Damien O’Connor Criticises Budget 2026 as ‘Miserable’ for Rural New Zealand
A miserable budget that didn’t deliver much for anyone.
OPINION: Claims by Damien O'Connor that his government's crazy plan for pricing and taxing farm emissions is "now open to consultation with the sector before a final decision is made" should be taken with a large grain of salt.
The supposed 'consultation' period closes on November 18, which has given the entire agriculture sector less than a month to respond to the Government's proposal.
This is true to form for this self-proclaimed 'most open and transparent government in NZ's history'.
Remember the 'consultation' it did with the sector over its freshwater reforms?
Or how about the 'consultation' it carried out with farmers over its winter grazing regulations?
And, of course, let's not forget the 'consultation' the Government recently conducted over its 3 Waters reforms, which ignored any criticism and shut out thousands of submissions against the changes!
The 2026 Holstein Friesian NZ Black & White Youth Auction has once again proven the strength of support behind the breed’s young people, raising $20,130 for the HFNZ Black & White Youth programme.
Westpac NZ has become the first New Zealand bank to receive approval from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) to secure and leverage kiwifruit growers' Zespri shares.
Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) and Pāmu (Landcorp Farming Limited) have developed a new way for landowners to earn revenue from existing native forests.
Despite near universal optimism in the rural sector, a panel of New Zealand’s leading food and agri minds caution that the sector must be intentional about its future path.
The dairy industry cannot rest on its laurels despite providing one in every four export dollars earned by the country, says DairyNZ chief executive Campbell Parker.
The Government is looking at intervening on behalf of Waikato farmers who face new regulations around agricultural land use while Resource Management Act (RMA) reforms are underway.

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