Groundswell ramps up ‘Quit Paris’ campaign across New Zealand
Groundswell is ramping up its 'Quit Paris' campaign with signs going up all over the country.
Rural lobby group Groundswell NZ says biodiversity will be the biggest loser if the Government's new biodiversity legislation is passed.
Last week, Associate Minister for the Environment James Shaw announced a new package of measures designed to protect native wildlife and at-risk habitats, including a National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity.
“The more landowners do to look after biodiversity, the more they are penalised with rules, bureaucratic interference, and costs,” says Groundswell NZ’s environmental spokesperson Jamie McFadden.
McFadden says the new legislation turns biodiversity into a liability and is “a smack in the face” for landowners who have been proactive in protecting and enhancing biodiversity on their land.
“It is a disincentive for anyone wanting to do the right thing for the environment,” he says.
“It is so disappointing to see a Labour/Greens Government fail to recognize that having motivated, empowered landowners is fundamental to protecting biodiversity on private land.”
McFadden claims the Government is hypocritical to demand landowners protect biodiversity when current climate change policies have caused the loss of thousands of hectares of native shrublands from conversion to pine forests.
“This Government doesn’t care for the environment,” he says. “They care more about control and looking good on the world stage by achieving performative targets.”
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
From 1 October, new livestock movement restrictions will be introduced in parts of Central Otago dealing with infected possums spreading bovine TB to livestock.
Phoebe Scherer, a technical manager from the Bay of Plenty, has won the 2025 Young Grower of the Year national title.
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
Award-winning boutique cheese company, Cranky Goat Ltd has gone into voluntary liquidation.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
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