11th August 2026 // Rural News

One million dollar community fund announced to fight wilding pine spread Eighteen Local Government reform proposals submitted to Government PGG Wrightson surpasses one billion in revenue for first time since 2019   WANT TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW LIVE (11am-1pm NZST) ON THE GO? Download CountryWide Connect mobile app to stream the show via Apple Car Play or Android Auto. Or try the voice command ‘Play CountryWide Connect’ on Amazon Alexa or Google Home.   Apple: https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/countrywide-connect/id6761033881 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.countrywide&hl=en_NZ   One million dollar community fund announced to fight wilding pine spread Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard has announced a new one million dollar community fund to back grassroots wilding pine control, speaking at the national Wilding Pine Conference in Southland today. The two-year fund will support community-led control projects through the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme, sitting alongside one-hundred-and-nine million dollars already committed over the next three years for national control work. Hoggard says wilding pines are a scourge on productive rural New Zealand — threatening farmland, water supplies, native biodiversity and increasing wildfire risk. He says volunteers, landowners and community groups are already making enormous progress, and the fund is about backing those local efforts. Expressions of interest are expected to open later this year.   Eighteen Local Government reform proposals submitted to Government Eighteen proposals have been submitted to the Government under the Head Start local government reform initiative, with Cabinet set to consider which progress to the detailed design phase in September. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says Head Start was established after councils signalled a desire to get on with reform in light of the Government's wider planning changes — rather than waiting for Wellington to dictate the shape of change. Local Government Minister Simon Watts says the approach backs local leadership, with each proposal to be assessed on its merits. Some regions have submitted competing proposals, which will each be considered independently. Proposals that progress through detailed design will move to implementation through bespoke legislation ahead of the 2028 local government elections. The Government is also working on a backstop process for areas that don't progress through Head Start.   PGG Wrightson surpasses one billion in revenue for first time since 2019 PGG Wrightson has surpassed one billion dollars in revenue for the first time since divesting its seeds business in 2019, delivering its strongest financial result in years on the back of renewed rural confidence. Operating revenue rose ten percent to one-point-one billion dollars and net profit after tax lifted forty-six percent to fifteen-point-six million dollars. A fully imputed final dividend of ten cents per share has been declared for the full year. Livestock was the standout, benefitting from historically strong sheep, cattle and dairy prices. Real estate also performed strongly, with dairy property sales up thirty percent and horticultural properties up sixty percent. Strong wool reached its highest crossbred prices in decades. Chair John Nichol says the outlook is positive but El Niño, geopolitical tensions and elevated input costs remain risks heading into 2027.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.