While staying there, we’d help milk the house cow, open gates for mobs of sheep and puff our way to the top of the highest hill to see the view.
We were also dumb enough to touch the electric fences for fun.
There’s something to be said for an open-air classroom, and I hope the one I was lucky enough to visit every now and then gave me an understanding of food production and empathy for the people who did it.
Toi Toi Charity founders Kevin and Jane Powell hope to continue giving kids that opportunity at a property just outside Tauranga.
New Zealand needs more of these facilities. Let’s hope they – with the support of others – can make them thrive and give our young people a lesson they’ll never forget.
Bryan Gibson
Research into using wool for masks
Timely research by Lincoln Agritech is adopting technology to utilise wool in biodegradable protective masks, just as New Zealanders start to accept mask wearing as part of the country’s covid response.
Cutting-edge tech to aid stock management
An app developed by four St Paul’s Collegiate School’s agri-business girls has also earned them an inaugural innovation award.
New venture to train women in agriculture
Southern girl Laura Douglas is bubbling with passion and enthusiasm as she heads up an exciting new venture aimed at giving women a leg up into New Zealand’s agricultural industry.
Wood processors warn shutdown could close plants for good
Wood processors say plants will close for good if the Government persists with its plan to shut non-food industries in the event the Auckland lockdown moves into level 4.
Govt missed policy opportunities
It is not so much specific policies that Nigel Woodhead will be looking for from political parties this election, but for politicians willing to work with the sector to implement their policies.