Rural banking inquiry coming?
Farmers may soon get their wish for an independent inquiry into rural banking.
The new chair of Parliament’s primary production select committee, Mark Cameron, is promising “better law making” for the sector.
“There will be quality law-making. We’ll be doing a cost/benefit analysis of every policy and if it doesn’t bring any benefit to farmers, we won’t support it,” he told Rural News.
Cameron says that in his new role he would also be asking challenging questions and holding the executive to account.
The Northland dairy farmer, a second-term ACT MP, is no stranger to the committee. In the previous Parliament he had served as a committee member.
Other members of the new committee are deputy chair Miles Anderson, along with Suze Redmayne and Catherine Wedd from National, Jo Luxton and Cushla Tangaere-Manuel from Labour and Steve Abel from the Greens.
Cameron’s appointment gives ACT its second high profile parliamentary role in the agriculture sector.
First-term ACT MP and former Federated Farmers president Andrew Hoggard is Minister for Biosecurity, Minister for Food Safety, Associate Minister of Agriculture (Animal Welfare, Skills) and Associate Minister for the Environment under ACT’s coalition deal with National.
The party says, between Hoggard and Cameron, it is wellplaced to ensure rural New Zealand has a strong voice both inside and outside the executive.
The new Parliament has a record number of farmers, most elected on the National ticket.
Cameron says he’s thrilled to see more rural sector representatives in Parliament and it augurs well for the rural sector as they will have a greater say in the decision-making process.
“In the previous Parliament, we spent more time explaining ideas rather than debating issues,” he says.
“With more farmers involved in the select committee, the rural sector will have a bigger say in the process moving forward. This will ensure more feasible outcomes for farmers.”
Cameron, who has been a dairy farmer for 30 years, says they will work together to help farmers rather than hinder them.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has informed staff it will cut 391 jobs following a consultation period.