Wednesday, 12 June 2024 09:26

Rural Nats launching at Fieldays

Written by Sudesh Kissun

font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

The National Party will launch the 'Rural Nats' special interest group at Fieldays this week.

The National Party will launch the ‘Rural Nats’ at Fieldays this week.

The Rural Nats is a new special interest group within the National Party focused on rural people and issues. The group will work to build on National’s history of advocating for rural communities by better connecting with rural people and giving them a strong voice within the Party.

Rural Nats will also help to develop rural and agriculture policy and to identify and foster future rural leaders for the National Party.

National MPs with connection to the farming and rural communities from each of the Party’s five regions will lead the Rural Nats in their respective area. They include Grant McCallum, MP for Northland in the Northern region; Barbara Kuriger, MP for Taranaki-King Country in the Central North Island region; Mike Butterick MP for Wairarapa in the Lower North Island region; James Meager MP for Rangitata in Canterbury Westland; and Miles Anderson MP for Waitaki in the Southern region.

These MPs are part of a large group of National MPs with farming, agriculture and horticulture backgrounds who understand just how important the rural sector is to New Zealand’s economic success.

Visitors to Fieldays can find out more about the Rural Nats at the National Party’s stand in the Rural Living Marquee – site RM46. They can also meet and talk with the Prime Minister and National’s rural MPs who will be at the stand throughout the week.

More like this

Dreams aren't plans

OPINION: Milking It reckons if you're National, looking at recent polls, the dream scenario is that the elusive economic recovery finally roars to life.

If voters see some growth and wages rising faster than prices, the government could say they've "fixed" things as they ride into the next election.

Back here on Earth though, the economy they inherited is a basket case, and the long-term headwinds are fierce.

Political commentator Liam Hehir says, "dreams are not plans" and if the turnaround doesn't come in time, National may have no choice but to go negative.

"Everybody wants to fight on the economy if they can. But when neither side has a compelling story, the contest shifts to other issues. That's not new. In fact, it's the stuff of politics everywhere, always."