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Catherine Fry
Coast & Country writer

Coast & Country writer

We are your advocate, Aotearoa. Uncovering stories that matter, asking hard-hitting questions of those in power, live-blogging sport events, monitoring the highs and lows of the NZX and providing Premium expert opinion and analysis. Bringing you distinctive, quality journalism and breaking news from across New Zealand and around the world. With specialists working together to create indepth reads, engaging video, and unmissable podcasts.

Check out Catherine’s latest content
Hill farming and Arabian horse breeding in Taumarunui
The Country

Hill farming and Arabian horse breeding in Taumarunui

21 Jun 05:00 PM
'Rusty but running': 1940s bulldozer still going strong
The Country

'Rusty but running': 1940s bulldozer still going strong

20 Jun 05:00 PM

Robin Hill retired at 58 and began collecting tractors, including a 1940s Fowler VF.

Healing and life lessons from horses in Waikato
The Country

Healing and life lessons from horses in Waikato

24 May 05:01 PM

Sue Court and her wife bought a small farm in New Zealand to focus on horses.

Model railway enthusiasts bring farming history to life
The Country

Model railway enthusiasts bring farming history to life

17 May 05:01 PM

Club initially used ex-dairy farmer and life member Brian Harvey’s hobby room and shed.

Jessica Cameron’s journey from student to shepherd
The Country

Jessica Cameron’s journey from student to shepherd

10 May 05:00 PM

Growing Future Farmers graduate secures a shepherd job on a Te Akau farm in the Waikato.

'Talking point': 1930 Ford pick-up turns heads at farmers' markets
The Country

'Talking point': 1930 Ford pick-up turns heads at farmers' markets

19 Apr 05:00 PM

A Coast & Country story about a Ford pick-up.

'Really excited': Waikato farming family's hazelnut success
The Country

'Really excited': Waikato farming family's hazelnut success

18 Apr 05:00 AM

The Scott family ran a small beef operation but felt they needed to diversify.

'It’s such an enduring show': Behind the scenes at Hyundai Country Calendar
The Country

'It’s such an enduring show': Behind the scenes at Hyundai Country Calendar

08 Apr 01:00 AM

Each episode involves a five-day shoot, focusing on real people and settings.

‘Really lucky’: Farmers grateful for training programme
The Country

‘Really lucky’: Farmers grateful for training programme

22 Mar 04:00 PM

Growing Future Farmers is a training programme aimed at increasing industry skills.

Northern Ireland to the North Island: A well-travelled tractor
The Country

Northern Ireland to the North Island: A well-travelled tractor

21 Mar 04:00 PM

Stanley Wilson's 33-year-old 3080 is still in regular use.

Tala's flower business blooms after leaving corporate world
The Country

Tala's flower business blooms after leaving corporate world

01 Mar 04:00 PM

How a lockdown epiphany turned a furniture retail manager into a flower grower.

Breeding the 'Wagyu of the lamb world'
The Country

Breeding the 'Wagyu of the lamb world'

27 Feb 04:00 PM

In 2016, the Reeves started breeding their own sheep, called Waimai CharaBlack.

John Deere a family affair for this dairy farmer
The Country

John Deere a family affair for this dairy farmer

22 Feb 04:00 PM

Reece Houghton's father Neil collected and meticulously restored vintage John Deeres.

'Amazing to watch': Why Ray is hooked on pigeons
The Country

'Amazing to watch': Why Ray is hooked on pigeons

21 Feb 04:00 PM

Ray Hooker began caring for pigeons at just 11 years old.

Organic beef farm sees biodiversity flourish
The Country

Organic beef farm sees biodiversity flourish

17 Jan 04:00 PM

Hamish Browne and Robyn Budd are now in their eighth year of farm ownership.

Raising the next generation of primary industry leaders
The Country

Raising the next generation of primary industry leaders

15 Jan 02:00 AM

HATA has regional hubs throughout NZ with workshops, programmes & resources for teachers.

From dairy farm to café: Couple's organic cheese success
The Country

From dairy farm to café: Couple's organic cheese success

26 Dec 04:02 PM

Kelvin and Cathy Haigh's cheeses have won them many awards over the years.

GP finds his 'happy place' in avocado orchard
The Country

GP finds his 'happy place' in avocado orchard

22 Dec 04:02 PM

Tauranga GP Dr Andrew Corin balances work with avocado farming and creative writing.

A tale of two old tractors
The Country

A tale of two old tractors

06 Dec 04:00 PM

“I searched online for quite a while. I wanted something old and maybe a little unusual."

Restoration project revives 1956 TrailLite caravan
The Country

Restoration project revives 1956 TrailLite caravan

23 Nov 04:01 PM

TrailLite's Peter Newman worked 25 to 30 hours a week to get the caravan good as new.

'Virtually nothing is wasted': The art of taxidermy
The Country

'Virtually nothing is wasted': The art of taxidermy

15 Nov 04:01 PM

“Very little of the actual animal is used in the taxidermy,” Mark Walker says.

Understanding the risk of facial eczema
The Country

Understanding the risk of facial eczema

16 Oct 07:30 PM

A new three-year study is under way to understand the risk of facial eczema on-farm.

'Definitely my favourite tractor': A little Fergy called Eric
The Country

'Definitely my favourite tractor': A little Fergy called Eric

11 Oct 04:01 PM

Ross Sainsbury 'deliberately find jobs that I can use Eric for'.

Western Bay couple’s passion for fruit
The Country

Western Bay couple’s passion for fruit

08 Oct 12:00 AM

'We decided to simplify things and pick two or three fruits and do them well.'

Cambridge man loves all tractors great and small
The Country

Cambridge man loves all tractors great and small

14 Sep 05:01 PM

Ron Totman has around 13 working tractors and an 'unknown number for parts'.

Family's 124 years of arable farming in Onewhero
The Country

Family's 124 years of arable farming in Onewhero

13 Sep 05:00 PM

The Pellow family have contributed to the farm’s evolution over the past 124 years.

Waikato farmer fought for his life to fulfil farming dream
The Country

Waikato farmer fought for his life to fulfil farming dream

13 Sep 05:00 PM

Farmer Matthew Macdonald was diagnosed with blood cancer in high school.

From Wales to NZ: A well-travelled tractor called Wombat
The Country

From Wales to NZ: A well-travelled tractor called Wombat

07 Sep 05:01 PM

Transporting Wombat from Carmarthenshire was 'quite a mission' for Peter Rogers.

Velvetleaf still poses a risk to farms - FAR
The Country

Velvetleaf still poses a risk to farms - FAR

24 Aug 05:00 PM

A wrap of the FAR projects taking place around the Waikato and Bay of Plenty.

To shear, or not to shear: Farmers look into self-shedding sheep
The Country

To shear, or not to shear: Farmers look into self-shedding sheep

23 Aug 05:01 PM

“By 2017/2018 it was clear from our figures that wool prices were dropping off sharply."

Chaff cutter from 1886 a piece of history restored to its former glory
The Country

Chaff cutter from 1886 a piece of history restored to its former glory

16 Aug 05:01 PM

Demonstrations are always a big hit when Noel Blackwell takes his chaff cutter to a show.

'Fortunate': How Matt Chisholm connects with rural communities
The Country

'Fortunate': How Matt Chisholm connects with rural communities

12 Aug 05:03 PM

The Rural Support Trust’s Time Out Tour visits rural communities around New Zealand.

A keen interest in farming and machinery for five generations
The Country

A keen interest in farming and machinery for five generations

10 Aug 05:00 PM

“It started in 1913 when my grandfather, William Fitzgerald, emigrated from England."

How Sam Dodd ended up an award-winning dairy farmer
The Country

How Sam Dodd ended up an award-winning dairy farmer

05 Aug 05:00 PM

'From Year 10 I always wanted to be a paramedic.'

'We like to think of the catchment as one big farm'
The Country

'We like to think of the catchment as one big farm'

05 Aug 12:27 AM

“Our goal is to build a thriving, knowledgeable and healthy rural community."

Soil Sisters bringing people together on the land
The Country

Soil Sisters bringing people together on the land

27 Jul 05:00 PM

"There’s a real magic that happens when we get together and put our hands in the Earth.”

Listening to the science at Owl Farm
The Country

Listening to the science at Owl Farm

26 Jul 04:59 PM

The dairy farm is a venture at St Peter’s School and a well-known demonstration farm.

10-year tractor restoration involves three generations
The Country

10-year tractor restoration involves three generations

20 Jul 05:01 PM

Derek Holm received his restoration tractor for his 40th birthday.

Dairy farmer's fascination for Ford tractors
The Country

Dairy farmer's fascination for Ford tractors

22 Jun 05:05 PM

'The cheapest part is always the purchase and then the costs set in.'

'I was brought up with horses': New Huntsman for Maramarua Hunt
The Country

'I was brought up with horses': New Huntsman for Maramarua Hunt

22 Jun 05:00 PM

The Maramarua Hunt started in 1932 and is still going strong.

What's next for award winning dairy trainee Kirwyn Ellis?
The Country

What's next for award winning dairy trainee Kirwyn Ellis?

20 Jun 05:00 PM

Find out what makes the Pirongia 20-year-old tick.

Rebuilding history a family affair
The Country

Rebuilding history a family affair

12 May 05:00 PM

He used parts of an old bus chassis to painstakingly rebuild the Model 33.

From derelict quarry to an arboretum with a twist
The Country

From derelict quarry to an arboretum with a twist

11 May 05:00 PM

It's hard to believe the land was once a derelict, greywacke quarry 30 years ago.

Off-the-grid lifestyle a winner for rural couple
The Country

Off-the-grid lifestyle a winner for rural couple

10 May 05:00 PM

Rebecca and David Stewart only raise what they need to sustain them.

Karapiro couple nuts about macadamias
The Country

Karapiro couple nuts about macadamias

03 May 05:00 PM

Paul Gardiner & Helen Stockman are one season away from seeing the fruits of their labour.

The Waikato Hunt is in the dog house - in a good way
The Country

The Waikato Hunt is in the dog house - in a good way

27 Apr 05:00 PM

“Our kennels had been at their Fencourt Road location in Cambridge since 1968."

Meet dragline enthusiast Neil Fitzgerald
The Country

Meet dragline enthusiast Neil Fitzgerald

26 Apr 05:00 PM

'Using draglines I dug canals, formed stopbanks and cleared drains all over the Waikato.'

From Gold Coast beauty therapist to Rotorua seed saviour
The Country

From Gold Coast beauty therapist to Rotorua seed saviour

12 Apr 05:00 PM

Jemma Ostenfeld's passion is producing fresh, organic food & seedlings for home gardeners.

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