The public has sent a message, by re-electing the three incumbent Hastings councillors to Hawke's Bay Regional Council. Based on

I recently returned from a very full-on couple of weeks at Asia Fruit Logistica - a trade show and congress held in Hong Kong, and

What a wet start to the spring we are having. At least it's been warm, grass growth is increasing and our water tables are being replenished. Good

Perverse as it may seem, the Hastings District Council, under scrutiny as possibly culpable in the Havelock North campylobacter outbreak

Electricity is one of those boring basic services that it's easy to take for granted, until suddenly you're without. For anyone with

Whangarei District councillors recently voted unanimously to protect our community and local economy from the risks of outdoor uses

While dairy farmers are cheered by a milk price forecast that's above break even, Fonterra's recent record profit is bittersweet.

Are we losing our regional towns? Dom George investigates rural depopulation.

One of the current Hawke's Bay regional councillors who has strongly opposed the Ruataniwha Dam and, party to many comments regarding

The public and media reaction to the latest rugby 'scandals' has reached witch hunt proportions. There might well be a case for

The Ruataniwha Dam saga has gone way beyond soap opera territory. Fantasy has long since replaced fact. The Noisy have silenced

Dairy farmers have started huddling in barns and sheds for the first of DairyNZ's post-calving discussion groups. The well-run, informative

COMMENT: Trump has turned international trade into a political minefield with his opposition to agreements like the TPP.

Dom George looks at both sides of the rural/urban story to try and see if everyone can play nice.

The number of dog-bite patients discharged from hospitals around the country has increased 58 per cent over the past 10 years.

COMMENT: It was Real House Roosters of the Beehive kind of stuff, an A-grade brouhaha.

The host of The Country, Jamie MacKay, promoted it as "The Great Water Quality Debate". He introduced the two protagonists using political

The Country's resident cynic investigates the murky world of social-media one-upmanship.

COMMENT: There has been serious attention paid to concussion in sport recently.

Poor Cynthia. Cynthia Bowers has suggested an Environmental Ombudsman for Hawke's Bay. Given the heated debates about water quality

With calving almost over and mating on the horizon it's time to have a review of one of the most significant decisions you will make

COMMENT: New Zealand's economy has grown by 3.6 per cent in the past year, one of the top performers in the OECD - ahead of Australia, the US and UK.

Three things cropped up this week as brainstorming material in the intriguing bubble we call sport. No1: Stephen Kearney's appointment

With the growing body of scientific and nutritional research that revers them as a 'superfood', avocados have never been more popular.T This

With water back to safe levels and the boil notice lifted in Havelock North, the 'witch hunt' begins on who we're going to blame. Every

Dom George wonders if Marcella Bakker is really looking for love or just looking for a TV show...

COMMENT: There is widespread evidence that interactions between people and marine mammals can have negative outcomes.

Spring is the month for blossoms, lambs and...bees! I found out this week that September is Bee Aware Month. This is initiated

In the back country, everyone knows everyone - and they joke they're probably related as well. In emergencies, this connectedness

Craig Presland, CEO of Cooperative Business New Zealand believes this country is an outstanding example of the enduring success of the co-operative business model.