10th June 2026 // Rural News in partnership with Farmlands

Fieldays underway at Mystery Creek ACT proposes dedicated rural workforce visa New scholarship to back emerging primary sector leaders Rural News is in partnership with Farmlands as part of CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp - our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch / listen.   Fieldays underway at Mystery Creek Fieldays is open for business at Mystery Creek today — and the energy reflects just how strong the rural sector is right now. This year's event is sold out, with more than eleven-hundred exhibitors filling the site with everything from combine harvesters to high-tech drones. Chief executive Richard Lindroos says it's a testament to the strength of agribusiness — and agribusiness pays the rent for New Zealand. Special agricultural trade envoy Nathan Guy says it's rare for all the stars to align across the primary sector the way they have this year. The red meat sector was in the doldrums a couple of years ago — now sheep farmers are paying down debt and reinvesting. Dairy, horticulture and wool are all enjoying strong prices. It's also election year, with MPs from across the political spectrum — and plenty of policy announcements expected across the four days.   ACT proposes dedicated rural workforce visa ACT is proposing a dedicated three-year visa for dairy, sheep and beef, and general farm workers, aimed at addressing the year-round labour shortages that seasonal visa schemes don't fully cover. The Rural Workforce Visa, announced at Fieldays by ACT agriculture spokesperson Andrew Hoggard, would be attached to accredited rural employers rather than geographic regions — allowing workers to transfer between accredited rural employers without a new application, but not move into non-rural sectors. The policy removes annual renewal requirements, with employers readvertising only at the end of the three-year term. If no suitable New Zealander is available, the visa is reissued for a further three years. Workers with six cumulative years under an accredited employer would be eligible for a residency pathway. The visa would be exempt from ACT's proposed infrastructure levy for temporary visa holders.   New scholarship to back emerging primary sector leaders And a new government scholarship will support three young farmers a year to develop their leadership and governance skills across agriculture, horticulture and forestry. The Minister of Agriculture Future Leaders Scholarship, announced at Fieldays today by Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, provides ten-thousand dollars per recipient for domestic and international study, capability building and hands-on governance experience. MPI will work with sector leaders to identify capability gaps in rural governance and develop a fair and transparent annual application process. McClay says the scholarship is about nurturing the Kiwi can-do attitude and building pathways to support the sector's long-term success.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.