A thin breeze with echoes of snow slides across Te Awamutu's Lake Mangakaware, rustling raupo and rippling the surface of the small rural waterway.

They say a week is a long time in politics - and the same can be said for sport.

A record Fonterra dairy payout, much improved orchard returns and rising prices for red meat have put a smile on faces across the agribusiness sector, but uncertainty still hangs over rural New Zealand.

Are you sick of ever increasing rates bills and keen for some respite?

I love me some dirty politics, but I can't abide zealots; and we've seen both come to the fore over the last week. With just under a month to go until the country takes to the polls, the election campaign is finally starting to get interesting.

Dairy farming in Northland is undergoing the biggest shake-up the sector has seen in more than 50 years with a wave of outsiders taking advantage of comparatively cheap farmland.

Bringing New Zealand into the digital age has been a top priority for the Government. The Ultra Fast Broadband scheme to bring fibre optic internet to the home in urban areas is well under way, but the rural sector isn't being left in the dark ages.

The Government has announced an increase to investment in our deteriorating rural roads, but Federated Farmers has concerns as to whether it will be enough.

As a country that grows, processes and sells food products, New Zealand cannot afford to rest on its laurels when it comes to food safety, especially since the Fonterra botulism scare.