

He says he grew up looking at the dairy farm and is aware of challenges ahead.

"It's right next to the sea, so there are quite a few challenges with water, and the soils are heavy which present challenges when we get heavy rains. There are also a couple of waterways that run through the farm," he told Dairy News.

Hurst says while his son and partner are 50/50 sharemilkers on the new farm, they have employed a contract milker which enables Nick to continue to be involved in the family's arable property.

He says there is potential to increase production on the new dairy and integrate in with the arable side of the business.

"On our arable farm, we have always grazed cattle and dairy cows and at one stage even sheep. But now we can graze the cows from our dairy farm on the arable land, and it also means we will be able to rear calves, and we know that we will have a market for our grain. So, there are now significant synergies for both sides of the operation," he says.

Hurst says he's always been keen to have young people on the farm, and this latest move is all about succession planning and keeping the family business going.

Hurst took over as Federated Farmers president in June this year after serving three years as vice president.

Allen joined the Tatua board in 1996 and was appointed deputy chair in 1997. He became chair in 2003, succeeding Sir Alan Frampton, and has held the position for more than two decades.

His time on the board spanned major shifts in the New Zealand dairy sector, including the lead-up to dairy sector deregulation.

During his tenure, Allen worked with three chief executives - Dr Michael Matthews, Paul McGilvary, and Brendhan Greaney - as the co-operative pursued a strategy centred on value-added innovation, disciplined investment and long-term growth.

In a statement, Allen says he is grateful to the people who contributed to the co-operative over the past three decades.

"It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to serve Tatua's supplier shareholders and to work alongside exceptional directors, management, staff, customers, and industry partners over the past 30 years," he says.

He says the clearest lesson from his time as chair is that long-term performance is driven by people.

"When people understand the purpose, feel trusted and are encouraged to contribute, exceptional performance becomes the natural outcome. Whatever Tatua has achieved has always been the result of talented people working together with a shared purpose."

The Tatua has named Mark Dewdney, a current director, as Allen's successor.

The company says he has a longstanding connection to the co-operative and brings governance, executive leadership, agribusiness and farming experience, including a number of chief executive and senior executive roles across agricultural and horticultural businesses, alongside his own farming interests.

Allen says he is confident in the incoming leadership.

"Leadership carries a responsibility not only to serve well, but to know when to pass the baton. Mark is an experienced Chair and director, and I am pleased to see Tatua's next generation of leadership take the co-operative forward," he says.

Allen also acknowledged Tatua's shareholders, staff, customers, industry colleagues, Iwi, government representatives, community partners and his family, saying the co-operative's success had been built on trust and strong relationships.

"Trust is earned, never assumed, and I will always be deeply grateful for the trust placed in me. Tatua was built by everyday good people, committed to tomorrow and co-operative to the core. It has been the greatest privilege of my life to have served alongside them."

Allen's retirement takes effect at Tatua's Annual General Meeting on 3 December 2026.