Federated Farmers Podcast

Want to know where the main parties stand on the issues that matter most to farmers and rural New Zealand? Hosted by Heather du Plessis-Allan at Mystery Creek, the Rural Issues Debate on 30 September brought together Todd McClay (National), Jo Luxton (Labour), Mark Patterson (NZ First), Andrew Hoggard (ACT) and Steve Abel (Green).

The 90-minute debate covered the future of the ETS, whole-farm forestry conversions, the India FTA, rural connectivity, taxation, on-farm solar, the Paris Agreement and much more, with plenty of robust debate along the way.

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East Coast farmer Blair Crawshaw has been using drones for eight years, putting them to work mustering stock, finding missing animals and pests, and checking for problems across his steep Motu farm, Tawa Hills Angus. In this episode, we get practical about how farmers can actually use a drone on farm — what it’s good for, what it can’t do, and what you need to know before buying one.

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When a friend asked Logan Wait to provide some meat for an event post-Covid, he realised there was a problem: he had the animals, but no easy way to get meat from the farm to the people who wanted it. That question led him to found Earth First, New Zealand’s first certified mobile abattoir of its kind. His big idea is simple: what if the meatworks came to the farm, instead of the animal going to the meatworks?

Logan joins us to talk about leaving a corporate job in Auckland, returning to the family farm and building a new way for farmers to process and sell their meat. His vision is for Kiwis to have easier, more affordable access to high-quality meat, while helping farmers keep more of the value rather than losing it along the supply chain.

Links

www.earthfirst.org.nz/contact

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South Canterbury farmer Lesley Roy has taken more than 1,500 wallabies and 40 pigs off her farm this year – but despite that huge effort, the numbers are barely changing. With pigs destroying pasture and eating lambs, and wallabies continually damaging fences and fowling paddocks, Lesley says pest control has become an endless battle. And her experience highlights a much bigger problem facing farmers across New Zealand.

In this episode, Lesley and Federated Farmers pest management spokesperson Richard Dawkins discuss the scale of the pest problem, why farmers feel like they’re fighting the same battle year after year, and what needs to change if New Zealand is serious about getting on top of it.

See the Federated Farmers 2026 Pest Survey Report

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Kate Acland has built a career out of figuring out what to do when the original plan stops working. From starting a wine business in her 20s and navigating the GFC, to moving into farming and building a diverse operation at Mt Somers Station, Kate has repeatedly had to adapt, take risks and back herself. Today, she’s chair of Beef + Lamb New Zealand and the inaugural Rural Woman of the Year.

In this candid conversation, Kate talks about the challenges that have shaped her, the moments that have pushed her forward, and the realities of leadership, imposter syndrome, succession and raising a family on the farm.

She also shares her advice for young rural women, why putting your hand up before you feel ready can be worthwhile, and what she’s learned about finding a way forward when things don’t go to plan.

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For Taranaki sheep and beef farmer Nick Brown and his wife Sophie, farm ownership is definitely the goal – but they're taking a different route to get there. Rather than putting their capital into buying land, the couple are leasing 800 hectares and focusing their money on the productive assets that generate income.

In this episode, Nick explains why he thinks leasing is a great way for young farmers to build equity, why older farm owners should be open to the idea, and why longer leases and more ambitious bank lending could help more young farmers build a pathway into farm ownership.

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From warm cups of sheep milk in China to influencers livestreaming from New Zealand paddocks, the global demand for sheep milk is creating a surprising new opportunity for Kiwi farmers.

In this episode, Spring Sheep CEO Thomas Macdonald and Commercial Manager Operations Olivia Smith take us inside the rise of New Zealand’s sheep dairy industry. They explain how an unconventional experiment has developed into a growing industry built around Spring Sheep’s own Zealandia breed, a network of farmers and increasingly strong international demand.

We dig into what makes sheep dairying work, the economics for farmers, why developing a purpose-bred sheep was essential, and how big this emerging industry could become.

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For Quinn and Samantha Morgan, farming is about much more than cows and grass. They’re in it to create more opportunities for their family and the people who work alongside them.

From helping their team build skills and get off-farm experience to involving them in the financial side of the business, their goal is to show people what a future in farming could look like.

In this episode, the dairy farming couple talk about their journey into farming, the mentors who helped shape their careers, and why they put such a strong focus on developing the people around them.

They also share what they’ve learned about balancing farming and family life, what they’d like to see change across the sector, and, as always, we finish with a quickfire round.

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In this special 100th episode of the Federated Farmers Podcast, the Prime Minister sits down for a personal, wide-ranging conversation about the experiences and people that shaped him long before politics.

From growing up in Christchurch and Auckland to building an international business career with Unilever and leading Air NZ, Luxon reflects on the lessons he's learned about leadership, family and resilience. 

He shares the influence of his parents, the advice from his grandfather that still guides his marriage, why he banned mobile phones around his children, and the habits that helped shape his career.

Along the way, he talks about country music, studying great leaders, raising a family overseas, returning home to New Zealand, and why relationships matter more than job titles.

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Running a 2000-cow dairy operation across 524 hectares is a big enough challenge, but Jared Crawford and his wife Sara decided to add another by buying a craft brewery and restaurant.

As lower-order sharemilkers for FarmRight near Geraldine, Jared and Sara have built a high-performing dairy business with a strong focus on people, earning a reputation for developing and retaining great staff. 

Beyond the farm gate, Jared also represents sharefarmers with Federated Farmers at both the South Canterbury and national level, giving him a unique perspective on the issues facing the sector.

In this episode, we talk about building a successful dairy business, the importance of backing your team, why advocacy matters, and the story of how a few drinks over dinner somehow turned into owning a brewery. 

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