photo : Matai River, Nelson

I no longer follow international news, I find it too depressing and, in some cases, unbearable and unacceptable. Even the national and regional news from a small country like New Zealand are not looking good. The economy and the cost of living crisis, as it’s called here, are making headlines. Not a day goes by without an article appearing somewhere about the price of butter, nearly ten dollars (NZ) a pound, in a country that produces so much that it exports tonnes and tonnes of it. This does not go unnoticed by so-called ‘ordinary’ people who have to endure, in addition to unaffordable prices for dairy products, the outrage of pollution from nitrites (courtesy of cow urine), without reaping any benefits. It does not affect me personally, but I can sense the bad mood when I go to town, and signs  of a growing frustration that just keeps overflowing, that small New Zealand seems unable to shake off. The good news is that the European Commission has approved kiwifruit for gut health. This, of course, made the headlines and producers are very happy with this decision. As for New Zealand consumers, they hope that the story of lamb (New Zealand lamb sold overseas is better and cheaper than what is available here) does not repeat itself with kiwifruit.