Bridging the gap with rural New Zealand
OPINION: One thing I keep hearing from rural New Zealanders is the importance of relationships. Strong relationships don’t just happen - they take trust, consistency, and time.
Horticulture NZ is one of the primary sector parties involved in the industry-wide initiative He Waka Eke Noa, to provide government with an alternative option to the ETS in dealing with on farm orchard/greenhouse gas emissions.
Hort NZ chair Barry O'Neil says the issue is much simpler for growers because they don't have to worry about methane - only nitrous oxide, which comes from fertiliser. He says growers can understand why pastoral farmers favour a pricing mechanism based at the farm level.
"What we really want as growers is a low-cost emissions administration system," he told Hort News.
"We don't want to have to fund significant administration costs because we are just simple users of fertilisers. There were some ridiculous figures bandied around, ranging $60 million to $100 million to administer it," O'Neil explains.
"That is just crazy. We believe that our farm assurance plans, which we already have in place, such a NZGAP, should be the vehiclue used to meet this requirementand other regulatory requirements. There is no need to reinvent the wheel."
O'Neil wants the horticulture sector to focus on those really big issues that are needed for future success - such as climate change. He says with more floods and droughts occurring on a more regular basis, there needs to be a focus on things such as water storage and resilience and covered crop growing to mitigate risk.
"I think we are getting dragged down and spending time on issues that I don't see are as important for the future benefit and success of our future," he says.
The CEO of Apples and Pears NZ, Karen Morrish, says the strategic focus of her organisation is to improve grower returns.
A significant breakthrough in understanding facial eczema (FE) in livestock brings New Zealand closer to reducing the disease’s devastating impact on farmers, animals, and rural communities.
Farmer co-operative LIC has closed its satellite-backed pasture measurement platform – Space.
OPINION: The case of four Canterbury high country stations facing costly and complex consent hearing processes highlights the dilemma facing the farming sector as the country transitions into a replacement for the Resource Management Act (RMA).
The 2024-25 season apple harvest has “well and truly exceeded expectations”, says Apples and Pears NZ chief executive Karen Morrish.
Through collaborative efforts with exhibitors, visitors, and industry partners, Fieldays says it is reaffirming its commitment to environmental responsibility with new initiatives for 2025.
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