AgSafe NZ

Finance:. NZ dollar was steady over the week but remains a very weak currency. The reserve Bank lifted the OCR 2.5 points to 2.5% while the Brent Crude increased to $77.52/barrel but is currently $76.03/barrel as the Gulf War ramps up again.

Wool: The wool prices continue to firm with growing optimism in the coarse wools.

Beef, Sheep & Venison schedules: The meat schedules remain strong with most categories showing increases. All meat schedules remain firm as demand continues to grow for red meats internationally.

Dairy Prices. The g/DT fell 4.9% with an increased offering. There have been similar falls at the corresponding auction in recent years. WMP fell4.4% to $US3425/tn, SMP dropped 7% and cheddar was down 12.3%

There has been an outbreak of Strangles in the Equine industry in the Waikato, Screwworm in the USA, and Bird Flue has been found in Australia. Johnes is a problem in New Zealand. All farmers must remain vigilant for the many exotic disease outbreak and know the symptoms and reporting processes. Our country relies on the rural sector for its financial wellbeing!!!

Quote: “ Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart.”

Need Help. If at any time you just want to talk & need someone to talk to, just call - Male Support Services (Waikato) 0800-677-289, or Rural Support Trust 0800-787-245. Crisis TXT – HELP (4357). A shared problem can be a problem solved!!





Jims Rant



I was with some guys on Thursday night who were excited to be having another holiday on Friday (Matariki). I reminded them of the cost to the employer, and the consensus was that they didn’t care about the employer provided they got the holiday. There was no support for those paying the wages and the time-and-half rates if worked on the statutory holiday. New Zealand has one of the highest number of public holidays in the world and Matariki was not needed but it is here now. I have a possible solution. All those registered on the Maori electoral roll can have a holiday on Matariki but work on the internationally accepted New Years Day and the day after as normal workdays while all non-Maori have those two days off in the summer. This plan could go further with all employees having to declare their preferred ethnicity and religion to their employer and then choose which holidays they have with a maximum of 10-days per annum. The Indians can have Dhawale but work over Christmas, Muslims would get holidays through Ramadan and work over Christmas and Easter. Those with no religion or register as atheists work over Christmas and Easter without the extra penalty pay rates and the extra day off. The plan could go as far as the different ethnicities celebrating their national days and working on Waitangi Day and the regional anniversaries. The Maori that seek separate sovereignty would not get Kings birthday off. It is easy enough to identify the holidays held in each country and offer them as alternatives to employees. It would solve the cost of working staff on the statutory days especially if there was an ethnically diverse workforce as many medium to larger sized farms have a mix of New Zealanders, Indians and Filipino’s working and most supermarkets and larger department stores have a multi-national workforce. The proposal might promote some further division in the nation, which is what some are wanting, while on the other hand it might show some in the community how stupid their demands for separatism are. The different ethnicities in New Zealand currently celebrate their own cultural celebrations without extra days off and are often enjoyed by others keen to learn about others in the community. The ultimate would be if we could celebrate being New Zealanders together on a single national day and promote unity and understanding remembering that we are now a united under one government that subscribes to the Judeo-Christian doctrine and legal system as outlined in the Westminster rules of government. And just a reminder for all employers – there are 365 days in the year, 20 days annual holiday (4-weeks), 11 statutory holidays, and then the rostered days off being typically 2 each week being 104 days plus 10 days sick leave. This leaves 220 to 230 days an employee works per annum, so with an $80,000 farm employee salary working 9 hours per day the likely hourly rate for the work done is $39.00/hour!!! We can’t afford to keep on giving holidays, increasing sick leave entitlements and expect the productivity of the nation to improve.





Get yourself a copy of a great book - “Green Murder – a life sentence of net zero with no parole”. Author - Dr Ian Plimer and perhaps the best-known Australian geologist.

Dr Ian Plimer has published a series of Three easy to read books for ankle-biters, teenagers and adults.

Also: Global Warming, a counter-blaste to the man-made global warming hypothesis - Dr Kelvin Duncan (Tross press)

Take 1.25hrs to watch the Video on YouTube - “Climate the Movie” produced by Nigel Durkin!!



Contact AgSafe NZ Ltd - Phone 027-2872886. We can prepare your Work Safe manual and hazard management plan at a very competitive price. We can arrange drug tests and farm maps for your property.