16th June 2026 // Rural News in partnership with Farmlands

Bay of Plenty tops regional economic rankings on kiwifruit strength Pāmu opens applications for third intake of farm apprentices Rural organisations share sixty thousand dollar community fund 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. Bay of Plenty tops regional economic rankings on kiwifruit strength The Bay of Plenty has taken out the top spot in the latest regional economic scoreboard for the March quarter, with strong kiwifruit exports and solid employment growth driving the region's performance. The quarterly ASB scoreboard ranks sixteen regions across employment, construction, retail trade and consumer confidence, with Canterbury second and Otago third. Bay of Plenty's result ended Canterbury's two-consecutive-quarter run at the top. The strong primary sector performance underpinned the result — a bumper 2025 kiwifruit season and a strong start to 2026 supporting export demand and jobs growth across the region. Analysts warn that elevated inflation, rising cost pressures and global uncertainty are expected to weigh on growth and consumer confidence in the months ahead, with the pace of regional recovery likely to remain uneven. Pāmu opens applications for third intake of farm apprentices Pāmu is accepting applications for the third intake of its farm apprenticeship scheme, offering school leavers and those new to farming full-time paid work, on-farm accommodation and formal qualifications. Apprentices are based at Aratiatia Farm near Taupō, gaining hands-on experience on commercial farms while working toward Primary ITO Level Three and Four qualifications in dairy or livestock. Every apprentice from the first cohort completed their foundation year and moved into full-time roles on Pāmu farms. Pāmu chief executive Mark Leslie says the sector needs more skilled, capable people and the scheme is about creating real opportunities for young people to build meaningful careers in farming. Applications close midnight July eighth at pamunewzealand.com. Rural organisations share sixty thousand dollar community fund Seven rural organisations across New Zealand have received funding from the Rabobank Community Fund, with recipients spanning community halls, health services, education and recreation. This round's recipients are Te Kohanga Community Hall and Manawaru Hall in the upper North Island, Takapau Community Health Charitable Trust and Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki in the lower North Island, Mount Hutt College in the upper South Island, and Kaitangi Community Pool and Flecks Hall in the lower South Island. Mount Hutt College will use its funding to complete the interior fit-out of an agricultural classroom at the Ōpuke Innovation Hub in Mid Canterbury — a community initiative designed to connect secondary students with the agricultural and trades sectors. The sixty-thousand dollars brings total Rabo Community Fund commitments to rural communities to four-point-one million dollars since 2021. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.