Labour warns against sacrificing productive farmland for housing expansion

Luxton claims that National has a new bold proposal for the national direction of infrastructure, development and primary sector.

"They are suggesting the near-total removal of protections for some of our most productive land - Land Use Category 3 (LUC 3) - for urban development. It's been framed to make space for housing and bring prices down, but to be straight about it, it's a short-term fix with long-term consequences," she says.

LUC 1 to 3 land, the country's best agricultural land, represents only 15% of New Zealand's land mass (approximately 3.8 million hectares), and LUC 3 land makes up around 64% of that.

"Once the land is gone for urban development, it's gone," says Luxton.

"And when we rely on farming for our export income, or 82.5% of our good exports and 10% of our GDP, preservation of our highly productive land is not only important, but vital. It's this type of farmland that will support our economy and provide jobs for future generations."

As a safeguard, the Government is suggesting 'special agricultural areas' in established growing areas such as Pukehohe and Horowhenua.

But Luxton says that while it sounds like a practical solution at first read, another look shows that these existing horticultural areas are already under immense environmental pressure due to council water allocation limits and a high nutrient runoff levels.

"And emerging horticulture regions, those like Northland where tropical and subtropical crops are starting to thrive, haven't been mentioned.

"The reality is that we need a smarter, future-focused approach to how we categorise land."

She says with the tools at our fingertips, like remote sensing and better spatial planning technology that can help make those decisions, we can balance the demand for housing and protect food-growing land for future generations. She says the Government is putting a band-aid over a dated land classification system, that doesn't even take flood risk into account.

"This isn't just about land use - it's about our identity. We are a nation that prides itself on our primary industries. But right now, it's being put at risk for quick housing gains where developers will be the winners again. It will allow more city sprawl, and it will do it on the very land that we rely on for our income," she says.

Luxton says unlike the recent fast-track projects, this proposal is open for consultation.

She's urging farmers and landowners to write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to make a submission on the future of food, regions, and the environment.