Wairoa Mayor: Road upgrades between Napier and Wairoa will boost safety and accessibility
The road between Napier and Wairoa is on the mend.
The role of the banks is a critical component in the overall recovery plan for Hawke's Bay, according to the HortNZ chair Barry O'Neil.
His comments come as frustration builds in the province with orchardists and commercial growers at their wits end, not knowing if and how they can get their business up and running.
O'Neil believes some pragmatic leadership is needed by the Government to get the ball rolling.
He admits it's hard for the banks because some of the land in question is likely to be mortgaged but is now worthless.
That would make it hard for the bank to take on more debt on a property.
O'Neil says this, coupled with inflation and high interest rates, adds to the complexity of the issue.
He says the reality is that it will take at least six years - probably longer - to re-establish an orchard. O'Neil believes to do this will require some form of government intervention.
"The Government has traditionally done that with the Provincial Growth Fund where is looked at a sector and industry and invested in interest free loans to support industry to expand and develop new approaches," he told Hort News.
"A discussion along these lines with the Government will enable banks to maybe come in and offer support," O'Neil adds. "But on their own, that would be very difficult."
The problems in Hawke's Bay came to a head recently when an open letter was sent to the Government by most of the produce groups - such as NZKGI, apples and pears, summerfruit, citrus, asparagus, strawberry, processed vegetables, onions, persimmon, feijoa and HortNZ. The letter said, while the Government responded swiftly to the immediate crisis, there was now an urgent need for recovery funding, re-establishment and rebuild. The sector has called on the Government to make decisions on this as soon as possible and also to accelerate the infrastructure repair.
O'Neil says the problems in Hawke's Bay dealing with silt are mind boggling. "There are concerns [that] some of the silt is contaminated," he told Hort News.
"It needs to be moved quickly but growers are telling me they can't get approval from the authorities to do this, which is frustrating their ability to move on."
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.
OPINION: The Greens aren’t serious people when it comes to the economy, so let’s not spend too much on their…
OPINION: PM Chris Luxon is getting pinged lately for rolling out the old 'we're still a new government' line when…