Government Amends Stock Exclusion Regulations for Low-Intensity Grazing
The Government has announced changes to stock exclusion regulations which it claims will cut unnecessary costs and inflexible rules while maintaining environmental protections.
Former Federated Farmers president and Manawatu dairy farmer Andrew Hoggard says becoming a Member of Parliament overnight hasn’t sunk in yet.
“Maybe, once I’m seating in the parliamentary chamber, which I observed during a primary school trip, will make it reality,” he told Rural News.
Hoggard is part of the 11-strong ACT caucus elected last night. However, the final make-up of Parliament will be determined after the counting of special votes in the coming weeks.
ACT polled 9% of the party vote and for the first time, won two electorate seats.
Hoggard, ranked five on the ACT party list, also contested the Rangitikei, which was won by Suze Redmayne, National with 16300 votes; Hoggard polled 4990 votes.
Hoggard says he was pleased with the election result and the shift to the right.
“Everyone wanted change: I only wish we had got a few members of the team across the line,” he says.
“We’ve built on the previous 2020 outcome and will work on building further in 2026.”
For Hoggard, RMA reforms would be a priority this term.
“We got to have meaningful change. I knew about most of the problems but during the campaign I heard more and more stories about people getting caught up with regional councils while getting consents.”
Hoggard says the new Government must also cut “wasteful expenditure” to improve the economic situation.
On whether he was looking forward to a Cabinet appointment, Hoggard says a lot of votes are yet to be counted and the final make-up of Government was yet to be finalised.
Dougal Morrison has been elected as the new President of the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association (NZFFA).
Perrin Ag has appointed Vicky Ferris as its new Hawke's Bay consultant.
The New Zealand National Fieldays Society is encouraging teachers to register school groups for the 2026 National Fieldays, set to be held at Mystery Creek Events Centre from 10-13 June.
The appointment of Richard Allen as Fonterra's new chief executive signals execution, not strategy, according to agribusiness expert Dr Nic Lees.
Potatoes New Zealand has become much more than a grower body, according to Pukekohe grower Bharat Bhana.
The country's kiwifruit growers seem to have escaped much of the predicted wrath of Cyclone Vaianu which hit the east coast of the North Island this month.

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