Blue Shed Diary

It’s not often we talk about bug guts or meet people interested in getting squashed flies and bug splatters through the mail, but Richard and Aimme want to know all about it.

University of Auckland Geneticists, Dr Aimee van der Reis and Dr Richard O’Rorke, are using the dead bugs left on your license plate to unlock clues about insect biodiversity inAotearoa New Zealand. This citizen scientist project relies on Kiwis driving about the motu and the dead bugs they collect on their licence plates.

Nearly half of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture – methane and nitrous oxide. On a strictly per capita basis, we have the highest methane emissions in the world.

In 2019, as part of the zero-carbon act, targets were set to reduce these biogenic methane emissions by 24 to 27 percent by the year 2050, but now the Government has announced a reduction in those targets to 14 to 24 percent.

Many from the primary industry welcomed this change, while others say these new lower targets will make it harder for New Zealand to meet its climate change obligations andpotentially affect the sector’s trading viability internationally. 

Given the impact these decisions have on the primary sector, the Blue Shed Diary is getting perspectives from two different professors.

Joining the conversation is James Renwick, Professor of Physical Geography at Victoria University Wellington and Climate Change Commissioner from 2019 to 2024. Heis one of the voices raising concerns about the Government's latest move.

A landmark climate deal was struck in 2019 – the bipartisan legislation ‘Climate Change Response Act’ or Zero Carbon Act – which sets a legal framework for New Zealand to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Biogenic methane was the exception – with its targets set for a 24 to 47 percent reduction. In October, the Government announced they are reducing those methane targets to 14 to 24 percent.

Federated Farmers and others in the primary industry welcomed the policy, while others say this will not only make it harder for New Zealand to meet its climate change obligations but also threatens the primary sector’s ability to trade internationally.

Given the impact these decisions will have on the primary sector, the Blue Shed Diary is getting perspectives from two different professors.

Joining the conversation is David Frame, Professor of Physics at the University of Canterbury and former head of the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute.

PGG Wrightson recently published our Sustainability Report and Climate Statement in which we lay out the activities of PGG Wrightson over the last year to become more sustainable and reduce our climate impact. At the helm of this report and PGG Wrightson’s Sustainability Programme is ourSustainability Manager, Michael Anderson. He joins the conversation now.

Agronomists play a huge role in the success of crops for farmers and growers. But what you may not know is there is no qualification requirement for agronomists. None. Meanwhile, overseas anyone calling themselves an agronomist must hold a recognised qualification.

PGG Wrightson decided to do something about this and worked with Primary ITO to launch the very first, NZQA-approved programme and qualification. The first tranche of eight students is currently enrolled.

Joining the conversation is Fruitfed Supplies Technical Team Specialist for Subtropicals – Elaine Gould.

PGG Wrightson’s history extends all the way back to the 1840's when Nathaniel Levin established Levin & Co in Wellington.

Since then, the company we now know has had many names and we would be surprised if there is a single farmer orgrower in New Zealand’s history who has not interacted with some form of PGG Wrightson.

Big changes and consolidations in the 1990s set the stage for the PGG Wrightson of today. In 2005, Pyne Gould Guinness merged with Wrightson Ltd to become PGW. This October, we are celebrating our 20th birthday and 20 years of supporting and supplying our primary sectors.

Joining the conversation and to help us to celebrate this momentous occasion is PGG Wrightson Chief ExecutiveStephen Guerin.

The future is now. Artificial Intelligence is everywhere, even on our farms and orchards. There is a lot of potential and excitement around incorporating AI practices into the Primary Sector, but also pitfalls.

To walk us through the future of the technology, and its role with the Primary Sector we turn to AgriTech New Zealand.

Joining the conversation is Agritech's Growth and Transformation Manager Kylie Horomia.

It is September and that means the Cash for Communities programme is open. PGG Wrightson, Ballance Agri-Nutrients, and selected agchem suppliers donate $1 for every tonne of qualifying fertiliser or 10 litres of agchem products between September and November to charity.

PGG Wrightson customers nominate their preferred charities, and since the start of the programme in 2011, we have given away hundreds of thousands of dollars to rural charities and groups.

This year, with your help, we are on track to hit an important milestone: $1 million!

These donations make a huge difference to our communities and the work they do. One of the recipients of the Cash for Communities programme is the Rural Support Trust who work with farmers and growers across the country.

 Joining the conversation, is Jonathan Bell, Hawkes Bay Area Coordinator for the Rural Support Trust.

You can take part in Cash for Communities at PGG Wrightson. from now, until the end of November.

For every tonne of qualifying fertiliser or 10 litres of select agchem products purchased, $1 goes to the Cash for Communities programme.

If you have a charity you would like to nominate, head to www.cashforcommunities.co.nz for a nomination form and list of qualifying products.

In August, New Zealand crowned the Young Winemaker of the Year. PGG Wrightson's Fruitfed Supplies is a proud sponsor, and winners of the Tonnellerie de Mercurey NZ Young Winemaker earn a trip to Burgundy, France and whole lot more. The winner this year made four previous attempts at the crown before finding success in 2025.

Joining the conversation is Ruby McManaway, who by day is a Production Winemaker for Yealands Estate Winery in Blenheim.

People around the world love to drink our wine. An impressive statistic from New Zealand winegrowers shows just how much: 81 glasses of New Zealand wine were purchased every second last year.

Wine is a billion-dollar industry for Aotearoa and is a huge part of our Primary Sector. Advocating for this industry in New Zealand Winegrowers - the national organisation for our country's grape and wine sector.

Joining the conversation has been at its helm since its inception 2002, New Zealand Winegrowers CEO Philip Gregan.