K23 Reports

The EU is New Zealand's most valuable sheep meat market, taking 52% by volume but returning 63% by value. Access is restricted and rationed through quota by the Meat Board.

‘ Getting on board’ is journey within a journey, a detour if you like, that may bring you back onto the route you have chosen, -by getting you elected, lead you away down a different track, -interest in one role leading to another, or lead to a dead end, – not getting elected. This reference … Read more

While the New Zealand sheep meat industry has been able to maintain relative profitability through continued production improvements and a reduction of costs, the increasing level of competition from cheaper sources of protein makes it difficult to see a sustainable future based on a production focussed model. As agricultural markets continue to become more competitive, … Read more

What is it that requires fish to be farmed? Is it the need for food? Is it the need to protect the wild fish stocks? Or is it because it makes economic sense? This report gives an insight into how where and why fish are farmed. Most of the earth is being farmed to potential … Read more

The rural service industry comprises of five distinct areas of service that are specifically focused on the primary sector. These areas include suppliers, professionals, brokers, contractors and some farm businesses. The level of competition ranges within and between these areas is generally determined by the demand for the service. As such, there tends to be … Read more

The project has three related parts: 1. A global perspective: an overview, based on current global literature, of the importance of cities and the land around them in preserving and enhancing biodiversity worldwide. 2. The New Zealand situation: an investigation of some of the current thinking, research and practice to enhance biodiversity in urban areas … Read more

During the early 1990’s the horticultural industry transitioned through to a new phase regarding its labour employment practices. As a result of increased governmental employment compliance issues and a decrease in the financial returns to orchards, employers who prior to this were predominantly growers or post harvest facilities, retracted from the employment of orchard workers. … Read more

I believe the New Zealand dairy industry is being compromised by understaffing on farms, especially larger units of 600 cows or more. This has become a significantly greater problem in the last 10 years and specifically in the South Island with larger farm sizes and cow numbers rapidly increasing. As the dairy industry grows to … Read more

With the growing global demand for organic produce boosting organic premiums and a low-input farm management history, plus our desire to reduce our negative impact on the environment, we have decided to convert our farm, Judge Creek, to organics. Over the course of the year I have been interviewing farmers, both conventional and organic, and … Read more

Labour, or the shortage thereof in NZ is an issue across all industries, and agriculture is no less affected than any other. The growth in land values in the past 5 years see’s the affordability of purchase and economic operation of farms, as a challenge for those looking to increase their business size, or enter … Read more

In recent years the van Polanen farm has intensified the grass based dairy operation which is the core activity of their farming business and it became necessary to use the limited water resource more efficiently. New technologies and practices in spray irrigation prompted an investigation into the economics of changing from border-dyke irrigation to spray … Read more

This report aims to assess the future of the New Zealand sheep and beef sector through to 2025. The assessment is based on an examination of the internal and external constraints that will influence meat production and their potential effects. It then suggests a vision for the industry, and the types of strategies needed to … Read more