B+LNZ Western North Island Director election result, Additional guidance on managing shearing cuts available, Join the Dairy-Beef Collective
This page contains this week’s e-diary national notices.
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This week’s notices:
B+LNZ Western North Island Director election result
Andrew Stewart, Rangitikei hill country farmer, has been elected to the B+LNZ Board in the Western North Island (WNI) electorate. In the election as part of the 2025 B+LNZ Annual Meeting process, Stewart received 4,233 weighted votes while his opponent and current WNI Director Scott Gower, who stood for re-election, received 3,502 weighted votes – a winning margin of 731. Read more in the media release.
Tickets for Out the Gate 2025 close Friday
Tickets for Out the Gate 2025 powered by the B+LNZ Farmer Council and Kāhui close this week! This jam-packed event, taking place on Wednesday 26 March in Rotorua, is free for farmers. Expect straight-talking insights, hands-on workshops, and big ideas – all designed to help sheep and beef farmers tackle change with confidence. Grab your tickets now before it’s too late.
Additional guidance on managing shearing cuts available
B+LNZ has produced a factsheet to complement the Sheep shearing wound protocol poster, which was developed by B+LNZ, the New Zealand Veterinary Association, the New Zealand Shearing Contractors Association, and New Zealand Merino. You can access the new factsheet here, along with a range of other animal welfare-related resources on B+LNZ's website. Also, keep an eye out in the Farmers Weekly 24 March edition for a copy of the poster you can cut out and display in your woolshed.
Join the Dairy-Beef Collective
B+LNZ recognises its important role in supporting livestock and dairy farmers by helping develop a profitable and productive dairy-beef industry. In partnership with Fonterra, B+LNZ is launching the Dairy-Beef Collective for Friesian bull and beef-cross calf rearers in the lower North Island (Spring 2025). Rearers with 100+ calves annually in Manawatū, Rangitīkei, Horowhenua, Hawke’s Bay, or Wairarapa are invited to join. Members will benefit from networking opportunities, expert insights, and advice. To register your interest and go in the draw to win an NZAgBiz prize pack, complete the Expression of Interest form.
Farmers increasingly using genetic tools to boost productivity and profitability
New research from the B+LNZ-funded Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme shows a continued rise in the use of genetic tools among bull breeders and commercial farmers. Among those who responded to the programme’s annual survey, nearly all bull breeders (99 percent) now use genetic tools, whilst the majority of commercial farmers (90 percent) purchase bulls from breeders who utilise technologies such as estimated breeding values (EBVs), breeding indexes, artificial insemination (AI) and genomics. For more information, please visit the B+LNZ Genetics website.
Update for Otago farmers on Land and Water Regional Plan
his week Otago Regional Councillors decided to request that Central Government undertake a legislative amendment to address the unintended consequences of delaying the notification of the Land and Water Regional Plan (LWRP). The unintended consequences are:
- Plan Change 6AA Rules 12.C.1.1A and 12.C.1.1.3 regarding rural diffuse discharges. These are hardwired to be ‘turned on’ in April 2026. If these rules turn on, most farmers in Otago would need resource consent to continue farming.
- Plan Change 7 regarding the transitional framework for granting water permits. Over 400 water users are on short-term (six-year) water permits or have permits expiring by the end of December and would need to apply for another short-term water permit if the transitional framework remains in place.
Last year B+LNZ urged ORC to pause the LWRP because there were many aspects of the draft plan that we did not support, then the Government stepped in to stop all regional councils from notifying their freshwater plans. We support the ORC’s efforts to investigate options to resolve the unintended consequences of the resulting delay. It’s vital that they find the most effective and efficient way to deal with these complex issues given the impending changes to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management. We intend to write to ORC again to see how we can work constructively with them on resolving the issues to get the best outcomes for sheep and beef farmers, communities and the environment.