Feds, Westpac butt heads over emissions reduction targets
Federated Farmers and a major Australian-owned bank are at loggerheads over emissions reduction targets set for New Zealand farmer clients.
Federated Farmers says the three-stop tour has one aim: restoring Kiwi farmers’ confidence.
The farmer lobby says the meetings in the Waikato, Canterbury and Southland are being pitched as “a not-to-be-missed celebration of New Zealand farming”.
“Farmer confidence has been far too low for far too long – and we wanted to do something about it,” says Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford.
“It’s been a really tough few years for many of our farming families, with challenging weather, high interest rates, rampant inflation, and falling incomes. My family have felt that ourselves.
“There have also been challenges with impractical farming rules that haven’t always been fair or affordable, and that’s left a lot of farmers feeling frustrated and disillusioned with the system.
“These public meetings are Federated Farmers’ way of trying to reset that mood and finish the year with something really positive for our rural communities heading into Christmas.”
The tour will kick off in the Waikato on Tuesday, 26 November, with a rally at the Mystery Creek Events Centre near Hamilton – home of the national agricultural Fieldays.
The group will then head further south to Canterbury for a public meeting at the Ashburton Event Centre on Friday, 29 November.
The tour will wrap up in Southland on Wednesday, 4 December, with a final meeting at the Southern Field Days site in Waimumu, just outside of Gore.
“We want to see as many local farmers as possible pull on their gumboots, jump in the ute, and come on down to join us for these events,” Langford says.
“The Prime Minister is coming to town with the sole purpose of speaking with farmers, listening to our concerns, and understanding our rural communities at a much deeper level.
“That’s not something that happens every day; in fact, it’s not something I can ever recall happening on this scale in my lifetime.
“This is very much intended to be a two-way conversation with plenty of opportunities for farmers to ask fair questions and connect with the leader of our country too.
“We really want to make the most of this opportunity and make sure we pack these rooms to the rafters with real grassroots farmers.”
Langford says the events are family-friendly and the kids are more than welcome to attend – but you should probably leave the dog at home on the farm!
“I think it’s really important for our next generation of farmers to see that we’ve got a Prime Minister who is proud of what we do, proud of our country, and is really backing us as a sector.”
Federated Farmers’ six-monthly surveys show that farmer confidence remains at record-low levels, with increased costs, reduced incomes, and red tape weighing farmers down.
In the lead-up to the 2023 general election, Federated Farmers released a roadmap for restoring farmer confidence with 12 policy priorities for the next Government.
“Those policy priorities landed really well with farmers and it’s great to see so many of the ideas we put forward have been picked up by the coalition government,” Langford says.
“We’ve seen quite a lot of action quite quickly on those really big issues that have a material effect on a farmer’s business and confidence to make longer-term investment decisions.
“Methane reduction targets are being reviewed, the ‘ute tax’ got the axe, freshwater rules are being rewritten, and the Resource Management Act is being replaced.
“That’s not to say farmers aren’t still making environmental improvements, but we’re certainly feeling a lot more empowered to make positive changes with much more practical rules.”
Langford says he is optimistic Federated Farmers will see a lift in farmer confidence levels when the next survey results are released in late January 2025.
“It really does feel like we’ve started to turn a corner and that the mood of rural New Zealand is becoming more positive – we just need to keep this momentum up.
“I’m hoping we can finish 2024 on a real high note with record crowds turning out for the Restoring Farmer Confidence tour – so make sure you get off the farm and join us!”
