Country Life

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...

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 1 August 2025

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week Country Life takes you to a dairy farm with a difference, supplying milk direct to the customer, and the team checks in at a lab where work ...

Calving a niche - Faith Farm Fresh keeps milk flowing direct to customers

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's a busy time of year for Stacey Faith, calving 300-plus cows, rearing their calves and keeping the Faith Farm's roadside milk dispensing outlet go...

Harnessing plant power to combat vineyard threats

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Are some grapevines better that others at naturally defending themselves from a disease-spreading pest? Michelle Thompson is running trials at Plant &...

One year, one hospital, one community

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With rural health care under the spotlight, our guest this week sheds some light on working in a small country hospital. Sophia Zohrab is among 12 med...

On the Farm for 1 August 2025

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Country Life speaks to farmers and growers around New Zealand to find out about growing conditions over the past month. You can find photos and read ...

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 25 July 2025

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week Country Life takes you to a farm grazing pigs and cattle beneath solar panels and meets organic honey producers Shayne and Elizabeth Mackenz...

'Learning along the way' with agrivoltaics

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dual land use, with pigs and cattle grazing under solar panels, has unlocked new opportunities for Waitangi Farm in Waiuku. Mostly importantly say Nig...

Sweet success for Coromandel couple's organic honey

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A honey shed on a hill is buzzing with the sound of honey flowing into jars as the bees take a hard-earned rest from honey making. Country Life meets ...

Connecting people 'from the land' with those working on the land

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Time spent helping his grandparents on their whenua near Kāwhia inspired a love of farming for Harris Moana. Having just finished his Agribusiness st...

Rural News Wrap for 25 July 2025

25 Jul 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 18 July 2025

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week producer Cosmo Kentish-Barnes is in his wet weather gear in the Tasman district meeting farmers and other rural residents, still battered an...

Double Blow: Tasman's rural resilience tested by back-to-back storms

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As a second weather bomb lashed the Tasman region, Cosmo Kentish-Barnes was on the ground with farmers and rural people, still battered and bruised fr...

Rural News Wrap for 18 July 2025

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A wrap of the week's news from RNZ's rural news desk Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 11 July 2025

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week Country Life follows the trail of food scraps from the table to farms with the City to Farm project north of Auckland, meets two young farmi...

City to Farm: How leftovers are giving back to the land

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Food scraps from retirement villages and schools are helping to nourish a banana orchard and other farms via the City to Farm project, which aims to k...

From the Archive: Working Dogs go under the Hammer

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A dip into the archives when Cosmo Kentish-Barnes attended the 64th annual Ashburton cattle and sheep dog sale to find out what these hard-working dog...

North Canterbury teens crowned farming champs

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rangiora High School students John Lundy and Harry Parish were awarded one of New Zealand's top primary sector accolades at last weekend's FMG Junior ...

Rural News Wrap for 11 July 2025

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A wrap of news from the rural news deskGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 4 July 2025

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week Country Life returns to a vegetable farm to see whether it's radical plan to feed the community is working and looks at plans for plastic wa...

Snorts, snuggles and second chances at animal sanctuary

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sharlene Wilson has turned her rural property in North Canterbury into a haven for rescued farm animals who find healing, freedom and a place to truly...

Crooked Vege's pay-what-you-can model feeding families two years on

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Crooked Vege's pay-what-you-can model for its vege boxes may have been a radical idea two years ago but it's plan seems to be working. The small farm ...

Agrecovery: Rural recycling on the rise

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Agrecovery's seen huge growth in the 20 years it's been operating, with those in the primary sector looking for new ways to recycle on-farm plastic. "...

On the Farm for 4 July 2025

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Country Life speaks to farmers and growers around New Zealand to find out about growing conditions over the past month. You can find photos and read ...

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 27 June 2025

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week Country Life dives underground to take a closer look at soils, from Canterbury farmers using the Japanese Bokashi system to a market gardene...

Roebuck Farm: Where the garden beds are rich 'like chocolate cake'

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past 20 years, Jodi Roebuck and his wife Tanya have turned a bare paddock into a thriving market garden with an emphasis on microgreens, teac...

Bokashi by the Tonne: Farmers turns waste into natural fertiliser

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bokashi, the Japanese anaerobic composting system which ferments organic matter, is helping to maintain healthy soils on a sheep and dairy grazing far...

Rural News Wrap for 27 June 2025

27 Jun 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

Dollars for nature - a look at biodiversity credits

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

News that the government is looking to support a market system to help fund the huge cost of restoring nature could be music to the ears of farmers an...

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 20 June 2025

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week Country Life celebrates Matariki with stories about Māori horticultural wisdom and a couple setting up star gazing experiences on their far...

Stars, soil and whakapapa - 'We're just caretakers really'

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This Matariki, the stars align for Mark and Susannah Guscott - award winners bringing whakapapa and astronomy together on their sixth-generation Waira...

'We can grow anything here': A family's growing experiment

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The McClutchie whānau explores growing different crops, with aspirations to grow Māori medicinal plants, on their family whenua in North Taranaki.Yo...

Nick Roskruge - digging into indigenous knowledge

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nick Rahiri Roskruge is Country Life's guest this week. His work in agriculture and soil science have taken him far afield looking at crops sustaining...

Rural News Wrap for 20 June 2025

20 Jun 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 13 June 2025

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week Country Life is out and about at Fieldays, meets a boy with a side hustle farming quail eggs, and chats around the kitchen table with the Ha...

From generation to generation - a century at Daisybank

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Strong family support, innovation and a dash of good luck have seen the Harvey family of Wairarapa clock up a hundred years on Daisybank Farm near Mar...

The Quail Kid - cracking the egg market aged 12

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hamish Sturgeon is on his first farming venture rearing quails for their eggs. They're healthy, delicious and it's a fun side-hustle keeping the cute ...

Rural Women New Zealand at 100

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Rural Women New Zealand marks its centennial year, it hopes a $250,000 boost in government funding can help fuel its mission to connect, support, a...

Rural News Wrap for 13 June 2025

13 Jun 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 6 June 2025

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week Country Life delves into the world of protein, finds out how a small community raises money for a rescue service through its hunting competi...

The small town hunting competition that's helping save lives

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The annual Pongaroar hunting competition is remote Tarara District helps hunters and farmers tackle growing pest numbers, while getting together and r...

Berry grower Bob Teal - finding a niche and bearing fruit

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bob Teale's resourcefulness has allowed him to keep growing a niche range of berries into his 80s at Bruntwood Orchard near Cambridge. He uses upcycle...

The power of protein

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Distinguished professor Paul Moughan from the Riddet Institute breaks down what protein is, why we need it and all the things you need to know when co...

Rural News Wrap for 6 June 2025

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.You can find more from the rural news team hereGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 30 May 2025

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week Country Life moves with the cows on that traditional day of the farming calendar - Mooving Day. The team's also in northern Coromandel where...