Friday, 16 July 2021 16:16

Huge turnout in the Horowhenua

Written by  Peter Burke
Protestors march through Levin. Protestors march through Levin.

Dozens of people lined the main street of the Horowhenua rural town of Levin to cheer on the huge turnout of Groundswell protestors as they drove their tractors, utes and other farm vehicles through the town.

According to locals it was the largest protest they have ever seen with the vehicles taking nearly an hour to pass down the main street.

The protest was led by about 30 tractors followed by at least 200 utes and other vehicles.

Those taking part in the protest came from various towns in the Horowhenua and Kapiti Coast, but there were others who came from as far away as Taihape to take part in the protest.

One of many protest signs from the Levin protest.

As well as farmers there were rural contractors, other rural professionals and trades people.

Their concerns ranged from the way the  environmental reforms are being rushed through by government without proper consultation to the ute tax which was seen by all as an outright attack on rural NZ.

Before the protest began, there was call for the farm dogs to have their say and for about five minutes the huntaways led a boisterous chorus of barking and howling.

When told about reports  by Labour MP Kieran McAnulty that the Groundswell movement didn’t represent farmers, people just rolled their eyes in disbelief at his remarks.

More like this

Sticky situation

OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.

Featured

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

DairyNZ plantain trials cut nitrate leaching by 26%

DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.

National

Machinery & Products

Tech might take time

Agritech Unleashed – a one-day event held recently at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton – focused on technology as an ‘enabler’…

John Deere acquires GUSS Automation

John Deere has announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognised leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy,…

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

A step too far

OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…

Save us from SAFE

OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter