15th July 2026 // Rural News

Federated Farmers calls for Government intervention on council partnership agreement rush Councils to be required to plan for climate risks under new law Former Open Country Dairy exec admits taking kickbacks from Indonesian customer   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   Federated Farmers calls for Government intervention on council partnership agreement rush Federated Farmers is calling on the Government to intervene after Environment Canterbury became the latest council to fast-track an iwi partnership agreement before the Resource Management Act is replaced. RMA reform spokesperson Mark Hooper says Environment Canterbury has given elected councillors just one week to consider a Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreement with Ngāi Tahu — with no public notification before it appeared on the agenda. The rush is being driven by a quirk in the Government's replacement legislation, which as currently drafted would carry over existing agreements but prevent new ones being signed. Hooper says that has triggered councils and iwi organisations to lock agreements in before the law changes, with dozens now initiated around the country. Hooper says the timing is particularly poor given local government reform is also underway — new agreements could bind future councils that don't yet exist. Farmers are concerned some agreements extend beyond collaboration into resource consent processes, potentially adding costs, delays and cultural impact assessment requirements to routine consent applications for feed pads, effluent systems and worker accommodation.   Councils to be required to plan for climate risks under new law Councils across New Zealand will for the first time be legally required to plan how high-risk communities prepare for climate change impacts, under new legislation introduced by Climate Change Minister Simon Watts. The Climate Change Response Act amendments will require councils in the highest-risk areas to develop adaptation plans covering at least thirty years, setting out the sequence of actions and investment needed to manage climate-driven natural hazard risks over time. The bill also strengthens governance of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme secondary market to improve transparency and integrity, and fixes disincentives to invest in decarbonisation. Agriculture remains outside the ETS. For rural communities in high-risk areas — including coastal and flood-prone farming regions — the adaptation planning requirement could have direct implications for land use decisions and long-term investment.   Former Open Country Dairy exec admits taking kickbacks from Indonesian customer A former Open Country Dairy executive has pleaded guilty to accepting more than two-hundred-and-seventy-six-thousand dollars in secret payments from an Indonesian customer in exchange for confidential pricing information. Simon Stewart, former group market manager at Open Country Dairy, admitted one charge under the Secret Commissions Act in the Manukau District Court following a Serious Fraud Office investigation. He received twenty-seven payments between 2019 and 2023 from Indonesian customer PT Anta Tirta Kirana, in exchange for information that influenced pricing negotiations with the company. SFO director Karen Chang says the offending risked undermining confidence in one of New Zealand's most important export industries. Open Country Dairy referred the matter after its own internal investigation and cooperated throughout. Stewart will be sentenced on October fifteenth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.