Tuesday, 18 February 2025 10:55

Farmers want out of climate deal

Written by  Peter Burke
Bryce McKenzie, Groundswell says New Zealand doesn’t elect governments to play along with international games. Bryce McKenzie, Groundswell says New Zealand doesn’t elect governments to play along with international games.

Get out of the Paris Agreement on climate change – that’s the message from the farmer lobby group Groundswell to the Minister for Climate Change, Simon Watts.

Groundswell is now in the process of running a campaign to get NZ out of the agreement, saying it is uniquely unfair to us.

Their call comes after Simon Watts announced NZ’s second international climate target, which stated that the Government was proposing to reduce emissions by 51 to 55% compared to 2005 levels by 2035.

He says the Government has worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious and achievable and reinforces our commitment to the Paris Agreement and global climate action.

“Meeting this target will mean we are doing our fair share towards reducing the impact of climate change, while enabling New Zealand to be stronger and thrive in the face of a changing climate,” he says.

But Bryce McKenzie of Groundswell says Watts is in a bind and says New Zealand doesn’t elect governments to play along with international games. He says they expect them to look out for our interests.

“They work for us, not the jet-setting global conference elite,” he says.

McKenzie says it’s the politicians’ jobs to stand up for us, rather than sacrifice the future of New Zealand to meet the arbitrary rules of the UN’s climate change process. He says Watts should have broken those rules and told his mates at the conferences why.

McKenzie says under the present system, all NZ can do is less – less farming, less electricity, less transport, less economic activity, less prosperity, less opportunity. Fewer jobs, fewer people, fewer hospitals and schools, fewer reasons for our kids to stay here.

The ACT Party, part of the Coalition Government, is throwing its support behind farmers.

The party’s agriculture spokesman Mark Cameron says, as a signatory to the Paris Agreement, New Zealand is required to sign up to increasingly ambitious emissions targets.

That’s what has led to the Climate Change Minister’s latest commitment, he told party supporters in an email.

“However, ACT has heard serious concern over the economic impact of the Government’s commitment, including costs likely to be lumped on farmers,” says Cameron.

“We know New Zealand farmers are the most efficient in the world, and it does not make sense to reduce New Zealand food production only to see other less efficient farmers overseas picking up the slack.

“In short, ACT is listening, and we encourage you to pass on your concerns to the Climate Change Minister and your local MP.”

Cameron claims ACT’s Ministers in the Government are delivering “common sense, affordable policy in key areas that affect farmers such as replacing the handbrake that is the RMA, simplifying freshwater farm plans, and stopping the implementation of last government’s attack on property rights with their directive on Significant Natural Areas”.

“I’ve also lodged a member’s bill in Parliament’s ballot to stop councils from considering local emissions when granting resource consents.

“ACT is determined not to sacrifice farmers and growers at the altar of the climate gods,” he says.

More like this

Sticky situation

OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.

Don't hold back!

OPINION: ACT MP Mark Cameron isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but he certainly calls it how he sees it, holding nothing back when ‘climate scientists’ had a crack at Kiwi farmers recently:

Emissions versus warming

OPINION: Soon New Zealand farmers will be asked to know their greenhouse gas (GHG) number. There are a vast number of GHG calculators available, all giving a different answer and none of them allowing for your pasture to be viewed as a CO2 ‘sequesterer’.

Changing Climate: A taste of the future

A high-resolution vineyard view of ecoclimatic indicators, and how they impact wine quality, can turn “climate insights into strategy”, says climate risk specialist Pete Taylor. “Whether you’re a grower, winemaker, or industry leader, understanding the future is key to staying ahead.”

Featured

Farmstrong marks 10 years of rural support

Nationwide rural wellbeing programme, Farmstrong recently celebrated its tenth birthday at Fieldays with an event attended by ambassador Sam Whitelock, Farmers Mutual Group (FMG), Farmstrong partners, and government Ministers.

National

Machinery & Products

Farming smarter with technology

The National Fieldays is an annual fixture in the farming calendar: it draws in thousands of farmers, contractors, and industry…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

110,000 visitors!

OPINION: It's official, Fieldays 2025 clocked 110,000 visitors over the four days.

Sticky situation

OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter