Wednesday, 14 August 2024 13:59

Public submissions open for banking competition inquiry

Written by  Sudesh Kissun
Mark Cameron is urging the rural sector to make their voices heard. Mark Cameron is urging the rural sector to make their voices heard.

Farmers are being urged to make submissions to the parliamentary inquiry into banking competition, now underway.

Public submissions are now being accepted by the finance and expenditure committee.

The terms of reference include looking at the price of banking services, with a particular focus on business and rural lending products and the return on capital from business, rural and residential mortgage lending.

The chair of primary production select committee, Mark Cameron is urging the rural sector to make their voices heard.

“Anyone on the back of a rural loan – whether you are a horticulture, sheep and beef, arable or dairy farmer- should make sure their voices are heard,” he told Rural News. “Be part of the process.”

Cameron says the public submission period runs for six weeks.

On rural banking the inquiry will:

  • Determine how and to what extent the RBNZ’s capital requirements and credit risk models influence lending rates to agriculture and horticulture businesses.
  • Ascertain whether the RBNZ’s approach to greenhouse gas emissions risk, including risk of government policy, has and is likely to result in further increases in lending rates to the agriculture and horticulture sectors.
  • Ascertain whether bank environmental and sustainability policies have or are likely to result in further increases in lending rates to the agriculture and horticulture sectors.
  • Ascertain whether there is adequate transparency on lending rates for rural, residential, and business lending.
  • Access to banking services, including access to cash services, especially in rural areas.

The push for an inquiry into rural banking practices has been led by Federated Farmers, which made a submission to the primary production select committee in May this year. The committee recommended an inquiry.

Farmers claim bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking.

Feds’ regular banking surveys are also show that farmer satisfaction with banks is at a record low, and the number of farmers coming under undue pressure is at a record high.

Submissions close before midnight, Wednesday September 25.

For more information, visit https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/make-a-submission/document/54SCFIN_SCF_FC430602-F4C3-4B04-957D-08DCB036CF74/inquiry-into-banking-competition#RelatedAnchor

More like this

RWNZ applauds hormone patch funding rethink

Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) says it welcomes recently announced consultation on Pharmac’s funding of ostradiol patches used by women going through perimenopause and menopause.

Banks urged to withdraw from alliance

Farmers are calling for Kiwi banks and their overseas parent companies need to follow the lead of America's six biggest banks and urgently withdraw from the Net Zero Banking Alliance.

'End red tape'

ACT MP and farmer Mark Cameron is calling on Parliament to thank farmers by reinstating provisions within the Resource Management Act that prevent regional councils from factoring climate change into their planning.

Featured

Farmers urged not to be complacent about TB

New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.

Editorial: Making wool great again

OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.

National

Machinery & Products

Farmer-led group buys Novag

While the name and technology remain unchanged and new machines will continue to carry the Novag name, all the assets,…

Buhler name to go

Shareholders at a special meeting have approved a proposed deal that will see Buhler Industries, the publicly traded Versatile and…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Make it 1000%!

OPINION: The appendage swinging contest between the US and China continues, with China hitting back with a new rate of…

Own goal

OPINION: The irony of President Trump’s tariff obsession is that the worst damage may be done to his own people.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter