Editorial: Time for change
OPINION: With election day only a few days away and advance voting well underway, there appears to be a mood for change in rural and provincial New Zealand.
Ministers are “working on proposals” for revamping the Ministry for Primary Industries, says the Minister for Agriculture Damien O’Connor.
“Change will be made to enhance the focus in each of the respective and important areas of government responsibility,” he told Rural News.
But O’Connor did not say whether the role of the minister would also involve restructuring MPI into separate departments.
Under the coalition, government roles within the primary sector include O’Connor becoming Minister for Agriculture, Biosecurity, Food Safety and Rural Communities; Stuart Nash Minister for Fisheries and NZ First’s Shane Jones Minister for Forestry and Regional Economic Development.
MPI director of market access, trade and policy division Tim Knox was asked at a conference on October 27 about the splitting of the primary industries ministry.
He answered that at that stage there was no decision he was aware of to make any change to the structure of MPI.
If there was a change to the structure of MPI, Knox said, “we would work very hard to ensure the good work done in the last five years is continued in whatever form it takes.”
The country’s 4200 commercial fruit and vegetable growers will vote from May 14 on a new HortNZ levy.
Meat processor Alliance Group is asking farmer shareholders to inject more capital in order to remain a 100% co-operative.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
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