Tuesday, 01 December 2020 12:55

Talk is cheap - Editorial

Written by  Staff Reporters
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke at the Primary Industries Summit last week. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke at the Primary Industries Summit last week.

OPINION: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delivered a ‘nice’ speech at last week’s Primary Industry Conference, organised and run by Federated Farmers.

 

Unfortunately, over the past term of government, the country has got used to the PM giving nice speeches, but not delivering much.

Housing, child poverty statistics and failing infrastructure are just three areas where Ardern talked a big game, but has delivered abysmally.

Let’s hope this stretch on the treasury benches is really her Government’s ‘term of delivery’.

As Ardern acknowledged in the speech, with her recent election victory – and the success of Labour in rural New Zealand – “comes huge responsibility”. The PM told the conference the vote meant a requirement by her Government “to work more closely with our rural communities” and that she wants to see more of this. She also claimed that she had “made it very clear to our all our MPs, as well as those in provincial seats, that the primary sector is a key partner and stakeholder for this Government.”

Again, all very nice words.

However, despite touching on a couple of points in the speech that are currently concerning rural NZ, Ardern failed to give any concrete answers that are desperately needed.

She glibly mentioned seasonal labour problems currently being experienced in the both the farming and horticultural sectors – exacerbated by her Government’s border closures – but failed to say what, if anything, she would actually do about it.

Then came the ‘elephant in the room’ – her Government’s new freshwater regulations. Despite numerous examples that these have been poorly thought out and totally impractical to implement in many situations, Ardern failed to properly address these failings.

Claiming that if some aspects of the regulations are found to be impractical to implement, “ministers will receive that advice with the view to making the regulations workable”.

Sorry, those are nothing but weasel words.

Ever since the new regulations came into law in September, accounts of the impracticality and impossibility of the new rules have flooded in from all around the country.

Yet all that Ardern’s involved ministers, David Parker and Damien O’Connor, have said is they may “tweak” some of the rules, if they feel like it. That is both arrogant and ignorant.

The PM’s failure to acknowledge this proves that she is – again – talking a good game, but not delivering.

More like this

Editorial: Keep FTAs coming

OPINION: The dairy industry will  be a major beneficiary of a new free trade deal between NZ and the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC).

Editorial: Testing times

OPINION: Our hearts go out to the farmers and rural communities in Southland and Otago who are battling an onslaught of adverse weather.

Featured

Massey Research Field Day attracts huge interest

More than 200 people turned out on Thursday, November 21 to see what progress has been made on one of NZ's biggest and most comprehensive agriculture research programmes on regenerative agriculture.

Expo set to wow again

Stellar speakers, top-notch trade sites, innovation, technology and connections are all on offer at the 2025 East Coast Farming Expo being once again hosted in Wairoa in February.

A year of global challenges

As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make an early November dash to Bologna to the 46th EIMA exhibition.

Boost for hort exports

The horticulture sector is a big winner from recent free trade deals sealed with the Gulf states, says Associate Agriculture Minister Nicola Grigg.

National

Winter grazing warning

Every time people from overseas see photographs of cows up to their hocks in mud it's bad for New Zealand.

ANZ defends farm lending rates

The country's largest lender to the agriculture sector says it's not favouring home loans over farm and business lending.

Machinery & Products

Expo set to wow again

Stellar speakers, top-notch trade sites, innovation, technology and connections are all on offer at the 2025 East Coast Farming Expo…

A year of global challenges

As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Review SOEs!

OPINION: NIWA has long weathered complaints about alleged stifling of competition in forecasting, and more recently, claims of lack of…

Bank reset

OPINION: Adding to calls to get banks to 'back off', NZ Agri Brokers director Andrew Laming has revealed that the…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter