Thursday, 05 December 2024 07:55

Editorial: Restoring respect, confidence

Written by  Staff Reporters
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon with farmers at last week's Federated Farmers’ ‘The Restoring Farmer Confidence Tour’ meeting. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon with farmers at last week's Federated Farmers’ ‘The Restoring Farmer Confidence Tour’ meeting.

OPINION: Last week around 400 farmers turned up at Mystery Creek to hear Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speak as part of Federated Farmers’ ‘The Restoring Farmer Confidence Tour’.

Judging by the reception the PM and his Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and rural MPs got from the crowd, confidence is returning to farms: the farming sector is finally getting the respect it rightly deserves.

Over the past year, the Government has kept its election promise and delivered practical reforms to reduce costs, cut red tape, provide certainty, and get Wellington out of farming.

McClay started off by saying that farmers and rural communities are the backbone of New Zealand’s economy: 80% of all goods exports come from the primary sector; more than 359,000 Kiwis are employed because of rural activity; farming, forestry, and horticulture remain a mainstay of NZ economic activity.

The Government’s ambitious target of doubling exports by value over ten years is an opportunity to work with the primary sector to add value and deliver greater returns at the farm gate.

Cutting costs and red tape in the ag sector has been a priority. The Government has introduced practical rules for on-farm water storage, restored common sense to regulations for intensive winter grazing and stock exclusion, halved Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) charges for forest owners, paused the rollout of Freshwater Farm Plans and repealed the burdensome Log Traders legislation.

Importantly for farmers, the Government has provided clarity on emissions by disbanding the previous government’s failed He Waka Eke Noa partnership, launching an independent review of methane targets and passing legislation to remove agriculture from the ETS.

However, there’s still some unfinished business, fixing freshwater rules and the RMA to give farmers more certainty being the main ones.

The mood at the Feds meeting marked a stark difference from the previous government approach of piling regulations on the farming sector with little or no consultation. PM Luxon hit the nail on the head when he said the relationship between the Government and the farming sector “wasn’t a parent-child relationship, but an adult-adult relationship”.

The mood at the Feds meeting marked a stark difference from the previous government approach of piling regulations on the farming sector with little or no consultation. PM Luxon hit the nail on the head when he said the relationship between the Government and the farming sector “wasn’t a parent-child relationship, but an adult-adult relationship”.

He says it’s no longer about the Government telling farmers what to do. It’s getting Wellington out of farming and trusting farmers to deliver for New Zealand.

More like this

Working with farmers to ensure best outcomes

OPINION: Recent media commentary from Southland Federated Farmers has raised concerns among our rural communities, particularly around Environment Southland’s approach to winter grazing inspections and nitrogen reporting. But let’s be clear, much of what’s been said simply doesn’t reflect reality.

Editorial: Nitrate emergency?

OPINION: Environment Canterbury's (ECan) decision recently to declare a so-called “nitrate emergency” is laughable.

Federated Farmers slam Canterbury nitrate emergency

A shameless political stunt is how Federated Farmers is describing the Canterbury Regional Council decision to declare “a nitrate emergency” on the back of its latest annual groundwater quality survey.

Labour's pains

OPINION: After a run of bad polls and mixed economic news, PM Christopher Luxon was no doubt hoping for a bit of luck.

Featured

'One more push' to eliminate FE

Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on farmers from all regions to take part in the final season of the Sheep Poo Study aiming to build a clearer picture of how facial eczema (FE) affects farms across New Zealand.

Winston Peters questions Fonterra divestment plan

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.

Cyclone Gabrielle lessons from Young Grower of the Year

If there was a silver lining in the tragedy that was Cyclone Gabrielle, for New Zealand Young Grower of the Year, Grace Fulford, it was the tremendous sense of community and seeing first-hand what good leadership looks like.

National

Machinery & Products

Disc mower range gets upgrade

Kuhn has announced an expansion of its range of disc mowers, distributed by Norwood in New Zealand, with the addition…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Quid prod quo?

OPINION: Ageing lefty Chris Trotter reckons that the decision to delay recognition of Palestinian statehood is more than just a fit…

Deadwood

OPINION: A mate of yours truly recently met someone at a BBQ who works at a big consulting firm who spent…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter