Listen to The Country online with Jamie Mackay: Damien O’Connor on NZ’s roading issues

Former Agriculture and Trade Minister Damien O’Connor.

Today on The Country radio show, host Jamie Mackay catches up with former Agriculture and Trade Minister Damien O’Connor, to talk about roading, bitumen and world freight problems, before reminiscing about a Rolling Stones concert they both attended.

On with the show:

Damien O’Connor:

We find the former Agriculture and Trade Minister in Tuhoe Country where he’s looking, amongst other things, at roading. Today, we discuss New Zealand’s roading issues, bitumen imports, coal mining, Winston Peter’s trade mission to India, and world freight problems around the Suez and Panama Canal. Plus, we share our Rolling Stones experience at Mt Smart Stadium.

Adam Thompson and Rhys Roberts:

Today’s farmer panel comes to us from day two of the Impact Summit Conference in Queenstown where tonight the winners of the transtasman Zanda McDonald Awards will be announced. We ask a finalist, and the winner, respectively, from the 2022 awards for their thoughts.

Emma Higgins:

Rabobank’s senior ag analyst says there are bright spots on the horizon for improved global dairy prices but farmers around the world are not awash in profitability, as margin challenges persist into the new year. The Q1 2024 Global Dairy Quarterly: Finding a new equilibrium, looks at global supply and demand fundamentals and why the 24/25 season will be better than its predecessor, with sorely-needed improved margins at farmgate level.

Jane Smith:

One of this afternoon’s keynote speakers (and cage rattlers) at the Impact Summit Conference is a North Otago farmer, award-winning environmentalist, and self-titled “broken-down housewife”. Today she talks about why farmers need to vote on the Beef + Lamb NZ remits, and why our lofty Net Zero plans are so costly.

Phil Duncan:

Monday’s resident weather expert on a Tuesday.

Listen below: