Editorial: KiwiSaver to the rescue?
OPINION: Farmers are rightly urging the Government to relax the rules around KiwiSaver and allow young farmers to use their savings towards purchasing either a house, cows or a farm.
About 300 farmers and agriculture industry leaders turned up last night for the Rural Issues Debate in Hamilton.
Agriculture Minister (Labour) Damien O’Connor, Green Party MP Eugenie Sage, National ag spokesman Todd McClay, ACT candidate and former Federated Farmers president Andrew Hoggard, and former NZ First MP and Otago farmer Mark Patterson traded barbs on climate change, the Emissions Trading Scheme, water regulations and rural banking during the 90-minute event. The audience were not allowed to ask questions.
Sage, who is retiring from politics, offered apologies on behalf of Climate Change Minister James Shaw, who pulled out and opted to attend a finance debate in Queenstown last night.
The debate was organised by DairyNZ, Beef+Lamb NZ and Federated Farmers.
Feds president Wayne Langford told Rural News that he was pleased with the turnout – both in the audience and the political panel.
“It is very good of all the significant political parties to recognise the importance of the rural vote and show up tonight,” says Langford.
"None of the speakers held back in their views and the crowd took it very seriously, due to the state of the primary sector at the moment.
“All the speakers raised really good points and represented their parties well.”
Farmers appear to be backing the Government's recent Resource Management Act (RMA) reforms announcement.
For the first time, all the big names in agricultural drone technology are being brought together under one marquee at the National Fieldays.
Fonterra has announced an improved third quarter performance – with a profit after tax of $1.15 billion, up $119 million on the same period last year.
The Fieldays Innovation Awards competition has attracted a diverse and impressive array of innovations from across the primary industries, highlighting the growing importance of technology shaping the future of farming.
Coming to the fore following the carnage of Cyclone Gabrielle, Starlink became well known for providing internet access even in NZ's most inaccessible places.
From this winter farmers will have a greater choice of feed types and blend options than ever before, thanks to Farmlands' purchase of animal nutrition company SealesWinslow.
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OPINION: It's good news that Finance Minister Nicola Willis has slashed $1.1 billion from new spending, citing "a seismic global…