31st August 2026 // Rural News

Global beef trade disruption creating opportunities for NZ exporters Agronomist James Blair crowned 2026 national Young Grower of the Year Online hunting permit system surpasses fifty-three-thousand permits issued   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   Global beef trade disruption creating opportunities for NZ exporters Shifting global beef trade flows are creating both opportunities and competitive pressure for New Zealand exporters, as Chinese import quotas and potential Brazilian beef restrictions reshape the market. When Australia hit its China safeguard beef quota in mid-June, Chinese buyers turned to alternative suppliers — with New Zealand a key beneficiary, recording a sixty-six percent year-on-year rise in beef imports to China. Brazil is expected to hit its own China quota in August, while a proposed EU suspension of Brazilian beef imports could redirect around ten-thousand tonnes a month into alternative markets, increasing competition in destinations including the US, Japan and South Korea. For New Zealand, the underlying fundamentals remain strong. Bull beef prices are holding above nine dollars-seventy per kilogram carcass weight, with some schedules pushing past ten dollars. First-half 2026 export value hit a new record of three-point-five-eight billion dollars, with the US taking forty percent of volume and China around a quarter. Global beef production is forecast to fall two percent year-on-year, supporting continued firm pricing.   Agronomist James Blair crowned 2026 national Young Grower of the Year Pukekohe agronomist James Blair has been crowned the 2026 national Young Grower of the Year, taking out the title at the gala dinner in Cromwell on Friday night. Blair, who works for AS Wilcox covering four regions from the Far North to Ohakune, grew up on a dairy farm in the UK before discovering a passion for horticulture after joining the company as a technical crop supervisor for potatoes. Runner-up was Canterbury's Amber Davy, a quality and field manager for Eurogrow, who also took the Innovation Award. Third place went to Nelson's Amelia Marsden, nursery manager at Thomas Brothers Orchard in Riwaka, who won the Leadership Award. Blair says the competition was tough and the calibre of contestants was unbelievable — and his advice to other young growers is to back yourself and have a crack.   Online hunting permit system surpasses fifty-three-thousand permits issued More than fifty-three-thousand hunting permits have been issued through DOC's new online self-service system since it launched in late 2024 — nearly ten-thousand more than projected. Hunting and Fishing Minister James Meager says ninety-nine-point-five percent of permits are now issued through self-service, with DOC staff spending seventy percent less time on permit administration — saving an estimated one-hundred-and-thirty-thousand dollars in resources. Active permits are up ten percent on two years ago to thirty-six-thousand, with an average of two-thousand-five-hundred people getting permits online each month. The system also simplified open permit regions from fifty-four to eight, extended permit duration from four to twelve months and removed the need to carry printed copies. Six balloted hunting areas — including the Catlins, Greenstone-Caples, Wānaka and Molesworth — will move onto the online system across October and November ahead of draws for next season.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.