CountryWide CONNECT

WANT TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW LIVE (11am-1pm NZST) ON THE GO? Download CountryWide Connect mobile app to stream the show via Apple Car Play or Android Auto. Or try the voice command ‘Play CountryWide Connect’ on Amazon Alexa or Google Home.

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/countrywide-connect/id6761033881
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.countrywide&hl=en_NZ

Labour has committed to restoring rural school bus routes cut under the current Government, with the Parents’ Alliance welcoming the announcement as one of the simplest attendance policies on the table.
Parents’ Alliance chair Cameron Bagrie says for rural families the school bus isn’t a convenience — it’s the difference between a child in class and a child stuck at home. He says the Government can’t make attendance a priority while removing the buses that get children there.
Labour says where a cancelled route can’t be fully restored, it will work with rural communities and local councils to find alternatives.
Bagrie says it’s not a left or right issue — it’s a rural kids issue — and urges whichever parties form the next government to both restore cut routes and fill empty seats under ACT’s Open Seat policy.

Rural mobile coverage has deteriorated significantly since the 3G network shutdown in March, with a new Federated Farmers survey of nearly six-hundred-and-fifty farmers painting a bleak picture of connectivity across farming New Zealand.
Half of farms now have mobile coverage on less than half of their property. A third of farmers report places on their farm that previously worked on 3G but no longer do. Nearly two in three say they can’t reliably reach 111 from most of their farm, and eight percent say connecting to emergency services is impossible anywhere on their property.
One in seven farms had to replace equipment relying on the 3G network — irrigation controls, cow collars and farm systems — with some spending thousands of dollars replacing gear that was still working.
Telecommunications spokesperson Mark Hooper says of one-hundred-and-twenty-six farms that reported problems to providers, just two had them resolved. He is holding urgent meetings with telcos to explore what can be done within existing infrastructure.

Beef and Lamb New Zealand Incorporated is marking forty years of keeping red meat front of mind for New Zealand consumers, with the organisation founded in 1986 as the NZ Beef and Lamb Marketing Bureau.
Chief executive Kit Arkwright says what makes the organisation globally unique is that farmers, processors and retailers — who compete every day — have set commercial priorities aside for four decades to promote their shared product.
The organisation is behind campaigns including the Iron Maidens featuring Olympic champions the Evers-Swindell twins and Sarah Ulmer, the National Lamb Day, and the Quality Mark introduced in 1997.
The anniversary coincides with World Iron Awareness Week, which BLNZ Inc started in 2014 and which is now backed by sixty partners across the food system.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode features Ian McKenzie, Councillor, Environment Canterbury discussing efforts to strengthen Canterbury’s flood warning network and improve preparedness for flooding.

WANT TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW LIVE (11am-1pm NZST) ON THE GO? Download CountryWide Connect mobile app to stream the show via Apple Car Play or Android Auto. Or try the voice command ‘Play CountryWide Connect’ on Amazon Alexa or Google Home.

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/countrywide-connect/id6761033881
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.countrywide&hl=en_NZ
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode features Kate Cocks, Chair, High Country Accord discussing protecting remote stations and the role of aerial fire response in rural areas.

WANT TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW LIVE (11am-1pm NZST) ON THE GO? Download CountryWide Connect mobile app to stream the show via Apple Car Play or Android Auto. Or try the voice command ‘Play CountryWide Connect’ on Amazon Alexa or Google Home.

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/countrywide-connect/id6761033881
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.countrywide&hl=en_NZ
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode features Professor Rebecca Priestley, School of Science in Society, Victoria University discussing the relationship between farmers, climate science and policy.

WANT TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW LIVE (11am-1pm NZST) ON THE GO? Download CountryWide Connect mobile app to stream the show via Apple Car Play or Android Auto. Or try the voice command ‘Play CountryWide Connect’ on Amazon Alexa or Google Home.

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/countrywide-connect/id6761033881
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.countrywide&hl=en_NZ
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode features Mark Hunter, Co-owner, Wool Online discussing plans to overhaul traditional wool auctions and give growers greater control.

WANT TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW LIVE (11am-1pm NZST) ON THE GO? Download CountryWide Connect mobile app to stream the show via Apple Car Play or Android Auto. Or try the voice command ‘Play CountryWide Connect’ on Amazon Alexa or Google Home.

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/countrywide-connect/id6761033881
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.countrywide&hl=en_NZ
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.