Latest news with #SouthIsland
RNZ News
15 hours ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Farmers 'going hell for leather' to take advantage of high prices
Rosalind Crickett said it looked like dairy farmers were "going hell for leather" as they took advantage of high milk prices. Photo: 123rf Some milk processing factories are bursting at the seams as huge volumes of milk are trucked to their plants, according to a dairy analyst at NZX. Rosalind Crickett says there was a record collection of milk solids last month - nearly 18 percent more than the same time last year. It was also nearly 12.5 percent higher than the last five years' average. Crickett said it looked like dairy farmers were also "going hell for leather" as they took advantage of high milk prices. Crickett described June's national milk collections as "off to a flying start" with 23,956,000kg of milk solids collected - a record for the month and surpassing expectations. While off a low base, the figure marked a 17.8 percent year-on-year (YoY) leap on June 2024, and a 14.8 percent improvement on the previous record (June 2022). There were 261,000 tonnes of milk collected in June, also a record, with the figure up 14.6 percent YoY and up 9.9 percent on the rolling average of 238,000 tonnes. This month's milk supply was also expected to be up by 10 percent, partly due to lush pasture growth particularly in the South Island, where not as many farmers dry off at this time of the year compared to further north. Butter - getting expensive. Photo: Margaret Jaszowska for Unsplash But would so much milk arriving at processing plants lead to a drop in the price of locally sold butter for consumers ? Crickett said that would depend on how much milk was able to be processed in other countries next month and sold in international auctions at the same time as New Zealand. "If there is not as much in the northern hemisphere, it's because we are seeing drought across Europe impacting their grain production for cattle feed. And we are seeing water supply issues as well. "That will be a price support for New Zealand products because they are going to need to export more to make up for that deficit globally." She said grass conditions seemed to be set up well for the spring flush with an overwhelming abundance of moisture in the ground, but avoiding pugging damage may become a headache for farmers before then. However, the large quantity of milk produced was expected to continue, and Cricket said it would be interesting to see what transpired. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
20 hours ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Icy roads causing crashes
Photo: 123rf Sub-zero temperatures in southern parts of the country are a reminder to take care on the roads, Fire and Emergency (FENZ) said on Thursday. Southern fire crews attended three crashes related to icy conditions before 6.30am. MetService reported temperatures in the negatives across the South Island and in parts of the lower North Island. Timaru dipped below -4C, while Queenstown was -3C just ahead of 7am. In the North Island, Masterton was reporting temperatures nearing -2 at about 6am. FENZ spokesperson Daryl Ball said crews responded to a light truck that ended up on its side in slippery conditions near Ravensbourne, Christchurch at about 5.30amTwo other crashes attributed to the conditions were also attended. He said ice was widespread on southern roads, and could linger well into the morning. "Don't assume that because it looks good it's safe. There is ice absolutely everywhere this morning," Ball said. A police spokesperson said there were no reports of serious injuries in weather-related incidents. "Please - slow down, watch your following distance and use your headlights. We want everyone to get where they're going safely this morning." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Iwi support name change for St Arnaud to Rotoiti
Descendants of Rangitāne o Wairau at Lake Rotoiti. Photo: Supplied/Rangitāne o Wairau Three iwi at the top of the South Island have put their support behind a proposal to change the name of the village of St Arnaud to Rotoiti. The move is supported by the iwis Rangitāne o Wairau, Ngāti Kuia and Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō. New Zealand Geographic Board secretary Wendy Shaw confirmed the board had received the proposal. "The proposer has been advised that they must consult further with the local community before the proposal can be processed further," Shaw said. The village of St Arnaud has a permanent population of slightly more than 100 people. It sits at the northern end of Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson Lakes and takes its name from the nearby St Arnaud range, which in turn takes its name from the French soldier and marshal Jacques Leroy de Saint Arnaud. Rangitāne o Wairau General Manager Corey Hebberd said the three iwi, all descending from the waka Kurahaupō, have a strong and proud connection to Rotoiti and the surrounding area. It's a specific area mentioned in their Treaty settlements. "Providing support to the name was just a no-brainer for us really. We know that it's an area that our people have long frequented for kai, it's a place that they've been sustained, but it's also a place that's along an important journey for us in terms of heading between Wairau and the coast and other parts of the South Island," Hebberd said. It's not the first attempt to change St Arnaud's name, another proposal was rejected in 2009 according to the Nelson Mail. Hebberd said Rangitāne did some research and were able to find records that showed the use of the name Rotoiti for the area long before St Arnaud. "So, we were able to come across a letter that one of our tūpuna Paraone Taitua sent to Governer Eyre in 1851 in which he references Rotoiti as that place name," Hebberd said. Annette Walker is part of a small group which made the current name change proposal to the Geographic Board. She is optimistic the change will happen and said it would be a huge milestone for the village. Walker called Jacques Leroy de St Arnaud a "dreadful man" and believed some residents would support a change to Rotoiti. "It's like a festering sore that still arises every now and then from the old residents of Lake Rotoiti and they still call it Rotoiti," she said. Jacques Leroy de Saint-Arnaud's wartime exploits in Algeria included suffocating 500 Arab tribesmen in a cave by sealing its exits. Hebberd said it's important to acknowledge some of the actions of the man, but the name Rotoiti would also be more reflective of the area itself. Hebberd said he grew up in the Wairau region and would frequently head up to Lake Rotoiti and the area near the lake was simply referred to by many as Rotoiti. "It's very infrequent that I hear it referred to as St Arnaud. I respect the fact that there will be community members who do call it St Arnaud and who have an affinity with that name, but given the past associated with that name and also the fact that it's so close Lake Rotoiti, the township sits on Lake Rotoiti it makes sense for the area to carry that name." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Loss of Sounds Air regional flights to impact healthcare access, connectivity
One of the Sounds Air's nine-seater Pilatus aircraft which provide the service between Westport and Wellington Photo: Ellen Curnow The loss of two popular regional flights in the South Island is being seen as not just a blow to hopes of boosting tourism but also for healthcare and those needing treatment at Christchurch Hospital. Sounds Air will can its flights from Blenheim to Christchurch and Christchurch to Wānaka from the end of September due to what's being described as 'out of control' costs. Sounds Air managing director Andrew Crawford said it was flying more passengers than ever but could not keep up with the costs that have remained high since the pandemic, engineer shortages and the weak New Zealand dollar. Sounds Air said it was going back to basics; canning the two routes, selling five smaller aircraft, and expanding its Cessna Caravan fleet for Cook Strait services. Ten staff will lose their jobs. That was after cancelling its services from Wellington to Taupō and Wellington to Westport last December and selling an aircraft. The Minister for the South Island and associate Minister for Transport James Meager told Checkpoint he has spoken with Andrew Crawford recently to reassure him the issue was a high priority. But Crawford said they had reached out to the government numerous times to no avail, and passing the buck on to customers to cover costs was not an option. The airline's fares had gone up by more than 20 percent since Covid - they could go up another 20 percent and it would still not be enough to cover its costs, he said. Marlborough Mayor Nadine Taylor said the council had raised the issue with government, and were told market forces would take care of it. It was gutting for the region as the Blenheim-Christchurch route was a critical part of the region's economic recovery, she said. "I am frustrated that Sounds Air was unsuccessful in securing support from central government as regional connectivity is also important for economic growth, particularly tourism," she said. "There is often talk of the regions being our country's powerhouses - to be that we need infrastructure, services, and connectivity." Christchurch Hospital provided a lot of primary care for cancer patients, and Taylor had already been contacted by some of the patients who regularly used the service. "They're just sort of saying 'it's just such a devastating loss for them'. They're back to four or five hours on the road. They need family to transport them and take them rather than just dropping them at the airport," she said. South Island Minister James Meager. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Wānaka local and Queenstown Lakes Deputy Mayor Quentin Smith was disappointed the service was being cut. So instead of being able to take a short flight that was less than an hour, it meant an hours-long drive. "The alternative of either driving, which is about five-and-a-half hours each way or going to Queenstown, where you've got to drive over an hour each way plus you've got to be there a lot earlier for your flights than you do for Sounds Air," he said. His daughter used the service a few weeks ago, and he said it was well used by travellers for business, holidays and appointments. It also presented a problem for healthcare, especially for people coming from Wānaka or Blenheim who need to travel to Christchurch Hospital for treatment. "Healthcare, I think, is a big one because people will fly up to Christchurch and back for a specialist appointment ... we know that access to healthcare out of Wānaka is particularly challenging so that's an issue that concerns me," Smith said. Smith remembered when Air New Zealand used to fly the same route before the service was cut more than a decade ago. "There's been a bit of a history of the offering and loss of this type of service. We've just got to find something that's sustainable that matches the needs. It was disappointing that a service that is really well-patronised isn't successful and there's obviously other reasons for that," he said. Christchurch Airport chief executive Justin Watson was sad to see the flights go. "A number of the regional airlines have been facing big challenges so ultimately it wasn't a complete surprise. We were hoping that they could work through those challenges and that they could find a way to continue to operate. But unfortunately they haven't been able to do that," he said. Both services carried about 10,000 passengers a year. Watson would like to see a collective approach to ensure the wings of important regional services were not clipped. "There's a reality there that says every region can't be connected or it's going to cost so much that people just won't fly on it because it's too expensive," he said. "In some countries, there is support through the likes of government for ensuring connectivity remains." South Island Minister James Meager said the government had already taken action in a variety of ways - including providing investment in regional airport infrastructure, commencing the release of regional on-time flight performance data - and would soon release an aviation action plan. He understood the conditions were tough in the aviation industry and airlines were under pressure - and that the government was actively considering several options to address regional connectivity concerns and improve competition in the sector. Destination Marlborough general manager Tracey Green said Christchurch was a key visitor market for Marlborough. "Recent challenges with Air New Zealand and ferry services have compromised our connectivity and losing Christchurch as a direct link is a significant blow," she said. "The full impact of this loss in connectivity may not be immediately clear, but it's a real shame this is happening just ahead of the summer season, when we rely on those connections the most," Green said. With a renewed focus on the Cook Strait services, Andrew Crawford said he was confident about the future of the business. "We are not alone in this, Air New Zealand and other regional carriers in New Zealand, and world-wide, have been hit by the same cost increases, and the irony is that our passenger demand has never been stronger," he said. "However, aviation is a very price sensitive market and demand would dry up if we tried to pass all of the cost increases to our customers."
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Two popular regional flights on the chopping block
Two popular regional flights in the South Island are on the chopping block due to what is has been described as 'out of control' costs. Sounds Air will soon can its flights from Blenheim to Christchurch and Christchurch to Wanaka. It comes after the airline cancelled its services from Wellington to Taupo and Wellington to Westport last December, and sold an aircraft. It has been seen as not just a blow to hopes of boosting tourism but also for healthcare and those needing treatment at Christchurch Hospital. Tess Brunton reports. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
