Farmers Weekly Podcast

From big industry shake-ups to the 2026 outlook, Bryan and the Farmers Weekly-AgriHQ panel break down the year in ag, and Federated Farmers explains how new RMA reforms may finally ease the burden of stalled “zombie” consents on farmers.Feature | The Year in Ag: 2025’s biggest stories and what’s next0:42 – Bryan is joined by senior journalists Neal Wallace and Richard Rennie and AgriHQ senior analysts Suz Bremner and Mel Croad, to reflect on the big news stories of 2025. They cover the big company sell-offs, the changing regulatory landscape and what the export and local markets have in store for 2026.Feds Focus | RMA rethink gets the thumbs up21:06 – Federated Farmers consenting spokesperson Colin Hurst says the government’s proposed RMA reforms are a positive step forward. He says the decision to pause consent renewals until after the new regime is in place will also ease the concerns of many farmers who were facing a lengthy and expensive process to comply with a “zombie law”. 

Bryan is joined by senior journalists Neal Wallace and Richard Rennie and AgriHQ senior analysts Suz Bremner and Mel Croad, to reflect on the big news stories of 2025. They cover the big company sell-offs, the changing regulatory landscape and what the export and local markets have in store for 2026.

Federated Farmers consenting spokesperson Colin Hurst says the government’s proposed RMA reforms are a positive step forward. He says the decision to pause consent renewals until after the new regime is in place will also ease the concerns of many farmers who were facing a lengthy and expensive process to comply with a “zombie law”.

In this episode, AgriHQ’s Suz Bremner charts the rise of online livestock bidding. Lorin Clarke shares insights from directing a new documentary on her father, satirist John Clarke aka Fred Dagg. And Federated Farmers’ Sandra Faulkner explains why unifying local governance could deliver clearer purpose and greater efficiency nationwide.Market Insights | The tech takeover at the saleyards1:38 – Bryan chats with AgriHQ senior analyst Suz Bremner about the path online bidding platforms have taken – from starting out as a “solution without a problem” to becoming the innovation that kept the lights on during the pandemic. Feature | Not Only Fred Dagg: A BTS lens on the life of John Clarke 10:19 – Palmerston North will host the NZ premiere of a new documentary on the life of John Clarke, the comedian and satirist most famous here for his Fred Dagg character. John’s daughter Lorin Clarke, who directed the film, joins the studio to chat about her life with a famously funny father, and the challenges she faced completing the definitive documentary.Feds Focus | Local government reform ‘looks like a winner’32:14 – Federated Farmers local government spokesperson Sandra Faulkner says the government’s proposal to disestablish regional councils and bring all local governance into one organisation looks like a winner. As a former councillor at one of our only current unitary councils, Sandra says the clarity of purpose and efficiencies gained provide a blueprint for all regions.

Palmerston North will host the NZ premiere of a new documentary on the life of John Clarke, the comedian and satirist most famous here for his Fred Dagg character. Bryan talks to John’s daughter Lorin Clarke, who directed the film, about her life with a famously funny father, and the challenges she faced completing the definitive documentary.