Country Life

Farming in the lap of luxury

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Farm manager Bradley Riggs has more than just sheep and cattle to think about. He has high profile guests and celebs staying at the farm's luxury lodg...

'From red tape to red carpet': The new market possibilities in India

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Geoff Allott, a former Black Cap and co-founder of exporting company Quality NZ, has been in the Indian market for 12 years. You can read more here.Go...

Rural News Wrap for 14 March 2025

14 Mar 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 7 March 2025

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We take a bite of the apple breeding process and learn what it takes to make the fruit of tomorrow and the team visit a farming commune in Golden Bay ...

How about them apples? The team behind New Zealand's future apples and pears

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We find out what it takes to produce some of New Zealand's tastiest apples by heading inside Plant & Food Research where they help Prevar create new a...

'Back to the land': Commune still going strong after 50 years

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rainbow Valley is located on regenerating whenua at the end of a gravel road near Tākaka. Several families share the land and help run a small farm f...

Rural News Wrap for 7 March 2025

07 Mar 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

Grape picking starts soon at organic Waipara Valley vineyard

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A pre-harvest update from the Greystone Wines, that recently hosted the inaugural Underground soil, food and farming festival. With viticulturalist an...

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 28 February 2025

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We meet a small-scale farmer who has big ideas on how smaller farms can help solve the growing problem of food insecurity in New Zealand and a Southla...

Small but mighty - could small-scale farms be the best way to feed the country?

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Seven-hectares can produce a "magnificent" amount of food. So says small-scale farmer and Kellogg scholar Alison Bentley who's done just that, growing...

Farmer rapt with edible bale netting

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Plastic free paddocks have become a reality thanks to Grant Lightfoot. The Orepuke deer farmer has invented a nonpolluting baleage wrap that animals c...

Shear joy: Wairarapa town hosts annual Golden Shears competition

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Golden Shears President Trish Stevens shares her love of the wool industry and which heats the one to watch at this year's shearing and woolhandling c...

On the Farm for 28 February 2025

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Grapes are being picked in Hawke's Bay and Wairarapa, Taranaki's in drought and the hop harvest is about to start in Tasman.Go to this episode on rnz....

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 21 February 2025

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We meet a farming couple in Southland that are making health products from the hemp they grow, and we get some insights into the Chinese market for Ne...

Farmers turn weed into wellness products

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A hemp crop flourishes beside wheat, barley and peas at Blair and Jody Drysdale's farm in northern Southland. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more...

Sino-vino ties: A wine-lover linking China and New Zealand

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fang Mei fell in love with wine after working in the banking industry in New Zealand and China. Now she has her own vineyard here and educates people ...

Ag student's dreams come true 15 years on

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We check back in with Hamish Best of Conscious Valley just outside Wellington. A keen ag student the last time he spoke to Country Life, he's now a fi...

Rural News Wrap for 12 February 2025

21 Feb 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 February 2025

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Head inside a Hawke's Bay packhouse and orchard once covered in millions of litres of silt after Cyclone Gabrielle and meet a topdressing pilot who's ...

Green shoots showing for grower two years after Cyclone Gabrielle

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When Cyclone Gabrielle hit two years ago, 4th generation orchardist Cameron Taylor sprang into action rescuing people from rooftops in his Taylor Corp...

'Tractor of the skies' pilot notches up major milestone

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Aerial topdresser John Bargh is preparing for another season up in the air. He's spent nearly five decades in the skies spreading fert on hill country...

Gut fixing seaweed cuts methane emissions from gassy cattle

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Red seaweed grown in Bluff has been shown to significantly reduce methane emissions in beef and dairy cattle with no adverse effects to the animals, t...

Rural News Wrap for 14 February 2025

14 Feb 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 7 February 2025

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We head to a woolshed where hundreds of sheep are being shorn for charity and find out how the Tora Coastal Walk has helped a rugged sheep and beef fa...

Boots on the ground see farm through tough times - Tora Coastal Walk celebrates 30 years

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's 30 years since the Elworthy family began the Tora Coastal Walk, one of the first multi-day hikes on farmland in NZ. It's been the key to this mar...

Across the board support for shearing fundraiser

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dozens of shearers slipped on their moccasins for the Shear For Life charity shearing event at Hinds, raising $150,000 for local charitable groups. Go...

Full circle composting on a Tararua dairy farm

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The team at Waka Dairies near Dannevirke is turning waste from milking cows into fertiliser that can be worked back into the farm.Go to this episode o...

Rural News Wrap for 7 February 2025

07 Feb 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 31 January 2025

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Meet farmers Joyce and Jock Wyllie, who first met when she was a locum vet visiting his isolated farm in Golden Bay. We also check back in to see what...

Vet marries farmer and the rest is history

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Joyce and Jock Wyllie first met when she was a locum vet visiting his isolated farm in Golden Bay.Story and photos can be found hereGo to this episode...

From pup to pro: Miley the Huntaway hits her stride at 1-year-old

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We catch up with Miley the young Huntaway and her trainer Chris Shaw as she celebrates her first birthday. You'll be blown away by how much progress s...

Wayne Langford on the farm

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do New Zealand's farming leaders juggle the farm with the many other hats they may wear in the public arena? We go behind the scenes and catch up ...

On the Farm for 31 January 2025

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A round-up of conditions on farms and orchards around the country.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Summer Series: Country Life for 24 January 2025

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The best of Country Life including a microgreens farm in Te Puke, potato growing in Otago and goat milking near Wellington Go to this episode on rnz.c...

Summer Series: Country Life for 17 January 2025

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The best of Country Life including a programme to help empower the next generation of wāhine in agriculture, a small farming community in Canterbury ...

Summer Series: Country Life for 10 January 2025

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The best of Country Life including Rural Riders in Taranaki, Appleby Farms near Nelson, and a young Huntaway pup named Miley in Wairarapa. Go to this ...

Summer Series: Country Life for 3 January 2025

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The best of Country Life including Mount Taranaki ranger Tāne Houston, a traditional Māori healer is working with shearers all around the motu and a...

Summer Series: Country Life for 27 December 2024

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The best of Country Life including Hugh Wilson of Hinewai Reserve, a visit to Kohirā Solar Farm in Northland and a night out with the Capital Kiwi pr...

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 20 December 2024

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The team brings you stories from the rodeo world, a Christmas tree farm turned maize-maze, and an old rural homestead which has been turned into a lux...

Teens ride high in the world of rodeo

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The rodeo season is underway and Lylah and Riley Wood, two home-schooled teenagers, are in an arena in Waikato practising barrel racing and breakaway ...

Chef couple finds new home on the range

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wallingford Homestead in Central Hawke's Bay was once a bustling base for the local farming community. These days it's helping bridge the urban-rural ...

The Christmas tree whisperer moves into mazes

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thousands of perfectly shaped trees are harvested in the lead-up to the festive season at Andrew McAllister's Needle Fresh Christmas tree farm Swannan...

On the Farm for 20 December 2024

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The final round-up of the week's agricultural news for 2024. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 13 December 2024

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We meet a farming family in Golden Bay who sell farm-to-fork meats, see what foreign investment can do for Hawke's Bay horticulture and meet a motocro...

Off-grid farming family focus on farm-to-fork meat sales

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sustainability, animal welfare and forging a connection between producer and consumer is at the core of how things are done at Ellis Creek Farm in Gol...

Freestyle to farmstyle, taking one day at a time

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trent Garton, a former champion freestyle motocross rider, and his wife Tiki have bought the family farm. It's been a difficult road but they take it ...

Overseas investment helping grow Hawke's Bay's horticulture

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shane Flynn from Craigmore Sustainables shows off a new orchard the investment agency is redeveloping in Hawke's Bay.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz f...

Rural News Wrap for 13 December 2024

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A round-up of the week's agricultural news. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 6 December 2024

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are cheese and eggs on Country Life's menu this week with visits to poultry and goat farms. The team also takes a closer look at what's in the p...

'Defend the shed' - how the poultry industry has been preparing for a bird flu outbreak

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Avian flu has been found on an Otago chicken farm for the first time. It's something the poultry industry has spent months preparing for and we take y...

Milking goats and making cheese all in a day's work

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to goat's milk, Andrea Gauland son's eczema cleared up within two weeks. It was the excuse she needed to start farming dairy goats 25 years ago...

A future farm toolkit for curbing methane?

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A cow pill, vaccines, and specially treated grass-seed are among products it's hoped will be in farmers' methane-busting toolkits in the not-too-dista...

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 29 November 2024

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week Country Life's learning about the art of making garden trugs and growing heirloom tomatoes, also the benefits of biochar on a farm growing t...

Turning forestry slash into something good for the planet

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Could biochar be the black gold for integrated forestry and farming operations like Pārengarenga Incorporation in NZ's Far North?Read more here.Go to...

A curious approach to tomato growing by attracting more bugs

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Meet Anthony and Angela Tringham, of Curious Croppers, the couple growing heirloom tomatoes using agroecology principles. Read more and check out some...

Trug-making almost a lost art

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tony Hitchcock has been crafting trugs - wooden garden baskets - for several years using untreated willow or hazel and poplar sourced locally from aro...

On the Farm for 29 November 2024

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Increasingly dry conditions across much of the North Island has farmers growing nervous about feed heading into summer, while down South the fine weat...

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 22 November 2024

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Country Life gets the low down on greenhouse gases, chats about wallaby control in Bay of Plenty and is with schoolkids helping restore habitat for th...

Schoolkids put buzz back into biodiversity on farm

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Young school students plant habitat for an endangered skink and learn about biodiversity at a nature reserve on a North Canterbury dairy farm. Photos...

Getting the jump on New Zealand's wallabies

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Standing at the wallaby control fence in Rotorua, biosecurity expert Dale Williams gives Country Life an update on efforts to control the pest. Head h...

Rural News Wrap for 22 November 2024

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A round-up of the week's news from New Zealand's primary sector. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The lowdown on greenhouse gases

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

RNZ Climate Correspondent Eloise Gibson talks about agriculture's role in the production of greenhouse gases, what people get right and wrong about me...

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 15 November 2024

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week Country Life chats to a young woman learning the ancient craft of saddlery, meets a dairy farming couple who no longer use imported feed and...

On the hunt for wallaby at "Ground Zero"

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Iwi are trying to reclaim their forest from mobs of wallabies which they say are killing the bush and gobbling up pasture around Rotorua. Country Life...

Healthy cows and worm-rich soil make Motupipi milkers happy

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There's no looking back for a Golden Bay dairy farming couple who eliminated imported feed and synthetic fertilisers from their paddocks.Find photos a...

Young kiwi rides high learning the craft of saddlery

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Young equestrian Sophia Stratford has gone to the other side of the world to learn the craft of saddle, harness and bridle making at prestigious Capel...

Rural News Wrap for 15 November 2024

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A wrap of news from the rural sector for the week ending 15 November 2024Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 8 November 2024

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week we chat to a veterinarian at Wellington Zoo's animal hospital, Te Kōhanga, we visit a peony farm in full bloom, and we hear from scientist...

All creatures great and small: The zoo hospital helping native wildlife

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We take you inside Wellington Zoo's animal hospital, Te Kōhanga, where they help rehabilitate native birds ready to be released back into the wild.Fo...

Nitrogen: Friend or Foe?

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists look at the details underpinning nitrogen and its use in agriculture, horticulture and its impacts on the environment. For photos and more,...

Business is blooming at family focused peony farm

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Flower picking and packing for export is in full swing at Prebbleton Peonies near Christchurch. For photos and more head hereGo to this episode on rn...

Rural News Wrap for 8 November 2024

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A round-up of the week's agricultural news.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 1 November 2024

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We chat to a rural vet, visit a farm where horticulture is helping addicts recover and find out about a novel plan to capture greenhouse gases for fee...

Capturing greenhouse gases for farm feed

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In a Rotorua lab scientists are cooking up plans to create stockfeed out of captured greenhouse gases from geothermal power stations. For photos and m...

From the Archive: Growing plants helps addicts' recovery

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Country Life visited Nova Trust's farm near Christchurch where the charity is helping rehabilitate addicts through horticulture. Find story and photos...

Rory Dean - a rural vet inspired to write

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rory Dean, graduated as a vet from Edinburgh University in 2015, and has already filled a book - Adventures of a Country Vet - full of adventures and ...

On The Farm for 1 November 2024

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kiwifruit is starting to bloom in Bay of Plenty, dairy farmers up and down the country are busy breeding the next season's calves, while North Canterb...

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 25 October 2024

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We catch up with a dairy farmer embracing regenerative farming, a flower farmer juggling a young family and visit a farm classroom connecting schoolch...

Getting cosy and creative under canvas

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Schoolchildren are learning in a bell tent on a riverside farm in South Wairarapa. They're taking part in a project connecting the community to the ri...

The not so glamorous life of flower farming

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Briant, of The Rural Florist, on how growing flowers helps her juggle a busy young family while keeping her close to her roots in horticulture. F...

Healthy cows and soils put spring in farmers step

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The last time Country Life visited John Legg's Leeston dairy farm, he was adopting regenerative practices across the property. We catch up with him ag...

Rural News Wrap for 25 October 2024

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A round-up of the week's agricultural news.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 18 October 2024

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We meet a keen gardener in the Far North, hop in the sheepyards to learn about dagging and talk emissions with a sheep and beef farmer in Wairoa. And ...

From the Archive: A day in the life of a rural postie

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In a trip to the archives we join rural delivery man Doug Wilson on his 100-kilometre daily run around the big stations around Taihape, from a feature...

Shifting times for sheep in Wairoa

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A changing climate and shifting land use has prompted Wairoa sheep and beef farmer Dave Read to develop a new breed of low-input sheep.Go to this epis...

Farming 101: What's a dag?

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this first episode of Farming 101, we check in with sheep grazier Peter Crook to find out about dagging. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more d...

A garden in Moerewa

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you're heading to the Far North via State Highway 1, you might spy Daphne Andrell busy at work in her garden. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for ...

Rural News Wrap for 18 October 2024

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A round-up of the week's agricultural news.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 11 October 2024

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We join Girls who Grow helping bridge the urban-rural divide for young women and meet two Canterbury hunters supplying local food banks with wild veni...

The next generation of land girls

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Girls who Grow: The new education programme helping empower the next generation of wāhine in agriculture.To learn more about Girls who Grow visit the...

Hunters supply foodbanks with tonnes of wild venison mince

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hunters for Hope's Steve Hill and Adam Kreisel turn surplus venison from hunters and farmers into high-protein food parcels for low-income families.Mo...

Rural News Wrap for 11 October 2024

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A round-up of the week's agricultural news.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 4 October 2024

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week Country Life checks in on Miley the sheepdog in training and joins Katikati College students learning more about a future in horticulture. ...

Dig This - Grow Hub ignites teens' interest in horticulture

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Teens in the heart of kiwifruit country are being trained up for a career in horticulture through the Grow Hub at Katikati College. Find photos and s...

From pup to pro: Miley's diva days

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We check back in with Miley the Huntaway pup and her trainer Chris Shaw to see what progress she's made over the last few months.Find story and photos...

On the Farm for 4 October 2024

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A monthly look at conditions on farms and orchards around the country.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Whale watching while picking winter grown greens

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ocean views makes harvesting of iceberg lettuce and broccoli a lot more pleasant for Ben Scott and staff at his winter grown vegetables farm in North ...

FULL SHOW: Country Life for 27 September 2024

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week we're between the rows at 144 Islands vineyard in Northland and on the Hurunui River where off-the-beaten track tourism is helping sustain a...

Off the beaten track tourism sustains two generations of sheep farmers

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dome glamping, farm tours and jetting up the Hurunui River supplements income and highlights cultural heritage at a traditional sheep and beef farm in...

144 Islands - A Northland vineyard inspired by vines from days gone by

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Old grape vines clambering over a tumbledown shed inspired Jake Dromgool's wine-growing venture 144 Islands. He grows an array of varieties on the vol...