News

The season closed out with strong wool prices up on the same time last year by up to 24%, however the market continues to reflect global uncertainties affecting many of our export industries. While prices remain mixed, recent auctions have brought some encouraging signs, particularly for well...

Tucked away in Southland’s rolling green hills near Dipton, Nigel and Jayne Beer are quietly preserving a rare piece of New Zealand’s farming history, one fleece at a time. As possibly one of the last commercial-sized run holders of purebred Lincoln sheep in the South Island, and perhaps all of New...

Pictured: Summerhill Charitable Trust trustee Gabrielle Walton and builder Charlie Cruickshank of CC Built. Tucked in the foothills of Pāpāmoa, where farmland meets forest, a new kind of community space has put down permanent roots - one that has the local surroundings at the heart of the building...

Paerata Abraham was recently celebrated at the PGG Wrightson Masterton store after clinching the 2024/2025 PGG Wrightson Vetmed National Shearing Circuit title. This win not only etched his name into the shearing history books once again but he became the first Wairarapa competitor to claim the...

Following the New Zealand Government's recent announcement encouraging the use of wool in the construction and refurbishments of their buildings, one local company is ready to answer the call with style, sustainability, and a strong local connection. Signature Floors partnership with Ege Carpets, a...

Thank you to everyone who entered the 2025 LandMarks Photo Collection! With over 2,000 entries received in this year’s LandMarks Photo Collection photography competition, we are once again blown away by the remarkable showcase of photography talent and passion across rural New Zealand. Over the next...

Longstanding PGG Wrightson Livestock genetics auctioneer Neville Clark reckons the recently concluded record-breaking bull sales season is the start of something even more rewarding for farmers. “For the last 10 years I’ve been saying that the world will face a protein shortage. I believe the record...

Epic season for breeders as farmers intent on securing the best genetics available drive this year’s two-year-old bull sales to new record levels. This year’s two-year-old bull sales season ranks as one of the best ever, with large crowds attending, full clearances the norm and record prices...

North Island tallies consistent and sales brisk, while South Island experiences reduced throughput after busy autumn. Although many eyes have been on bull sales, elsewhere in the livestock market customary seasonal ebbs and flows are evident. Tallies through major North Island saleyards remain...

Supply-demand likely to favour calf rearers, making forward contracts a worthwhile option. With values around livestock at present, anyone seeking to rear calves this year should be in for a rewarding season. However, to maximise on-sell values, lining up a forward contract is worth considering...

bidr Upper South Island territory manager combines skills honed in the outback, and on the laptop. Growing up on a 200 hectare family sheep, beef and mixed cropping farm outside Buchan, Victoria, in 2022 at age 22 Elle Woodgate ( pronouced Ell-e) became a livestock representative in east Gippsland...

Venison on the rise and taking up the slack as velvet returns are challenged by saturated market. While both products remain critical to keeping stock behind the wire, New Zealand’s deer industry production has always swung between venison and velvet. That pendulum has shifted again. Velvet volumes...

In 1887, in the heart of Canterbury, a name synonymous with integrity and service was established: Pyne & Co. Founded in Christchurch by Frederick Henry Pyne and Alexander Boyle, the firm began as a modest stock and station agency. Their rented office was located on Cashel Street, between High...

We are incredibly proud to celebrate the achievements of our colleague, Tina Barrett, who has been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours 2025 for services to the community. Her community service spans a 25-year commitment to the Māori Women’s Welfare League, St Faiths Anglican Church and as a...

King Country beef and sheep sales: The good news and the bad news. It’s a case of good news, bad news at the beef and sheep sales in the King Country, says Kevin “Morty” Mortensen, PGG Wrightson’s Te Kuiti regional livestock manager. Let’s start with the good news. Morty said there were record...

This October, PGG Wrightson marks 20 years since the iconic merger of Wrightson Ltd and Pyne Gould Guinness Ltd in 2005. While PGG Wrightson came into being at this time, this event was the culmination of more than a century of commitment and partnership between respected rural service firms. Each...

New Wairarapa manager brings detailed local knowledge derived from several generations of farming in the region. Andrew McKay has just taken over as the PGG Wrightson Livestock manager for Wairarapa. He steps into the role following four years with the company as a rep in the region. Coming from a...

Southland farmer with surplus in-milk cows achieves success and surpasses expectations by targeting bidr’s fastest growing and most engaged buyers. Aiming to maximise the value of surplus in-calf in-milk Friesian dairy cows, Southland farmer Murray Shallard found a ready answer in bidr. Working...