Latest News

DairyNZ offering one-on-one help

DairyNZ offering one-on-one help

DairyNZ teams are in the field, doing all they can to assist farmers hit by cyclones Gabrielle and Hale.

DairyNews Story written by Peter Burke, Tuesday 7 March 2023

DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle told Dairy News they have been busy updating all the material they have to help farmers through the coming weeks and months.

He says as well as working one on one with farmers, they also plan to continue to run events and discussion groups if farmers want these. But he says they won’t do anything that farmers don’t want and are very cognisant of the need to let them get on with the job of getting their properties in order first.

He says the worst hit areas for dairy are Northland and Gisborne/ Hawke’s Bay and he says of the 1,000 dairy farms in these regions, at least 200 have suffered moderate to severe damage.

“This includes severely impacted pastures, crops such as maize, broken fences, damaged farm buildings and other infrastructure and even herd homes.”

Mackle says there is no road access to 30 dairy farmers in Hawke’s Bay and they have had to dry off their herds which will have a huge financial impact on these people.

He says in Northland about 15 farms have not been able to supply milk for a variety of reasons, including lack of power and damaged dairy sheds. He says issues relating to animal welfare such as mastitis and lameness are potential problems, especially for farmers in Hawke’s Bay where there has huge damage to laneways and paddocks.

Don't Forget Northland

A key message from Tim Mackle is that while the focus is very much on the Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay regions, it is important to not forget about Northland.

He says the damage along the East Coast is disastrous, especially for orchardist and horticulturalists, and the severity of this cannot be underestimated. But he points out that Northland has also been badly hit.

“Some people say that Northland always gets floods, but this was a big one. They didn’t just get the floods, they got the winds as well, which impacted with trees falling on power lines and a lot of people have been without power because of that. It was a fierce storm,” he says.

Mackle says DairyNZ staff will be offering advice and help to all affected dairy farmers, including assisting them by helping them access government financial support to clean up their properties. He says they will be there waiting to help, but not going down driveways to get in the way of farmers in this time of crisis.

He says DairyNZ is working closely with Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and other groups such as B+LNZ, Fonterra and Federated Farmers to coordinate their response efforts.

“The last thing we want to do is to duplicate our efforts. Rather, we want to play a different and unique role in helping our farmers,” he says.

More information is on the DairyNZ website

 

Previous Article Events on in March and April 2023
Next Article Hugo Charitable Trust donates to the Rural Support Trust
Print
1326

Name:
Email:
Subject:
Message:
x

More news...

Be a mate and we will donate campaign with OSPRI

Be a mate and we will donate campaign with OSPRI

Sign up to MyOSPRI or just get some advice on the OSPRI programmes and they will donate a dollar to the Rural Support Trust!

June 2, 2023 0 Comments
Funding Application for Cyclone Gabrielle - Recovery in the Tairawhiti area

Funding Application for Cyclone Gabrielle - Recovery in the Tairawhiti area

Open to Sheep, Beef, Arable, Dairy, Pastoral, Horticulture and Lifestyle owners.

Applications for funding are now open until Tuesday 20 June, 4.00pm

May 24, 2023 0 Comments
Nurses in Aotearoa celebrated for their role in health care for all

Nurses in Aotearoa celebrated for their role in health care for all

International Nurses Day is a time to celebrate alongside our global community and shines a light on the importance of our nurses in an Aotearoa context to address current inequities and improve health outcomes, says Te Aka Whai Ora Chief Nursing Officer, Nadine Gray.

May 12, 2023 0 Comments
BOP Rural Connect newsletter

BOP Rural Connect newsletter

May 11, 2023 0 Comments
Rural Support Trust announces inaugural General Manager Maria Shanks

Rural Support Trust announces inaugural General Manager Maria Shanks

As farmers and growers continue to face increased pressure as a result of adverse events and economic hardship, the New Zealand Rural Support Trust is responding to the increase in demand for its services with the announcement of new general manager Maria Shanks.

 

May 9, 2023 0 Comments
AF8 - What is it?

AF8 - What is it?

AF8 commenced in July 2016 with a focus on scientific modelling, response planning and community engagement designed to address that knowledge gap. It’s a partnership of all the Emergency Management Groups in the South Island, funded by the Government through the Ministry of Civil Defence &...
April 10, 2023 0 Comments
Cyclone Gabrielle: Group of southern farmers help out in Hawke’s Bay

Cyclone Gabrielle: Group of southern farmers help out in Hawke’s Bay

A group farmers travelled to Hawke's Bay armed with a fleet of vehicles and fencing equipment to help get some the regions farms back on track.

Rural Riders Plan to expand next Summer

Rural Riders Plan to expand next Summer

Mountain biking for our rural community in Taupo, Rotorua, New Plymouth, Methven, Manawatu & Otago

Government approves $23 million boost to the cyclone grant for farmers and growers

Government approves $23 million boost to the cyclone grant for farmers and growers

The Government is providing a further $23 million to support more farmers, growers, whenua Māori owners, and rural communities as they recover from Cyclone Gabrielle, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor...

Rural Support Trust NZ

With thanks to our principal sponsors
 
Thanks to our Time Out Tour partners