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Country Life headlines with summaries.
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Mangaweka Asparagus - from fire to feast
George and Diana Turney went from tragedy to starting Mangaweka Asparagus three decades ago. After the community came to their aid, they have enjoyed giving back and helping others gain a living from…
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Rare horses relax at show
18 Nov 2023Eleven rare equine breeds, including the only black Percheron in the country, are on display in a quiet and sunny corner of the Canterbury A&P Showgrounds.
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Country Life for Friday November 17 2023
Country Life is at an asparagus harvest near Mangaweka and meets some of the harvesters from Vanuatu. The team checks out some rare horse breeds at the Canterbury show and meets a Banks Peninsula…
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Working hard to achieve the rural dream
Pigs, cattle, fruit and honey processing are all part of a sustainable farming business plan for first-time Motukarara farmers, Stacey and Ode Gielen.
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'The first thing I did was collect seeds'
10 Nov 202389-year-old Fraser Ross has been restoring a podocarp forest remnant for nearly half a century. Arowhenua Bush near Temuka was damaged after a severe norwesterly gale struck the district in 1975.
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Country Life for Friday 10 November 2023
Country Life meets 89-year-old Fraser Ross, who has been lovingly restoring a podocarp forest remnant for nearly 50 years. Arowhenua Bush near Temuka was damaged after a severe norwesterly gale struck…
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A doctor, an island and oil: The olive journey of Peter Crelinsten
Twenty-five years ago on a Mediterranean island a retired doctor learnt about olives. Now he's brought that knowledge, and the pursuit of their health benefits, to Kerikeri at Puketi Olive Farm.
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'Rural, rustic and exploiting my mother's talents'
A vintage photo of a little girl called Molly Mabel sits above racks of pint-sized traditional woollen jumpers, booties and beanies in a Hunterville shop. Who was Molly and how is she helping to warm…
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From the Archives: Growing food without sight
How do you garden when you are blind? One of Taranaki's pioneering environmentalists shows his ingenious method using ropes to help the visually impaired continue to enjoy growing things. This story…
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Country Life for Friday 3 November 2023
The story of a woman left to farm alone when her husband went to war, Ashburton's A & P show, gardening for the blind and the monthly wrap of conditions on the land.
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Soldiering on: 'There's no way that farm could have run without her'
Rhoda McWhannell ran her Waikato farm almost single-handedly when her husband went to war during WWII. She wrote a journal of her daily struggles, weaving in her wry observations about war and love of…
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Bees make a buzz at mid-Canterbury show
Bees, bugs and butterflies were the main theme at this year's Ashburton A&P Show.
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Addicts find hands in the earth help journey to recovery - 'It grounds us'
A rural addiction rehabilitation facility near Christchurch runs a farm-focused social enterprise that connects its residents with planting, growing and sharing.
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Motupipi farm brings degraded wetland back to life
After being encouraged to drain wetlands on their farm in the 80s a Golden Bay couple are already seeing the benefits of transforming the land back to its natural state.
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Country Life for Friday October 27 2023
Kingfish farming, returning paddock to wetland, and drug rehabilitation through farming
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From sea to land: The kingfish farm of the future
For over 20 years NIWA scientists have been researching the feasibility of growing fish on land - now they believe it's ready for commercial uptake.
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School leavers grow into hardy shepherds on high-country cadet farm
A two-year farm cadet programme is turning fresh-faced school leavers in hardy, no-nonsense shepherds on a high-country station in Canterbury.
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Why rural schools rule
Take a trip with Country Life to Auckland's northernmost school, Tomarata School, where kids are found tending to chickens and planting fruit trees.
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'Wouldn't want to do anything else' says head shepherd at Otapawa Station
A young man who switched from working in insurance to working the land was one of the finalists for Beef and Lambs emerging leaders award.
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Country Life for 20 October 2023
Country Life takes you back to school this week, where rural students plant fruit trees and tend to chickens. We also meet James Robbie who switched from working in insurance to working the land and a…
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Sheep and Beef Farmer Bayden Anderson - It's as good as it gets
Porangahau farmer Bayden Andersen shares the unique challenges and triumphs of managing an estate like its his own, while raising a family in the Central Hawkes Bay.
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A year on the farm: Lambing is in full swing on the Bird's hill block
The newborn lambs hide amongst gorse to escape the chilly winds and Alistair plants poplar poles on erosion-prone hill country.
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From water to wine: The story of Dancing Petrel
14 Oct 2023An idyllic lifestyle change for Kim and Graham Gilkison from Taranaki to the Far North saw them also purchase a languishing vineyard. Five years later, they're producing award winning wines.
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'I don't expect perfection' says farm dog trainer
From the Country Life archives - we meet former shepherd Anna Holland who trains people to train dogs.
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