Dead in the water
OPINION: In a victory for common sense over virtue signalling, David Parker's National Policy Statement (NPS) work on freshwater is now dead in the water.
Priority access to water heads the NZ Plant Producers (NZPP) election manifesto released today.
The peak industry body for plant producers and their industry partners represents more than 100 plant producers and businesses in New Zealand.
The organisation produces plants for a diverse range of purposes, including food for local eating and exports, regenerating New Zealand’s forests, and urban and domestic planting.
The first point in NZPP’s election manifesto is guaranteeing priority access to water for plant producers.
“Primary industries rely on our production, and many families need our plants for food and wellbeing. Access to water is critical to Government plans for more horticulture, forests, and greener living spaces,” it says in the manifesto.
“We support DairyNZ, NZ Beef & Lamb and Horticulture New Zealand’s request for, and assessment of, New Zealand’s water infrastructure and investment in viable water capture and storage.”
NZPP wants an independent assessment of New Zealand’s water infrastructure to ensure it is able to fulfil future needs and to identify regions at risk of water shortages.
“A National Water Strategy, backed by credible investment, is needed to guarantee a reliable supply of water,” it says.
NZPP’s eight points are:
1. Plant producers must get priority access to water
2. New Zealand needs access to the World’s best plant varieties
3. The RSE scheme must be expanded with access to key workers from overseas
4. The Review of Vocational Education must be prioritised
5. Regulation and legislation must be reviewed and rationalised
6. Biosecurity must be strengthened and supported
7. Investment in planting must be targeted at our most efficient producers
8. New Zealanders deserve more green spaces in our urban areas
There are calls for the Reserve Bank to drop its banking capital rules, which Federated Farmers says is costing farmers a fortune.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on livestock farmers to take part in a survey measuring the financial impact of facial eczema (FE).
Soon farmers and working dog breeders will be able to have a dog that best suits their needs thanks to a team of researchers at Massey University.
OPINION: President Donald Trump's bizarre hard line approach to the world of what was once 'rules-based trade' has got New Zealand government officials, politicians and exporters on tenterhooks.
With wool prices steadily declining and shearing costs on the rise, a Waikato couple began looking for a solution for wool from their 80ha farm.
The Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) team is looking forward to connecting with growers at the upcoming South Island Agricultural Field Days, says HortNZ chief executive Kate Scott.
OPINION: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon sometimes can't escape his own corporate instinct for evasion, and in what should have been…
OPINION: Shane 'Matua' Jones, crusader against all things woke, including "woke banks", couldn't have scripted it better when his NZ…