3045 days ago

Canterbury Spring Rural Comment

Spring rolls along, summer is now in sight, and the election has happened. Despite any changes resulting from the election, on the land it’s business as usual, with the full range of various spring activities in full swing.

Dairy – continuing to hold steady and with some prospect of gain. The political “hot potato” of dairy expansion and water continues to be aired in many cases by biased and ill-informed opponents.
Sheep - The outlook for Lamb is being talked up at the moment. What the long-term outlook is, with the Brexit & the Korean issues, becomes anyone’s guess. These issues could effect the whole economy, and more.
Beef – The market has dipped below the 5 year average for US Bull beef. The live market still appears strong, although the margin for growers who paid high prices for calves in the Autumn may be slim.
Deer - Venison is looking good with prices up on last year, at an all time high. With deer numbers at an all time low, those that have “hung in” and persevered are receiving the benefits.
Wool - is very much a mixed bag. Merino is again on a bit of a roll. Probably not to the levels we have sometimes seen in the past, but hopefully they are at sustainable prices and will stay that way, How crossbred farmers can have long term confidence in wool is doubtful. Stronger wools are having major problems, poorly prepared wools being almost impossible to sell. Mid micron wools are strong and the contracts available seem to be underpinning the market here.
Wine Industry – continues to show steady growth in exports - $1.629 billion to March 2017 - with strong demand for land in Marlborough continuing. Sales of land elsewhere in NZ also happening and new entrants to the market also active. Expansion still occurring in terms of increasing vineyard area.
Kiwifruit – in a strong position with interest and demand steady. Growth in exports continues with sales of $1.67 billion to June 2016.
Manuka Honey – some ripples in the industry and the manuka Definition/testing arguments are not helping. Growth in the industry continues with both numbers of beekeepers and bee hives increasing. After the poor honey flow last year, apiarists are hoping for a decent crop this year.
Timber - is holding the strength it has gained over recent months. Long may it last. At a recent Forestry Real estate seminar recently attended there are predictions of a shortfall in 25 years so planting now is predicted by the experts to be a good investment. Harcourts has formed some strong relationships in the forestry industry and is growing the strength of marketing of this sector of the Real Estate market.
Andy Nurse (021 437 143) Bill Dowle (029 358 3175)
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Harcourts Twiss-Keir Realty Ltd Licensed Agent REAA 2008

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15 days ago

Today’s Mind-Bender is the Last of the Year! Can You Guess It Before Everyone Else? 🌟🎁🌲

The Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

I dance in the sky with green and gold, a spectacle few are lucky to behold; I’m best seen in the south, a celestial sight—what am I, lighting up the New Zealand night?

Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!

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3 hours ago

Scamwatch: How to recognise, avoid and act against scams.

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

A scam or a fraud is any scheme designed to con you out of money or steal your personal information. If someone contacts you unexpectedly – whether over the phone, through the post, by email, on a website, in person or on social media – always consider the possibility that it may be a scam.

Scammers target lots of people, often for small amounts of money. They constantly evolve their approach making scams harder to spot. Most scams come from overseas, but they may pretend to be locally based — from a reputable company, bank, or government agency, or even from your friends on social media if your account has been hacked. It is very difficult to get your money back once it is sent overseas.

Scams hurt us all. You can protect yourself and others by learning how to spot scams, share what you see and report them.

Figure out if you are being scammed: Use these questions to help figure out if you have been targeted by a scammer.

Article compiled from information kindly supplied by ConsumerProtection.govt.nz

Q&A regarding Neighbourly data breach

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23 days ago

Scam Alert: Fake information regarding December Bonuses from MSD

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The Ministry of Social Development is reporting that fake information is circulating about new ‘December bonuses’ or ‘benefit increases’

If you get suspicious communication, please contact Netsafe.

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