Country Life
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Country Life
The Country Life team take you all over the motu to hear the extraordinary stories of every day rural New Zealand.
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FULL SHOW: Country Life for 10 October 2025
This week Country Life is in Marlborough's back country on Molesworth Station, we check out the sale action at the Feilding saleyards and learn more a...
From the Archive: Mustering at Molesworth
It's an early start for the musterers at Molesworth Station. The bulls are out with the cows for the mating season and everyone needs to beat the heat...
The 'big money' changing hands at the Feilding saleyards
Global demand for red meat is driving strong prices for sheep and cattle, some of the best former Feilding farmer Eric Linklater has seen in over 20 y...
Rural News Wrap for 10 October 2025
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Mooncakes under a southern sun
David Ruan says the colourful vegetables growing in his garden are like little cakes relying on the sun for energy, hence the name Suncakes Gardens.
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 3 October 2025
This week Country Life is inside one of Fonterra's large dairy plants and meets a Canterbury farming couple making beautiful wool coats from their fam...
The Clip: Wool to Wear
Driven by a desire to find a pure New Zealand wool coat, and to find more use for the bales of wool sitting idle in the shearing shed, Charlotte Bell...
The high-tech dairy hub feeding China's sweet tooth
A growing taste for pastries, cakes and dairy-topped drinks in China and southeast Asia is fuelling demand for New Zealand-made cream cheese. Country...
The art of the auction
Feilding livestock agent and saleyards auctioneer Alex Stewart on breaking into an old man's game, human calculators and conducting the sale.
On the Farm for 3 October 2025
A wrap of conditions on farms and orchards around the country.
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpag...
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 26 September 2025
This week Country Life meets a couple who've had a lifetime on the same farm, and some newcomers to the truffle industry, and the team also talk fitne...
Sniffing out a new life at Trufflewood
Indie has just finished her first harvest as a truffle hunter, showing outstanding skills for a pup. Her owners have just finished their first harvest...
A life on the land at Lansdown Farm
Farmer Ian Buckingham was born at Lansdown Farm at Hook near Waimate 85 years ago and he's never left.
You can find photos and read more...
Rural News Wrap for 26 September 2025
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Taking physio to the farmers
Constant wet weather on hilly Te Tai Rāwhiti farms has led to an uptick in injuries among farmers there. Our guest this week, physiotherapist-cum-farm...
The many lessons of the pā harakeke
Whanganui couple Marilyn and Marty Vreede have been making paper from leftover harakeke from the district's many weavers. Between processing the stron...
Huhana Smith - artist, scholar, activist and farmer
Huhana Smith grows olives, fruit and harakeke on six hectares of land at Kuku north of Wellington. It's a productive testing ground for growing health...
Romene: From sheep to sheet mask
Southland sheep farmer Megan Seator is unravelling new uses for Romney's strong wool in a range of skincare products.
You can find photos...
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 19 September 2025
This week Country Life delves into the world of the harakeke plant and its many uses - from fashion to paper - and finds out about skincare products m...
Rural News Wrap for 19 September 2025
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 12 September 2025
This week Country Life bids farewell to long-time producer Cosmo Kentish-Barnes who shares some of the magic moments he's had covering the South Islan...
Tracks Well-Travelled: A farewell to Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
After 17 years Country Life's South Island producer is signing off from RNZ. Cosmo Kentish-Barnes' farewell feature is a rich tapestry of voices and s...
Flat out calving but the robots are on the job
It's all go in the calving shed, but with tech doing the heavy lifting, dairy farmer Dan Schat has time for a yarn about the cold, the costs, and the...
Jacob Smith - lacing up a future for NZ wool
Meet Jacob Smith, the 21-year-old turning wool and veggie scraps into fashion-forward biodegradable shoelaces. It started as a university project and...
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 5 September 2025
This week Country Life is on a nighttime nature walk in the Bay of Plenty alongside a young conservationist with a passion for bugs, meets Te Horo's b...
From the Archive: Farmer retires land he says "shouldn't ever have animals on it"
After a lifetime of working to clear land, Chris Bolderston is rewilding parts of his sheep and beef farm in North Canterbury. This story was first br...
For the love of the bush
Showing off bugs under torchlight is just one of Jack Karetai-Barret's extra curricular activities. The 15-year-old takes Country Life on a night walk...
On the Farm
A wrap of conditions on farms and orchards around the country
You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage...
From the beach to the hills
A garage in Te Horo is buzzing as backyard builders make traps for a predator-free zone from the beach to the hills.
You can find photos and rea...
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 29 August 2025
This week on Country Life, Kiwi and Aussie dairy farmers gather in Leeston to explore regenerative, low-input farming methods aimed at improving susta...
Symposium reflects shift in dairy farming
More than 70 farmers, researchers and advisors from New Zealand and Australia gathered in Leeston, to share lessons on low-input, regenerative dairy p...
Could old-school tools change how we garden?
Beth Pearsall wants to revive the ancient skill of scything. She loves swishing the sharp-bladed tool through her own garden and holds workshops to te...
Green brew benefits for livestock emissions
Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney and brewers at Young Henrys are using algae to remove carbon dioxide from the brewing process, whic...
Rural News Wrap for 29 August 2025
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 22 August 2025
This week Country Life learns more about a dairy alternative made from barley and how farm life influences a Waitaki illustrator's work. The team also...
Wholly Cow: Cambridge butcher's childhood dream come true
The Andrews family has gone from selling farm-raised meats at the Cambridge Farmers' Market to running their own butchery, adding a micro-abattoir, ta...
From gumboots to storybooks - farming with a twist of magic
Emma Nowell transforms life on the land into art, children's stories and games, while keeping the farm and family at the heart of it all.
...
Rural News Wrap for 22 August 2025
A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Creamy, sustainable and high in fibre - barley eyes up the dairy aisle
A new barley, bred for high fibre and low waste, is being turned into milk and yoghurt - a sustainable alternative with benefits for farmers and big p...
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 15 August 2025
This week Country Life learns more about a woman trialling growing rice at her home in Nelson, we check in with dog trainer Chris and his young star M...