increase font size
FEDERATED FARMERS believes National's $100m freshwater fund policy could vastly improve water quality outcomes, having worked with DairyNZ to analyse it.
"The fund to retire farmland would be perhaps better interpreted as a policy to create on-farm wetlands," says Ian Mackenzie, Federated Farmers Environment spokesperson.
"After talking with the team at DairyNZ we've arrived at a very different conclusion to that other groups have come up with.
"Instead of looking at this as a linear purchase of land, or trying to recreate MAF's old farm advisory division, think more along the lines of NIWA's guidelines for constructed wetlands.
"A fund $10 million a year could purchase at least 286ha. Using NIWA guidelines and if turned into strategically located wetlands, DairyNZ and Federated Farmers believe it could remove 60-70% of Nitrogen from around 9,500ha of farmland.:
"We can easily take people through the calculations but if applied to suitable sensitive catchments then you are potentially looking at a major gain for a relatively modest loss of farmland.
Mackenzie says they are not pretending this is a silver bullet, or is applicable to every part of New Zealand, but it does highlight how creative solutions are possible.
"There is also a mechanism to provide a legal home for any wetlands created; QEII National Trust covenants. Meanwhile, the Landcare Trust can bring together all parties in constructing and managing wetland buffer zones.
"It is notable that Federated Farmers played a leading role in forming both Trusts.
"Since this policy is still in formulation, the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust in cooperation with the Landcare Trust, may be good bodies to administer the fund. They are already there, they are excellent at what they do and both have regional advisors in place working with councils and landowners.
"Who better than the QEII National Trust supported by the Landcare Trust," Mackenzie says.
Academic Dr Mike Joy and his employer, Victoria University of Wellington have apologised for his comments suggesting that dairy industry CEOs should be hanged for contributing towards nitrate poisoning of waterways.
A comment by outspoken academic Dr Mike Joy suggesting that dairy industry leaders should be hanged for nitrate contamination of drinking/groundwater has enraged farmers.
Federated Farmers says the final report into banking competition is a significant step forward for rural New Zealand - and a vindication of the farming sector's concern.
Farmer lobby group Federated Farmers has announced it is supporting a new Member’s Bill which it says could bring clarity to New Zealand farmers and save millions in legal costs.
Federated Farmers says climate protest group Greenpeace is manufacturing outrage and attempting to scare New Zealanders with headlines that have no basis in science.
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.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand has launched an AI-powered digital assistant to help farmers using the B+LNZ Knowledge Hub to create tailored answers and resources for their farming businesses.
A tiny organism from the arid mountains of mainland Greece is facilitating a new way of growing healthier animals on farms across New Zealand.
OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.
