PM hints Govt to deliver 46% reduction in farming consents
The Government is set to announce two new acts to replace the contentious Resource Management Act (RMA) with the Prime Minister hinting that consents required by farmers could reduce by 46%.
OPINION: National's new leader Christopher Luxon’s first speech after his elevation to the top job included one important line about the engine of the economy: “Our provincial heartland feels taken for granted. Our farmers are not villains!” he told the press gallery.
Perhaps an indication that the plight of the rural sector and farmers will be top of mind as Luxon tries to restore National’s fortunes and wrestle power away from Jacinda Ardern.
After all, a good chunk of the 400,000 ex-National voters he alluded to in his speech would be made up of rural dwellers.
Getting them back into the fold would be crucial to Luxon scoring the keys to Premier House in 2022.
Thirty years ago, as a young sharemilker, former Waikato farmer Snow Chubb realised he was bucking a trend when he started planting trees to provide shade for his cows, but he knew the animals would appreciate what he was doing.
Virtual fencing and herding systems supplier, Halter is welcoming a decision by the Victorian Government to allow farmers in the state to use the technology.
DairyNZ’s latest Econ Tracker update shows most farms will still finish the season in a positive position, although the gap has narrowed compared with early season expectations.
New Zealand’s national lamb crop for the 2025–26 season is estimated at 19.66 million head, a lift of one percent (or 188,000 more lambs) on last season, according to Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) latest Lamb Crop report.
Farmers appear to be cautiously welcoming the Government’s plan to reform local government, according to Ag First chief executive, James Allen.
The Fonterra divestment capital return should provide “a tailwind to GDP growth” next year, according to a new ANZ NZ report, but it’s not “manna from heaven” for the economy.