The Government has turned down Hong Kong listed Natural Dairy NZ's controversial bid to buy the Crafar dairy farms from receivers in a deal thought to be worth about $200 million.

Silver Ferns Farms has hit back at complaints that workers at its Te Aroha plant had their pay deducted for observing a two-minute silence to remember the Pike River miners.

Staff at a North Island freezing works had their pay cut for the official two-minute silence to remember the 29 miners killed in the Pike River mine.

David Carter has declared a drought in the Waikato and Ruapehu District, saying recent rainfalls appear to have had little effect on dry pastures.

An official drought already declared for Northland could spread to much of the upper North Island.

New Zealand's 4.4m cows are providing 26pc of our exports, and the money earned flows right through the economy to urban communities, according to new research.

Financially-troubled dairy farmer Allan Crafar has failed in his bid to have a notice to evict him from one his home farm thrown out.

A popular new pet is all the rage in Britain, but it comes with a warning.