Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Rural

Cows run amok

By Natalie Pitfield On a lifestyle block, one of the most important issues is making sure your stock has adequate drinking water. Usually, this...

Vet Talk: A winter checklist heading into shorter days

By Dr Alana Mockett BVSc, Franklin Vets Assess your horse’s body condition Too fat - the cooler weather can help them burn some extra...

Q&A: Jack Haddon

Crop manager Jack Haddon was named 2025 Pukekohe Young Grower in Tuakau on May 23. HELENA O’NEILL talks with Jack about working in horticulture...

Wasp numbers explode after long, hot summer

If you’re battling a plague of wasps right now, you’re not alone, says University of Auckland Professor Jacqueline Beggs. The Professor of Biological Sciences says...

Acorn toxicity in animals

By Dr Jennifer Stone, BVSc (Dist.) BSc Poisoning by tannins and volatile phenols from oak trees is relatively common. Ingestion of acorns is the most...

Season of the sticks

By Natalie Pitfield Seasons become far more important when you live on a lifestyle block. Spring means cows that are feisty after the sugar rush...

Dairy awards to celebrate top farmers despite protest threat

Protests are planned in Tauranga this weekend as the dairy industry prepares to celebrate the best of the industry. The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards...

Living the lifestyle dream

By Natalie Pitfield In 2002, my husband and I gave up city life and moved to a 16-acre lifestyle block in Whangarata. We had a...

Crackdown on unregistered dogs: final infringement notices issued

As part of efforts to promote responsible dog ownership in the Auckland region, dog owners who have failed to register their pets despite multiple...

Finding Franklin’s bats

The native long-tailed bat, or Chalinolobus tuberculatus, is one of New Zealand’s rarest and most vulnerable creatures, yet it seems to have settled in...