Rogue dairy farmers exploiting migrant workers have no place in the industry, a senior farming leader says.

Labour's Shadow Minister of Finance David Parker looked the part in delivering his party's monetary policy.

National is set to have two former tobacco industry lobbyists standing for Parliament this year with the selection of Todd Barclay in the safe seat of Clutha-Southland.

A judge who fined Fonterra $300,000 over the events leading to last year's botulism scare says New Zealand's reputation as an exporter was "shaken" by the incident.

Fonterra Australia has been selected as the preferred supplier to process Woolworths "Own Brand'' milk in Victoria for the next 10 years

Fonterra has posted a 53pc drop in interim net profit as high dairy commodity prices hit the dairy co-op's margins.

While the timing of this is far from ideal given last year's events, this voluntary recall came from Fonterra's own testing, writes Willy Leferink.

The head of Federated Farmers has apologised to Chinese dairy consumers over Fonterra's botulism scare.

"Was the Fonterra milk scandal caused by New Zealand being 'hostage to a blinkered devotion to laissez-faire market ideology'?" asks Bryce Edwards.

"There will be a reckoning, but now is not the time." Federated Farmers breaks its silence on the infant formula contamination scare.

Leaky homes, free market devotion and a 'festering sore' of a tourism campaign - New Zealand is coming under fire in the state-sanctioned Chinese media.

Federated Farmers says news that FrieslandCampina of the Netherlands had taken a 7.5% stake in Canterbury's Synlait Milk could herald a shakeup for the NZ dairy industry.

A new deal between New Zealand and China to promote agricultural cooperation between the two countries is an important step forward with the export destination, says Federated Farmers.

A climate expert believes summers like this one will become the new norm for New Zealand. Droughts have already been declared across much of the North Island.

The drought is working its way down the country, and with with no change predicted until at least mid-March, farmers from Northland to Southland are suffering.

Big dry forces stock selloffs, but Aucklanders can still water gardens, wash cars thanks to Waikato River supplies

A drought is expected to be declared in the Waikato this week after brief showers did little to help parched farms, and the Hawkes Bay is expected to follow suit.

The big dry has parts of the country firmly in its grip. The Government has declared a drought in Northland and is expected to do so in Waikato.

Dry weather and the high kiwi dollar are causing "a deepening pessimism" to spread among sheep and beef farmers.

Rain-starved fruitgrowers in the Hawke's Bay say they're willing to breach water restrictions in a desperate attempt to save their crops.