The image of farming

Written By: - Date published: 10:10 am, January 25th, 2015 - 98 comments
Categories: Conservation, farming - Tags: ,

Update: Rachel on Twitter and Martyn Bradbury on TDB have accused me of defending farmers’ rape threats and similar. I was not aware of any such threats, and certainly would not defend them under any circumstances. That was never the intention of the post, as I hope is clear to other readers.

Anthony

Update2: Bradbury has updated his post at TDB and repeated the allegation that this post (original is below the line) is a defence of rape threats against Rachel Stewart. It is not: (1) I wasn’t even aware of the threats so I could hardly defend them, and (2) I condemn such threats utterly, as would any decent person. Bradbury is on some hate-fueled campaign against “The Standard”, but “The Standard” didn’t write this post, I did, my name is at the top. I find Bradbury’s repeated lies about me deeply and personally offensive. He has lost his way.

Anthony


Rachel Stewart this morning:

https://twitter.com/RFStew/status/559080813594042368

From the piece mentioned:

Farmers not exempt from country’s laws

There are a few tell-tale signs leading me to the conclusion that dairy farmers are very close to the brink.

What brink is that, you ask? It’s the brink of being totally “out and proud” about unashamedly asking Kiwis to subsidise them even more than we’re already doing. What subsidy is that, you ask? That’d be the one where public water resources are turned into private wealth generators via irrigation schemes, in such dairy-unfriendly land use environs as Canterbury. That’d also be the other massive subsidy where taxpayers and ratepayers are already on the hook for all manner of mitigation and cleanup programmes for degraded water quality. In fact, the true cost of even attempting to repair the damage to our rivers from dairying has only just begun. Yet, it seems the cockies want more.

Over the summer slow news period I have noticed a rather disturbing trend. It’s subtle, considering the general un-subtleness of farmers when engaged in their default whine position, but it’s there. …

And so on in a similar vein.

Berating farmers seems entirely unhelpful. They are in the front lines of the fight between economic and environmental imperatives, especially so here in NZ. There lives are only going to get more difficult – much more difficult – as climate change kicks in.

Yes, it’s a mystery to me, given that farming is so completely dependent on the environment, that farmers are not at the forefront of the environmental movement. Instead far too many of them refuse to follow best practice and fight against environment laws. The mindless campaign against the “fart tax” was a particular low, and symptomatic of all that is wrong with farming.

But there are exceptions. And the worst of farming is no worse than the worst of the rest of us – trying to make money, not taking the action that is needed to protect the future. It’s just that farmers are much more visible than the rest of us because of the large scale of their activities. In short, farmers are copping stick for doing what the rest of us are doing. We all need to change, not just them.

So while I think Stewart’s points are mostly valid, I don’t think the tone of the piece is helpful. Attack anyone and you get an angry, defensive response. Farming needs to change, and constructive engagement is the way to do it. Just as Nixon could go to China, it’s the National government’s role to lead this process (because sure enough if Labour try we’ll have tractors on the steps of Parliament again). Where are the so called “blue-greens” when you need them?

 

Hey Anthony, I fixed up the typo. Couldn’t cope with it 😉 [Bill]
Thanks for that Bill…

98 comments on “The image of farming ”

  1. Pete George 1

    Attack anyone and you get an angry, defensive response.

    Not necessarily but attacking rarely results in making progress.

    Farming needs to change, and constructive engagement is the way to do it.

    That applies to just about everything, not just farming.

    Yes, it’s a mystery to me, given that farming is so completely dependent on the environment, that farmers are not at the forefront of the environmental movement.
    What’s actually happening shouldn’t be a mystery.

    They mightn’t be at the forefront but they are aware of and working towards better environmental practices. Fonterra won’t take milk from farmers who don’t meet environmental standards.

    Effluent Management
    Every dairy farm is required to have effluent systems and management practices capable of 365-day compliance with regional council regulations. Farms are assessed each year during the annual Farm Dairy and Environmental Assessment to ensure they meet these standards. If required, Environmental Improvement Plans are agreed with farmers to ensure resolution of the issues identified and to future-proof systems as appropriate.
    The season-end numbers show a 23 percent reduction in effluent issues referred from on-farm Farm Dairy and Environmental Assessments. A total of 3,915 cases have been resolved for the programme to date (since August 2010), of which 1,516 were closed in the past financial year.

    Nitrogen Management
    Efficient nitrogen use can help reduce the risk of nutrient loss to surface and ground water. The Nitrogen Management Programme aims to let farmers know where their farm sits relative to peers for nitrogen conversion efficiency and nitrogen leaching loss risk. This year farmers who provided nitrogen records will receive a report showing their farm’s performance on these metrics

    Waterway Management
    Fonterra requires permanent exclusion of all stock from waterways on farms by 1 December 2013. A waterway is defined as a river, stream, drain, canal, lake or wetland that permanently contains water and is, at any time of the year, more than a meter wide and 30 centimeters deep. Using mapping technology, farms and waterways are mapped during the annual Farm Dairy and Environmental Assessment to ensure we can measure progress.

    Water Use Management
    The Water Use programme is a new programme that aims to promote water use measuring and monitoring to drive on-farm water use efficiency. As part of industry commitments (as outlined under the SDWA), Fonterra farmers will install water meters to help manage and protect this valuable resource.

    http://www.fonterra.com/nz/en/sustainability+platform/sustainable+dairying/new+zealand/new+zealand

    Some may not think it’s happening quickly enough but it’s improving and will continue to improve.

    Slagging all farmers off when most want to farm responsibly won’t achieve anything but acrimony.

    • millsy 1.1

      Farmers need to be shamed into pulling their finger out.

      Fouling the environment should be a crime against humanity, and those who facilitate it should really be dragged before the Hague.

      • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1

        +1

      • Poission 1.1.2

        Fouling the environment should be a crime against humanity, and those who facilitate it should really be dragged before the Hague.

        Indeed stop pissing in our rivers.

        https://home.greens.org.nz/press-releases/waikato-pipeline-must-be-reviewed-following-uk-research

        • phillip ure 1.1.2.1

          can i suggest that a reality-check on the history of farming/federated farmers vs. the environment..

          .is in that excellent doco from alister barry that screened the other week..

          ..in it you see the historical-footage of the environmental-villains..business/fed-farmers..gloating at their successes at rolling back/defeating any attempts to protect the environment from their predations..

          ..and no..not all farmers are the same..

          ..but that history..and their current subsidies/cawing for more..

          ..cannot be ignored when evaluating farming/farmers in toto..

          ..(and of course..they are also facing serious viability-of-industry disruption..on top of this ever-increasing international/local pressure to drop those subsidies to them..

          ..as just a starting-point..

          ..but i have banged on about that elsewhere..)

        • Richard Christie 1.1.2.2

          Indeed stop pissing in our rivers.

          Nah, rather be very wary of political press releases and newspaper articles that purport to analyse scientific research.

          Especially when no link or direct reference to the paper concerned is apparent. only quotes of those talking about it.

          These days the standard of science journalism is appallingly bad and political press releases are, … well, they are political press releases.

          All too often the scientific paper does not conclude what is reported.
          This press release is redolent of just that.

          Where science is concerned, always strive to seek out the primary sources.

      • Tom 1.1.3

        I agree 100%. I live in a rural area where most of the farmers I run into have a caviler attitude and feel its there Right to wealth and status regardless of the environmental cost not to mention the ‘slight of hand’ done for the land freehold a 150 years ago. Then factor in the animal cruelty and you have a melting pot of Greed-O-Nomics pinned on the back of a ‘God save the queen’ mindset. Time for change……!!!!

    • joe90 1.2

      Fonterra won’t take milk from farmers who don’t meet environmental standards.

      Don’t meet the standards – Open Country won’t mind.

      • Naki man 1.2.1

        “Fonterra won’t take milk from farmers who don’t meet environmental standards.

        Don’t meet the standards – Open Country won’t mind”

        You are probably right, also sheep and beef farmers are not required to fence their waterways.

        • b waghorn 1.2.1.1

          I think it is time dry stock farmers fenced cattle out of rivers were practical, I don’t have to go far in a kayak to see cattle in the whanganui around Taumarunui .
          It needs to be done with common sense though because of the nature of the land we farm on.

          • Draco T Bastard 1.2.1.1.1

            As I understand it, NZ is the only Western country that still allows stock free access to rivers. All the rest have strict regulations about it. And it needs to be all farm stock kept out of our rivers and not just some.

            • b waghorn 1.2.1.1.1.1

              Like this article touches on its all in the delivery if you come out from on high rant and raving you won’t get far .
              Why not start with the main rivers in a time frame that’s affordable and achievable and work you way into the hills from there.

              • Draco T Bastard

                Read that a few times now and it still fails to make any sense. Obviously when a law is passed requiring the fencing of all rivers and water ways to keep stock out of them there would also be a time frame for that fencing to be done.

                • b waghorn

                  Just thought I’d put it there as I recall you once recommending stopping farming in Canterbury and planting trees for fine furniture so I’m not sure you’re that logical.

    • Rosemary McDonald 1.3

      “They mightn’t be at the forefront but they are aware of and working towards better environmental practices.”

      Oh, Pete, mate.

      Bullshit.

      Responding to your comment is distracting me from my actual job today, which is to write a letter to the editor of our local (semi rural) paper in response to a half page advertisement for a helicopter spraying company offering a great deal on fungicide spraying for facial eczema prevention.

      Waikato here. Read dairy farming.

      The fact that the fungicide in question has been effectively banned in the US and Canada, heavily restricted in the EU and the Australian Government has also withdrawn or severely restricted its use seems to carry no weight here, in Godzone.

      The fungicide is called carbendazim. The Aussies demand that the Label reads

      “‘Contains carbendazim which causes birth defects and (irreversible) male infertility in laboratory animals. Avoid contact with carbendazim.’

      The Aussie document talks about various application methods…but not aerial application. Could it be that our trans Tasman cousins are not so reckless to load this shit into helicopters and spray it with little to no controls?

      The Waikato Regional Council has an extraordinarily permissive stance with agrichemical use., refusing to place limits on how close to a neighbour’s property the helicopter can spray. Right up to a neighbour’s boundary is fine.

      The Bay Of Plenty Regional Council is a little bit more proscriptive….

      Distance (metres) from sensitive areas….Aerial application…with adequate shelter belt…100m, without adequate shelter belt, 300m.

      So, in a region of the country where dairy is king…just about anything goes.

      N.B. Various zinc products, as well as good pasture management are by far superior methods for facial eczema control. The cost of the zinc products has increased as peripherals in the dairy industry claim a lager share of the milk cheque. The cost of carbendazim has understandably decreased as, well, not many other countries want a bar of it. Carbendazim’s mode of action is such that resistance develops quickly. Using more, or higher concentrations, is only going to increase the risk to those who will inevitably be victims of off target application.

      Thanks, Pete. Helped to get myself sorted….of to works I go…

      • Saarbo 1.3.1

        Interesting!…a lot of this is being spread around our region currently.

        • Rosemary McDonald 1.3.1.1

          Which region Saarbo? Be advised that carbendazim is a systemic fungicide. Any crop sprayed (either intentionally or otherwise) must NOT be harvested inside the listed (on the product label or MSDS) witholding period. It won’t wash off. The EU managed an effective ban on carbendazim for apples and pears by lowering the Maximum Residue Limit to a level that growers would be unable to achieve. Carbendazim residues had been found in processed baby food.

          Carbendazim is a known mutagen. It targets rapidly dividing cells and has been proven to cause damage to human lymphocytes in concentrations much, much lower than the application rate.

          Very scary shit.

      • Murray Rawshark 1.3.2

        The miners run Oz. They get whatever they want. Dairy and bankstering run Aotearoa, and they get whatever they want.

    • Chooky 1.4

      +100 good points Pete George

      ..actually the water conservation initiative needs to come from central government …i think we could take a few lessons from France here….from what I understand areas/regions have govt controls on what agriculture/viticulture/ horticulture is most most suited and sustainable to particular regions

      R&D needs to be given to farmers within the specified regions as to what farming/crops/seeds are best for that area and finance and marketing initiatives need to be allocated and spearheaded accordingly

      ….dairying in unsuitable , unsustainable areas which despoils the environment and trashes waterways and rivers for the economics of the tourist industry and other NZers quality of living and recreation is crazy!!!

      • One Anonymous Bloke 1.4.1

        I particularly like the part where the beige parrot tells lies, pretending that “all farmers” are being slagged off.

        Or where he decries attack politics when he’s up to his neck in shit on Open Mike.

        No wait, those are just examples of the beige parrot’s rank deceitful hypocrisy. Still, you can fool some of the people all of the time.

    • David Haynes 1.5

      Pete
      Fonterra are legally obliged to collect all milk from their co-operative members, only in exceptional cases will they refuse to pay for it. Throughout years of RMA breaches and right up to the conviction on non-compliance of Marlborough dairy farmer Phillip Woolley Fonterra continued to collect and pay for his milk.

      Corporate mega-dairy, often overseas owned, has little respect for the environment, why else would they continue to saturate the soil with excess urea and superphosphates and irrigate during the height of the day when the majority of water evaporates…answer, because the cost of water and environmental damage is paid by the tax payer.

    • Andrea 1.6

      Do any farmers, particularly in marginal areas, use Yeomans’ Keyline system for water harvesting?

      And, can we please make some remedial moves on stopping the import of palm kernel products? It might mean temporary income for countries such as Indonesia, yet it’s a death knell for valuable and protective forests. Can we no longer grow enough affordable emergency feed for stock in this country? Or breed better varieties of durable forage such as lucerne?

      Seems we’re shifting our legitimate costs of farming off shore to poorer countries.

  2. ghostwhowalksnz 2

    Pleeeease pete!!!!

    Not that old “Fonterra wont take milk if they dont meet the highest environmental standards” nonsense.

    In the Ruataniwha dam hearings it was established that those provisions have NEVER been applied. And there have been many of the worst of the worst dairy farmers prosecuted over the years, and Fonterra just sent their tankers to pick up every day.

    Dairying is a business for most – but not all- and when times are hard they will cut corners to make money. The day of reckoning is a long way away when the wolf in bankers clothing is at the door now.

    Youre a smart guy , to pedal this nonsense is un- beliveable!

  3. Ergo Robertina 3

    ‘Attack anyone and you get an angry, defensive response. Farming needs to change, and constructive engagement is the way to do it.’

    No, while I also disliked the tone of Ms Stewart’s piece, there’s a place for anger in journalism and editorial comment. It seems odd you take issue with that, given you think it’s legitimate for angry comment to generate an ”angry defensive response”.
    The free speech issue has been high profile after Charlie Hebdo, with everyone from the Pope to reactionary liberals expressing the view violent retaliation is an acceptable response to criticism. And there was violence implied in the note to the writer.
    My own view is that NZ was unprepared for the wave of debt that inflated the sector and pushed people to unwise actions to pursue unrealistic returns. I blame the banks, the Government, Federated Farmers.
    I grew up on a farm, and some practices were not good for the environment, but the difference was you had no choice but to accept limits imposed by the environment. Plus just about everything was recycled, and you walked everywhere you could rather than take a vehicle.
    I recently visited our old farm, a dairy conversion; it was lush and green, a surreal sight, given that land was dry and brown every summer, let alone in a drought year. It’s scary.

  4. so basically you’re saying the arguments are mostly valid, but she should have been nicer about it.

    i’ll assume you don’t know that the writer has been threatened with rape & death
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/65378670/Police-investigate-threat-to-columnist-Rachel-Stewart

    because the alternative assumption is pretty horrible – deliberately omitting this information while criticising the journalist’s tone makes it almost seem as though you are inviting us to excuse this despicable conduct.

    • greywarshark 4.1

      @ small-rorquer
      Who is this ‘you’ you are directing your attention to? It would be good to know. Is it Pete George? Please advise. Other people read the threads besides the writers so it is good if you can be clear what comment you are referring to.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 4.1.1

        Pretty obvious the criticism is directed at R0b’s remarks, not the beige parrot.

        • small-torquer 4.1.1.1

          that’s correct.

          • Once wasTim 4.1.1.1.1

            ….. I have to agree with your stance. It’s a shame many haven’t yet recognised that a lot of the ills in the world have often been inflicted on populations by ‘thoroughly nice’ people. (Those deemed charismatic for example – such as our Proim Munster; the austerity and the results we see in Greece – a quarter of the people unemployed with youth unemployment at half …… they were thoroughly “NICE’ people). I recommend watching the latest BBC world debate from Davos – there’s some thoroughly ‘Nice’ people on the panel – some even telling us all how we should just pull our socks up.
            I think I should stock up on some cheep and nasty Chardonnay to give away as this year’s Xmas presents. I have to wonder how far and wide around NZ the author of this piece has travelled – I’ve no doubt intentions are great and well-intentioned. I think we should recognise however that there are many in the world, and increasingly in NZ who are ENTITLED to be thoroughly pissed off.
            …… Oh btw – Jim Mora, Guyon Espiner, Susie, Matthew et al are ‘thoroughly nice’ people too – they’re just full of shit

            • Once wasTim 4.1.1.1.1.1

              ….. in short, I think its about time parties of the “left” were a lot ‘NICER’ towards the people they purport to represent. They won’t gain traction until they do – but then there’s a tiny wee exercise going on in Greece that might give them an indication that all is, and has not been well with namby pamby weak as gnats piss throw-a-carrot-or-two hand-wringing ‘leftists’. (Wasn’t that long ago they were ‘centrist’ – well half a lifetime ago anyway)
              …….creeping fascism anyone? ….. it’s a fine line when thoroughly nice totalitarians come to power.
              At least Fletch has gone – a step too far…. a good result for his ‘family reasons’ and for the rest of us

    • Ergo Robertina 4.2

      Well said.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 4.3

      Death threats in pursuit of political aims are terrorism, aren’t they? Silly me, not when it’s National Party owners making them. Has anyone been arrested over the National Party swamp kauri bleach attack yet?

      • Murray Rawshark 4.3.1

        It was pretty obvious that the lefty hand wringing council bureaucrat attacked himself to bring Oravida into disrepute. Probably a bit like Tania arranging a home invasion on behalf of the Greens. Please stop spreading your nasty Marxist lies.
        Signed
        DPF

    • Murray Rawshark 4.4

      I agree. We should not blame the writer for the response she has had. She was hardly offensive in what she wrote.

    • I have to agree with this comment. Criticising Stewart’s “tone” (as though there’s any way to criticise farming in NZ without having people call for your head) is petty and feeds into a lot of boring old sexist tropes about how women are allowed to express their opinions.

      Besides, not much social progress was ever achieved by politely asking the powerful to be a bit nicer.

      • Sirenia 4.5.1

        I agree with Stephanie. Rachel is very brave speaking out against such a powerful lobby group and has had some very nasty feedback, not just for this column but also for her regular columns on environmental issues.

  5. Draco T Bastard 5

    Farming needs to change, and constructive engagement is the way to do it.

    We tried that, it didn’t work.

    The 5th Labour government was going to regulate their actions and to restrain their ability to pollute but they said that they would clean up their act and that they didn’t need regulating. Nearly 15 years later and our waterways are still getting worse due to the farmers.

    If they don’t like the image that they have nor the stick that they’re getting for it then they only have themselves to blame. They should have cleaned up their act when they said they would.

    • Colonial Rawshark 5.1

      Labour could easily have constrained levels of farm debt – hence the drive to convert unsuitable land to dairy farms – but that would have hurt the “economic growth” that they were after.

      • Molly 5.1.1

        Interesting blog article from 2009 (after the crash) about Amish farming – and their resilience to highs and lows.

        “At the time when the national banking fraternity was on its knees in Washington, begging for money, news all over the media reported that Hometown Heritage bank in Lancaster County, Pa., was having its best year ever. Hometown Heritage may be the only bank in the world, surely one of the few, that has drive-by window service designed to accommodate horses and buggies. Some 95% of the bank’s customers are Amish farmers. The banker, Bill O’Brien, says that he has not lost a penny on them in 20 years. They obviously don’t have auto loans to pay off and do not use credit cards. They might not need bank loans at all except to buy farmland, which especially in Lancaster County, has risen almost insanely in price. O’Brien says he is doing about a hundred million dollars worth of business in farm loans. To further make the point, an obscure law does not allow banks to bundle and sell mortgages on farms and homes that are not serviced by public electric utilities.

        There is plenty in this situation for economists to contemplate, but what struck me the most was the fact that these farmers are buying farm land that can cost them ten thousand dollars per acre or sometimes more, and paying for it with horse farming. And because of their religion, the Amish do not accept farm subsidies that keep many “modern” farms “profitable.” “

        Traditional farmers probably had similar connection and investment in the long-term health of the land, and aversion to unnecessary debt. But it would have been hard to avoid the change to high-tech and high-debt that has happened over the last few decades.

        Would be interesting to see if many Amish mortgages are defaulted, and I’m guessing employment in those communities are close to 100%.

        • Colonial Rawshark 5.1.1.1

          I suspect the Amish run large parallel systems of alternative economy for which dollar transactions are not necessary. This communitarian approach is what we have to start focussing on in NZ. Very interesting that they can afford to buy farm land at top prices though, and are willing to go into debt to do so.

          • phillip ure 5.1.1.1.1

            “.. large parallel systems of alternative economy for which dollar transactions are not necessary..”

            these have built up over last five yrs in greece..

            ..from medical to dental to all professions/needs..

            (and really..that they have done this in greece..just shows how shit the left (with some exceptions) is here..

            ..in actually organising practical-help for those they purport to represent..

            ..most of the ‘left’ just retire to academia/teaching etc..between elections..and are actually well-removed from the day-to-day suffering of the poor..)

            ..and the (expected) incoming far-left govt in greece..

            ..has promised to swing in behind these de-facto organisations..

            ..i tell ya..!..greece is gonna get really exciting..

            ..and those here..including farmers/farming..who just think we here will be sleepwalking to 2017..are wrong..

            ..i don’t think that is going to be the case..

            ..international seachanges/quakes will drive politics here..

            ..and for farmers/farming..they are in total denial if they don’t recognise that international/consumer-pressures will see their polluting-subsidies ripped away..and more and more pressure to farm ‘clean’..

            (..as they should be..)

            ..and this will drive many of them into the arms/not-so-gentle minstrations of the bankers..

            ..if history repeats..it it the bankers and the stock and station agents who will ‘clean up’..

            ..they were the big-winners in the great depression..

            ..i can’t see why that won’t happen again..

            ..the most-leveraged picked off first..

          • Molly 5.1.1.1.2

            There was some terrible reality TV programme that I saw online (perhaps Youtube), where “Englisher” teenagers lived in Amish communities and this was reciprocated by having Amish teenagers living in a mainstream modern household.

            The part of the one episode I did watch, was the trip to the mall for the young Amish woman that was intended to show her all that she was missing. She lasted for about five minutes and then left to wait in the carpark. “Too much stuff in there, why would you need it?”.

            That response could have been easily predicted, but it was the expression on the face of the mother, who seemed to have had a small but important epiphany. Instead of trying to resurrect the failed consumer outing, they all returned to the car and headed home – to do something other than shopping.

            • Descendant Of Sssmith 5.1.1.1.2.1

              Aye there was a similar incident when some men from Papua New Guinea were taken to England to try and visit their Queen.

              They were taken to a mall to buy clothing and those making the documentary were surprised at the care with what they selected and the few items.

              They only bought what was useful and needed despite being able to buy much, much more if they wanted.

      • Chooky 5.1.2

        +100 CR

      • Andrea 5.1.3

        And some enterprising blokes would have become a consortium to get past the rules of the game. Go back to the Dark Past of the BNZ and see how the Great and Good can helix the rules that would stop you and me in our tracks.

        Mates’ rates and the In crowd. That’s what runs this country; rules not withstanding.

  6. Bill 6

    They (farmers) are in the front lines of the fight between economic and environmental imperatives,…

    Utterly irreconcilable imperatives Rob. One set of those imperatives has to go. Make the wrong choice and both go.

    Now, farmers are hooked to the wrong imperatives. Their business, just like any other business, is the business of making money where, for them, the supplying of food is a secondary consideration – a by-product as it were.

    I agree that farmers shouldn’t be singled out on this front and that many readers of these comments, who claim concern about AGW, can stand properly accused and condemned of rank hypocrisy given their day to day money earning activities.

    • These imperatives are not always in conflict. Environmentally sustainable farming can be very profitable for the farmer. But it cuts out a number of input supply businesses (eg fixing N from the atmosphere instead of buying it in bags) and those are the guys who get govt co-funding for ag research. This mutes the market signals pushing us towards sustainable farming. It is happening though.

      • Bill 6.1.1

        If you put AGW and the need to drastically reduce CO2 emissions aside, then yes, sustainable farming in a market economy can yield returns.

        But when you put AGW back onto the table, then the simple, inescapable fact is that economic growth is wholly incompatible with reducing CO2 emissions at anything like the rate we need to be. (That comes from simply looking at reduction levels economists say is compatible with economic growth and comparing them to what the science says we must do)

        • small-torquer 6.1.1.1

          I know this is the commonly held view, but it is at least highly suspect.

          Biological farming methods can grow soil (i.e. increase humus stocks) while also throwing off plenty of saleable product. You can’t increase soil humus without also adding carbon to the soil.

          Sustainable farming is already profitable, and would be more profitable if its full contribution to climate change was recognised.

          Here’s a starter to the topic
          http://www.amazon.com/The-Soil-Will-Save-Scientists/dp/1609615549

          • Bill 6.1.1.1.1

            I think your missing the point. When economists say that emissions can only be reduced at (say) 5% per annum in order to protect economic growth and scientists are saying we must reduce by (say) 10% per annum, then something has to give….ie, either the market economyor the environment… or both, if we attempt to preserve the former.

          • weka 6.1.1.1.2

            I agree that sustainable soil science and farming is a saving grace. But even that has natural limits, and I’m not aware of anyone who’s managing without external inputs reliant on FF.

            If you are talking about farming to produce food for locals with small amounts of exports to elsewhere in NZ, and very small amounts of exports offshore, then I agree, it’s possible to make a decent living. But it would be in a steady state economy not a growth one.

            If you are talking about using biological farming to export milk powder to China, then I doubt that it can be done (financially). Plus there are still significant issues with irrigation.

  7. Saarbo 7

    I support Rachel Stewart dishing it out to farmers, 100%, quite frankly this is the type of language that many farmers will sit up and take notice of…Good stuff Rachel Stewart! She’s been involved with FF, she knows how to talk to cockies.

    and this:

    What subsidy is that, you ask? That’d be the one where public water resources are turned into private wealth generators via irrigation schemes, in such dairy-unfriendly land use environs as Canterbury

    Is spot on the mark…free water to make a fortune all while polluting New Zealanders waterways…that’s wrong, very wrong.

    • Chooky 7.1

      Saarbo +100…have to agree…but the responsibility is ultimately with good government and conservation and agriculture law making at a national level …and this we have NOT had either from Labour or National

      • Saarbo 7.1.1

        Agree Chooky. and I think what we are seeing from Anthony Robins is a realpolitik response to a very powerful lobby group, farmers stand together in strong solidarity ……but also bloody important to have the very courageous Rachel Stewart’s speaking their mind…not many brave journos out there these days.

        • Chooky 7.1.1.1

          yes and have heard that six dairy farmers have committed suicide recently
          …whether this is true or not i don’t know….but clearly the government at a national level needs to help with support for diversification …R@D and marketing is crucial….laissez faire capitalism and wrecking the environment for farming with unsustainable resources during climate change is on a hiding to no where

  8. Ad 8

    Very graceful there R0b. Spot on messaging.

    The regions have told Labour and the Greens in sharp electoral terms that their current attitude doesn’t work and is not respected. The electorate seat map shows how far apart we now are.

  9. Bill 9

    Oh well. Spilt milk and bubbles.

    “The abolition of milk quotas will result in a lower market price and a reduction of producers’ incomes. It is likely that a rise in EU exports post-quota could possibly cause a downturn in world prices and heavily impact upon an already fragile and volatile sector.”

    http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/24/dairy-farmers-warned-milk-prices-fall-further

  10. weka 10

    Berating farmers seems entirely unhelpful. They are in the front lines of the fight between economic and environmental imperatives, especially so here in NZ. There lives are only going to get more difficult – much more difficult – as climate change kicks in.

    I don’t think so. If farmers are a victim here, it’s of the system that ties them into big debt and having to sell into markets that they have little control over. Some farmers choose otherwise, they choose to farm more sustainably and to find other ways to sell their produce. Which begs the question of why most don’t. I think if that was investigated it would show that some farmers can’t (too much debt, no way out), but that many could choose differently and don’t. In the past they could be excused for not knowing the alternatives, but when their neighbours are successfully farming sustainably and being ignored, that’s willful ignorance. I think the farm advisors and the govt departments involved are hugely to blame for this as well.

    Beyond that, we aren’t into the hard CC stuff yet. The droughts we are experiencing are hugely exacerbated by land management practices. When you chop down all the trees, overgraze, and manage waterways so that water flows fast in rivers and no longer stays in the landscape, you create drought. Further, artificial fertiliser use is a chemical fertility that damages the soil microbia. When you do this for long enough, the soil degrades towards dirt, dries out and it won’t hold any additional moisture as well (hence flooding). That and ploughing (which exposes soil to air and thus drying, as well as killing off more microbes) create drought.

    We know this because all over the world there are farmers who farm biologically not chemically, and they don’t experience the same problems with drought that conventional farmers do. This is even true in NZ.

  11. Pete George 11

    We know this because all over the world there are farmers who farm biologically not chemically, and they don’t experience the same problems with drought that conventional farmers do.
    Really?

    More than 13 million people are still in urgent need of food and assistance after the worst drought to hit East Africa in 60 years.

    http://www.rescue.org/drought-east-africa

    They don’t farm biologically in East Africa?

    • One Anonymous Bloke 11.1

      Drought-resistant agriculture does not prevent drought conditions developing, you bland Psittacine.

      • weka 11.1.1

        Yeah, it kinda does. See my explanation here http://thestandard.org.nz/the-image-of-farming/#comment-956768

        Much of what we call drought is actually human-induced via unsustainable land use. Once you start farming sustainably, then you look at resiliency and whether what you are doing will survive extremes (dry, flood, wind).

        Am happy to provide some examples if there is interest. The difference between conventional farming and regenag/biological farming is significant and needs to be understood very soon beyond the niche it’s in now.

        • Pete George 11.1.1.1

          Any sort of farming would have severe difficulty in the drought conditions that are common in Central and North Otago and Canterbury.

          In many areas no irrigation would mean no sustainable farming.

          Modern farming – easy transporting of fodder and stock between regions – also makes it easier to manage most drought conditions.

          • Draco T Bastard 11.1.1.1.1

            In many areas no irrigation would mean no sustainable farming.

            To a large degree, needing irrigation indicates that your farming is unsustainable.

          • Chooky 11.1.1.1.2

            my grandparents farmed without irrigation and the farmer generations before them…they also lived frugally and within their means…what is required is more R & D and intelligent diversification with central govt support for marketing and finding markets…in many cases a little irrigation will go a long way eg to get vineyards/plants/trees started but then no more irrigation is required once they are established

          • One Anonymous Bloke 11.1.1.1.3

            Any sort of farming Says who? Whose opinion are you plagiarising this time?

          • weka 11.1.1.1.4

            Any sort of farming would have severe difficulty in the drought conditions that are common in Central and North Otago and Canterbury.

            Nope. eg here’s a five minute slide show of a project in Jordan that established food production via trees in the first four months. Jordan is one of the driest places on earth, far drier than the 3 places you name.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sohI6vnWZmk

            Then there’s this 2,000 year old food forest in Morocco. Similar rainfall and temperatures to Alexandra which I think is the hottest (and probably driest) place in NZ.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hftgWcD-1Nw

            In many areas no irrigation would mean no sustainable farming.

            Depends on what you mean by irrigation. Central, North Otago and Canterbury are largely quite degraded landscapes, and water is certainly needed to restore them, but many of those places have sufficient rainfall and water to sustain plants and animals once the ecologies are re-established, with the drier places using small amounts of water from lakes and rivers. Low rainfall is a problem if you do the things I talk about in my original comment. It’s far less of a problem if you know how to work with natural systems. Lots of the dry places in NZ used to have wetlands and/or forest in them, but they’ve been destroyed.

            Modern farming – easy transporting of fodder and stock between regions – also makes it easier to manage most drought conditions.

            Completely dependent on fossil fuels, which creates more drought long term. See how that work? Besides, at the moment the freezing works are being overrun by farmers killing stock they can’t keep alive. Nowhere remotely close to sustainable. But then I suspect you don’t know what is being meant by sustainable farming here (hence your East Africa comment).

            • Chooky 11.1.1.1.4.1

              +100 weka ….those links are very interesting indeed!….what alternative crops/farming would you recommend for NZ’s dry areas?…would there be markets for the products/produce of this alternative farming?

              Farmers are pragmatic people. They need to see that the alternatives work and can make them a reasonable living

    • weka 11.2

      “They don’t farm biologically in East Africa?”

      I doubt they do across the board, but perhaps you could narrow it down a bit? Do you even know what I was talking about?

      If you are going to look at East Africa and why people are starving, you need to look at political and social contexts as well. But I’m guessing that there are large parts of East Africa that have been subjected to war, colonisation, enforced cash crop economies, and unsustainable land management practices. You get some dry years on top of that and you’re screwed.

      • Colonial Rawshark 11.2.1

        Many of those areas of Africa have not fully recovered from colonial and foreign intervention. Corruption amongst the leadership class is rife – and encouraged by foreign governments and corporations with deep pockets.

    • Andrea 11.3

      Not while dodging Blokes Behaving Badly and stupid ‘religious’ oubursts. No. Farming is somewhat difficult under those circumstances.

  12. Weepus beard 12

    Great piece from Rachel Stewart and the righties must agree because that is exactly the same language they use. I think she is spot on.

    Disappointed she didn’t add that farmers are some of the very worst employers in the country and even their parent body, Federated Farmers, has acknowledged their abysmal attitude and performance.

    But, that is a whole ‘nother thread, isn’t it?

  13. vto 13

    This mornings Press and the main opinion page has an article about why farmers needs alpine water storage (i.e. more dams in the east of the south island). It was penned by the organisation NZ Irrigation. (link not up yet…)

    With eyes out for lies and distortion, it came in the second paragraph where the writer claimed that we are having one of the better summers (for holiday-makers) in decades. Yes, apparently in decades. I guess that means 30-50 years…. really? I don’t think so. I think the writer has ‘exaggerated’ for his own purposes – quelle surprise…

    But quite how you could rely on anything to do with irrigation by NZ Irrigation I do not know. It is like asking Auckland developers how the RMA should be reviewed.

    • mickysavage 13.1

      Minister Amy Adams’ financial interests in irrigation are rather large …

      • vto 13.1.1

        So too are the entire National Partys given that is where much of their support base comes from…

        How can you expect a National-led government to do the right thing when their interests are aligned with irrigation to such a ridiculous extent?

        Impossible to believe anything they say

        • Jimmy 13.1.1.1

          Really, with only approx 14,000 dairy farmers in the country I dont think they have much political clout with any party.
          A large suburb in Auckland probably is more worthwhile for a vote hungry political party.
          The days of National being the farmers party is over.

          • One Anonymous Bloke 13.1.1.1.1

            Translation: the National Party costs so much more to buy these days, and they don’t even stay bought.

  14. vto 14

    r0b, your sentiment is commendable but that is all…..

    The problem of course is what is at stake, and by that I mean money, not the environment. It is just impossible to beat the odds when the system is so heavily stacked with guides and norms and banks and human greed (which we all suffer from I suggest) and RMA’s and regional councils ……

    Until these things are legislated appropriately and enforced then the improvements will never gain on the degradations.

    …………………..
    and might I repeat myself to highlight the nature of the problem – farmers have always claimed they want to leave the land better than when they got it. However, despite claiming this for generations the evidence is that each generation has worsened the land. The land is worse now than it was 20 years ago in 1995..

    and worse then than it was in 1975
    and worse then than it was in 1955
    and worse then that it was in 1925
    on it goes

    .. .. ..
    I have no problem with harsh language being employed in these circumstances. They have had generations to do what they claim rather than the opposite. Farmers know better than anyone that you reap what you sow. It is tough but that’s life.

  15. Sacha 15

    Fed Farmers say their former Whanganui Chair’s complaints are serious and should be handled by Police – http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/264459/threat-to-columnist-%27should-be-handled-by-police%27

    • weka 15.1

      They’ve changed their tune then.

      I hope someone republishes the tweets, name and shame the elected Fed Farmer officials who did this.

  16. saveNZ 16

    When people think of farmers in NZ they always think of (rich) diary farmers. Farmers running dry stock like sheep, are normally pretty poor, I think average income under $20k pa for sheep farmers.

    There are many types of farmers in this country, farming forests, horticulture, bloodstock, sheep, lifestyle farming etc.

    Most incomes from farms are very low and it is hard work, long hours and all the value is in their land. Land Rates are high and so are capital costs, there is a lot climatic disruption. If they are doing it for just farming and don’t want to sell their land and speculate with it, it is hard to make a living.

    The alternative to farmland, is that the farm land is sold and then turned into housing. Well not sure how much housing estates are better for the environment?

    My point, is that farming is not all bad and much of it good and their are different types of farmers. The government did the deal in Canterbury and it benefits just a few farmers and not all farmers agree with it.

    • Chooky 16.1

      +100…and many farmers would regard themselves as conservationists…eg QEII Trust covenants, tree planting, careful and scarce use of water etc…this is of course spoilt by others who give them a bad name

    • weka 16.2

      @saveNZ, I agree with a lot of that, and think we need to be better at differentiating different kinds of farming as well as different kinds of farmers.

      “Farmers running dry stock like sheep, are normally pretty poor, I think average income under $20k pa for sheep farmers.”

      That’s a bit misleading though. If you own a farm that pays for your housing and other living costs, then then $20K looks a bit different. Annual income needs to be understood relative to expenses.

      I’m sure there are farmers who are struggling just like everyone else, and there are plenty who are doing ok, just like everyone else. One of the issues here is that the expectations from farming seems to have shifted. How much is about making a living as opposed to making excess profit (ie accruing capital)? And what standard of living do most farmers want or expect?

    • JanM 16.3

      Tning is, it’s the rich dairy farmers that make all the noise!

  17. Michael 17

    With a bit of luck and some good management, the downturn in demand for milk products gives us the chance to put this industry on a sustainable footing. FWIW, I reckon the real villains in this are the banks and finance companies that load dairy farmers up to the eyeballs with debt (including interest rates), such that the cockies have little option but to wreck the environment in order to make the repayments.

  18. vto 18

    Today’s polemic rant from yet another Fed Farmers officer ….

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/opinion/65442334/stop-putting-boot-into-farmers-over-drought

    There are most of the main issues in there of course, but the elephant in the room imo, is the over-arching theme about taking from / altering the environment to suit farming. In this regard the writer points to the most cows in Israel and the biggest dairy farm in Saudi Arabia, both dry places of course, as if these somehow provide an argument for doing what is being done in NZ i.e. altering and eating the environment… “they are doing it so why aren’t we?”. That is no argument. At all.

    We have been eating and altering the environment for the last 150 years (and further back prior to Euro and Asian invasion). The effects have been severely degraded rivers, virtually zero forests left with subsequent plant and animal life extinguishment, the list goes on.

    Why are we continuing to eat the environment when we have seen the effects and are doing way too little to reverse things?

    The writers view is understandable when it comes from his subjective position however it completely misses the big picture – you know, the one that involves leaving a better place for our mokopuna, which we in NZ have never done! We have never left the land in better condition than when we got it. In 150 years. Sobering fact that we should dwell on.

    How about this – we ban all bare land and let mother nature revert. Imagine NZ with full native bush cover. Incredible. Mind-blowing. (of course there are some issues to be dealt with in such a plan)….. *sigh*

  19. The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 19

    Bradbury accuses R0b of being in the middle. Does that sting, R0b?

  20. sir pat 20

    “What subsidy is that, you ask? That’d be the one where public water resources are turned into private wealth generators via irrigation schemes, in such dairy-unfriendly land use environs as Canterbury”…..exactly….i live near the rakaia river which is getting getting more and more sucked out of it……i have a well which is attached to my 135 year old house…..its run dry twice but thankfully returned on its own…{just a windmall driven shallow well}…..river access is being taken away with gates and giant hay bales and the stench of dairy effluent is often smelled as one drives around.
    Appointed ECAN people do everything they can to not have info in the public eye and support anything and everything dairy……many wells or aquifers have high nitrate loadings.
    this area will support sheep cattle and food with much less fert and water loadings…esp food…..water should be restricted to support food production not the mindless drowning of paddocks to just grow grass for feckin milk powder……and yes folks say less and less because of the screaming and bully boy tactics of federated farmers and their ilk…..land is no longer a privelege to own but just a commodity.
    we need to get more vocal like this lady and STOP for crying out loud just being “puter protesters” and pandering to these feckin ogliarchs…..dont let one man or woman stand out their alone…..get organised…..these bastards are wrecking the earth and stealing YOUR water for personal profit….enuff said

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    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
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    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
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    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
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    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
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    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
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    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
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    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
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    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
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    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
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    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
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    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
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    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
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    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
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    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
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    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
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    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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