Friday, March 29, 2024

PULPIT: Nation still relies on farming

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Just as a farming season flies past so does the political year. 
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It seems like only yesterday we were in the process of forming our coalition government but here we are approaching our first anniversary.

On a personal level it was an extraordinary experience coming straight from the farm to being an elected member of Parliament but also being thrown into the maelstrom of coalition negotiations. 

The options really did come down to a choice between a modified status quo and a vote for change.

New Zealand First is a party based on strong egalitarian values and we saw there was a genuine need for a rebalancing because while many were prospering, too many of our people were being left behind. 

The much vaunted Rockstar economy was largely a mirage, with most of the growth built on record population growth, the subsequent wealth effect of the resultant real estate boom and spiraling debt. 

Real wealth drivers such as productivity growth and exports as a percentage of GDP were in fact moribund and well behind our Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development peers.

While there might have been some initial concern in traditional blue voting circles I argue we have been a positive Government for agriculture and for rural NZ in general.

The most significant event in agriculture this term has been the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak. 

While elements of the response have rightly been questioned and some applications to the compensation process continue to be bogged down, there has never been any lack of commitment from the Government as it stepped up with its $886m eradication plan and support package. 

Only this week, further support was announced in the form of a recovery package to help farmers get back to business more quickly after being cleared of the infection. 

And getting Nait into an effective and fully-functioning system remains a top priority.

The reasons for the Government’s extensive support in addressing the outbreak is clear ─ we, as a nation, are still significantly reliant on farming to pay for our standard of living. 

The 11% increase in our primary exports over the past year to a record $42 billion supports that fact.

In my view, we are at the start of a period of change the likes of which we haven’t seen since the Rogernomics reforms of the mid to late 1980s. 

We face the prospect of farming within increasingly strict nutrient limits, animal welfare standards, the potential for being brought into an Emissions Trading Scheme as a response to meeting our Paris Climate Accord commitments and the re-ignition of the genetic engineering debate.

I believe most farmers accept social and consumer expectations are now higher than in the past. 

The emergence of sophisticated, synthetic proteins with huge financial backing, aided by your friendly national carrier, means we no longer have the luxury of resting on our laurels.

The test for us as a government is to make sure any changes are sensible and manageable and to acknowledge where progress has already been achieved. 

To that end, NZ First negotiated an initial limit of 5% to any inclusion of agriculture into an ETS. 

It is also why we have advocated so strongly for the One Billion Trees strategy. We are at heart a pragmatic party focused on actual outcomes.

Additionally, getting the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act legislation right to help secure the long-term future of Fonterra and having a more rational debate around water storage and irrigation are areas of importance in which we will be taking a strong interest.

Despite these challenges there is great opportunity for us to position ourselves at the top of the naturally-produced food chain. 

There is still far too much of our production heading offshore in commodity form and a genuine need to shift our focus to value over volume. 

Last week’s announcement of a $1.1 billion research and development tax incentive is a step in the right direction but I believe there is significantly more scope to showcase our NZ advantage and recapture our world-leading position, which is being eroded by the likes of Ireland. 

Work to increase research and development spending to 2% of GDP over 10 years is a key provision in the coalition agreement. The latest announcement puts us on the path to achieving our goal. 

As a NZ First MP I am proud of my party’s role in regenerating the regions. 

For too long, both main parties had become very Auckland-centric and ignored the areas where the real wealth of this country is created. 

Policies like the Provincial Growth Fund, the significant reallocation of road funding back towards local and regional roads and the provision for 1800 extra police will make meaningful differences to our rural communities.

On a personal level, I welcome the Government’s restrictions on foreign buyers of farmland because I believe stridently that we need to keep the pathway to farm ownership open for the next generation of young NZ farmers. 

I also progressed a Farm Debt Mediation Bill as a member’s bill. It has recently been picked up for development as Government policy set for introduction early in the New Year.

Despite what you read in the media, the coalition is functioning smoothly. 

While there is still much to do and the challenges are clear, farming is enjoying buoyant times and you have a coalition government firmly focused on making sure it continues to thrive into the future.

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