Fonterra has started to make 'precision fermentation products' which is marketing jargon for microbial by-products.
These products can (and will) replace a lot of dairy. Why do I say that? Cheap! Very very cheap after the set-up. You just keep it clean and follow the procedures A + B = product C. Probably be able to automate most of it.
Yes, that's right – Fonterra will be the death of dairy farming.
Not if, but when. Profit before people, it's the corporate way.
"New Zealand's current reliance on whole milk powder meant it was overexposed to such risks. There were not enough signals from the government and the industry that the dairy industry was at risk, Benny said.
Once companies were able to copy whole milk powder through precision fermentation, could make it on a large scale, and its price was similar or lower than whole milk powder from dairy, then there would be a tipping point, Benny said."
NZ Dairy Group which became Fonterra had an Ethanol plant at Tirau using whey. When I worked for them in the nineties, Anchor Gin was the thing. Fonterra still has an Ethanol division.
Fonterra said it had worked with DSM, a global nutrition and bioscience company, since 2019 to speed up the making of proteins with dairy-like properties using precision fermentation.
The partnership had already created intellectual property and filed patents, the statement said.
Jonathan Boswell, programme leader for complementary Nutrition at Fonterra said the patents were confidential because they were not in the public domain yet.
Dairy nutrition would remain Fonterra’s core strength, the company said.
So…. Are F'nterra ding this to 'move n' to new business model, of developing patents to control / suppress the technology and maintain their shareholder's current business model
Still and intriguing thought experiment considering the implications of New Zealand's largest company transitioning from a co-op model buying milk from farmer shareholders to a model paying shareholders based on return from an industrial business model with ex farm inputs reduced to high value speciality products and feedstock (sugar / carbohydrates) for the industrial process.
What would happen to the farms?
What would happen to the farmers and the farm support industries?
There wasn't always grass,it coevolved with the grazers.
Grasslands have long been considered products
of the coevolution of grasses and grazers (Koval-
evsky 1873). Few plants other than grasses can
withstand the high-crowned, enamel-edged teeth
and hard hooves of antelope and horses. Yet these
same animals are best suited to the abrasive gritty
opal phytoliths and dust of flat, open grasslands.
Grasses recover readily from fire and nurture large
herbivores such as elephants: both fire and ele-
phants promote grassland at the expense of wood-
land
I recently made some fermented cheese from nuts – for a first attempt it was surprisingly good. Tried cashews and almonds. Almonds were cheaper, cashews were easier. After aging them a few weeks the taste is very similar. Non-aged cashew cheese had an aftertaste that disappeared after a week – this might have been a compromised ferment.
Also – the 'fake parmesan' I make to sprinkle over pastas is very morish, or as I call it – 'vegan crack'.
This is my 'low salt' version. I've also made this with macadamias – really good!
1/2 cup cashews
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
I've tried various vegan cheeses from the shops and I must say, I'll never buy that crap again.
I'll try new products as they enter market, but right now I'd rather make my own so I can control how much saturated fat and salt is going into what I'm eating. Many 'vegan' products are simply plant based junk food.
It's been six months since I switched to eating plants. My belly has vanished along with most of my aches and pains. Lethargy and low level chronic depression dissolved a few months ago. Highly recommended for anyone feeling like age has caught up to them early – it's probably not aging, but poor diet.
I've been vegan plus fish and eggs for eight years for a specific health reason, that's now sorted plus a few other health benefits. In these inflationary days it's also cheaper.
Cashews are a wonderful ingredient – very creamy when soaked and whizzed.
Agree with you DB on the shop vegan cheeses! I don't bother with them.
The writing's on the wall for dairy. Not today, but not that far away. Groundswell wont save them, a smart business model might.
We'll still want all manner of food from the land. This will be the impetus required to see farmers diversifying in the face of reality – Fonterra's moving on.
There's all manner of opportunity arriving for the savvy food producer. As we transition to a largely plant based society (for your health, for your pocket, for the animals, for the planet) there will be enormous demand for alternate products that are actually good.
Many producers push low quality junk and call it vegan. The door is wide open for the good stuff.
I do have no faith in humans when it comes to the environment and animals. We kill what we don't need. We kill for fun. We start wars to kill our own to get cheap stuff i.e. resources that aren't ours.
What do you base your faith on that cows will not be an animal like a chimpanzee or a lion in a zoo in say 15 years because as a whole humans are to lazy to actually change their own polluting wasteful lifestyle?
My point is simply that Humans tend to cull what they need no longer. Now ruminants have a place in the eco system, what we consider 'bad' is actully good for nature, the cow pads for fertilising, heating etc.
So will we end up as in Blade Runner two, were farmers are standing in a puddle with 'worms' and call that 'protein farming' in the name of 'saving the planet'? Or is that again an exercise in shielding humans from their own hubris and pass the blame to the beast in a paddock, who is a 'sentient lactater' with her calf removed for better profit? Cause that will work for many it seems, kill the cows, the deers, the pigs, the fish ( pretty much done that) etc etc, buy the electric car and be green eating cheese from imported nuts – surely that is so much more 'environmentally friendly' rather then going back to a more natural and ethic animal husbandry and diet.
disclaimer: i self ID as omnivore, so generally if its cooked, smells nice and is not moving on my plate i eat it.
Sometimes you need to get over yourself. All that seething anger at humanity, we're not all CEO's thank you very much.
I grow my own macadamias, and so far, they can replace imports in several dishes. I also have access to local walnuts, almonds, hell, I'm growing coffee, tea, sugar, bananas. We're not all stupid or shortsighted, even Fonterra's seen the writing on the wall.
We could diversify and look after ourselves very nicely. And even the factories might come along, with a bit of a retrofit.
You sound like you would burn it all down just to say told you so.
Yes, and at the time there were plenty of Moa for people to eat. Maybe the cow is our times Moa and like the bird we don't respect that animal either and thus will go hungry when we have just eliminated enough in order to prevent global warming which is man made and keep to drive a nice flying car or something .
A Southland initiative got a milky boost from the Government to help in its goal to become the main producer of oat milk in the country.
Economic and regional development minister Stuart Nash visited Invercargill yesterday where he announced the Government would invest up to $6million in New Zealand’s first and largest carbon neutral plant-based beverage processing facility — with oat milk the first product off the production line.
The project, carried by New Zealand Functional Foods, would bring the construction of a $50million factory in Makarewa to produce 80 million litres of oat milk annually and generate about 50 new jobs when operating by the end of next year.
Oat milk is my top choice of plant-based milk for environmental reasons. Not only is it relatively low in water and land use, oats also act as a “catch crop” for excess nitrogen in the soil, stopping it from polluting waterways.
And when grown in rotation with other crops, oats can help ensure the soil remains rich and fertile.
Hi, You looked at. Well you maybe need to look bit further ?
Plenty of Info…..
Sugar
All of the commercial oat milks we looked at did not contain added sugar (although you can get flavoured varieties that do). That said, oat milk is a naturally sweet drink – it contains up to double the carbohydrates of cow's milk – which some people might find appealing
The company will likely do both. But as competition springs up and public opinion and law rejects a race to the bottom, farms here should get cleaner and more diversified.
High end regen-ag. With tree crops, multi-species pastures, happy plants, happy animals…
There's an ecological and economic case to be made for regen ag – and while the hoi polloi are eating mock dairy, the well off will still pay a premium to eat the real thing. Especially the food with a good 'story'.
The tipping point for the masses going into alternative products really is a price point as the article outlines. The poor can't afford to be virtuous.
I paid $10 for 250 gms of vegan cheese, it was crap. Nobody's saving nothing with that silly carry on – so I'm pleased to see a big player like Fonterra exploring options. They could turn their story right round if they do this well.
Purex toilet paper manufacturer Essity is being accused of “starvation tactics” in stopping workers from making hardship withdrawals from their retirement savings.
Essity locked out 145 Kawerau mill workers without pay on August 9 after they refused to accept a 3% pay rise plus a cash incentive of $1500 per year over three years.
The Pulp and Paper Union has now obtained a letter showing Essity had instructed the company’s superannuation scheme provider, SuperLife, to block workers from making financial hardship withdrawals from their savings.
“Our members put money into this super scheme with the promise that if they ever faced hardship they’d be able to access it. It is nothing short of cruel and vindictive to cut off both their pay and their savings.
“This lockout is being driven by Essity executives in Australia, who don’t care about us and probably don’t even know where Kawerau is on a map. I’d like them to come here and look these workers and their families in the eye.
“All we are asking for is a pay increase to match the rising cost of living. Essity is a company that made nearly two billion dollars in profit last year so they can easily afford it.
“Essity should end this lockout today and let our members get back to work.”
Essity’s brands include Purex, Sorbent, Libra and Handee.
“This lockout is being driven by Essity executives in Australia, who don’t care about us and probably don’t even know where Kawerau is on a map. I’d like them to come here and look these workers and their families in the eye.
“All we are asking for is a pay increase to match the rising cost of living. Essity is a company that made nearly two billion dollars in profit last year so they can easily afford it.
Never fails to anger me…these company scumbags making unbelievable profits…and yet still screwing down the Workers ! As ever : (
Just because their are idiots out there who think if you go against Ukraine, your pro Russia. Let me remind you, that you can hate all oligarchs equally, for the scum that they are. Especially when they want working people to die for their wars.
Whatever you think about dinosaurs, love them or loathe them, the one thing about the dinosaurs in their favour. They weren't the cause of their own extinction.
"It could be one of the longest sequences of dinosaur footprints in the world,"
Follow them footprints:
Due to lack of water, previously hidden dinosaur footprints likely to be around 113 million years old have come to light in a dried-up river bed, an official said on Tuesday. a park in Texas, USA….
…."Due to excessively dry conditions this summer, the river has completely dried
Enjoyed reading this discussion, this is an area I have been interested in for ages. If anyone is interested, Google Milk Without a Moo and my Rural Leaders report on the impacts this new technology could have on NZ dairy is there.
In summary, I’m a dairy farmers wife with a food science background and I work in the dairy processing industry (Fonterra etc).
Most countries are self-sufficient for their own dairy requirements, only 9% of all the dairy processed in the world crosses an international border. NZ produces a quarter of this small % that crosses a border. A quarter! From just one little country.
The dairy produced here is mostly used as ingredients in other food, in 2021 Fonterra made 74% of the milk they processed into ingredients.
NZ is incredibly exposed here, our reliance on just one product (milk powder) that will soon be able to be produced via other methods to contribute to our export revenue and livelihoods of so many Kiwis is staggering.
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The error Labour Ministers made by stopping work on a beverage container return scheme will be reversed by the Greens at the earliest opportunity as part of the next Government. ...
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Biggest increase in food prices for over three decades shows the need for an excess profit tax on corporations to help people put food on the table. ...
The Green Party has today launched a submission guide to help Aucklanders give crucial input and prevent potentially disastrous Auckland Council budget proposals. ...
With calls growing for inquiries and action on bank profits, the Greens say the Government has all the information it needs to act now and put a levy on banks. ...
As large parts of Aotearoa recover from two of the worst climate disasters we have ever experienced, it would be a huge mistake for the Government to deprioritise climate action from future transport investments, the Green Party says. ...
The Green Party is celebrating the signing of a historic United Nations Ocean Treaty, and calls on the new Oceans and Fisheries Minister to urgently step up protection for Aotearoa’s oceans. ...
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...
Hon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...
The Government via the Cyclone Taskforce is working with local government and insurance companies to build a picture of high-risk areas following Cyclone Gabrielle and January floods. “The Taskforce, led by Sir Brian Roche, has been working with insurance companies to undertake an assessment of high-risk areas so we can ...
E te huia kaimanawa, ko Ngāpuhi e whakahari ana i tau aupikinga ki te tihi o te maunga. Ko te Ao Māori hoki e whakanui ana i a koe te whakaihu waka o te reo Māori i roto i te Ao Ture. (To the prized treasure, it is Ngāpuhi who ...
113,400 exits into work in the year to June 2022 Young people are moving off Benefit faster than after the Global Financial Crisis Two reports released today by the Ministry of Social Development show the Government’s investment in the COVID-19 response helped drive record numbers of people off Benefits and ...
The Government’s priority to keep New Zealand at the cutting edge of food production and lift our sustainability credentials continues by backing the next steps of a hi-tech vertical farming venture that uses up to 95 per cent less water, is climate resilient, and pesticide-free. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visited ...
E nga mana, e nga iwi, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou kātoa. Warm Pacific greetings to all. It is an honour to host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Aotearoa is delighted to be hosting you ...
The new renal unit at Taranaki Base Hospital has been officially opened by the Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall this afternoon. Te Huhi Raupō received around $13 million in government funding as part of Project Maunga Stage 2, the redevelopment of the Taranaki Base Hospital campus. “It’s an honour ...
Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the country’s second P-8A Poseidon aircraft alongside personnel at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base at Ohakea today. “With two of the four P-8A Poseidons now on home soil this marks another significant milestone in the Government’s historic investment in ...
Aotearoa New Zealand will provide further humanitarian support to those seriously affected by last month’s deadly earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, says Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. “The 6 February earthquakes have had devastating consequences, with almost 18 million people affected. More than 53,000 people have died and tens of thousands more ...
Migrant communities across New Zealand are represented in the new Migrant Community Reference Group that will help shape immigration policy going forward, Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced today. “Since becoming Minister, a reoccurring message I have heard from migrants is the feeling their voice has often been missing around policy ...
Construction has begun on major works that will deliver significant safety improvements on State Highway 3 from Waitara to Bell Block, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan announced today. “This is an important route for communities, freight and visitors to Taranaki but too many people have lost their lives or ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has today appointed Ginny Andersen as Minister of Police. “Ginny Andersen has a strong and relevant background in this important portfolio,” Chris Hipkins said. “Ginny Andersen worked for the Police as a non-sworn staff member for around 10 years and has more recently been chair of ...
Six further bailey bridge sites confirmed Four additional bridge sites under consideration 91 per cent of damaged state highways reopened Recovery Dashboards for impacted regions released The Government has responded quickly to restore lifeline routes after Cyclone Gabrielle and can today confirm that an additional six bailey bridges will ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for China tomorrow, where she will meet with her counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in Beijing. This will be the first visit by a New Zealand Minister to China since 2019, and follows the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions between New Zealand and China. ...
Education Ministers from across the Pacific will gather in Tāmaki Makaurau this week to share their collective knowledge and strategic vision, for the benefit of ākonga across the region. New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti will host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) for three days from today, ...
A vital transport link for communities and local businesses has been restored following Cyclone Gabrielle with the reopening of State Highway 5 (SH5) between Napier and Taupō, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan says. SH5 reopened to all traffic between 7am and 7pm from today, with closure points at SH2 (Kaimata ...
Internal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds has thanked generous New Zealanders who took part in the special Lotto draw for communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. Held on Saturday night, the draw raised $11.7 million with half of all ticket sales going towards recovery efforts. “In a time of need, New Zealanders ...
The Government has announced funding of $3 million for providers to help people, and whānau access community-based Building Financial Capability services. “Demand for Financial Capability Services is growing as people face cost of living pressures. Those pressures are increasing further in areas affected by flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle,” Minister for ...
Minister of Education, Hon Jan Tinetti, has announced appointments to the Board of Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao. Tracey Bridges is joining the Board as the new Chair and Dr Therese Arseneau will be a new member. Current members Dr Linda Sissons CNZM and Daniel Wilson have ...
Fifteen ākonga Māori from across Aotearoa have been awarded the prestigious Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships and Awards for 2023, Associate Education Minister and Ngarimu Board Chair, Kelvin Davis announced today. The recipients include doctoral, masters’ and undergraduate students. Three vocational training students and five wharekura students, ...
High Court Judge Jillian Maree Mallon has been appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal, and District Court Judge Andrew John Becroft QSO has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Mallon graduated from Otago University in 1988 with an LLB (Hons), and with ...
The economy has continued to show its resilience despite today’s GDP figures showing a modest decline in the December quarter, leaving the Government well positioned to help New Zealanders face cost of living pressures in a challenging global environment. “The economy had grown strongly in the two quarters before this ...
Aucklanders now have more ways to get around as Transport Minister Michael Wood opened the direct State Highway 1 (SH1) to State Highway 18 (SH18) underpass today, marking the completion of the 48-kilometre Western Ring Route (WRR). “The Government is upgrading New Zealand’s transport system to make it safer, more ...
This section contains briefings received by incoming ministers following changes to Cabinet in January. Some information may have been withheld in accordance with the Official Information Act 1982. Where information has been withheld that is indicated within the document. ...
Aotearoa New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta reaffirmed her commitment to working together with the new Government of Fiji on issues of shared importance, including on the prioritisation of climate change and sustainability, at a meeting today, in Nadi. Fiji and Aotearoa New Zealand’s close relationship is underpinned by the Duavata ...
The Government is delivering a coastal shipping lifeline for businesses, residents and the primary sector in the cyclone-stricken regions of Hawkes Bay and Tairāwhiti, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced today. The Rangitata vessel has been chartered for an emergency coastal shipping route between Gisborne and Napier, with potential for ...
The Government will progress to the next stage of the NZ Battery Project, looking at the viability of pumped hydro as well as an alternative, multi-technology approach as part of the Government’s long term-plan to build a resilient, affordable, secure and decarbonised energy system in New Zealand, Energy and Resources ...
This morning I was made aware of a media interview in which Minister Stuart Nash criticised a decision of the Court and said he had contacted the Police Commissioner to suggest the Police appeal the decision. The phone call took place in 2021 when he was not the Police Minister. ...
The Government’s sharp focus on trade continues with Aotearoa New Zealand set to host Trade Ministers and delegations from 10 Asia Pacific economies at a meeting of Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Commission members in July, Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor announced today. “New Zealand ...
$25 million boost to support more businesses with clean-up in cyclone affected regions, taking total business support to more than $50 million Demand for grants has been strong, with estimates showing applications will exceed the initial $25 million business support package Grants of up to a maximum of $40,000 per ...
80 per cent of 2021 Resident Visas applications have been processed – three months ahead of schedule Residence granted to 160,000 people 84,000 of 85,000 applications have been approved Over 160,000 people have become New Zealand residents now that 80 per cent of 2021 Resident Visa (2021RV) applications have been ...
The Government continues to invest in New Zealand’s burgeoning space industry, today announcing five scholarships for Kiwi Students to undertake internships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash congratulated Michaela Dobson (University of Auckland), Leah Albrow (University of Canterbury) and Jack Naish, Celine Jane ...
The Lead Coordination Minister for the Government’s Response to the Royal Commission’s Report into the Terrorist Attack on the Christchurch Mosques travels to Melbourne, Australia today to represent New Zealand at the fourth Sub-Regional Meeting on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Security. “The Government is committed to reducing the threat of terrorism ...
The health and safety practices at our nation’s ports will be improved as part of a new industry-wide action plan, Workplace Relations and Safety, and Transport Minister Michael Wood has announced. “Following the tragic death of two port workers in Auckland and Lyttelton last year, I asked the Port Health ...
Bikes, electric bikes and scooters will be added to the types of transport exempted from fringe benefit tax under changes proposed today. Revenue Minister David Parker said the change would allow bicycles, electric bicycles, scooters, electric scooters, and micro-mobility share services to be exempt from fringe benefit tax where they ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will hold bilateral meetings with Fiji this week. The visit will be her first to the country since the election of the new coalition Government led by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sitiveni Rabuka. The visit will be an opportunity to meet kanohi ki ...
The Government is introducing the Severe Weather Emergency Legislation Bill to ensure the recovery and rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle is streamlined and efficient with unnecessary red tape removed. The legislation is similar to legislation passed following the Christchurch and Kaikōura earthquakes that modifies existing legislation in order to remove constraints ...
Approximately 1.4 million people will benefit from increases to rates and thresholds for social assistance to help with the cost of living Superannuation to increase by over $100 a pay for a couple Main benefits to increase by the rate of inflation, meaning a family on a benefit with children ...
$1 billion in savings which will be reallocated to support New Zealanders with the cost of living A range of transport programmes deferred so Waka Kotahi can focus on post Cyclone road recovery Speed limit reduction programme significantly narrowed to focus on the most dangerous one per cent of state ...
Opinion - There's plenty of research supporting lowering the voting age to 16. Public debate and the law just need to catch up, Claire Breen writes. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation’s politics team. In this podcast Michelle and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jingdong Yuan, Associate Professor, Asia-Pacific security, University of Sydney Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Moscow this week has been more about reiterating China and Russia’s shared interests, and less about any concrete pathway towards ending the war in Ukraine. While a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney This May, Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco and her label Ngali will be the first Indigenous designer to have a solo show at Australian Fashion Week. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney This May, Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco and her label Ngali will be the first Indigenous designer to have a solo show at Australian Fashion Week. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Robinson, Associate Professor in Housing and Communities, University of Tasmania Shutterstock Thousands of children end up being homeless in Australia without a parent or guardian. In 2021-22, 12,812 children (aged 10-17) were on their own when they sought help ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Robinson, Associate Professor in Housing and Communities, University of Tasmania Shutterstock Thousands of children end up being homeless in Australia without a parent or guardian. In 2021-22, 12,812 children (aged 10-17) were on their own when they sought help ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra There has been a lot of talk about the risk of financial contagion following the collapse of California’s Silicon Valley Bank. Perhaps too much talk. While the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra There has been a lot of talk about the risk of financial contagion following the collapse of California’s Silicon Valley Bank. Perhaps too much talk. While the ...
A Pacific elder and former secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum says Pacific leaders need to sit up and pay closer attention to AUKUS and the Indo-Pacific strategy and China’s response to them. Speaking from Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, Dame Meg Taylor said Pacific leaders were being sidelined ...
The government says it should have details on which weather-hit areas are high risk within three weeks, and can then make decisions about rebuilding. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carly Tozer, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO Dean Lewins/AAPLa Niña and El Niño are well-known terms in Australia these days. Linked to them are certain expectations: we expect wet conditions in La Niña and dry conditions in El Niño. These ...
Promoters say The Game has pulled out of his upcoming appearance at two legs of a new New Zealand hip-hop festival, continuing the Compton rapper’s sketchy attendance record in Aotearoa. In an announcement made on Facebook today, promoters Room Service say The Game, real name Jayceon Taylor, has “last-minute commitments” ...
Counter-protests are planned for this weekend as a controversial anti-trans campaigner speaks in two New Zealand cities. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull will be allowed into the country after Immigration NZ said the threshold to stop her had not been reached. In a tweet, Rainbow Greens, the group that released an open letter ...
We asked workers at some of our favourite food establishments to show us what they eat when the rush is over.This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter The Boil Up. Last week was Work Week on The Spinoff, dedicated to unpacking our relationship with the world ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp? Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in ...
65 percent of Kiwis surveyed admit they would have no idea what to do if their identity was stolen Norton, a leading consumer Cyber Safety brand of Gen, today announced the New Zealand launch of Norton™ 360 Platinum, which leverages the company's ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Breen, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Getty Images There might have been pragmatic political reasons behind the government throwing voting-age legislation onto its recent policy bonfire, but it remains a sadly wasted opportunity. The announcement reversed former ...
ANALYSIS:By Bevin Veale, Massey University The impending arrival of Kelly-Jean Keen-Minshull — aka Posie Parker — has put the spotlight on the tension between free speech and protecting vulnerable communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. In particular, it raises questions about Immigration New Zealand’s role in limiting who can visit ...
Wairoa has ready-to-go projects that could be accelerated to quickly get people back into homes following Cyclone Gabrielle, Minister Willie Jackson was told on a visit to Wairoa today. Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa is seeking a Government commitment ...
A new report published by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union exposes the bad decision-making that led to a 61% cost blowout in Auckland’s City Rail Link and shows that the costs of the project now significantly outweigh any benefits. ‘The City Rail Link: ...
Immigration NZ has today confirmed that the controversial anti-trans campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull will be allowed into New Zealand for her speaking events this week. You can read our report here – and the full statement from Immigration NZ’s Richard Owen to the media is below: “I can confirm that ...
Immigration NZ says it knows some people will be unhappy, but ultimately the threshold to bar Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull from New Zealand hasn’t been reached.The British anti-transgender campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also known as Posie Parker, will be allowed into New Zealand this weekend, Immigration NZ has confirmed.Keen-Minshull’s ability to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Stevens, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Adelaide Antarctica is an icy place today, but the ice extended even further during past ice ages. The question of how and where life survived on land in the icy continent, through the ages, has ...
Like a Tongan Cool Runnings, with trumpets instead of bobsleds, Red, White & Brass is a feel-good movie based on an incredible true story. First-time film producer Halaifonua Finau tells Sela Jane Hopgood how he got it made.In 2016, promising new Tongan producer Halaifonua Finau was sitting in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Thomas Gleeson, Doctoral Candidate, Australian National University Luz Rovira / Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND In the 19th century, Charles Darwin was one of the first to notice something interesting about domesticated animals: different species often developed similar changes when compared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katharine Kemp, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney New research reveals serious privacy flaws in fertility apps used by Australian consumers – emphasising the need for urgent reform of the Privacy Act. Fertility apps provide a number ...
The Fiji Times “The University of the South Pacific (USP) has been and continues to be a bedrock for regionalism. A resource owned by the region; for the region and a precious institution that needs to be protected in line with the vision of our forebearers.” This was the message ...
By Claudia Tally in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinean family who have been renting a property from the National Housing Corporation for the past 46 years have been served with a 24-hour eviction notice by a different owner who had obtained an eviction notice from the Port Moresby District ...
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown’s plans to cut back on spending could see the council quit Local Government NZ, the group that represents councils across the country. Stuff’s Todd Niall has reported that $400,000 would be saved by the move, with mayor Brown reportedly wanting to direct that money into other ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frederic Gachon, Associate Professor, Physiology of Circadian Rhythms, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Gregory Pappas/Unsplash Some of us love to be tucked up in bed by a particular time every night, ensuring a certain number of hours ...
The government has launched campaign to help young people navigate break-ups with the long-term aim of preventing family violence, believed to be the first of its kind. ...
The government has launched campaign to help young people navigate break-ups with the long-term aim of preventing family violence, believed to be the first of its kind. ...
Sports can be hugely beneficial for children but there are still many barriers for trans kids wanting to play, writes researcher Julia de Bres.There’s been a lot of talk recently about trans athletes in high performance sport, much of which derives from a broader anti-trans project rather than a ...
A new documentary follows Amber Clyde, skateboarder and founder of Girls Skate NZ, as she works to rebuild her confidence in the sport while juggling solo motherhood.Amber Clyde remembers being bullied as the only girl at the skate park in Birkenhead – but these days all the same bullies ...
After dedicating years to helping young women find their confidence in skateboarding, Amber Clyde must teach herself how to get back on the board after the birth of her second child. But balancing the realities of being a solo Mum with running her own business means that her time is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arthur Immanuel Crichton, PhD candidate, Flinders University Relative of _Chunia pledgei_ named _Ektopodon serratus_ (top left), with _Wakaleo oldfieldi_.Reconstruction of the early Miocene Kutjumarpu faunal assemblage by Peter Schouten, CC BY-SA Imagine a vast, lush forest dominated by giant flightless birds ...
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is urging its 27,000 members and subscribers to have a say on Auckland Council’s proposed 2022/23 annual budget. Last week, the Ratepayers’ Alliance launched a new website to encourage public feedback. Backtobasics.co.nz ...
New Zealand distance runner Zane Robertson has been banned from all sport for eight years due to doping. Robertson, who is the holder of six national distance running records and a Commonwealth Games bronze medal, was tested at the UK’s Great Manchester Run in May last year. His sample returned ...
Alex Casey asks a psychologist why she was too chicken shit to wear a mask during the flight that probably gave her Covid-19. In the live action replay in my head, I can basically see, frame by frame, the moment that one of those puny little Covid-19 Koosh balls did ...
Social services and health & disability provider Presbyterian Support Northern (PSN) has appointed Joe Waru as its new Kaitohu Matua (General Manager Māori). The appointment will provide PSN with strategic leadership and advice as it seeks to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin Veale, Lecturer in Media Studies, part of the Digital Cultures Laboratory in the School of Humanities, Media, and Creative Communication, Massey University Getty Images The impending arrival of Kelly-Jean Keen-Minshull – aka Posie Parker – has put the spotlight ...
Deputy Public Service Commissioner Ms Heather Baggott has today announced the appointment of Mr Andrew Hampton to the position of Director-General of Security and Chief Executive, New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS). The role of the NZSIS is to understand ...
Money isn’t everything. But for most of us, it’s easier to deal with anything else in our lives if we know the bills are getting paid. So when household budgets come under pressure from cost of living increases – especially when that includes the mortgage that keeps a roof over ...
The National Party will announce the first part of its new education policy tomorrow in the prime minister’s own stomping ground of the Hutt. Leader Christopher Luxon said the “Teaching the Basics Brilliantly” policy will see the curriculum totally overhauled, with a direct focus on reading, writing, maths and science. ...
In conjunction with Curia Market Research, the Free Speech Union has distributed a survey on academic freedom to academics across each of the eight universities in New Zealand. Respect for academic freedom is a statutory responsibility for universities, ...
Thirty years ago, after a marathon Parliamentary sitting, the Bolger National government passed the Maritime Transport Act which deregulated coastal shipping by abolishing cabotage. Cabotage was the practice which restricted the operation of sea, air, or ...
New reports out from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) this morning show that in the year to June 2022, 113,400 people came off a benefit, the highest number since electronic records began in 1996. From early 2020, at the start of the pandemic, there was a large increase in the ...
A recent court action by Australia’s financial regulator suggests ‘greenwashing’ claims can expect far greater scrutiny – a situation likely to happen here soon enough, writes Steven Moe.Coal mining can seem like yesterday’s fuel – a relic of the last century, in the coming age of wind farms and ...
Grammy-winning pop star Lizzo will return to New Zealand in July for her first solo show on our shores. The singer, rapper and flautist (yes) will play Spark Arena on July 26 as part of her Special Tour. The last time she was in New Zealand, Lizzo was a festival ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trevor Ireland, Professor, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland MASCOT / DLR / JAXA How did life come about? The answer to this question goes to the very heart of our existence on planet Earth. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Unsplash/Olga Guryanova, CC BY Disturbing reports about botched cosmetic surgeries and injuries in Australia – from breast augmentations causing chronic pain to liposuction leaving patients with lifelong injuries – have sparked concerns in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip Zylstra, Adjunct Associate Professor at Curtin University, Research Associate at University of New South Wales, Curtin University Shutterstock Fire management in Australia is approaching crisis point. Seasons such as the Black Summer three years ago showed how our best ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William Geary, PhD Student, Deakin University Once abundant, woylies – or brush-tailed bettongs – are now critically endangered. John Gould, CC BY-SA Conserving native wildlife is a challenging task and Australia’s unenviable extinction record shows us we urgently need more sophisticated ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pi-Shen Seet, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Edith Cowan University ThisIsEngineering/Pexels , CC BY-NC Australia continues to grapple with acute skills shortages. Businesses are struggling to find workers with the skills they need. Meanwhile, workers struggle to get jobs because ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robin Eames, History PhD candidate, University of Sydney Portrait of De Lacy Evans and his wife (1870)State Library VictoriaThis article contains references to anti-trans, colonial and institutional violence, and includes information about an Aboriginal person who died in the early ...
The new police minister has defended the government’s approach to dealing with crime, as new figures show just 32% of charges laid against young people last year actually resulted in a sentence. Ginny Andersen was promoted into the police portfolio on Monday after Stuart Nash was sent falling to the ...
The final IPCC report was unequivocal in its call to reduce emissions immediately but the government has no further news on how agricultural emissions charging will work, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Greens say climate change will be integral to the big decision this year. Toby Manhire explores the data. Devastating, global-warming-exacerbatedstorms. A new IPCC report laying outthe calamitous fireball hurtling our way. And a prime minister jettisoninga host of climate-aligned policies. There is plenty of material for James ...
Medsafe has approved applications for Ozempic to be used in New Zealand. How does this new drug work and why is everyone talking about it? What just happened? Last Thursday, New Zealand’s medical regulatory body Medsafe gave consent for Ozempic to be prescribed in New Zealand. The approval is for ...
An author on the death of a baby and "a calm respectful grace" The normal world was out there. The clocks and the jobs and the traffic and the mortgages and the death. Especially the death. Death in suburbia means funerals with piped fake Celtic music despite the fact ...
One of New Zealand’s brightest young netball talents, Paris Lokotui has returned to the court 10 months after a knee reconstruction. Now she hopes her tough journey back paves a better way for other Māori and Pasifika players. Paris Lokotui remembers the moment time stood still. The 21-year-old was playing ...
A month on from Cyclone Gabrielle, many residents in Muriwai are still living in limbo, unable to return to their homes "I can't look back because it's too sad. I can't look forward because it is too daunting." Kat Corbett's Muriwai home remains out-of-bounds more than a month after ...
The Climate Change Commission's chair says the Government's decisions to ignore its advice could weaken the country's most important climate policy. ...
Coconut plantations are far from being ‘natural’ environments, coconut oil is high in saturated fats, and, despite the advertising, most of the global supply of coconut oil doesn’t come from the Pacific Islands eitherOpinion: Coconut oil has gained a halo as a natural health product, with claims it can ...
Such Sweet Irony.
Fonterra has started to make 'precision fermentation products' which is marketing jargon for microbial by-products.
These products can (and will) replace a lot of dairy. Why do I say that? Cheap! Very very cheap after the set-up. You just keep it clean and follow the procedures A + B = product C. Probably be able to automate most of it.
Yes, that's right – Fonterra will be the death of dairy farming.
Not if, but when. Profit before people, it's the corporate way.
"New Zealand's current reliance on whole milk powder meant it was overexposed to such risks. There were not enough signals from the government and the industry that the dairy industry was at risk, Benny said.
Once companies were able to copy whole milk powder through precision fermentation, could make it on a large scale, and its price was similar or lower than whole milk powder from dairy, then there would be a tipping point, Benny said."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/129691125/fonterra-takes-first-step-into-nondairy-products
Precision fermentation.
Hmmm. Fonterra vodka.
NZ Dairy Group which became Fonterra had an Ethanol plant at Tirau using whey. When I worked for them in the nineties, Anchor Gin was the thing. Fonterra still has an Ethanol division.
So…. Are F'nterra ding this to 'move n' to new business model, of developing patents to control / suppress the technology and maintain their shareholder's current business model
Ring-fencing the competition.
Business is business.
Still and intriguing thought experiment considering the implications of New Zealand's largest company transitioning from a co-op model buying milk from farmer shareholders to a model paying shareholders based on return from an industrial business model with ex farm inputs reduced to high value speciality products and feedstock (sugar / carbohydrates) for the industrial process.
What would happen to the farms?
What would happen to the farmers and the farm support industries?
They would adapt, or die out.
There weren’t always dairy farms, after all.
There wasn't always grass,it coevolved with the grazers.
https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.uoregon.edu/dist/d/3735/files/2013/07/grasslandscooling-nhslkh.pdf
I recently made some fermented cheese from nuts – for a first attempt it was surprisingly good. Tried cashews and almonds. Almonds were cheaper, cashews were easier. After aging them a few weeks the taste is very similar. Non-aged cashew cheese had an aftertaste that disappeared after a week – this might have been a compromised ferment.
Also – the 'fake parmesan' I make to sprinkle over pastas is very morish, or as I call it – 'vegan crack'.
This is my 'low salt' version. I've also made this with macadamias – really good!
1/2 cup cashews
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
I've tried various vegan cheeses from the shops and I must say, I'll never buy that crap again.
I'll try new products as they enter market, but right now I'd rather make my own so I can control how much saturated fat and salt is going into what I'm eating. Many 'vegan' products are simply plant based junk food.
It's been six months since I switched to eating plants. My belly has vanished along with most of my aches and pains. Lethargy and low level chronic depression dissolved a few months ago. Highly recommended for anyone feeling like age has caught up to them early – it's probably not aging, but poor diet.
I've been vegan plus fish and eggs for eight years for a specific health reason, that's now sorted plus a few other health benefits. In these inflationary days it's also cheaper.
Cashews are a wonderful ingredient – very creamy when soaked and whizzed.
Agree with you DB on the shop vegan cheeses! I don't bother with them.
The writing's on the wall for dairy. Not today, but not that far away. Groundswell wont save them, a smart business model might.
We'll still want all manner of food from the land. This will be the impetus required to see farmers diversifying in the face of reality – Fonterra's moving on.
There's all manner of opportunity arriving for the savvy food producer. As we transition to a largely plant based society (for your health, for your pocket, for the animals, for the planet) there will be enormous demand for alternate products that are actually good.
Many producers push low quality junk and call it vegan. The door is wide open for the good stuff.
I can't wait for the culling of all the cows now that they are no longer needed and besides they fart.
Sabine….surely not all the cows? Cows munching on Sunflowers…and pretty Sustainably. Def better that the Industrial Fonterra way…
I do have no faith in humans when it comes to the environment and animals. We kill what we don't need. We kill for fun. We start wars to kill our own to get cheap stuff i.e. resources that aren't ours.
What do you base your faith on that cows will not be an animal like a chimpanzee or a lion in a zoo in say 15 years because as a whole humans are to lazy to actually change their own polluting wasteful lifestyle?
They all get culled at some point anyway, there's no retirement farms for cows
My point is simply that Humans tend to cull what they need no longer. Now ruminants have a place in the eco system, what we consider 'bad' is actully good for nature, the cow pads for fertilising, heating etc.
So will we end up as in Blade Runner two, were farmers are standing in a puddle with 'worms' and call that 'protein farming' in the name of 'saving the planet'? Or is that again an exercise in shielding humans from their own hubris and pass the blame to the beast in a paddock, who is a 'sentient lactater' with her calf removed for better profit? Cause that will work for many it seems, kill the cows, the deers, the pigs, the fish ( pretty much done that) etc etc, buy the electric car and be green eating cheese from imported nuts – surely that is so much more 'environmentally friendly' rather then going back to a more natural and ethic animal husbandry and diet.
disclaimer: i self ID as omnivore, so generally if its cooked, smells nice and is not moving on my plate i eat it.
Sometimes you need to get over yourself. All that seething anger at humanity, we're not all CEO's thank you very much.
I grow my own macadamias, and so far, they can replace imports in several dishes. I also have access to local walnuts, almonds, hell, I'm growing coffee, tea, sugar, bananas. We're not all stupid or shortsighted, even Fonterra's seen the writing on the wall.
We could diversify and look after ourselves very nicely. And even the factories might come along, with a bit of a retrofit.
You sound like you would burn it all down just to say told you so.
You do know there where no mammals in nz ,let alone great hoofing bovines
Yes, and at the time there were plenty of Moa for people to eat. Maybe the cow is our times Moa and like the bird we don't respect that animal either and thus will go hungry when we have just eliminated enough in order to prevent global warming which is man made and keep to drive a nice flying car or something .
Seems good? Not so good sending to Sweden…Surely must be possible to process in NZ ? What think ?
Oat milks that I've looked at seem to contain a lot of sugar, which I assume is sucrose.
Hi, You looked at. Well you maybe need to look bit further ?
Plenty of Info…..
Extra-ordinary! A sad Moo can be herd.
Thanks DB Brown.
Hopefully they'll use a nz grown crop as the sugars source,
I thought that dairy farmers had a major stake in Fonterra so how do they feel about this? Or are they even aware of this?
The company will likely do both. But as competition springs up and public opinion and law rejects a race to the bottom, farms here should get cleaner and more diversified.
High end regen-ag. With tree crops, multi-species pastures, happy plants, happy animals…
There's an ecological and economic case to be made for regen ag – and while the hoi polloi are eating mock dairy, the well off will still pay a premium to eat the real thing. Especially the food with a good 'story'.
The tipping point for the masses going into alternative products really is a price point as the article outlines. The poor can't afford to be virtuous.
I paid $10 for 250 gms of vegan cheese, it was crap. Nobody's saving nothing with that silly carry on – so I'm pleased to see a big player like Fonterra exploring options. They could turn their story right round if they do this well.
the well off will still pay a premium to eat the real thing.
Perhaps a switch to A2 milk might be in order.
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2009 .https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-031209/#comment-176216
The future has arrived
And still we are building more motorways and and the insanity of tunnels under the Waitemata.
And starving railways and subsidising air lines
And mining and importing coal
The future fossils that will be found will be ours.
“Their forms are magnificent; their symmetry perfect; their organization beyond my comprehension,”
"The Devil's Corkscrew"
Suggested name for when they start a competition for naming the new Waitemata Harbour Tunnel
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-scientists-resolved-mystery-devils-corkscrews-180973487/
Stand with workers:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/129694184/purex-manufacturer-essity-blocks-locked-out-employees-from-accessing-retirement-savings
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2208/S00189/kawerau-lockout-toilet-paper-giant-blocks-workers-from-accessing-own-savings.htm
Never fails to anger me…these company scumbags making unbelievable profits…and yet still screwing down the Workers ! As ever : (
I have the union hardship fund bank account for koha but I'm not sure I should publish it here?
A link would be ok.
Ukraine are the good guys??!?
Well if you work for a living – definitely not
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/ukraine-labour-law-wrecks-workers-rights/
Just because their are idiots out there who think if you go against Ukraine, your pro Russia. Let me remind you, that you can hate all oligarchs equally, for the scum that they are. Especially when they want working people to die for their wars.
Agreed but not all oligarchs are equal, some are worse scum bags than others.
What a joke our justice system is. Home detention! The judge should be sacked or removed. They are probably back loitering around another ATM already.
"After the sentencing, the pair and their families were seen celebrating with handshakes and hugs being exchanged.
"We got home D," Henson said as he shook Moeara's hand."
Two men sentenced to home detention after robbing 95-year-old on Christmas Eve – NZ Herald
You can get used to this.
You’ll be seeing a lot more of it.
In some cultures, age is respected, but not in this one.
The Sixth Mass Extinction Event, that we are currently undergoing, reveals the Fifth Mass Extinction event.
Whatever you think about dinosaurs, love them or loathe them, the one thing about the dinosaurs in their favour. They weren't the cause of their own extinction.
"It could be one of the longest sequences of dinosaur footprints in the world,"
Follow them footprints:
Enjoyed reading this discussion, this is an area I have been interested in for ages. If anyone is interested, Google Milk Without a Moo and my Rural Leaders report on the impacts this new technology could have on NZ dairy is there.
In summary, I’m a dairy farmers wife with a food science background and I work in the dairy processing industry (Fonterra etc).
Most countries are self-sufficient for their own dairy requirements, only 9% of all the dairy processed in the world crosses an international border. NZ produces a quarter of this small % that crosses a border. A quarter! From just one little country.
The dairy produced here is mostly used as ingredients in other food, in 2021 Fonterra made 74% of the milk they processed into ingredients.
NZ is incredibly exposed here, our reliance on just one product (milk powder) that will soon be able to be produced via other methods to contribute to our export revenue and livelihoods of so many Kiwis is staggering.