Exec Comm Update for Oct 2025 | Velvet Export Licensing – Status Update | Branch Chairs – developments | Wild Animal Management | Life Member Certificates | Farming's Full House: the benefits of diversifying with sheep, beef, and deer | Out of the mouths of babes… | Noticeboard | Events

Here in the hills of Taihape we are still waiting for spring to arrive. Wet soil conditions combined with cool cloudy days have meant feed levels are certainly not getting ahead of demand. With fine days at a premium, keeping ahead of the workload has certainly been a challenge.

The Export Licensing Working Group is steadily advancing its evaluation. The clear goal is no new compliance costs or audits for farmers, and no costs sneaking back on farm. Enforcement sits squarely at the point of export. That means your daily work on farm remains unchanged. 

The annual Branch Chairs meeting in Wellington was held on 17 and 18 September this year. It was reported in the DINZ eNews on 25 September. Although this was only three weeks ago, there have been some more developments since then.

Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) is a member of the Wild Animals Management National Coordination Group, a high-level forum to bring together diverse interests to manage wild deer, goats, pigs, tahr, and chamois for control, use, and recreational hunting.

Shortly we’ll be sending out printed certificates to all national life members of the NZDFA. A small gesture of our appreciation for your service to the NZDFA.

Following on from the successful Canterbury mixed species field day at Tom MacFarlane’s farm in May (see DFA Stagline, Issue 210, June 2025), the concept was revisited in the North Island earlier this week at Keith, Sue, Josh and Meg Burden’s farm, Longbrook, in the Hawkes Bay. 

One of our industry stalwarts has forwarded a school speech from his 9-year-old granddaughter. She chose the topic herself without any prompting. Maybe our next, next generation deer farmer?

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