Country Life
Episodes
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 19 December 2025
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Country Life heads to an arboretum where dozens of different types of trees are grown, including a few for Christmas. We travel up the Whanganui River...
Life's a strawberry patch with the Roys of Piopio
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Roy family all pitch in getting berries from orchard to Christmas plate over the festive season. They have been growing berries in Piopio for more...
RD6: Life along the Whanganui River
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rural postie Tracy Marshall takes visitors along her mail delivery route which winds along the Whanganui River. You can find photos and read more abou...
How planting exotic trees can enable native trees to grow
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
"You can come here and see nearly every type of forestry system that can be applied," Blair Jamieson says of Tāmata Hauhā's demonstration farm near ...
Rural News Wrap for 19 December 2025
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 12 December 2025
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Country Life this week visits Cornwall Park Farm, the farm within New Zealand's largest city, and heads to the Bay of Plenty to meet animal trainer Be...
The trainer turning animal tricks into teen confidence
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Chickens play football and sheep wave their hooves at Bex Tasker's place. She used to be a dog handler with customs and now uses her expertise in anim...
Cornwall Park: The farm within the heart of a city
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cornwall Park farm is something of a hidden gem in the heart of Auckland City. But being a farm in the city comes with specific challenges. You can f...
Rural News Wrap for 12 December 2025
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A wrap of the week's news from the primary sectorGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
BONUS: The Detail - Calls for urgent action over deer control
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There's a lot of hand-wringing but few answers when it comes to culling New Zealand's rapidly expanding deer population. Our friends over at The Detai...
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 5 December 2025
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Country Life is at the Wayleggo Cup, a trans Tasman sheep dog trial, meets a record-breaking Angus bull-breeder and opens the door on an unu...
The Wayleggo Cup - a Trans-Tasman sheepdog test
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do sheepdogs and handling techniques vary between New Zealand and Australia? The best teams battle it out at a Trans-Tasman dog trial contest. Go ...
Cash cow: Tangihau Angus' record-breaking bulls
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tangihau Angus near Gisborne has a habit of breaking records. Last year it set the top price for New Zealand bulls at $135,000. This year it's done it...
Risqué and Rural
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How an unusual business selling adult toys has found opportunity on the main street of Eketāhuna You can find photos and read more about the stories ...
On the Farm for 5 December 2025
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A round up of conditions on farms and orchards around the countryGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 28 November 2025
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Country Life visits two farms embracing agritourism - a Bay of Plenty avocado grower and a Hawke's Bay hill country station offering farm walks. The t...
Hawke's Bay farm's agritourism 'terroir'
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Set on the coast of Hawke's Bay, Te Aratipi Station offers walkers on the farm views across the bay, from the Māhia Peninsula right around to Mt Ruap...
Spreading the word about avocados
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tour groups gather under the huge avocado trees belonging to orchardists Tim Rosamond and Michele Ricou to learn about the fruit and how its grown. Th...
Keeping salad greens on the shelves, 52 weeks of the year
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Since officially opening last April, Leaderbrand's Future Farms facility has allowed them to grow salad greens all year round.You can find photos and ...
Rural News Wrap for 28 November 2025
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 21 November 2025
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week's Country Life is all about tech and science - from cutting edge ag drone, to collecting sheep poo samples to be processed in the lab as par...
Inside New Zealand's Kiwifruit Breeding Centre
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It takes years to perfect cultivars and to keep New Zealand's kiwifruit industry ahead of the game. Country Life takes a tour of the Kiwifruit Breedin...
'Poo hunter': In the name of science
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wairarapa sheep farmer Paul Crick is one of hundreds out collecting poo samples from his flock as part of a national study testing for the presence of...
Farmers' ag drone venture takes flight
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Two King Country farmers have trained up as drone operators to offer on-farm drone spraying services, a side hustle alongside their traditional farmin...
Rural News Wrap for 21 November 2025
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 14 November 2025
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Country Life gets up close and personal with some of the animals at Massey University's teaching farm and heads to a high country station ne...
Living the High Country Life
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There's a romance attached to living in the Mackenzie High Country, but does it still exist? For Simon Williamson it is the only life he knows. He gr...
Massey University's 'outdoor farm classroom' celebrates 30 years
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Set on 40-hectares near the university's Palmertston North campus, the Large Animal Teaching Unit, is home to a menagerie of animals for veterinary s...
Rural News Wrap for 14 November 2025
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jefferson Fellow Kate Green on the future of food security
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
RNZ reporter Kate Green has recently returned from parts of Southeast Asia as part of a Jefferson Fellowship exploring food security issues across the...
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 7 November 2025
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Country Life meets Berwick Settle who's worked on huge dairy farms in Russia and China, joins a shearing gang for a day and finds out about the world ...
From the Archive: Sheep on the board
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this story for the long-running programme Spectrum, first broadcast in 1972, Jack Perkins joins a Wairarapa shearing gang, on a farm near Masterton...
Rural News Wrap for 7 November 2025
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Saving seeds, saving stories
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There's a story to many of the heritage seedlings which Jemma Ostenfeld grows on a patch of borrowed land in the eastern Bay of Plenty. You can find p...
A kiwi's life in the world's largest dairy farms
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Twenty years ago Berwick Settle was a Southland sharemilker. Since then he's worked in some of the biggest dairy farms in the world, helping set up fa...
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 31 October 2025
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Country Life learns more about LIC's project to breed bulls which emit less methane, while a Waikato sheep farmer does the same, using genet...
Eketāhuna Museum - keeper of the community's stories
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Volunteers at the Eketāhuna Museum are getting ready to reopen. This treasure chest of curiosities shines a light on the small town's Scandinavian he...
Breeding the 'wagyu of lamb' for an every-changing farm environment
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alastair Reeves has followed in his father's footsteps, using genetics to help farmers solve problems on farm by breeding sheep that make for good eat...
A 'numbers game': LIC's quest to breed low methane emitting bulls
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The team of scientists at LIC, the Livestock Improvement Corporation, hope to know by late next year if they can offer farmers more methane-friendly b...
On the Farm for 31 October 2025
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A wrap of conditions on farms and orchards around the country.You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here...
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 24 October 2025
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Country Life meets some characterful Clydesdale horses, finds out about the Waimate Trail, explores rural life through objects via a new boo...
Clydesdales - the gentle giants of the horse world
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
They used to be a regular sight on New Zealand's roads and paddocks - the plodding but magnificent Clydesdales. The horses with the hobbit hooves are ...
Battling off-roaders and pests at Thornton Lagoon
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ben Banks is trying to protect the fragile dunes, wildlife and vegetation at a coastal lagoon near Whakatāne. Volunteering his time, he and his famil...
Kiwi Country: New book explores rural New Zealand through 100 objects
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Husband and wife duo Te Radar and Ruth Spencer have recently partnered together on a new book 'Kiwi Country: Rural New Zealand in 100 Objects'. You ca...
The Waimate Trail
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Volunteers are nearing completion of the first leg of a new trail for walkers, runners and cyclists in South Canterbury, the 67km Waimate Trail which ...
Rural News Wrap for 24 October 2025
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 17 October 2025
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Country Life talks to researchers who say there’s potential for the brown kiwi to become a pest patroller in orchards and vineyards. Mark ...
Tech is key on this Tirau dairy farm
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to farming, planning for the next season today is key, says the Coubrough family. The 5th generation dairying family is are all on the s...
Ironbark - the wood as hard as steel
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wondered what happened to some of the damaged timber from the Lyttelton wharves after the Canterbury earthquakes? The tough ironbark they were ma...
Kiwi on pest patrol
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Could growers harness the kiwi as a way of reducing pests attacking their crops? A recent study has filmed the endangered birds entering vineyards and...
Rural News Wrap for 17 October
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 10 October 2025
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Country Life is in Marlborough's back country on Molesworth Station, we check out the sale action at the Feilding saleyards and learn more a...
From the Archive: Mustering at Molesworth
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's an early start for the musterers at Molesworth Station. The bulls are out with the cows for the mating season and everyone needs to beat the heat...
The 'big money' changing hands at the Feilding saleyards
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Global demand for red meat is driving strong prices for sheep and cattle, some of the best former Feilding farmer Eric Linklater has seen in over 20 y...
Rural News Wrap for 10 October 2025
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Mooncakes under a southern sun
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
David Ruan says the colourful vegetables growing in his garden are like little cakes relying on the sun for energy, hence the name Suncakes Gardens. Y...
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 3 October 2025
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Country Life is inside one of Fonterra's large dairy plants and meets a Canterbury farming couple making beautiful wool coats from their fam...
The Clip: Wool to Wear
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Driven by a desire to find a pure New Zealand wool coat, and to find more use for the bales of wool sitting idle in the shearing shed, Charlotte Bell ...
The high-tech dairy hub feeding China's sweet tooth
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A growing taste for pastries, cakes and dairy-topped drinks in China and southeast Asia is fuelling demand for New Zealand-made cream cheese. Country ...
The art of the auction
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Feilding livestock agent and saleyards auctioneer Alex Stewart on breaking into an old man's game, human calculators and conducting the sale. With tha...
On the Farm for 3 October 2025
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A wrap of conditions on farms and orchards around the country.You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here...
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 26 September 2025
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Country Life meets a couple who've had a lifetime on the same farm, and some newcomers to the truffle industry, and the team also talk fitne...
Sniffing out a new life at Trufflewood
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Indie has just finished her first harvest as a truffle hunter, showing outstanding skills for a pup. Her owners have just finished their first harvest...
A life on the land at Lansdown Farm
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Farmer Ian Buckingham was born at Lansdown Farm at Hook near Waimate 85 years ago and he's never left. You can find photos and read more about the st...
Rural News Wrap for 26 September 2025
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Taking physio to the farmers
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Constant wet weather on hilly Te Tai Rāwhiti farms has led to an uptick in injuries among farmers there. Our guest this week, physiotherapist-cum-far...
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 19 September 2025
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Country Life delves into the world of the harakeke plant and its many uses - from fashion to paper - and finds out about skincare products m...
The many lessons of the pā harakeke
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Whanganui couple Marilyn and Marty Vreede have been making paper from leftover harakeke from the district's many weavers. Between processing the stron...
Huhana Smith - artist, scholar, activist and farmer
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Huhana Smith grows olives, fruit and harakeke on six hectares of land at Kuku north of Wellington. It's a productive testing ground for growing health...
Rural News Wrap for 19 September 2025
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Romene: From sheep to sheet mask
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Southland sheep farmer Megan Seator is unravelling new uses for Romney's strong wool in a range of skincare products. You can find photos and read mor...
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 12 September 2025
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Country Life bids farewell to long-time producer Cosmo Kentish-Barnes who shares some of the magic moments he's had covering the South Islan...
Tracks Well-Travelled: A farewell to Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After 17 years Country Life's South Island producer is signing off from RNZ. Cosmo Kentish-Barnes' farewell feature is a rich tapestry of voices and s...
Flat out calving but the robots are on the job
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's all go in the calving shed, but with tech doing the heavy lifting, dairy farmer Dan Schat has time for a yarn about the cold, the costs, and the ...
Jacob Smith - lacing up a future for NZ wool
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Jacob Smith, the 21-year-old turning wool and veggie scraps into fashion-forward biodegradable shoelaces. It started as a university project and ...
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 5 September 2025
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Country Life is on a nighttime nature walk in the Bay of Plenty alongside a young conservationist with a passion for bugs, meets Te Horo's b...
From the Archive: Farmer retires land he says "shouldn't ever have animals on it"
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After a lifetime of working to clear land, Chris Bolderston is rewilding parts of his sheep and beef farm in North Canterbury. This story was first br...
For the love of the bush
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Showing off bugs under torchlight is just one of Jack Karetai-Barret's extra curricular activities. The 15-year-old takes Country Life on a night walk...
On the Farm
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A wrap of conditions on farms and orchards around the countryYou can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here....
From the beach to the hills
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A garage in Te Horo is buzzing as backyard builders make traps for a predator-free zone from the beach to the hills.You can find photos and read more...
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 29 August 2025
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Country Life, Kiwi and Aussie dairy farmers gather in Leeston to explore regenerative, low-input farming methods aimed at improving susta...
Symposium reflects shift in dairy farming
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
More than 70 farmers, researchers and advisors from New Zealand and Australia gathered in Leeston, to share lessons on low-input, regenerative dairy p...
Could old-school tools change how we garden?
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Beth Pearsall wants to revive the ancient skill of scything. She loves swishing the sharp-bladed tool through her own garden and holds workshops to te...
Green brew benefits for livestock emissions
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney and brewers at Young Henrys are using algae to remove carbon dioxide from the brewing process, whic...
Rural News Wrap for 29 August 2025
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 22 August 2025
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Country Life learns more about a dairy alternative made from barley and how farm life influences a Waitaki illustrator's work. The team also...
Wholly Cow: Cambridge butcher's childhood dream come true
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Andrews family has gone from selling farm-raised meats at the Cambridge Farmers' Market to running their own butchery, adding a micro-abattoir, ta...
From gumboots to storybooks - farming with a twist of magic
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Emma Nowell transforms life on the land into art, children's stories and games, while keeping the farm and family at the heart of it all. You can find...
Rural News Wrap for 22 August 2025
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Creamy, sustainable and high in fibre - barley eyes up the dairy aisle
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A new barley, bred for high fibre and low waste, is being turned into milk and yoghurt - a sustainable alternative with benefits for farmers and big p...
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 15 August 2025
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Country Life learns more about a woman trialling growing rice at her home in Nelson, we check in with dog trainer Chris and his young star M...
From the Archive: Mud and Blood
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A trip to the archives where tradition meets passion as four South Westland teams compete for the region's foremost rugby prize, the Woodham Shield. Y...
Miley the Huntaway's a 'main act' now
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For the past year, Country Life has been in the yards or out in the paddock watching Wairarapa dog triallist Chris Shaw train up his latest working do...
Here Now: Yuki Fukuda's trials with rice
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pretty much the last place you'd think you'd find a rice paddy growing is on a hill in Nelson, but Yuki Fukuda is doing just that. You can find photos...
Rural News Wrap for 15 August 2025
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 8 August 2025
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Country Life takes a look at efforts to save soil on farms at both ends of the country and takes you to taste some traditional kai in the Ba...
Kōrero and Kai - sharing stories and flavours on the marae
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Producer Justine Murray flexes her tastebuds on traditional kai cooked up at Otawhiwhi Marae where food and stories came together as part of this year...
The Soil Hacker - one farmer's quest to outsmart the weather
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kaipara farmer Stephen Newman is intent on improving soils and pasture in low cost, natural ways. He's now helping others too and hopes these methods ...
Rural News Wrap for 8 August 2025
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
'Planning key' to getting winter grazing right
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The gloom and wet of winter is especially challenging for Southland's farms where pasture can go for nearly a third of the year without growth. Countr...