The Country - Shane Jones edition

Shane Jones. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Today on The Country, Jamie Mackay puts some curly questions to Forestry Minister Shane Jones about whether his one billion trees plan will affect rural communities.

On with the show:

Shane Jones:

The Prince of the Provinces, Champion of the Regions, the Sonny Bill Williams of politics (aka Regional Economic Development Minister) Shane Jones says the Provincial Growth Fund is facing unfair scrutiny and is delivering to the regions that need it. We also quiz him on where he's going to plant these extra half billion trees over the next 10 years (we already plant 50 million per annum) and will he save the planet but decimate small rural communities in Godzone? And are farmers really moaners?

Don Nicolson and Craig Wiggins:

Today's farmer panel takes Shane Jones to task for calling farmers moaners.

Hamish Midgley:

Rabobank's Head of Business Development previews tomorrow's NZ Deer Industry Conference where hot topics of discussion will be the 'social license to operate' , the nation's level of agricultural debt and why farming needs to get back to a yield story instead of relying on capital gain.

Lindy Nelson:

The Founder and Trustee of the Agri-Women's Development Trust. Women are underrepresented at a Governance Level in sporting organisations – is this the same in agriculture and what's needed to address the imbalance?

Listen below: