We can pick over the what-ifs and whys of the election results till the cows come home but the fact is, the people have spoken. Now, we all need to get on with it, and seek the best for New Zealand and New Zealanders.
Congratulations to Labour; it was a very comprehensive victory.
It was particularly pleasing to see existing MPs such as Jo Luxton, Kiri Allan and Kieran McAnulty do well in provincial seats as well as some others with a strong rural background becoming MPs. They have been positively engaged with Federated Farmers and farmers over the last three years, gaining significant respect from the primary sector. If they are rewarded with more responsibilities this is likely to strengthen the voice of rural communities within government.
There have been a number of significant “casualties” from the vote. Our commiserations and thanks for all of those who sought office and missed out. It’s no small undertaking to represent a community in Parliament.
I’d especially like to single out NZ First agriculture spokesperson Mark Patterson, who put his heart and soul into working for rural NZ.
So, what does the election result mean for farmers and Federated Farmers?
Firstly, it’s important to remember that we have increasing demand from overseas for our agricultural products and we have world-leading environmental sustainability for our production, on top of no government subsidies. We have a fantastic story to tell.
For most of 2020, and for each of the next few years, there will be a $10 billion-plus hole in the economy left by disruption to international tourism. The primary industries will be key to export earnings and our ability to start paying back some of the billions borrowed during the pandemic response.
Those simple facts mean the incoming government will need to be pragmatic around how they proceed. They need the primary sector to be prospering, not bunkering down for three years.
Federated Farmers is committed to a positive working relationship with the new administration. We share the vision for sustainability and environmental stewardship, now we have to work together to find the best and most practical way to achieve it.
The election result has given the Labour Party opportunity to work with farmers from the ground up, catchment by catchment, not with blanket rules that don’t take account of the particular topography, geography and production characteristics of different districts.
Our message to Jacinda Ardern and her new Cabinet is that the more your Government is able to minimise disruption to farmers’ livelihoods through smart and targeted regulations, or indeed staying out of it and letting current sustainability momentum continue, the better placed we will be to support regional economies and the national economy.
Significant changes, not mere tinkering, will be required if the freshwater regulations are to be fit for purpose and are to achieve the environmental improvements we all seek, in a way that enables the primary sector to prosper.
Federated Farmers’ two other top priorities are sensible policies to do with the RMA and climate change.
We seek a complete overhaul of the cumbersome and costly Resource Management Act, but with retention of the effects-based ethos, and the requirement to balance economic as well as environmental, social and cultural wellbeings. Regional and District Plans should provide a smoother and less expensive pathway for activities to occur, with any requirements for resource consent to be better aligned with the scale of the activity’s potential environmental impact. Given that both main parties signalled a desire to completely replace the RMA, then hopefully we will see action – and maybe even bi-partisan action – here.
We also want to see progress – but also recognition of the science – on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).
Latest scientific modelling concludes that biogenic methane reductions of 10% by 2050 are more than enough for NZ’s net livestock methane emissions to no longer contribute to additional global warming.
On these fronts and others, we need policies that are achievable, practical and well-grounded in science.
Once again – congratulations to all those who have gained office. We look forward to working with you in the three years ahead. There’s a mountain of work to do if we’re to achieve the right settings and certainty the primary sector needs to invest in the technology that will drive gains for production and the environment.
