In a written statement, DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel, B+LNZ chair Andrew Morrison and Feds president Andrew Hoggard say they and their organisation’s chief executives have met to discuss how they can increase their future effectiveness and achieve value for money for farmers.
The statement says there are a number of significant consultations coming up that affect farmers – including on climate change and the development of regional plans.
“This reinforces the need to work even more closely together to maximise our united voices and achieve the best results for farmers,” it said.
They will work together to define each organisation’s role in advocacy, including co-ordinating activities and pooling individual strengths.
This will help farmers know who is doing what.
Advocacy activities will be prioritised, as significant environmental policy changes are expected in the next few years.
The aim is to establish a joint advocacy plan for each of the 16 regional and district plan consultation processes due to take place by 2024.
The plans will represent all farmers’ views and streamline advocacy activities, and where possible, a lead agency will be identified for each.
The organisations will work together on nutrient discharge.
“We will be developing an approach that deals with this issue in a fair and equitable way for all farmers,” the statement said.
“We prefer to develop our own solutions rather than see the government impose solutions on farmers.”
They also plan to deliver consistent messages on policy issues to central and local government.
“We believe this will have a greater impact on decision-makers and provide greater clarity for farmers and rural communities,” they said.
“We have some significant years ahead of us and a number of milestones to resolve. It’s important we are all united as a sector and we are committed to doing that.”
