Faith Farm Fresh keeps milk flowing direct to customers
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 going, providing locals with milk fresh from the cows over the fence - with the cream on top.
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RNZ News
2 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Could farming native wildlife boost numbers? New research looks at how commercialisation might help
Weka Photo: (Flickr user Sid Mosdell CC BY 2.0) Could farming native wildlife like the weka be the key to helping boost their numbers? That's the focus of a recent research paper by a Victoria University of Wellington graduate who looked at how commercialising native species might help with conservation. Dray Mark said he first got the idea to look into this strategy after reading an old news article about a South Island farmer trying to farm and sell weka. Also known as the Māori or bush hen, there is a history of weka having been eaten in the past. However, weka are protected and considered a vulnerable species - there are thought to be between 70,000 to 120,000 weka. "The weka is an interesting species in New Zealand because it's not quite endangered as other native species like the kākāpō or takahē." He said New Zealand's conservation efforts were at a "crossroads", with mounting ecological and funding challenges, requiring some "outside the box" thinking. "From an economic and institutional perspective, commercialisation presents an opportunity for self-sustaining species management through strategic resource redistribution throughout the conservation sector." In international examples, such as buffalo in parts of Southern Africa and alligators in the United States, Mark said commercialisation had ultimately led to an increase in numbers of those animals. However, commercialisation could also lead to further population decline like the overfishing of North Atlantic Cod off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. Locally, he also drew from the tītī or muttonbird harvest experience - Rakiura Stewart Island whanau and hapu are able to harvest muttonbird between 1 April and 31 May each year. Though they are primarily harvested for cultural or customary purposes, they can also be sold commercially. Mark said it had worked "quite successfully", noting the importance of any commercialisation aligning with Māori perspectives on the practice and the Treaty of Waitangi. "It is the most distinctive example of ongoing sustainable native bird harvest in New Zealand." Mark said that commercialisation offered a way for many different groups in New Zealand to become directly involved in conservation, including Māori, landowners and hunters. It could also allow for both conservation and economic gains, he said. He said more detailed analysis would need to be worked through before such a policy was enacted. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Mt Messenger bypass: Opportunity to restore lowland coastal forest
Acquiring land for the Mt Messenger bypass in Taranaki has not been plain sailing, but it has given one Taranaki iwi the opportunity to help restore a rare tract of lowland coastal forest. Ngati Tama cut a deal, swapping 20 hectares of bush required for the new section of State Highway 3 for cash, farmland and a huge pest control programme. As the sun rises on an icy morning at Mt Messenger - also known as Parininihi - a group clad in high-vis and safety gear gathers for karakia. It is a scene repeated at multiple locations on site and a tangible sign of the partnership between Ngati Tama and Waka Kotahi at Te Ara o Te Ata. Project pou tiaki Rae-Hinerau Wetere. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin Project pou tiaki or cultural lead Rae-Hinerau Wetere said karakia gets the day off to the best possible start. "We open with karakia to set good intent, to ground reset us, to come together and energise wairua really. "We talk about the maramataka some phases can bring lower energy than others so explain that that is okay and just to be mindful of those things and not to be too hard on ourselves." It was personal for her . "We never wanted to feel or be an add on or tokenism. That was not going to happen. We were going to be woven into the fibre of Te Ara o Te Ata. "It's no different to the marae when we have manuhiri or visitors at our marae we are there to host them, to look after them, take care of them. Same thing here, this is our space here." Geovert project manager Jasper Synder said it was cool to see cultural aspects of the project brought up and refocused on every day. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin Project manager Jasper Snyder was a project manager with slope stabilisation specialists Geovert. He was onboard with the protocols. "It's cool to see that aspect brought up and refocused every day. I don't know it puts a different light on how people behave and I haven't seen it on other contracts and it's been cool for the guys. They all seem to enjoy it." Ngati Tama swapped the 20 hectares of settlement land for a 120 hectare farm on ancestral land at nearby Ngarautika. It also received $7.7 million and a commitment from Waka Kotahi to pest control in perpetuity over 3650 hectares of its rohe. Ecological contractor at Mt Messenger Sian Potier was on the look out for kiwi. "I've been with my dog Kiekie here and Kiekie and I have swept the area to make sure there are no juvenile or kiwi chicks in the area and we've also done telemetry checks to make sure our adult monitored kiwi are well away from the works that are happening today." Her team was monitoring 18 kiwi on the project footprint and had removed 40 eggs. About 30 have hatched and been safely released at Parininihi away from the project site. The remainder were still being incubated. Sian Potier and Kiekie disappear into the bush. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin The bypass had received pushback from some ecologists. The Environmental Law Initiative challenged how the Wildlife Act was being applied at Mt Messenger - allowing for the killing of kiwi and other native species - which lead to a law change. Potier said the overall prospects for the area were good. "Looking at the long term picture the pest management that will be in place in the wider area will have a massive benefit for not only kiwi but all the other species in this area, so the lizards, the bats, the invertebrates and also the fresh water species." Ecological contractor Sian Potier and her dog Kiekie swept the bridge one construction site for kiwi. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin Engineer Nick Myers-Kay was in charge of bridge number one at the bypass , which was replacing the existing winding route on State Highway 3. He was happy to wait for Kiekie. "It's quite unique it's great to see them out there in action and keeping an eye on the kiwi for us. "We just plan our work around them. The expectation is that they are here everyday before we start work and they do their thing and once they're out of the way it's good to go for us. It's hardly an inconvenience." Ngāti Tama chair Hayden Wano, left, and general manager Te Amoroa Clifton at Ngarautika. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin At Ngarautika, Ngati Tama chair Hayden Wano said the decision to exchange the 20 hectares of native bush had not been an easy one. "Like all hapū, iwi, whānau we're a broad base, we have differences of opinions, but at the end of the day most people saw the opportunities that existed no only for Ngati Tama but for the wider communities in this area and so over 80 percent of the uri of Ngati Tama voted in support of this work." Wano said 26 uri of Ngati Tama were directly employed at Te Ara o Te Ata and the iwi had identified opportunities in the sub-contracting and biodiversity area. "Ngati Tama has a strong history of working in this biodiversity space. We've heard about the return of the kōkako, we've heard about the return of kiwi in the area and we know the numbers are increasing and have been during the time of this work. "So, there are some challenges in road construction, yes, but through our partnership with Waka Kotahi they have been very sensitive and open to the ideas we have in terms of protection of the environment." Wano said it was also clear the bypass would provide better road security for everyone. The Crown was still locked in a legal battle to acquire 11 hectares of private land required for the project on its northern side. Once secured, Waka Kotahi believed it would take another four years to complete the six kilometre bypass. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Neurodiverse man overwhelmed by Jobseeker admin comes off weekly support
Photo: RNZ A young neurodiverse man who was on the Jobseeker benefit says the sheer number of forms to fill, job websites to join and roles to apply for each week was so overwhelming he decided to come off the weekly support. Autism NZ warns that is extremely concerning and common but the Ministry of Social Development said its staff are there to help and support is on offer. The man - who wishes to remain anonymous - has dyslexia and dyspraxia, making administrative tasks taxing and sometimes overwhelming. To show how much paperwork he was required to do, he measured the file holding documents related to being on the Jobseeker benefit. "It is a full centimetre thick, the file that I have. Most of it is from when I was applying, there's a few brochures, my last payslip, a bunch of stuff from Inland Revenue, the MSD job hunter booklet, multiple bank statements, my dad's death certificate." He is in his 20s and was working for his dad, a plasterer, who sadly passed away in March. A few months later, he applied for the Jobseeker benefit but within weeks started to find the admin overwhelming. He needed to update his CV and provide his case manager with regular updates of his job searches, which included taking screenshots and keeping a list of companies, dates and responses - but he does not own a smartphone. "It is a hindrance to me when it comes to dealing with too much paperwork, admin, computers. I struggle with that," he said. "You have to reset one password and then you start getting more passwords wrong because you're frustrated and gets you on a negative loop until it just wears away at your sanity a bit. I can't take that." He told his case manager at Work and Income that the paperwork was too much and he wanted to come off the benefit - he was living at home and had started a part-time job but was hoping to complete a training course while on the benefit with the aim of getting full-time work. He said he believed his ability to cope with admin was the problem, not Work and Income to whom he did not disclose his disability because he felt a bit embarrassed and ashamed. Autism NZ chief executive Dane Dougan said he regularly hears from people who have given up on the benefit process. "It's really concerning. We are hearing a lot, we don't capture those numbers ... but based on the number of people coming to us in these situations it certainly seems quite common." Dougan said most people who came off the benefit by choice had family support - but not all.. "The outcomes ... for our neurodivergent and autistic people who lose access to the benefit and can't pay their bills, they could end up homeless or they could end up incarcerated and all those things are potentially a flow on effect for making it very difficult admin wise for our community to get a benefit so it's extremely concerning." An advocate who helps people navigate the benefit system, Allison Tinsdale, said the number of forms to fill is actually scary for some people. "It's mainly that I see people's reactions ... we have three one-page forms and I don't even like giving that to a client straight off because we've got too many people with writing issues to say fill out a form first, I say can we have a chat first then we'll see if we need to fill out anything." Ministry of Social Development's group general manager client service delivery, Graham Allpress, said people who receive a work-tested benefit may have full or part-time work obligations, or work preparation obligations, depending on their situation. "Obligations will vary depending on the main benefit type and people's individual circumstances, including the number and ages of dependent children, and a person's medically assessed capacity to participate in employment," he said. "Based on discussions with the client, case managers will identify the most appropriate activities that will enable the person to move towards or into employment at the earliest opportunity." Allpress said these activities could include "engaging with available support to create a CV, attending driver license training or an industry specific training programme or applying for suitable jobs and keeping a record of who has been approached". He said MSD staff consider each person's individual circumstances before referring them to a job or an activity. A MSD regional commissioner, Lynda Smardon, said they understand applying for a benefit and meeting the obligations can be challenging for some people. Helping people apply for a benefit and meet their obligations, is a core part of what our case managers do every day." She said when they know a person is neurodiverse they can offer support. "He did not tell us about any disability or health condition which made it difficult for him to search for work or meet any of the activities that may need to be met as part of receiving a benefit." Smardon said the man's case manager followed up to check on his decision to opt out of the benefit and offer support - but the man said he just had a few missed calls. "MSD staff consider each person's individual circumstances before referring them to a job or an activity and have support available if people are having difficulty meeting their obligations," Smardon said. "This includes support with updating a CV, referral to a Work Broker to help with job applications, and referrals to other service providers." She said there are also regional health and disability teams, whose role is to support MSD's frontline staff to ensure that disabled whanau or people with health conditions get the right support. Dougan said there is still stigma attached to neurodiversity in the workplace which could put people off from telling MSD they have a disability. "Stigma is absolutely a problem because it's still quite widely misunderstood, particularly in the employment space. A lot of autistic people we hear from would be reluctant to disclose that they are autistic to work and Income staff and then that makes it difficult to provide extra support." He said some of it came down to training and ensuring Work and Income staff were equipped to recognise when a person needed help. The young man who came off the benefit said all he really needed was direct communication, face to face or over the phone. "It would be more personal interactions I think it would have been better if I'd been able to get all of that information I needed from an actual person." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
