Stories by Jemma Brackebush

New Zealand's rapidly expanding population is creating one of the biggest challenges growers and farmers have ever faced, as subdivisions and land development encroach on fertile soils.

Splitting the primary industries into individual portfolios will help drive value for New Zealand products, the new minister for agriculture says.

The new policies announced by the incoming government this week are a mixed bag for the rural sector, Federated Farmers says.

A Filipino leader in the dairy industry is worried tighter restrictions to visas could leave huge holes in the farming workforce.

The rising cost of butter and other dairy products is hitting bakeries and other small food businesses hard, the Baking Industry Association says.

A potato farmer who built his own radio site to provide broadband to his property has just won a government contract to provide wireless internet to the King Country.

Streams less than a metre wide and 30cm deep in flat pasture accounts for 77 percent of contamination in rivers, new research shows.

Foreign investment in forestry is crucial and New Zealand could never afford to buy back all the forests it has sold, the Forest Owners Association says.

The country's biggest sheep meat processor Alliance is calling for more merino farmer suppliers for its Silere brand, as Asian demand for the meat grows.

The forestry industry is facing a frightening amount of work in the next few years, as it struggles to attract staff, a forestry management company says.

Architects, engineers, developers and builders have gathered in Rotorua today to learn how timber can be used in more mid-rise construction.

A farmer who recently lost a family member to suicide is calling for changes to the way mental health is talked about.

Recent weather in the market garden town of Pukekohe is causing the perfect storm for crops to be affected by diseases, the local Vegetable Growers Association says.

Farmers supplying Silver Fern Farms value-added programmes have been paid an extra $4 million in premiums in the past year, as a million stock units have been processed.

One of Horowhenua's wettest winters has left commercial vegetable growers with waterlogged soil and failed crops.

The nation needs to take stock of where farming is headed in the future and focus on sustainability, two agricultural leaders say.

Charging farmers for carbon emissions would stall the economy and make local farmers' products uncompetitive, a Lincoln University professor says.

Farmers say it's been a fantastic season for lamb, as a global shortage of the meat is pushing up the prices.

The Hawke's Bay Regional Council unanimously votes to withdraw financial support after spending $14m on the controversial water storage scheme.

House-hunting beneficiaries say the rental situation is dire and many people do not know what they can do. Audio

Residents are still being affected by pain and illness a year after water contamination left more than 5500 people sick. Audio

Almost 75 percent of people believe agriculture and horticulture should be charged for water, an online survey has found.

Failing to comply with drinking water safety standards and training have come under fire at the Havelock North inquiry.

A man who was abused as a child believes getting survivors to share their stories is one way to help tackle the nation's high rates of child abuse.

A father who had his three children taken off him while addicted to synthetics says he's not surprised they're killing people. Audio