Wednesday, 16 October 2024 07:55

Minister's hands-on role

Written by  Peter Burke
MPI says that Southland has been battered for several weeks with persistent rain. MPI says that Southland has been battered for several weeks with persistent rain.

Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson, who farms at Lawrence in Otago, has personally been actively involved in assessing the situation in his region.

For several days he embedded himself in the Clutha Emergency Management bunker and later visited farms and towns in the region to see the situation for himself. He says he visited the small settlement of Toko Mouth where the Tokomairaro River comes out and the Catlins and settlements around the Puerua River.

“The event in Otago was quite coastal in terms of impact and in some cases there was up to a metre and half of water on some farms. In many cases it was the tributaries of the larger rivers that came up fast,” he told Dairy News.

Patterson says his own farm at Lawrence did not get too badly hit by the floods. He says one of the positives to come out was the early warning of the impending heavy rain that allowed farmers to move their stock to safer ground.

“Driving around the district, I didn’t see too many stock in floodwaters,” he says.

In the meantime, Patterson says he’ll continue to monitor the situation and will await the MPI report to see what further assistance is needed from government in Otago and Southland.


 Read More


More like this

Editorial: Making wool great again

OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.

Featured

Horticulture exports hit $8.4B, surge toward $10B by 2029

A brilliant result and great news for growers and regional economies. That's how horticulture sector leaders are describing the news that sector exports for the year ended June 30 will reach $8.4 billion - an increase of 19% on last year and is forecast to hit close to $10 billion in 2029.

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