CountryWide Connect – Show Summary

(Working backwards from 1pm to 11am)

We finish at 12:48 with Tony Trewinnard, BlueSkies Weather, as the season turns — heavy rain this week, then a cold snap and first real frost window mid-May, with dry risk building in eastern regions.

At 12:33, Colin Glass, Outgoing Chief Executive – Dairy Holdings, on a career at scale in dairy, the big shifts he’s seen, and where the sector — and Fonterra — are heading.

At 12:18, Alan Thomson, Chief Executive – Beef + Lamb New Zealand, lays out exactly what sheep and beef farmers want from the next government — fewer rules, lower costs, and certainty.

At 12:05, Andrew Hoggard, Minister for Biosecurity and Food Safety, on the “Open Seat Rule” — fixing rural school transport inefficiency.

At 12:00 it’s Rural News with Farmlands.

At 11:48, Jon Pemberton, Nuffield Scholar and Environment Southland Councillor, challenges the clean green narrative — arguing the problem isn’t farmers, it’s the system.

At 11:33, Corina Jordan, Chief Executive – Fish and Game New Zealand, on freshwater, access, and the growing clash between environment and production.

At 11:18, Campbell Parker, Chief Executive – DairyNZ, on Foot and Mouth readiness — and new evidence showing good farming practices are delivering real water quality gains.

And we kick off at 11:05 with James Meager, Minister for the South Island and Minister of Hunting and Fishing, on opening weekend and the pressure points around access and environment.