Dairy farmers are celebrating as the sector delivers a record year. 

Data from Dairy NZ's annual state of the dairy nation report shows farmers produced an unprecedented 21 billion litres of milk in the 2024/2025 season. 

It's also brought the highest ever export earnings worth $27.1 billion. 

Federated Farmers Dairy Chair Karl Dean told Ryan Bridge a lot of it comes down to herd testing to ensure Kiwi cows have the best genetics. 

He says as performance and profitability continue to increase, the Government gets more tax revenue. 

LISTEN ABOVE

Dairy farmers are celebrating as the sector delivers a record year.&nbsp;
Data from Dairy NZ's annual state of the dairy nation report shows farmers produced an unprecedented 21 billion litres of milk in the 2024/2025 season.&nbsp;
It's also brought the highest ever export earnings worth $27.1 billion.&nbsp;
Federated Farmers Dairy Chair Karl Dean told Ryan Bridge a lot of it comes down to herd testing to ensure Kiwi cows have the best genetics.&nbsp;
He says as performance and profitability continue to increase, the Government gets more tax revenue.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

A fresh and intelligent start to your day - catch the very latest international and domestic news developments, sport, entertainment and business on Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, on Newstalk ZB.

A fresh and intelligent start to your day - catch the very latest international and domestic news developments, sport, entertainment and business on Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, on Newstalk ZB.

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Karl Dean: Federated Farmers Dairy Chair on Dairy delivering a record year

The last piece of the puzzle for overnight air traffic control, with the Government opening up a new 24/7 alternative runway for commercial airlines.  

Funding's been approved for the round-the-clock service at Ōhakea Air Force base, near Palmerston North.  

Under aviation laws, commercial flights must nominate an alternative runway in case a plane can't land at its destination.  

Board of Airline Representatives Executive Director Cath O'Brien told Ryan Bridge this is important as long-haul aircraft often start running low on fuel.  

She says it's key to have an airport where airlines can divert to if they need, and then get on their way once they refuel. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

The last piece of the puzzle for overnight air traffic control, with the Government opening up a new 24/7 alternative runway for commercial airlines. &nbsp;
Funding's been approved for the round-the-clock service at Ōhakea Air Force base, near Palmerston North. &nbsp;
Under aviation laws, commercial flights must nominate an alternative runway in case a plane can't land at its destination.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Board of Airline Representatives Executive Director Cath O'Brien told Ryan Bridge this is important as long-haul aircraft often start running low on fuel. &nbsp;
She says it's key to have an airport where airlines can divert to if they need, and then get on their way once they refuel.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Cath O'Brien: Board of Airline Representatives Executive Director on the Ōhakea Air Force based being greenlit as an alternative runway for commercial planes

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast 2025, Dairy NZ have unveiled their state of the dairy nation report, Federated Farmers Dairy Chair Karl Dean shares his thoughts. 

The Government says the control tower at Ohakea air base will soon operate 24/7, making it the country’s official back-up airport, Board of Airline Representatives of New Zealand Executive Director Cath O'Brien tells Ryan Bridge how big of a difference this will make for airlines. 

The Reserve Bank is asking the public for feedback on a proposal that banks must provide a minimum level of cash services, Professor at Massey University Business School Claire Matthews, shares her thoughts. 

Plus US Correspondent Katie Fisher has the latest on the reaction to Trump's State of the nation speech. 

Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.          

LISTEN ABOVE  

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast 2025, Dairy NZ have unveiled their state of the dairy nation report, Federated Farmers Dairy Chair Karl Dean shares his thoughts.&nbsp;
The Government says the control tower at Ohakea air base will soon operate 24/7, making it the country’s official back-up airport, Board of Airline Representatives of New Zealand Executive Director Cath O'Brien tells Ryan Bridge how big of a difference this will make for airlines.&nbsp;
The Reserve Bank is asking the public for feedback on a proposal that banks must provide a minimum level of cash services, Professor at Massey University Business School Claire Matthews, shares her thoughts.&nbsp;
Plus US Correspondent Katie Fisher has the latest on the reaction to Trump's State of the nation speech.&nbsp;
Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE &nbsp;

Full Show Podcast: 26 February 2026 

There's a big puffy cloud of smoke hanging over the vaping versus cigarettes debate this week. 

It's all kicked off because the Government's handing out free vapes to smokers to stop them getting what we know could be a death sentence. 

They've done a deal to buy a bunch of them for $500,000.

Between last January and July, 3000 smokers were given vaping kits and nearly half of them stopped smoking. Which, ordinarily, you would think would be a good news story. 

Not so for Kelly Burrowes, Auckland University Vaping Researcher. She said on Newstalk ZB that it wasn't. 

So I spoke yesterday to Robert Beaglehole. Yes, the Robert Beaglehole. Former boss of the World Health Organisation. Public health expert. 

He says some of the searches are from laboratory-based scientist with no epidemiological or public health experience and doesn't have the big picture in mind. He says one of the other antagonists to this approach clearly doesn't comprehend the evidence, because it's a mystery to why someone would oppose something that is much less harmful and cheaper. 

It feels a bit to me like the Covid days when you had so-called experts piping up about the harms of a disease without taking a helicopter view of the best way a society should manage such risk for the least-overall harm. 

There's a political element to this, too. Because we know there are certain politicians desperate to paint Casey Costello as some sort of big vape lobbyist in drag. 

The choice, really, if you'd call it that, seems to come down to the devil we know and devil we don't. 

There's a big puffy cloud of smoke hanging over the vaping versus cigarettes debate this week.&nbsp;
It's all kicked off because the Government's handing out free vapes to smokers to stop them getting what we know could be a death sentence.&nbsp;
They've done a deal to buy a bunch of them for $500,000.
Between last January and July, 3000 smokers were given vaping kits and nearly half of them stopped smoking.&nbsp;Which, ordinarily, you would think would be a good news story.&nbsp;
Not so for Kelly Burrowes, Auckland University Vaping Researcher.&nbsp;She said on Newstalk ZB that it wasn't.&nbsp;
So I spoke yesterday to Robert Beaglehole. Yes, the Robert Beaglehole.&nbsp;Former boss of the World Health Organisation. Public health expert.&nbsp;
He says some of the searches are from laboratory-based scientist with no epidemiological or public health experience and doesn't have the big picture in mind. He says one of the other antagonists to this approach clearly doesn't comprehend the evidence, because it's a mystery to why someone would oppose something that is much less harmful and cheaper.&nbsp;
It feels a bit to me like the Covid days when you had so-called experts piping up about the harms of a disease without taking a helicopter view of the best way a society should manage such risk for the least-overall harm.&nbsp;
There's a political element to this, too. Because we know there are certain politicians desperate to paint Casey Costello as some sort of big vape lobbyist in drag.&nbsp;
The choice, really, if you'd call it that, seems to come down to the devil we know and devil we don't.&nbsp;

Karl Dean: Federated Farmers Dairy Chair on Dairy delivering a record year

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