New Zealand - Land of milk and honey? Holwellcourtfarm's tour 2017

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
Someone will know but I believe it (Rabo) started as a modest lender to farmers in Holland then over time grew to a massive global agricultural lender.

In the U.S. I believe they are headquartered in California with offices across the nation. Not as large as the major players in banking...Citi/J P Morgan/Wells Fargo/Goldman type but a world leader in ag lending.
Rabo bank dont operate in the uk.
They must be too honest
 

Big_D

Member
Location
S W Scotland
Just gearing up for the equinox!!

:nailbiting::nailbiting:

Dad was told that the second and third weekends of Sept. are the ones to avoid, he'd pull the rams out for 3 weeks to avoid lambing losses...
I asked him to have a look through his diaries, being a true blue sheep farmer he kept comprehensive records :rolleyes: and 46 out of 53 years had had decent storms the 3rd weekend of September....:shifty:

Always the same pictures on the news, newborn lambs in the snow, a cocky throwing hay from a beige '83 Hilux...:whistle:

Fortunately the Catlins sort out the southerly but south-east just nails us here, Argentina is our closest shelter from the east, hence the big green curtains on the end of the shed (y)

In true upside down fashion, I find the spring equinox and the week to 10 days after can be very bad here hence lambing beginning of April, doesn't seem to be any middle ground, either amazing weather or hellish bad. Usually the latter.
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
I'm surprised how this thread turned "dead" or is it the approaching spring in Kiwi land?
York-Th.
I was thinking of wrapping it up but those who know me know we have too much going on at the moment :eek:

I'd like to get discussion going about the NZ elections that took place last weekend and the campaigning around farming. Any kiwis fancy commenting? :D
 

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
I was thinking of wrapping it up but those who know me know we have too much going on at the moment :eek:

I'd like to get discussion going about the NZ elections that took place last weekend and the campaigning around farming. Any kiwis fancy commenting? :D

The election was last weekend but apparently it will be another couple of weeks before we know who's in charge. This is because some old bloke who hardly anyone voted for now gets to decide which of the proper parties he's going to team up with to form a government :rolleyes::banghead::banghead:
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
20170930_220655.jpg

She's all go @York
Getting ground levelled out for spring peas..
Sorry to read of your troubles @holwellcourtfarm - will get this thread a few pictures tomorrow when I have extra hands. Sarah and I send our best wishes to you and @Mrs Holwell (y)
 

phillipe

Member
The election was last weekend but apparently it will be another couple of weeks before we know who's in charge. This is because some old bloke who hardly anyone voted for now gets to decide which of the proper parties he's going to team up with to form a government :rolleyes::banghead::banghead:
Thats democracy ,i am afraid
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Letting people have a choice ,dont like it move to china
This one is more like a dictatorship now.
Basically 80% vote for the two major parties, and the party leader of a minor party (receiving around 10%) gets to decide a gov't based on what he wants to achieve for himself (IMO)
A bit of a strange democracy really, but it is what it is, there is no compulsion to side with the party that got the majority of the vote.
 

Wiking

Member
Location
Sweden
I was thinking of wrapping it up but those who know me know we have too much going on at the moment :eek:

I'd like to get discussion going about the NZ elections that took place last weekend and the campaigning around farming. Any kiwis fancy commenting? :D

I was sorry to hear about your fire in the other thread, I hope the insurance works things out properly.
But I hope your plan is still to leave for NZ??? :)
 

jonny

Member
Location
leitrim
This one is more like a dictatorship now.
Basically 80% vote for the two major parties, and the party leader of a minor party (receiving around 10%) gets to decide a gov't based on what he wants to achieve for himself (IMO)
A bit of a strange democracy really, but it is what it is, there is no compulsion to side with the party that got the majority of the vote.

It works both ways for the smaller parties they have to make compromises against their policies to get into power and are rarely heard of much after the next election
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
It works both ways for the smaller parties they have to make compromises against their policies to get into power and are rarely heard of much after the next election
Yes, normally I wouldn't disagree, except for the party leader involved in this instance.
Our Winston can be completely compromised and still not acknowledge the word compromise is an actual thing!
Great politician, but voters have really been doing their best from keeping him out of the "kingmaker" role for years. This time it will happen.
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
I was sorry to hear about your fire in the other thread, I hope the insurance works things out properly.
But I hope your plan is still to leave for NZ??? :)
Damned right(y)

For the Brits, here's how democracy in NZ works:

There are 2 parts to the vote slip, the local MP you want and the party you want in power.

  • The local MP getting most votes represents the constituency.
  • The parties are allocated seats in parliament in accordance with their proportions in the party vote, subject to a 5% minimum.
  • Each party fills their seats first from their members elected to represent a constituency.
  • The remaining seats for each party are filled from their "party list"
The maths works because there are many more seats than constituencies (120 seats and 89 constituencies IIRC).
 

Big_D

Member
Location
S W Scotland
Damned right(y)

For the Brits, here's how democracy in NZ works:

There are 2 parts to the vote slip, the local MP you want and the party you want in power.

  • The local MP getting most votes represents the constituency.
  • The parties are allocated seats in parliament in accordance with their proportions in the party vote, subject to a 5% minimum.
  • Each party fills their seats first from their members elected to represent a constituency.
  • The remaining seats for each party are filled from their "party list"
The maths works because there are many more seats than constituencies (120 seats and 89 constituencies IIRC).

I think just the same as the proportional representation we have for the Scottish parliament. I think it's better than the Westminster system
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
I think just the same as the proportional representation we have for the Scottish parliament. I think it's better than the Westminster system
Many things are better than the Westminster system. The NZ one generally produces coalition governments. Once a country and it's politicians get used to it, it's a good system.
 
Many things are better than the Westminster system. The NZ one generally produces coalition governments. Once a country and it's politicians get used to it, it's a good system.

Just about any PR system is better than FPTP if you want a representative government.

Too many folk in the UK trying to second guess the outcome and so they get into a habit of not voting for the person / result they actually want and then when they get offered a referendum which could actually reflect the "will of the people" they still insist in voting against the government.
 

phillipe

Member
Just about any PR system is better than FPTP if you want a representative government.

Too many folk in the UK trying to second guess the outcome and so they get into a habit of not voting for the person / result they actually want and then when they get offered a referendum which could actually reflect the "will of the people" they still insist in voting against the government.
wouldnt half please ukipers in the last but one election
 
It works both ways for the smaller parties they have to make compromises against their policies to get into power and are rarely heard of much after the next election
The reality is that the blue and greens could form a government without Winston and both parties could get something done, problem is that the greens aren't actually "green" but more like shite red, and their inability to work and or compromise over the last 9 years and the "Turei" debarcle basically means the vote for the greens has been a wasted vote. The coment that the youth would determine the out come of this election (Jacinderella/Taxcinda) or women (Rachel "Toxic" Stewart) just didn't eventuate, the out come of this election was determinded by the ......OAP's and old people:rolleyes:.
Personally I'm not too bothered with a Labour /Green /Winston First coalition, because I can't see it lasting a full electoral term!:sneaky::D
 

multi power

Member
Location
pembrokeshire
The reality is that the blue and greens could form a government without Winston and both parties could get something done, problem is that the greens aren't actually "green" but more like shite red, and their inability to work and or compromise over the last 9 years and the "Turei" debarcle basically means the vote for the greens has been a wasted vote. The coment that the youth would determine the out come of this election (Jacinderella/Taxcinda) or women (Rachel "Toxic" Stewart) just didn't eventuate, the out come of this election was determinded by the ......OAP's and old people:rolleyes:.
Personally I'm not too bothered with a Labour /Green /Winston First coalition, because I can't see it lasting a full electoral term!:sneaky::D
So not really much difference to here

Edit, would it not be far better to just throw the greens into the sea ?
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 77 43.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 35.0%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 28 15.8%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.3%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,286
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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