That elusive work and life balance; for many families, it's an often exhausting juggling act. Business reporter Sally Rae speaks to two Dunedin couples who successfully manage to keep things in proportion - while keeping sane.
Years of commuting 700km a week to her teaching job in Dunedin led Maria Barta Hinkley to reassess her life. Sally Rae finds out how her return to the good life has led to a thriving business.
The introduction of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome would devastate the New Zealand pork industry in as serious a way as Psa, varroa and the tomato/potato psyllid have undermined other parts of the primary sector, NZPork says.
Whether it is poured over the strawberries, squirted into the brandy snaps or slapped on top of the trifle, cream is a big part of the Kiwi Christmas.
Farmer confidence has remained at relatively high levels throughout 2011, largely on the back of above-average commodity prices, but global economic uncertainty remains top of mind.
Dairy supply is expected to be abundant through early 2012 as the southern hemisphere works to clear the results of a strong season and milk production continues to outpace demand in the northern hemisphere.
Oamaru accountant Adair Craik admits her resolve to help stem credit abuse in New Zealand is "a bit of a crusade".
An upturn in tree planting in New Zealand is being mainly attributed to the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Wool Co has failed to raise enough capital in its attempt to acquire New Zealand Wool Services International.
Christmas means havoc for Linda McCallum-Jackson. Mrs McCallum-Jackson and her husband, Ian, own the free-range pig farm Havoc, at Hunter, near Waimate. They also have a factory shop in Waimate and opened a store in Dunedin in October.
Mervyn Horrell admits he likes an "older type" of tractor.
Environment Southland has committed to introducing a policy that will require new dairy conversions to gain a resource consent from next April, and to consult intensively between now and then on the details.
Farm sales for the three months ended November are 85.3% higher than those in the corresponding period last year, figures released by the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand show.
Maniototo farmer Dawn Sangster has become the third female director in the history of meat company Alliance Group.
Dairy giant Fonterra is looking at reintroducing milk in schools nationally in 2013, while also continuing to review the price of milk in New Zealand.
A Christchurch wool exporter is considering closing down his New Zealand processing plant and moving to Melbourne if Cavalier Wool Holdings buys the wool scouring assets of New Zealand Wool Services International and disposes of the trading arm.
The release of a strategic review of the grape and wine sector provides a framework for the "profitable growth" of New Zealand wine, New Zealand Winegrowers chairman Stuart Smith says.
Fonterra will announce initiatives today to help make milk "more accessible" to New Zealanders.
The primary sector is still on target for record export income this year, a Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry report shows.
Fonterra farmers have received an early Christmas bonus - a 20c increase in the 2012 payout forecast.