Country Life

Five years ago Himiona Nuku started capturing eels full of eggs and helping them on their migratory journey. That was because two power stations on the Rangitaiki River were blocking their path.

When Taumarunui student Rayne Bradley arrived in the big smoke of Hamilton earlier this year to study tourism she was nervous and homesick. A couple of weeks later she was feeling a bit more confident. So how is she faring now, five months down the track and into semester two.

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Kohutapu Lodge was humming four years ago, it was welcoming international backpackers and living up to its five word motto "Changing a town through tourism". Overnight all that changed. After many tears they picked themselves up and started running 12-week-long life skills courses for local tamariki. Into the third course things are going well and the owners plan to blend the tourism business with teaching.

A farmer on the East Coast has just finished pregnancy scanning ewes, while some of the very early flocks are starting to lamb. Cows in Southland have settled on winter crops and sheep are break feeding on grass and getting a top up of sheep nuts or oats.

A wrap of farming conditions around NZ, Tourism venture pivots to Teaching, Rayne Bradley reaches the halfway mark, Capturing Tuna and Healing Maori land through hemp.

Northland farmer Roger Ludbrook is planting pine trees and reducing stock numbers so he can pay for greenhouse gas emission bills with carbon credits from his trees.

Full Episode for Friday June 17 2022

Could cows be toilet trained and how close will dairy farmers be to slamming emissions a decade from now? Dairy farmer Pete Morgan and agritech entrepreneur Craig Piggott ruminate on dairy farming in 2032.

Many farms in the North Island are drenched after all the rain and heavy money's being paid at Canterbury bull sales.

In celebration of Country Life's 25th birthday we will be delving into the archives over the next few months. This week we're watching expert fencers face off with their tools and technique at the Golden Pliers event during the 2014 Fieldays.