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Featured Country Life stories
Moonshine matriarch: Southland's tradition of distilling Scottish whisky
A look inside the Hokonui Moonshine Museum where the manufacture of this legendary spirit continues in the modern day.
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Biochar made with hops, slash, and number 8 wire magic
20 Feb 2026Waste hops from a Wellington brewery, cotton offcuts from a New Zealand clothing brand and forestry slash are being turned into so-called "black gold" at a kiln…
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How UK farmers inspired New Zealand's agricultural festival
20 Feb 2026The Underground Festival in Waipara, held this week, brought farming families together to share information, a feed, and time off the farm together.
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Archie the apprentice finds his farming feet
14 Feb 2026Archie, Micky and their dogs make up a good team on Te Wharua Station. The 17-year-old is apprenticed to the farm manager and champion shearer as part of Pāmu's…
Country Life headlines with summaries.
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Ruby jewels of Otago a Lunar New Year treat
14 Feb 2026A look at how Clyde Orchard's recent cherry and stonefruit harvest has gone and a tour of a new purpose built accommodation for its RSE workers.
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Shaking it all up in a greenhouse trial
7 Feb 2026Researchers from the Bioeconomy Science Institute are investigating whether they can apply the vibrations of insects to disrupt pests in the greenhouse.
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Take a punt on the Tuapeka Mouth Ferry
7 Feb 2026The southern hemisphere's only still operating river ferry celebrates 130 years.
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Flames, family and a pin-up queen
7 Feb 2026Mark Leishman goes on a personal journey to Burkes Pass, a place with deep family ties.
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Needle steriliser a 'third hand' for farmers
The final touches are being put on a new gadget promising to speed-up vaccinating or giving pain relief to livestock. Audio
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IKEA owner's first New Zealand forest: 'We're here for the long term'
31 Jan 2026Ingka Investments, the parent company of furniture giant IKEA, now owns 30,000 hectares of forestry in Aotearoa. Its first purchase saw the conversion of Wisp Hill Station in southern Otago from…
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A life in the bush, a woolshed of memories
31 Jan 2026Lew Pickens' passions hark back to his days clearing land in Northland - camp oven cooking and driving bullock teams. He has a woolshed full of memorabilia on the family farm in King Country and he is…
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Milking the opportunity, no herd required
31 Jan 2026Farmers are being urged to embrace the growing demand for "experiential tourism" from overseas visitors.
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Extreme rainfall 'a peek into the future'
23 Jan 2026One expert says the kind of weather events New Zealand was now experiencing on a regular basis had long been warned of. Audio
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Country Life: Behind the scenes at the Roy's berry farm
20 Dec 2025The Roy family all pitch in getting berries from orchard to Christmas plate over the festive season. Country Life goes behind the scenes of the Christmas berry rush.
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'It's the magic of training, the magic of animals'
13 Dec 2025Teens and kids at Bex Tasker's place find joy and life skills training farm animals.
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Rural life in the big smoke
13 Dec 2025Being right in the middle of Auckland city and surrounded by city-dwellers comes with its challenges for Cornwall Park farm.
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'No plans to ship to the US': Tariffs bite into apple grower's profits
Tariffs on a range of New Zealand exports including apples were first introduced in April at 10 percent, and increased to 15 percent in August.
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You say 'Wayleggo' and I say 'Wal-a-go'!
6 Dec 2025How do sheep dogs and shepherds' handling techniques vary between New Zealand and Australia? The best teams battle it out at a Trans-Tasman dog trial, the Wayleggo Cup.
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Cash cows more like cash bulls
6 Dec 2025Tangihau Angus near Gisborne has a habit of breaking records. Last year it set a top price for New Zealand bulls at $135,000. This year it's done it again, setting a new record price of $161,000.
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Risqué and rural
6 Dec 2025How an unusual business selling adult toys has found opportunity on the main street of Eketāhuna.
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Hawke's Bay farm's agritourism 'terroir'
29 Nov 2025Set on the coast of Hawke's Bay, Te Aratipi Station offers walkers on the farm views across the bay, from the Māhia Peninsula right around to Mt Ruapehu on a clear day.
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Keeping salad greens on the shelves, 52 weeks of the year
29 Nov 2025Since officially opening last April, Leaderbrand's Future Farms facility has allowed it to grow salad greens all year round.
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Smashing it - a greener life growing avocados
29 Nov 2025Spreading the love for avocados through farm tours is a way to balance the highs and lows of avocado growing for two IT pros turned orchardists.
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'I never thought I'd be called a poo hunter': Inside facial eczema study
Wairarapa sheep farmer Paul Crick is one of hundreds out collecting poo samples from his flock as part of a national study.
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Farmer flying high with agri drone venture
22 Nov 2025Te Kuiti farmer Mitchel Hoare has a new side hustle, operating a drone to help other farmers improve the land.
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Inside the 25-year journey to the perfect kiwifruit
22 Nov 2025It's a long game developing the kiwifruit of the future - up to 25 years from concept to shop shelf. Fruit that thrive in a wetter, warmer climate and with less chemical input are among those in…
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NZ committed to climate target despite Australian opposition dumping net-zero
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said New Zealand's government would not follow Australia's coalition.
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A look inside Massey University's 'outdoor farm classroom'
15 Nov 2025Set on 40 hectares near the university's Palmerston North campus, the Large Animal Teaching Unit, is home to a menagerie of animals for veterinary students to work with.
