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Federated Farmers spokesperson for local government Katie Milne.
Federated Farmers welcomes the launch of Local Government New Zealand's Excellence Programme.
The programme details a new independent standards system to measure the performance of local authorities.
Federated Farmers spokesperson for local government Katie Milne says it's crucial for farmers, rural communities, and for New Zealand that local government provides value for money.
"Overall Federated Farmers believes this initiative should be very helpful and over time improvements can be made to the programme to enhance performance," says Milne.
"We think further improvements can be made by including more 'outcome' related indicators as opposed to process indicators, a beefing up of the indicators for service delivery, and the inclusion of measures on rates and spending from a ratepayer perspective.
"The Excellence Programme is a great start as it will encourage councils to be more efficient and effective and to adopt best practices."
Under the programme, ratepayers and communities will now have the ability to assess how their councils are doing, including comparing them.
"Federated Farmers challenge all councils to get on board," says Milne.
"We're always keen to engage with councils and will shortly be putting out our own guide for best practice: our three-yearly Local Elections Manifesto."
Central Otago District Council (CODC) has voted against a plan to spread treated sewage sludge from Cromwell and Alexandra on farmland near Lauder, a decision Federated Farmers says reflects strong opposition from rural residents.
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The potato industry is celebrating the success of two rising stars - James Blair, the 2026 Young Grower of the Year and runner-up and innovation award winner, Amber Davy.
Twenty-eight emerging leaders from across the horticulture sector spent two days last month learning valuable skills and connecting with industry experts.
There are five entrants in this year’s Young Horticulturist of the Year, competing in a series of technical, practical, business and leadership challenges.
