Mayor Neil Brown: Navigating Irrigated Agriculture in New Zealand’s Ashburton District
With its rich soil and abundant water, New Zealand’s Ashburton District has a thriving economy based on dairy farming and crop production. The 67‑kilometer (42‑mile) Rangitata Diversion Race is an irrigation and power generation scheme that diverts water from the Rangitata River to irrigate the district’s farmlands. In this interview, dairy farmer and district Mayor […]
Volume 13 Issue 5 May
Planning for the Future of Ashburton By Kris Polly Ashburton District’s rich soil and abundant water make it an agricultural powerhouse, but those resources must be carefully husbanded to ensure economic success and environmental protection. In this month’s cover story, district Mayor Neil Brown discusses Ashburton’s farming prowess as well as the challenges posed […]
Volume 13 Issue 4 April
Introducing the Managers Issue By Kris Polly The success and flourishing of an irrigation district depend on many things—weather, funding, upkeep, modernization, and planning, for instance—but perhaps no factor counts as much as does a good manager. A manager must know their district’s distinctive characteristics and challenges, their employees, and their board. And they […]
Volume 13 Issue 3 March
The Hard Work of Local Farmers, Small Schemes, and Family Businesses By Kris Polly This month, we are pleased to feature Waimate District Mayor Craig Rowley in our cover story. Water is the lifeblood of this highly agricultural district, and Mayor Rowley gives us a good sense of how national regulations and reform proposals […]
Volume 13 Issue 2 February
The Hard Work of Local Farmers, Small Schemes, and Family Businesses By Kris Polly Andy Hayes is a fifth-generation farmer in the Waitaki District of New Zealand’s South Island. In addition to running his farm, he is the chair of Haka Valley Irrigation Ltd. (HVIL), a small irrigation scheme, and a director of the […]
Ray Mayne: Pivoting With Irrigation Trends on New Zealand’s South Island
For 40 years, Ray Mayne has sold irrigation systems in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. Since 2000, he has been a dealer for Reinke, one of the largest U.S. center-pivot manufacturers. In this interview, Mr. Mayne talks about the development and growth of irrigation in New Zealand, the shift from boom-type to center-pivot systems, […]
Keri Johnston of Irrigation New Zealand: Representing Irrigated Ag at the National Level
Keri Johnston is the chair of Irrigation New Zealand (IrrigationNZ), a member-founded industry organization committed to representing the interests of New Zealand’s irrigation sector and promoting best practices across the industry. In this interview, Ms. Johnston tells us about New Zealand irrigators’ top issues and how IrrigationNZ advocates for them to the national government and […]
Volume 13 Issue 1 January
A Voice for New Zealand Irrigated Agriculture By Kris Polly In this month’s issue, we interview Keri Johnston, the chair of Irrigation New Zealand (IrrigationNZ). a member-founded industry organization committed to representing the interests of New Zealand’s irrigation sector and promoting best practices across the industry. Under Ms. Johnston’s direction, IrrigationNZ is working hard […]
Volume 12 Issue 10 Nov/Dec New Zealand
The Many Pieces of the Irrigation Industry By Kris Polly I recently had the opportunity to attend a rugby match between the New Zealand and U.S. national teams in Washington, DC. New Zealand readers will not be surprised to hear that the All Blacks racked up a severely lopsided win, although the U.S. team […]
From Rugby to Reinke: Sam Broomhall of Think Water Canterbury
The All Blacks, New Zealand’s National Rugby Team, is world famous for its excellence and fighting spirit. One former All Black has brought that same passion to irrigated agriculture. Sam Broomhall works as a managing director for Think Water Canterbury, a family business that his father founded in 1981. For the last 4 years, Think […]