Eating the Elephant

Phil Weir unpacks a certain rallying cry doing the rounds.

Revolution and reaction is the rhythm of our species, says Daniel Eb.

The high-value future of the food and fibre sector will come at a paperwork price that is even higher than what the sector pays today, says Daniel Eb.

Ben Anderson says large-scale water storage could be an idea whose time has come.

Our future place in the world may be defined by the quality of the meat and milk we help others to grow, says David Eade.

There’s much to admire in New Zealand, but is it really making the most of what it has, asks Daniel Eb.

NZ has to reconsider its place in the world and what it wants to achieve, says Ben Anderson.

Many a true word is shared in a game of bluffing your mates, Phil Weir discovers.

Daniel Eb predicts that last year embodied the sort of upheaval we will have to learn to live with.

Sand in the togs and uncles ahoy are some of Phil Weir’s Christmas memories.

Stoicism has its place, but merely trudging along should not be our default, says Ben Anderson.

It is the farmers who navigate this dance through the agricultural year that leave a lasting legacy, writes David Eade.

Phil Weir takes insights from renovating the family home and extends them to the borders of his farm.

The work of journalists, like the work of farmers, really matters to society and they can be an easy target when things go wrong, says Daniel Eb.

With the way things are going, farmers are going to need to get better at winning friends, says Ben Anderson.

Whatever the vehicle, we are on the road to a sustainable menu, David Eade says.

We need a nature-based solution to meet two extremely pressing needs, says David Eade.

Ben Anderson asks the next prime minister for less nostalgia about farming in NZ and more fresh thinking.

Daniel Eb wants the next prime minister of New Zealand to step up and stop pretending everything is business as usual.

In this series, the Eating the Elephant columnists each write to the next prime minister. This week, Phil Weir puts pen to paper.

David Eade recalls a food-production lightbulb moment in the Netherlands.

Right now it’s a shallow ditch with promise, and we are going to need help to deepen it, says Daniel Eb.

Phil Weir on the risks and benefits of being the primary producer.

Ben Anderson reckons he no longer has to take what the market dishes out.

The work to support better farm practices or improved market access falls by the wayside as industry-good bodies fixate on government policy, says Waikato farmer Phil Weir.

Putting the consumer first might be one way to sharpen our focus as farmers, says David Eade.

The speed of change – too fast, too slow – is tough for everyone to negotiate but they’re trying, writes Daniel Eb.

It’s hard to see change as a positive when you feel under threat, says Ben Anderson.