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What does my 20-year public relations career have in common with that of American PR man and spin-doctor, Phil Elwood?

Recently, the New Zealand Herald published an article titled ‘Confessions of a spin doctor for the world’s worst people’. Our director, Heather, made some great points in her recent LinkedIn post that explained the difference between PR and propaganda. This got me thinking about my own career in PR and how vastly different my experience has been from Phil Elwood’s – the person the article was written about – and why.I earned a Graduate Diploma in Public Relations from Wintec over 20 ...

Hill Labs at 40: Reflecting on the past to look to the future

HAMILTON. As analytical testing company Hill Labs celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, managing director, Jonno Hill credits the success of the company today to the legacy of the strong cultural values that his parents founded the company upon four decades ago.Started in 1984 by Dr Roger and Anne Hill, Hill Labs has grown to become New Zealand’s largest privately owned analytical laboratory. They use the latest technologies to supply a broad range of laboratory tests to domestic and inte...

Sexed semen a smart investment for Manawatu dairy farmers

High capacity, smaller-statured cows with good fertility and production are breeding goals for Manawatu dairy farmers Steve and Vera Shailer. CRV’s sexed semen is helping them get there faster.Steve and Vera have been with CRV for seven years and were sharemilkers before stepping into farm ownership where they currently milk 500 cows across 210ha with a 180ha runoff.Their operation is system four with a focus on nutrition and ensuring a fully fed herd.“I'm quite visually orientated. We place...

New Trailblazer judge brings strong freshwater expertise to the table

IrrigationNZ’s Principal Technical Advisor Stephen McNally is the newest judge on the Zimmatic Trailblazer Sustainable Irrigation Awards, bringing his expertise in freshwater management to the panel.Stephen holds a degree in Horticultural Science from Massey University and has over four decades of experience in agricultural infrastructure projects across New Zealand and Australia.His career has spanned from working as a greenhouse crop technology advisor to a horticultural export business oper...

From Injury to Insight: helping farmers see the bigger picture

A life-changing cricket injury forced Joel Hensman to step out of his daily routine and adopt a broader perspective on life. A skill, he believes, is also essential for farmers.As Perrin Ag’s newest Senior Consultant, Joel is dedicated to helping clients see the bigger picture of their businesses and make informed decisions that support both their operations and personal well-being.Joel Hensman’s journey into agriculture began on Thorn Flat, a 1,000 hectare block of Kereru Station backing on...

Dairy farmers urged to harness their biggest tool this calving for herd productivity

Dairy farmers have the perfect tool at their disposal this calving season to set their herds up for future productivity - the rumen in their replacement heifer calves.Raising healthy replacement heifer calves that efficiently turn feed into milk is fundamental to the future of New Zealand’s dairy herd, says SealesWinslow Quality and Technical Manager Paul Drew.“Farmers have a single fundamental tool at their disposal that can help them grow the most efficient dairy cows possible and that’s...

Perrin Ag bolsters agri-tech expertise as more farmers invest in automation.

Perrin Ag has welcomed former Halter account executive and DairyNZ consulting officer Michael Booth to its team, bolstering its agri-tech and dairy systems expertise as more farmers invest in automation to help drive efficiency on farm.While farmers have traditionally been cautious about adopting new technology, Mike believes mindsets are shifting as they realise its value in tackling challenges and doing things more efficiently.“For a long time, tech uptake by farmers has lagged and there has...

Top 10 Tips for landing your dream graduate agribusiness job.

Perrin Ag is tapping into more than a decade of experience employing agribusiness graduates to offer university students tips for landing their first dream role as 2025 intakes open.Perrin Ag knows a thing or two about recruiting graduates. For nearly 10 years, the firm has taken on university graduates from across the country and officially launched its Empower Graduate Advisor programme in 2020. The 2025 intake is now open to Waikato, Lincoln and Massey university students.The team has been im...

The Importance of Google Reviews and How to Get More of Them

There’s an old adage that a builder’s house always needs the most work. And it’s sometimes true from our perspective that as a PR agency, sometimes we forget to do our own PR really well! And that’s certainly the case for us when it comes to being proactive in asking for online reviews.We’ve recently decided to be purposeful in improving this part of our online reputation. So, we thought we’d share with you some of the improvements we are embarking upon. Perhaps you’ll decide to jo...

Dairy farming needs more technology managers, says a leading farming family

The New Zealand dairy industry needs more technology managers as much as they need staff on the ground who can milk cows, says a leading Waikato dairy farming family.Morrinsville farmer and former Fieldays New Zealand Chair Lloyd Downing says technology being introduced to New Zealand dairy farming can revolutionise efficiency, but the industry needs tech experts, not just more staff that can milk cows.“Technological innovation across dairy farming has moved hugely in my family’s three gener...

Ripple Movement Surpasses 2-Tonne Milestone in Providing Essential Clothing to Children in Need

AUCKLAND – Ripple Movement, an innovative social enterprise, has surpassed a major milestone, processing over 2 tonnes of essential clothing for children in need since its inception in March 2023. This achievement highlights the growing demand for such services in New Zealand, where child poverty rates remain alarmingly high. The organisation has so far created 200 Gear Boxes—parcels containing all the clothing essentials a child needs throughout the year, saving families between $200-$400 a...

Northland bull wins prestigious national award

A Northland-bred Jersey bull that has won a prestigious national award for siring top producing daughters in the New Zealand milking herd, is also an example of how genomics can super charge breeding in our dairy industry.Glen Kaycee Sherlock JG, a CRV Jersey bull bred by the Tucker family from Northland, has won the JT Thwaites Sire of the Season. He was also New Zealand’s top bull across all breeds in the April 2024 Ranking of Active Sires (RAS).Sherlock and his sire, Pukeroa Gun Walker JG, ...

Winter nutrition critical to maintaining milk production

Dairy farmers have had a great season, but they shouldn’t take their foot off the gas coming into winter when the right nutrition and minerals are critical to maintaining production, says a ruminant nutrition expert.“Grass growth has been good this season so there is plenty of feed in certain regions. So, it can be tempting to think about easing off and not focusing as heavily on nutrition,” says Paul Drew, SealesWinslow Technical and Quality Manager.“By continuing to do the basics well ...

Genetics helps drive an award-winning partnership

Award winning cheese starts with premium milk. Waikato share milker Josh Taylor, who milks 400 cows on 150ha owned by the Meyer Cheese company, says genetics are key to the success of both businesses.Josh, wife Ashley and children Jacob (11), Liam (10) and Cade (7) are in their first season 50/50 share milking on the Meyer family farm, which is also home to the award-winning Meyer Cheese factory.Meyer cheese is consistently awarded among New Zealand’s top cheeses. In this year’s New Zealand�...

From bedroom to boardroom: 20 years building a provincial PR agency

The same year that Facebook launched, Shrek the Sheep was rescued from the southern highlands and the final episode of Friends aired, Heather Claycomb launched a PR agency – HMC - from her spare bedroom in Hamilton in 2004. Armed with nothing more than a gifted laptop and a miniature Nokia phone that sported the latest in Snake Game technology, Claycomb walked away from her full-time agency role and took the plunge into consulting. Two decades later, HMC is the only three-time winner...

Proliferation of AI and the rise of mis- and disinformation is affecting media and how businesses communicate through it

Pattrick Smellie, founding editor of BusinessDesk, recently joined HMC managing director Heather Claycomb and senior account manager Kate Webber on the agency’s CRUNCH podcast to discuss changes happening in the media landscape and what they mean for business. A huge change affecting media has been the rise of AI in the past few years. Pattrick says, “I do wonder how artificial intelligence is going to affect the media landscape.  Our industry is starting to use artificial int...

NZ media landscape is changing, businesses need to adapt

New Zealand’s media landscape is changing at break-neck pace.   NewsHub is closing.  Stuff is taking over the 6pm TV3 news.  TVNZ has announced major programmes being axed and jobs are going.  Plus, community newspapers which have served their small regions since mid last century – such as Hauraki Herald – are no more. Pattrick Smellie, founding editor of BusinessDesk, recently joined HMC managing director Heather Claycomb and senior account manager Kate ...

Organic product proven to increase plant root mass and shoot growth by 26% launched in New Zealand.

Kiwi-born farmer, Ian Rew has launched a new ground-breaking, BioGro certified organic chitin-based product for growers in New Zealand, named Flamingro, which has been proven to increase plant root mass and shoot growth by 26%.Chitin (pronounced KAI-TIN), a natural chain of glucose molecules that are structurally related to cellulose, is normally found in the shells of crabs, lobsters, shrimp, and insects.Backed by 30 years of extensive research, development, testing and real-world use from his ...

Is pasture still enough? Changing our approach to dairy herd nutrition

By Grant Jackson, General Manager SealesWinslowIn the coming years, the New Zealand dairy industry will face growing pressure to evolve its approach to herd nutrition. While our pasture-based systems are the foundation of our international competitive advantage, there is a growing realisation that pasture may not be the whole story to enable farmers to meet immediate and future challenges.We are all well versed in what those challenges are. Environmental obligations that require us to produce mo...

PR agency HMC adds grunt to digital content creation team

Public relations and communications agency HMC has appointed Anna Clausen and Gabriel Renner as Senior Digital PR Content Creator and Junior Digital PR Content Creator, respectively.  Bringing a diverse range of skills with them, Anna and Gabriel work in tandem to produce dynamic content for a range of clients and digital platforms.  HMC managing director Heather Claycomb says the agency’s investment in digital content creation resource demonstrates the importance of visual...

Is our dairy herd fertility in crisis?

In dairy farming, herd fertility reigns supreme. It's the lifeblood of a successful operation, directly impacting genetic gain, farmer profitability, and reducing environmental impact by breeding cows that last longer in the herd.  Yet, despite the plethora of advancements in reproductive technologies and management practices, the national average six-week in-calf rate has stagnated at around 66% for the past seven years, according to the NZ Dairy Statistics 2022/23.Fonterra’s commitment ...

New digital decision-making tool helps dairy farmers maximise returns on feed.

SealesWinslow has launched an easy-to-use digital decision-making tool that is helping dairy farmers take the guess work out of feeding their herds and use their supplements more efficiently to maximise returns.Ruminix³ by SealesWinslow is a science-based tool tailored to New Zealand’s pasture-based farming operations. Used by SealesWinslow at no cost to farmers, it compares the effects of feed combinations on milk production based on the variables of each farm’s unique system. Ruminix³ as...

Good George opens doors to Kiwi whisky entrepreneurs

Good George has unveiled its eagerly anticipated whisky program called The People’s Cut, the first of its kind in New Zealand. The program gives whisky lovers an opportunity to own or have a share in their very own barrel of whisky, cultivating a unique flavour profile and reaping the financial rewards in as few as five years – the minimal barrel ageing time for a world-class, single malt whisky. With craft whisky currently riding a wave of popularity across the globe, the People�...

Unlocking the nutrition from a bumper maize silage harvest

With farmers having a bumper maize silage season this year, how it is harvested and managed will be crucial to preserving its quality and unlocking its nutritional value.Cyclone Gabrielle and atrocious weather decimated a lot of last year’s maize crops. Fast forward 12 months and the Central and Northern North Island have produced excellent crops with farmers expecting yields in the high 20 tonnes per hectare, according to Pioneer Farm Systems Manager Wade Bell who recently presented to the Se...

MSD Animal Health partners with Agrecovery to pilot recycling 10,000 cow collars

MSD Animal Health New Zealand has partnered with Agrecovery in New Zealand’s first pilot to recycle SenseHub Dairy Collars (previously known as Allflex Collars) used by its dairy farmer clients.The initial pilot project is set to recycle 10,000 cow collars that have reached the end of their battery life this year and will provide a template for recycling all types of e-waste off farms as digital, data driven farming becomes common place.Cow collars are increasingly used by New Zealand farmers ...