Federated Farmers Podcast
The Federated Farmers Podcast is your weekly guide to the issues affecting rural New Zealand. Join us as we unpack the policies, challenges and big ideas shaping life on farm. With frank conversations from farmers, advocates and experts, we break down what matters and why, so you can stay informed, prepared and heard.
Hosted by Ben Chapman-Smith, Federated Farmers' communications manager, who grew up on a sheep and beef farm in Te Akau on Waikato's west coast.
Episodes
96 episodes
Meet the farmer: Sandra Faulkner | EP 96
Sandra Faulkner has spent decades giving back to rural New Zealand. Now, she's stepping into one of the biggest leadership roles in farming as Federated Farmers' new vice president.In this episode, Sandra talks about how growing up in an...
Meet the farmer: Colin Hurst | EP 95
Who is Colin Hurst, the new president of Federated Farmers? How did he go from being the quiet kid at the back of the room to leading the country's largest farming advocacy organisation?Colin joins the Federated Farmers Podcast to share ...
Sam Whitelock on leadership, pressure and life after rugby | EP 94
After growing up on a Manawatū dairy farm, Sam Whitelock became one of the most decorated All Blacks of all time, including winning two Rugby World Cups and a bunch of Super Rugby titles. Now retired, he's back farming with his wife...
Vangelis Vitalis: Inside NZ’s trade strategy | EP 93
Vangelis Vitalis is New Zealand's top trade negotiator. He's our man in the room securing better access for our exports, defending our interests overseas, and managing relationships with some of the world's biggest economies.In this epis...
Farming the conservation estate — a fight for common sense | EP 92
Many farmers say DOC’s grazing system has become so restrictive that it’s putting the very landscapes it aims to protect at risk. In this episode, West Coast farmer Simon Cameron and North Otago farmer James Hurst discuss the growing red tape a...
Wayne Langford: Five priorities for the next government | EP 91
What do farmers need from the next government? Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford joins us to walk through the organisation's newly released election platform, a five-point plan to double farm productivity, cut costs, improve environmen...
How to avoid getting burned by solar | EP 90
How do you separate solar facts from sales hype? Mike Casey from Rewiring Aotearoa joins us to discuss not only the significant opportunities solar energy presents for farmers, but also how to make sure you're getting the right system.Wi...
Kerry Harmer’s fight for consent while winning awards | EP 89
Kerry Harmer and her husband Paul have recently won top environmental awards for their high-country stewardship work, while simultaneously fighting a $150,000 (so far) battle for consent to keep farming.In this episode, the new Mid Cante...
Neat Meat’s Simon Eriksen doesn’t mince his words | EP 88
Neat Meat founder Simon Eriksen reflects on 25 years of building one of New Zealand’s best-known premium meat businesses, from running deliveries out of a 1986 Subaru Legacy to supplying supermarkets, restaurants and My Food Bag.Simon sh...
Five tips for new contract milkers | EP 87
Manawatū contract milker Riley O’Neill shares his top tips for people going contract milking for the first time in the coming season, or for existing contract milkers moving farms. Riley also discusses his own progression through th...
Meet the farmer: Shanice Young’s rise from city kid to rural leader | EP 86
Shanice Young didn’t grow up in farming, but she’s right in the mix now. From Wellington city kid to Bay of Plenty dairy farmer, Shanice shares how she found her way into farming and ended up leading her local Young Farmers Club, growing it rap...
When farmers became heroes — the liberation of Le Quesnoy | EP 85
To mark Anzac Weekend 2026, we’re bringing you a special episode that reaches back into one of New Zealand’s most remarkable wartime stories.In November 1918, during the final days of World War I, New Zealand soldiers achieved the extrao...
Meet the farmer: Ian Strahan | EP 84
In this episode, we sit down with Manawatū farmer Ian Strahan, who runs 440 hectares of rolling country at Kiwitea, finishing around 16,000 lambs and up to 1000 cattle each year.Ian, Manawatū–Rangitīkei Federated Farmers president, talks...
Five investment moves for your Fonterra windfall | EP 83
When you get an unexpected windfall as a farmer, what should you actually do with it? Is it just another payout to roll back into the farm, or a rare opportunity to reset your financial position?With many Fonterra farmers waking up this ...
Jo Luxton on life, politics and earning farmers’ trust | EP 82
Labour’s agriculture spokesperson Jo Luxton joins us for a candid chat about her upbringing, the tough chapters in her life, and her connection to farming.She shares what she’s hearing from farmers, what she'd prioritise if she became Mi...
Red meat recovery or short-term bounce? | EP 81
Silver Fern Farms chief executive Dan Boulton joins us to break down the company’s 2025 turnaround, including what’s driving the strong results and whether better prices are here to stay. We dive into the challenges behind falling l...
Is our fuel running out? | EP 80
Fuel supply is front of mind for farmers right now, with rising uncertainty around availability, pricing and logistics.In this episode, Fern Energy CEO Chris Gourley joins us to cut through the noise and explain what’s really going on. A...
Fertiliser supply: what’s real and what’s noise | EP 79
Do Kiwi farmers need to be concerned about getting their hands on fertiliser?Ravensdown chief operating officer Mike Whitty joins us to explain how conflict in the Middle East is shaping the global fertiliser market right now.He t...
Glenaray Station and the future of high-country farming | EP 78
Stretching across nearly 68,000 hectares in northern Southland, Glenaray is a sheep, beef and deer station that’s quietly challenging assumptions about high-country farming.In this episode, we’re joined by station manager Simon Lee and o...
Why farm succession fails — even on profitable farms | EP 77
In this episode, Waikato lawyer Andrew Clements explains why farm succession can fail even when the balance sheet looks rock solid. He breaks down the five types of capital that really determine long-term success, and why focusing on just one c...
Arable sector in crisis — and why it matters to all farmers | EP 76
New Zealand's arable farmers are facing some of their toughest conditions in years, with margins collapsing and growers exiting the industry.It's a "crisis" that will have flow-on effects for dairy, sheep and beef farmers, says David Bir...
Meet the farmer: Carla de Wet | EP 75
In this episode, we’re joined by Waikato dairy farmer Carla de Wet, who shares an honest look at building a career in farming as a young woman today.Originally from South Africa, Carla talks about her journey to New Zealand just before C...
What’s next for Federated Farmers — with Mike Siermans | EP 74
In this episode, we sit down with Mike Siermans, the new CEO of Federated Farmers, to talk about what’s next for the organisation and for farmers.Mike shares his journey from growing up around farming in rural South Auckland to a commerc...