Country Life

The small Māori-owned dairy company Miraka exports milk powder to 26 countries from a factory near Lake Taupo. Recently, they've expanded into value-added UHT milk and have just launched a fruit smoothie.

A series of short radio programmes produced in 1986 by Brendan Gray looking at some of New Zealand's more colourful historic hotels. From Nga Taonga Sound and Vision Archives.

Rangiora Nursery grows more four million tiny trees a year for high-quality forest and shelter tree cuttings. Owner Derrick Parry employs up to 60 seasonal workers at the busiest times.

Red needle cast is a relatively new disease hitting pine plantations in New Zealand and retarding tree growth. Plant pathologist Dr. Nari Williams has been looking at ways to manage it.

Hill country Wairarapa farmers are expecting grass growth to rocket away after recent rain. Calving is drawing to a close in Southland and lambing has settled down after a run of wet weather.

Miraka on the Move, Trees-a-Plenty, Country Pubs, Beetlemania and the Regional Wrap.

Dr Shaun Forgie is a dung beetle expert specialising in dung beetle reproduction, ecology and evolution. His company, Dung Beetle Innovations, supplies farmers with dung beetle packages to assist with the removal of pastoral dung from agricultural livestock.

There are only two guanaco studs outside of South America - one is run by Keith Payne in North Canterbury. Big Ears Llama Ranch is home to around 50 of the sturdy camelids.

For 20 years, Ross MacDonald and his teams of NZ shepherds and working dogs have entertained millions of people at farm shows in Japan.

Fruit and vegetable growers and other primary producers are looking with new eyes at the waste they produce. Now paua shells, flax, waste from grapes and kiwifruit can be used as ingredients in bio-plastics.