How a Country Calendar episode sparked a national debate

Over the next few weeks, The Front Page is revisiting some of the major stories we covered in 2022.  

Over the last year, the divide between rural and urban New Zealand has only seemed to widen. There was no better example of that than an episode of Country Calendar.

In the episode, businessman Geoff Ross sparked heated debate when detailed some of his more unconventional approaches to farming, including switching music in the wool shed from AC/DC to Vivaldi in an attempt to improve animal welfare.

So why was this so controversial, and what did a seemingly harmless TV show expose our rural realities in 2022? 

NZX head of insights and rural analyst Julia Jones joined us earlier in July and pointed out that the kerfuffle surrounding the TV show was reflective of a fear of change.  

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network. New episodes return on January 9th.

Host: Damien Venuto
Producer: Shaun D Wilson
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills 

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