3rd September 2026 // Rural News

Federated Farmers welcomes guaranteed rural voice in emergency management bill Pāmu backs Meet the Need with recipe cards for donated mince Ballance Farm Environment Awards come to the West Coast for first time   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 welcomes guaranteed rural voice in emergency management bill Federated Farmers is welcoming new emergency management laws guaranteeing rural communities a voice when disasters strike. The Emergency Management Bill, which passed its third reading in late August, requires each of the country's sixteen regional Emergency Management Co-ordinating Executive Groups to include at least one member with rural knowledge and experience. Federated Farmers adverse events spokesperson Sandra Faulkner says the group pushed hard for the guaranteed seat, after some regions handled rural input well while others left isolated farms to fend for themselves during emergencies. She says farmers bring critical local knowledge, from who lives down long country roads to what equipment is available for response and recovery. The Bill also strengthens animal welfare powers during emergencies, allowing authorised responders to enter properties where animals need help, and requires rural communities be consulted on the national emergency management strategy.   Pāmu backs Meet the Need with recipe cards for donated mince Farming enterprise Pāmu, formerly Landcorp Farming, has again backed food charity Meet the Need this year, donating twenty five thousand dollars — the equivalent of a beast from each of its livestock farms. That's delivering more than twenty one thousand three hundred mince meals to New Zealand families. This year Pāmu has gone a step further, developing recipe cards to help food parcel recipients turn that mince into a family meal. The recipes came from Pāmu staff themselves, entered into an internal competition, with dishes including chilli crisp noodles, great nana's kiwi gold pie, and smuggled beans spag bol. The cards go out alongside the donated mince through Meet the Need's network of food banks. The charity says quality protein makes a real difference to families under pressure — and knowing what to do with it matters just as much. Meet the Need backed one hundred and forty eight food banks nationwide over the past year, helping deliver more than one point two seven million mince and milk meals.   Ballance Farm Environment Awards come to the West Coast for first time The Ballance Farm Environment Awards are coming to the West Coast for the first time, giving farmers and growers across the region a chance to be recognised alongside some of New Zealand's leading operations. Run by the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust, the awards celebrate farmers and growers making thoughtful decisions about their land, environment, people and businesses, while showing the innovation it takes to run a successful primary production operation. West Coast Regional Council Chair Colin Smith says the region's farming stories deserve a place in the national spotlight, with the Council committed to supporting the awards in the years ahead.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.