Dame Valerie Adams, twice Olympic shot put champion and "golden girl" of New Zealand athletics, could chance her arm at some very different sports at the Hilux New Zealand Rural Games in Palmerston North on the weekend.
The games feature traditional sports like speed shearing and woodchopping alongside fun contests for spectators including speed milking, hay stacking and wine barrel racing and Dame Valerie may try some of them on Saturday and Sunday.
She will also attend the inaugural Norwood New Zealand Rural Sports Awards dinner tomorrow to present the award for New Zealand Rural Sportswoman of the Year. Dame Valerie is an ambassador for Toyota, a games sponsor.
Trade barriers cost
Trade barriers cost New Zealand billions of dollars annually, according to an New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) report for the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand.
The report, titled Dairy trade's economic contribution to New Zealand, highlights the strong contribution the dairy sector has continued to make to New Zealand's national and regional economic development, even while it has been at the bottom of a price cycle, and despite global dairy markets remaining highly distorted.
The report found dairy processors are spending $5.4 billion on non-milk inputs like equipment hire, management services and packaging each year.
Dairy farmers are also spending $12.2 billion on goods and services within their communities.
This flow through economic effect means the dairy sector accounts for more than 10 per cent of regional GDP in the Waikato, the West Coast and in Southland.
To read the NZIER report, visit www.dcanz.com/news/.
Fonterra wins prize
Fonterra picked up a top prize at the Gulfood Innovation Awards for its trade stand at the world's largest food show in Dubai last week.
About 5000 exhibitors from 120 countries showcased their products at the show, expected to receive up to 90,000 food professionals from 150 countries over five days.
Fonterra's stand, shared by its dairy ingredients business NZMP and foodservice brand Anchor Food Professionals, used a virtual reality film to show customers how dairy ingredients are produced.
NZMP also had a Virtual Store where customers could create virtual products to meet their specifications by selecting ingredients, packaging styles and labels.
NZMP general manager Middle East Santiago Aon said it was a great accomplishment to win a top Gulford award the first time Fonterra had a standalone presence at the event after 40 years' partnering with Middle East and African food and beverage manufacturers.
