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New housing rules to stimulate development may be hindered by tight finance restrictions

Government moves to intensify building development and stimulate housing has given a green light to build more houses, but developers already have the brakes on because of tight lending restrictions by banks, say mortgage brokers. The General Manager of Hamilton based Omega Capital, a non-bank specialising in sourcing property finance, Noni Martin, says sweeping changes introduced by Government in the last couple of weeks, designed to stimulate housing development, may not have the desired resul...

Bankers leaving the industry in frustration as lending rules tighten

Employees in mainstream banking are leaving the sector as they become fatigued by constantly changing lending rules says the new General Manager of leading mortgage brokerageOmega Capital. Noni Martin joined Omega Capital in June last year after a long career in retail banking. Her last role was as a partner in BNZ’s Property Finance division, managing a $650 million plus portfolio. “I still have a lot of long-time friends and colleagues in banking.  It’s a very tight community and t...

Experienced property finance banker Nikki Wood joins Omega Capital

Commercial mortgage broking house Omega Capital has welcomed new broker Nikki Wood to their team bringing with her more than 20 years of property finance experience. Nikki, who lives in Hamilton, joins Omega from Westpac where her last role was as a senior property finance manager looking after a portfolio of around $500 million. “I have a deep understanding of the property development sector from buying land through to consenting processes and the issuing of titles. I enjoy working through le...

Noni Martin appointed new General Manager of Omega Capital

Hamilton based non-bank lender Omega Capitalhas promoted one of its most experienced property finance bankers, Noni Martin, to the role of General Manager as it experiences unprecedented growth. Martin steps into the new position, taking over from Omega founder, Scott Massey, who will remain as Managing Director of associated company Alpha First Mortgage Investments. Omega Capital is one of the largest regionally based companies in the commercial mortgage broking industry. The business has exper...

GrainCorp gives dairy farmers easy access to canola meal to boost production

GrainCorp Feeds is now importing high quality non-GM canola meal into New Zealand, via a robust supply chain and supported by the company’s local knowledge and distribution infrastructure. GrainCorp Feeds General Manager Daniel Calcinai says GrainCorp has worked with canola meal extensively in Australia and his team is looking forward to sharing that knowledge and expertise with New Zealand dairy farmers, across both the North and South Islands. “Canola meal is the major protein meal consum...

Luxury apartments on the river launched at One Cook Street in Hamilton East

With floor to ceiling views north down the Waikato River, Hamilton’s newest development at One Cook Street in Hamilton East promises some of the city’s most luxurious apartment living. Lodge Real Estate has launched One Cook Street to the market, on behalf of developers Black and Orange. The apartments are situated on the top three levels of the eight-storey development and start at $2.365 million. They are pitched as a once in a generation opportunity to secure Hamilton’s best river views...

Property investors rotating portfolios to manage tax changes

Property investors are rotating their portfolios selling off older properties to buy newer ones as they seek to manage their investments against changes to property tax rules and Healthy Homes standards. Hamilton’s Lodge Real Estate Director, Jeremy O’Rourke, said Lodge agents had noticed a trend over the last few months of property investors “rotating” properties in their portfolios, bringing older properties to the market, and seeking to buy new ones. He believed it was being driven by...

NZ genetics company Tropical Dairy Group announces capital raise on Catalist

New Zealand dairy genetics company Tropical Dairy Group Limited (TDG) announced today a private offer on Catalist – a new stock exchange designed for small to medium enterprises (SMEs). Seeking to raise $3 million from wholesale investors, TDG is the holding company and 100% owner of both Thermo Regulatory Genetics Limited and Dairy Solutionz (NZ) Limited, founded in 2018 and 2009 respectively. The raise comes ahead of an intended public listing in early 2022 on the Catalist Public Market. F...

New consultant takes coaching approach to helping farmers

Perrin Ag’s newest agribusiness consultant is taking a coaching approach to his role, as he hangs up his footy boots to work alongside farmers and help their businesses thrive. Morgan Inness (26) grew up on a lifestyle block just north of Whanganui. After school, he took a gap year as a teacher in England before completing an Honours degree in Agricultural Science from Lincoln University. Morgan’s talent for rugby then took him to Russia, where he played the sport professionally, followed b...

New Territory Manager brings practical and technical farming expertise to the Manawatu

Gallagher’s new Territory Manager for the Manawatu believes livestock weighing systems and animal performance technologies will enable farming and the environment to thrive side-by-side. Georgia Davies (28) grew up on a small farm near Rangiora in Canterbury. Her love of rural life led her to Lincoln University where she earned a Bachelor of Agricultural Science. During her studies, Georgia worked on sheep and beef properties in Central Otago. It was this experience, along with her time at Ba...

New Zealand sheep milk pioneer Maui Milk positions for growth

New Zealand sheep milk supplier Maui Milk is experiencing rapid growth which has led to a shareholding change, structural change and resource injection to equip the business for expansion. Maui Milk Ltd is currently supplied by 13 farms, and since its formation six years ago, has been jointly owned by Shanghai-based Super Organic Dairy and Māori farming trust, Waituhi Kuratau (WKT). The company has announced it is moving into a growth phase, beyond the scope of WKT’s ability to fund, leading ...

Assistance dog gives Bay of Plenty girl freedom, independence and ‘a voice’

The Farrell family of Omokoroa, Bay of Plenty, has witnessed the life-altering changes an assistance dog can bring to a family or person affected by a disability, since Labrador Lobo joined them in 2015. The Farrells are sharing their story as Assistance Dogs NZ Trust (ADNZT) launches their Appeal Week this week, petitioning to the public to help fund the organisation’s plans to double its dog training graduates within the next three years. This will start to address the escalating need withi...

Awards finalists demonstrate willingness to embrace challenges for the greater good

This year’s Zimmatic™ Trailblazer Sustainable Irrigation Awards finalists have been praised by the judges for their willingness to embrace the challenges of irrigation and commitment to finding solutions for the benefit of their farm business and their communities. Three New Zealand farmers have been selected as finalists in this year’s competition, which aims to celebrate excellence in sustainable irrigation and encourage farmers to share ideas for achieving sustainable freshwater ma...

CRV sources additional sexed semen as farmer orders triple

CRV has sourced additional frozen sexed semen straws to cater for demand, as orders from farmers triple those from last season. CRV product development manager Peter van Elzakker believes the rise in demand is a result of dairy farmers looking to accelerate their herd’s genetic gain and reduce bobby calf numbers. “An increasing number of farmers are considering sexed semen as a tool for lifting herd performance by ensuring they get replacement heifers from their best cows. “We’ve seen de...

Scholarship recognises student’s passion for agriculture and grasp of industry issues

Penny Chapman’s passion for agriculture and her understanding of industry issues has been recognised through a scholarship from Perrin Ag. The 22-year-old has received a $3,000 scholarship from the agribusiness consulting firm towards her final year studying a Bachelor of Agricultural Science with Honours at Lincoln University. Penny is originally from Methven and her family runs a cropping and dairy support operation near the Rakaia River in Canterbury. Perrin Ag Director Trudy Laan says her...

PR TIPS - The he(art) of good business writing

The he(art) of good business writing As a person who makes her living on being a good communicator, poor business writing frustrates me to no end.  On the flip side, however, nothing is more satisfying than clicking on the ‘track changes’ button and taking the digital red pen to a piece of text.  Pure joy. What I’ve experienced over the years is writing well doesn’t come naturally to everyone.  That’s why I thought I’d take the time this month to give you some tips on ...

Home buyers faced with paying more for new builds as developers choose to sell finished homes

Home buyers are faced with paying even more for new houses as developers reduce the number of their properties that they sell off plans, opting instead to cash in on finished builds.  In a hot property market where the median house price increased 28.7 percent over the past year, real estate agents and second tier lenders say developers have recognised the money they can make out of selling finished builds, meaning new home buyers end up paying more.  Lodge Real Estate Managi...

CRV signs exclusive agreement with NZ Wagyu

An exclusive agreement between CRV and NZ Wagyu Corporation Limited will provide New Zealand dairy farmers with the opportunity to diversify their businesses and capitalise on high returns for Wagyu dairy beef. From this month, CRV will exclusively sell NZ Wagyu’s Black Origin Wagyu semen straws to New Zealand farmers. Until now, farmers have purchased semen directly from NZ Wagyu. Farmers’ purchase of Black Origin Wagyu semen includes an agreement for NZ Wagyu to buy the resulting Wagyu-c...

Real estate agents go digital to cope with Covid uncertainty

Real estate agents are turning their businesses digital as they adjust to Covid uncertainty.  The switch is paying off for many with Hamilton agents Lodge Real Estate selling nearly $17.5 million worth of property at online auctions during the first week of New Zealand’s level 4 lockdown. Managing Director, Jeremy O’Rourke, said the Covid pandemic was forcing the real estate industry to innovate quickly and reassess its traditional face-to-face approach to selling property. Agents are n...

PR TIPS - Communications momentum creates change

Momentum.  While it’s a physics term, its principles have everything to do with good communication.  And if you are trying to spark a change in your organisation, you won’t get far without it. American business leader and author, Farshad Asl, wrote, “Momentum is the bridge between a vision and its results.” So, what exactly is momentum?  One of the simplest definitions I found is, “Momentum is a measure of an object’s tendency to move in a straight line with constant s...

Pasture with ‘no guts’ poses challenges for Waikato dairy farmers at balance date

Waikato dairy farmers may face challenges from pasture with low nutritional value as they head into Spring and balance date approaches, according to GrainCorp Feeds’ Technical Support Manager Glen McFarlane. Now looking after the Wider Waikato region, Glen has been with the GrainCorp Feeds team for four years after spending 9 years in agri-business banking. Born and bred in the Waikato, he grew up on a farm and today, still relief milks cows on the weekend. “We’re 15-20 days from when gras...

New graduate programme driven by farmer demand for specialist agribusiness expertise

Perrin Ag’s new graduate programme responds to demand from farmers and growers for specialist agribusiness expertise as they navigate their way through unprecedented change. Specialist skills in agriculture and horticulture consulting are in hot demand, but graduates with the tertiary qualifications and interpersonal skills needed to help facilitate change are in short supply. Perrin Ag has launched its EMPOWER Graduate Advisor Development Programme to help fill the gap. The firm has committe...

Threatened whio population climbs as DOC and Genesis renew recovery partnership

The number of breeding pairs of New Zealand’s threatened whio (Blue Duck) has almost tripled over the last 10 years, according to a survey released today by the Department of Conservation (DOC).  There are now 863 whio breeding pairs living in eight protected sites across the country – 565 more pairs since 2011 and an increase of 190%. DOC Director General Lou Sanson says the excellent survey results reinforce the decision of DOC and Genesis to renew their Whio Forever partnership. “...

Hamilton records lowest number of homes listed as housing demand continues to rise

The number of houses for sale nationwide has reached its lowest level since recording started 13 years ago with just 449 houses currently for sale with agents in Hamilton according to realestate.co.nz. Lodge Real Estate director Jeremy O’Rourke said there were approximately 269 houses listed for sale with agents in Hamilton during July, one of the lowest levels of listings on record, and down 30% when compared with July 2020. “July is traditionally always a quieter time in the market, but st...

Farmers need certainty about environmental management tools used for regulation

The Managing Director of agribusiness consulting firm, Perrin Ag, says farmers need certainty about the tools regional councils will use to estimate on-farm nutrient loss, consider and grant resource consents, and assess compliance. Lee Matheson’s caution comes on the back of the Government’s report on Overseer, released yesterday (12 August 2021). “It is clear that the Scientific Review Panel has identified a number of issues with Overseer that it considers significant and the Government...