• ANZCO Foods to acquire Greenlea Group in red meat consolidation
• Conservation land sale law sparks heated parliamentary exchange
• Fisheries Amendment Bill delayed until after election

Rural News is in partnership with Farmlands as part of CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp - our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch / listen.

ANZCO Foods to acquire Greenlea Group in red meat consolidation

Two red meat processors are set to combine, with ANZCO Foods announcing an agreement to purchase Hamilton-based Greenlea Group — subject to Commerce Commission and Overseas Investment Office approval.

Japanese-owned ANZCO, based in Christchurch, is one of New Zealand's largest red meat processors with revenue of two-point-two billion dollars and plants across the South Island and lower North Island. Greenlea operates two Waikato beef processing sites and is New Zealand's fourth-largest beef exporter with annual turnover of six-hundred million dollars.

ANZCO chief executive Peter Conley says Greenlea will continue to operate as a standalone entity if the deal is approved, providing continuity for staff, farmers and customers while the combined business explores future growth opportunities.

Greenlea managing director Tony Egan says the sale is about securing the company's legacy and long-term success as the family-owned business works through succession planning. 

Egan will remain involved as an adviser and board member.

Conservation land sale law sparks heated parliamentary exchange

Proposed law changes that could open up conservation land for sale have sparked a heated confrontation in Parliament, with accusations of lying traded across the select committee room.

Conservation Minister Tama Potaka faced intense questioning over legislation that Forest and Bird says could put up to sixty percent of conservation land at risk of disposal. Potaka was adamant the intent was only to sell off low-value land — what he repeatedly described as "bits and bobs" — pointing to examples like a MetService building in Wellington and a West Coast gravel reserve surrounded by farmland.

Green Party co-leaders Chlöe Swarbrick and Marama Davidson called the minister a liar. National's Grant McCallum responded with "hypocrite", and Labour's Rachel Brooking told Potaka to shush.
Potaka called suggestions of a mass sell-off "highly ridiculous and fantasy land", saying anyone claiming sixty percent of the estate was at risk was in the Olympic championships for exaggeration.

Fisheries Amendment Bill delayed until after election

The controversial Fisheries Amendment Bill looks set to be pushed past the election, with Fisheries Minister Shane Jones acknowledging the legislation could benefit from more "panel beating" before progressing.

Jones told a parliamentary scrutiny hearing he was aware of significant disharmony across the industry and Parliament, and suggested the select committee extend its reporting deadline — effectively delaying the bill until after November's vote.

Jones had dismissed critics as "noisy voices" before the coalition reversed a key proposal to scrap most minimum size limits for commercial fishers. 

Other contentious elements remain, including limits on judicial review timeframes and restrictions on sharing on-board camera footage under the Official Information Act.

Labour is calling for the bill to be scrapped entirely and started from scratch.