Farmers must have say on any water tax

“If Labour is in government we would want to work with them to work out how we could best deliver on swimmable rivers, while making sure we don’t ‘crucify’ the primary sector at the same time.”

Parsons says Labour leader Jacinda Ardern had been clear that the party would not lay out all the detail until a decent conversation had been held with those who would be affected if they were in government.

“On one hand, you can say it is not fair because people want to know what they are voting for, rather than just these vague policies.

“But on the other hand, you can also say she has been open about the fact that it would be wrong to work up policies without consulting with the people affected, so if you take it at face value it is probably a positive way to go about it. That’s if they get into government.

“We would have to cohabit and everyone would have to make some adjustments; that’s the journey we are on. But what we don’t want are policies which are well intended but actually work against us – poorly constructed policies that are a disincentive to progress.”

For example, mandatory fencing of waterways in hill country would be a very poor policy as it may not be the best way a farmer can spend money.

“If they [had only limited money to spend on] mitigation work to improve water quality, fencing off waterways may not be the best way to achieve really good water quality outcomes.”