Country Life

Waitatapia Station's Hew Darlymple says he's been surprised at the intensity of growing fresh vegies. "It's relentless, absolutely relentless." Cabbages, broccoli and cauliflower are now grown on the 2000 hectare station along-side sheep, beef, barley, maize, wheat and oats.

Gisborne Grape grower James Millton encourages territorial birds to visit his vineyards during the harvest in the hope they'll see off others intent on pecking his grapes.

In Northland lots of dairy herds are being sold and in the South Island nearly all the regions are trucking along well for the time of the year.

Country Life's guest this week is Irish shearer Enda Bradley, one of the foreign agricultural workers who've been allowed into New Zealand during the pandemic to plug gaps in the labour market during the shearing and harvest season.

A Coast to Coast Adventure for at Risk Youth, growing vegies in Rangitikei, controlling birds on vineyards, foreigner worker shearing and the Regional Wrap.

Miro is a collective of Māori businesses, trusts, whānau, hapū and iwi growing blueberries on Māori-owned land to increase its productivity and create jobs.

The drop in honey prices has prompted Kirwee beekeeper Glynn Cleaver to focus on pollination services rather than honey collection. This week Glynn has been collecting his hives from cropping farms in the district.

Les Ward's family arrived in the northern Coromandel Peninsula in the late 1890's having no idea of how challenging life on the land there would be - then and now.

Good rain helped ease the dry in the north and South Canterbury farmers woke up to two frosts this week.

On Country Life tonight, Growing blueberries on Maori-owned land .... and the drop in honey prices has prompted Kirwee bee keeper Glynn Cleaver to focus on pollination services rather than honey collection. With the season nearly over, Glynn has been collecting his hives from cropping farms in the district.