Federated Farmers need to cut the crap
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- Date published:
1:09 pm, September 20th, 2017 - 98 comments
Categories: Economy, Environment, farming -
Tags: federated farmers, granny herald, hubbard, nz herald, rural intensification, urban intensification
The organisation Federated Farmers continued their fear campaign today in a Herald editorial. Their anonymous spokesman made their demand that “Farmers should know they are still appreciated“.
Of course, in the Federated Farmers usual style, their unsophisticated propaganda managed to avoid actually discussing the underlying issues, the similarities between the urban and the rural landscapes, and the differences in the responses of the people living and working in them.
Both rural and urban landscapes have had a massive intensification of creatures living there over the last decades. This has increased the drain on resources like water and the amounts of crap and other waste made by these creatures, human and cow. Ultimately both were caused by policy decisions made by our government, overseas governments and the background of a steadily increasing world population of creatures.
In farming, since I last started worked in the industry 40 years ago, animal sizes have increased dramatically as more dairy and beef has replaced sheep and a lot of cropping. The intensive farming techniques have extended into regions of the country that were climatically off limits by the use of irrigation, the use of feed pads and supplementary feeds, and a host of other techniques. This has had the effect in those areas of simultaneously consuming vast amounts of fresh clean water available especially during dry periods, and increasing the leaching of both the waste from farming practices and the existing soil minerals.
Consequently over the last few decades we have seen falling water volumes in aquifers and waterways and the water quality in both has been getting progressively worse. But this isn’t a new problem, it is just a more intense problem across the whole rural sector.
Something that anonymous FF spokeman in the Herald editorial reluctantly pointed out in their demands for more respect.
It is true that environmentalists have convinced the great majority of urban dwellers that the country’s waterways are seriously polluted and dairy farming is the principal culprit.
Farmers do not deny it but they would like some recognition of the efforts many of them are making.
Dairy farms have agreed to fence off 98 per cent of their land adjoining waterways.
I’d add that of even more significance was that all of the milking sheds and even feed lots now treat to one degree or another treat their runoff waste before discharging it. When the farmers actually fence off the waterways it will alleviate more of the issue. However they are a long way from that at present. It won’t actually stop most of leaching of leached pollutants into the ground water or the waterways, but it’d help.
It will give a better chance of reducing to accretion rate to closer to something that natural water filtering systems can deal with and start to reduce the downstream costs, both to other farmers and to the towns and urban areas who have to live with the leachates. Speaking as someone who trained in earth sciences and had an opportunity to analyse ground water samples from the Waikato 40 years ago, what is currently in progress doesn’t have a shit show of actually preventing the pollution problems from farms or to clean up the accumulated crap that showed up in my samples that long ago.
However after that rare burst of candour, the anonymous FF spokesman at the Herald proceeded to demonstrate where what I consider to be the major issue with the “rural-urban” divide lies (my italics).
All farmers – not just those in the dairy industry – have a part to play in helping revive our rural rivers.
And urban dwellers, too, need to recognise they also have an impact on waterways.
No-one should doubt the impact we are all having on rivers and streams.
You hardly need to convince urban or provincial town dwellers and businesses of that.
Unlike farmers we already pay monthly charges to deal with waste and to minimise their impact on natural resources. We have done so for generations.
They are called water bills, sewerage bills, and through our organisations like councils and council organisations we pay considerably for having and growing the infrastructure to deal with it. They are pretty steep charges that suck into our available incomes and profits. They are used to ensure that the use of natural resources and the resulting waste of all of the creatures, humans and pets, in the cities and towns is minimised. Somehow unlike the farmers grumbling in Morrinsville or Federated Farmers we do this with far less wailing and gnashing of teeth, and we definitely don’t demand the respect of others for doing it like the current whinging from some farmers calls for.
Over the last 18 years that I have owned my apartment in central Auckland, these particular costs have tripled as the city has been steadily improving its practices. It has dealt with a far higher degree of intensification than farming, and much of it has been demanded by increasing environmental standards from the government.
Most towns and cities across New Zealand could say the same. Regardless of rising or falling populations or the vagaries of business we pay for a better environment because we don’t want to live in squalor and disease. Unlike many farmers we mostly can’t just export the problem downstream.
That even this expense hasn’t been enough in many urban areas because of the forced population growth. We’re not only having to pay for what we are doing now, we’re also having to pay for the capital works to future inhabitants and businesses. The resident population in just central Auckland has increased at least five fold in the same 18 years. This puts a great strain on the existing and even upgraded infrastructure.
Having a National party in government who seem to often act as Federated Farmers legislated body hasn’t helped. Both seem to like getting freebies from other people paying for their messes. The National government by screwing up Auckland governance and then dumping 40 thousand extra migrants into Auckland for the last 5 years without paying for them hasn’t helped Auckland – see Mike Lee on the subject. Such abrupt changes in policy just make forward planning considerably more difficult. At least the farmers usually get considerable warning of future policy changes.
Yet the struggle of urban areas and towns to control their use of resources and waste appears to be a topic that the pontificating anonymous Federated Farmers spokesman at the Herald is blithely unaware of. Instead like all terrorist groups trading on fear they prefer to make up some lost in the past fantasy to justify their blatant denigration for other people. FFS: those signs at Morrinsville like “Pretty Communist” are so 1950s that it was like looking at someone having a long drop over a river.
If farmers had spent, even proportionally, the kind of money that the residents and businesses of Auckland and every urban and town has over the last 30 years on improving their water usage and waste systems, then they would deserve the respect. But under the warding influence of Federated Farmers trying to beat up a rural vote to prevent real change, they don’t even come close.
We mainly hear the whining of Federated Farmers and their acolytes wanting to rest on their very limited laurels, and to not continue the struggle to minimise the costs of intensification on future generations. We get their government targeting rural standards that accept dangerous levels of leaching and water contamination, and where numbers point to real problems, they just stop measuring it.
It is worth re-reading John McCrone’s piece from Stuff “NZ Irrigation and its guilty secrets” where he looked at both sides of irrigation in the Canterbury irrigation schemes. For me the long-term problem is in the corruption of the basic science and is highlighted in these segments.
But as with the freshwater NPS, good science at the bottom has a way of becoming diluted by economic expediency as soon as it rises up the chain. Jenkins gives the example of nitrate limits agreed for North Canterbury’s Hurunui catchment.
“The current [gross nitrate] load is about 693 tonnes per year. The science advice ticked that it should stay at 693. The zone committee draft recommendation was it should be 693. Dairy NZ lobbied the ECan commissioners and it was raised to 832. Then it went to RMA hearing processes where it was raised again to 963.”
Massey University ecologist Dr Mike Joy is even more blunt in his view that the “farming within limits” talk is largely government spin.
Joy says the new national freshwater standards are so loose that pretty much every river in the country already meets the required targets. However the NPS is achieving this by tricks like measuring rivers against gross toxicity levels rather than ecosystem health levels.
So nitrate limits have been set at 6.9mg/l, which is where fish die by poisoning. But Joy says algal mats flourish at just 0.5mg/l. And algal mats cause wild swings in dissolved oxygen as they switch from blooming growth during the day to dormant respiration at night.
And even more of an issue long-term:-
Joy says he can cite any number of cynical ploys like this. Cadmium build up in soils, a consequence of long-term superphosphate use, is an issue that vanished overnight when farmland was made exempt from national contamination classification.
But there is a philosophical and generational difference along with the lying billshit is neatly summed up in this:-
But Kiwis seem happy to just live with such problems, because the official line from the NPS is the country’s rivers and lakes are “stable or improving”, says Joy. “It really is a failure of democracy.”
The reply from the irrigators is that New Zealand water is clean in that it has not got the same kind of chemical and industrial pollution of a lot of other countries. Nitrogen and phosphorous may knock over native wildlife and turn water holes soupy green, but they are not directly harming people.
However Joy says he thinks it is simply that New Zealanders do not realise how far the degradation of their waterways has gone, not that they don’t care.
So the water debate feels far from settled. It could just be that New Zealand is also extreme in its polarisation of views – the gap between the hard green lobby and the old settler conviction that New Zealand is an empty country begging to be made productive.
So the question is if we want the waterways and aquifers to have a excessive biological industry taint that requires all water gets costly treatment for biological and heavy metal contamination before humans and animals can drink or swim in it?
This is a downstream issue for most cities and towns in NZ. Just think of the processing plant that Auckland or Hamilton require to decontaminate water taken from the Waikato river. With water and waste contamination, the costs spread far downstream of the polluting point
Really do we want to repeat the mistakes made by other societies?
Drivel like the Herald editorial completely misses the point, instead making calls to past deeds while ignoring misdeeds of farming. It simply doesn’t help to whinge like this:-
But farming remains one of this country’s essential industries – and as such farmers doing the right thing deserve to remain high in New Zealand’s esteem.
Respect and esteem is something that has to be earned and anyone with any knowledge following the way that Federated Farmers and National have been fiddling the standards and doing little (while trying to look like they are doing a lot) are quite aware of it.
Besides there are a number of industries in NZ that can truly point to their value to the NZ economy and are way faster growing with much less limited environmental impacts. The revenue from just the top 200 companies in my tech sector has jumped from being little two decades ago to nearly $9.4 billion dollars last year, almost entirely in exports. It also employs nearly as many people as the entire farming sector. The same applies to tourism with its $12 billion (see “Tourism roars past dairy as NZ’s biggest export earner“), and it employs even more.
In my view, the key difference with these urbanites and town dwellers and these growing employers industries compared to some of the dinosaurs like Federated Farmers is that we are keenly aware of the costs of degrading our environment and are willing to pay for keeping it clean. Apparently Federated Farmers and their political party National would prefer to stall and fudge the numbers while not doing very much or paying much.
It simply doesn’t engender much respect from me, nor I suspect from many urban dwellers and businesses faced with increasing water, sewerage and infrastructural bills from council to deal with our intensification and to clean up where we live.
Farming could do with getting some more people into organisations like Federated Farmers who actually understand the issues of urban and town environments and who stop trying to trade on the past and present economic glories that hare resulting in a ecological wasteland around industrial farming. We share this land, rural, provincial and urban NZ. And we share with millions of offshore visitors each year. Farmers don’t own the country. While there are some smart and aware farmers out there. It doesn’t appear that many of them get into their organisations like Federated Farmers or the National party. Perhaps they should try.
Anyway, enough of my ranting. Enjoy Jim Hubbard’s take on the water irrigation debate.
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- Thank you
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...1 week ago - Determining the Engine Type in Your Car
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...1 week ago - How to Become a Race Car Driver: A Comprehensive GuideIntroduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...1 week ago
- How Many Cars Are There in the World in 2023? An Exploration of Global Automotive StatisticsIntroduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...1 week ago
- How Long Does It Take for Car Inspection?Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...1 week ago
- Who Makes Mazda Cars?Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...1 week ago
- How Often to Replace Your Car Battery A Comprehensive GuideYour car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...1 week ago
- Can You Register a Car Without a License?In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the Rule If you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...1 week ago
- Mazda: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Reliability, Value, and PerformanceMazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...1 week ago
- What Are Struts on a Car?Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...1 week ago
- Gaza: Aotearoa Must Support Independent Investigation into Mass GravesTe Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...2 days ago
- Release: Working together on consistent support for veterans this Anzac Day
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...4 days ago - Release: Penny drops – but what about Seymour and Peters?Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...4 days ago
- Another ‘Stolen Generation’ enabled by court ruling on Waitangi Tribunal summonsTonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...4 days ago
- Release: Budget blunder shows Nicola Willis could cut recovery fundingIt appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...5 days ago
- Further environmental mismanagement on the cards
The Government’s resource management reforms will add to the heavy and ever-growing burden this Government is loading on to our environment. ...5 days ago - Release: RMA changes will be a disaster for environmentThe Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...5 days ago
- Release: Labour supports urgent changes to emergency management systemLabour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...5 days ago
- Release: Labour calls for New Zealand to recognise PalestineThe Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...6 days ago
- Release: Three strikes law political posturing of worst kindThe Government is bringing back a law that has little evidential backing just to look tough, Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...6 days ago
- Release: Government cuts unbelievably target child exploitation, violent extremism, ports and airpor...Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...6 days ago
- Three strikes has failed before and will fail againResurrecting the archaic three-strikes legislation is an unwelcome return to a failed American-style approach to justice. ...6 days ago
- Release: Environmental protection vital, not ‘onerous’The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...6 days ago
- Ferris – Three Strikes targets those ‘too brown to be white’The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt cuts doctors and nurses in hiring freezeCuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...1 week ago
- Fast-track submissions period must be extendedThe Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...1 week ago
- Release: Progress on climate will be undone by GovtNew Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...1 week ago
- Release: Dark day for Kiwi kids as a third of Govt cuts affect themNews that 1000 jobs at the Ministry of Education and Oranga Tamariki could go is devastating for future generations of New Zealanders. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Alarm as Government signals further blow to school lunchesMore essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...2 weeks ago
- Oranga Tamariki cuts commit tamariki to state abuseTe Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Quick, submit – stop Govt’s dodgy approvals billThe Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...2 weeks ago
- Government throws coal on the climate crisis fireThe Government’s policy announced today to ease consenting for coal mining will have a lasting impact across generations. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Public transport costs to double as National looks at unaffordable roading project insteadCancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Cost of living in Auckland still not a priorityA laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori to visit Queensland to strengthen ties with Māori in AustraliaTe Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...2 weeks ago
- Greens look to fast-track submissions on harmful lawThe Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt should stop making people’s lives harder and build more homesThe National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Melissa Lee missing in action on mediaThe action Melissa Lee promised to protect democracy and the media sector is missing, Media and Communications spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...2 weeks ago
- Landlord Government leaves little hope for rentersThe Government’s announcement on tenancy rules prove that it does not care about renters. ...2 weeks ago
- Opportunity to build a more sustainable economyGreen Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...2 weeks ago
- Significant step forward in fixing cruel and unjust pastA significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...3 weeks ago
- Missed opportunity but NZ will surely one day recognise the right to a sustainable environmentNew Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Don’t cut our lunches – clear message sent to GovernmentTens of thousands of people are demanding the Government commits to fully funding free and healthy school lunches. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Govt makes U-turn on Suicide Prevention OfficeLabour welcomes the Government’s U-turn on the closure of the Suicide Prevention Office, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...3 weeks ago
- CCC issues warning over further climate delayToday’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...3 weeks ago
- Luxon targets lame and lousy example of leadershipIf talk is cheap, Chris Luxon’s “targets” are bankrupt. ...3 weeks ago
- Luxon targets are lousy example of leadershipIf talk is cheap, Chris Luxon’s “targets” are bankrupt. ...3 weeks ago
- Pharmac Chair appointed
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...7 hours ago - Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum DisorderHundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...1 day ago
- New sports complex opens in KaikoheRegional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...1 day ago
- Diplomacy needed more than everForeign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...1 day ago
- Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery BelgiumAmbassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...2 days ago
- Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk BairDistinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...3 days ago
- Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, TürkiyeMai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...3 days ago
- PM announces changes to portfoliosPaul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...4 days ago
- New catch limits for unique fishery areasRecreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...4 days ago
- Minister welcomes hydrogen milestoneEnergy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...5 days ago
- Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment BillThe coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...5 days ago
- Overseas decommissioning models consideredOverseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...5 days ago
- Release of North Island Severe Weather Event InquiryEmergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...5 days ago
- Justice Minister to attend Human Rights CouncilJustice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...6 days ago
- Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facilityAssociate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...6 days ago
- Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...6 days ago
- Government to introduce revised Three Strikes lawThe Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...6 days ago
- New diplomatic appointmentsForeign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...6 days ago
- Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and SomaliaNew Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...6 days ago
- Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho CollectiveMinister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...1 week ago
- Supporting better financial outcomes for KiwisThe Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...1 week ago
- Trade relationship with China remains strong“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...1 week ago
- PM’s South East Asia mission does the businessPrime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...1 week ago
- $41m to support clean energy in South East AsiaNew Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...1 week ago
- Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder listThe Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...1 week ago
- Judicial appointments announcedAttorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...1 week ago
- Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in SingaporeEducation Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...1 week ago
- Value of stopbank project proven during cycloneA stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...1 week ago
- Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visitForeign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...1 week ago
- Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac DayScience, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...1 week ago
- Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the PhilippinesPrime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...1 week ago
- Government commits $20m to Westport flood protectionThe Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...1 week ago
- Taupō takes pole positionThe Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...1 week ago
- Cost of living support for low-income homeownersLocal Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...1 week ago
- Government backing mussel spat projectThe Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...1 week ago
- Government focused on getting people into workBenefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...1 week ago
- Clean energy key driver to reducing emissionsThe Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...1 week ago
- Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forwardThe Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...1 week ago
- Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic PartnershipPrime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...2 weeks ago
- Government consults on extending coastal permits for portsRMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...2 weeks ago
- Green co-leader James Shaw came 'very close' to resigning as minister under Labour govt
The former minister reveals he "ended up storming out" of a Cabinet meeting over disagreements on climate change and biodiversity. ...2 hours ago - NZCTU Welcomes Corporate Manslaughter Bill Introduction
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...2 hours ago - US election forecaster with near-perfect track record not ready call 2024 just yetA historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...3 hours ago
- Fish and quiz: The many uses of written parliamentary questionsMinisters have to answer thousands of written questions each year - but how are they used, and for what end? ...4 hours ago
- Former Deputy PM Paula Bennett appointed Pharmac board chairThe former National MP "brings a wealth of experience" to the role, David Seymour says. ...6 hours ago
- Inside the home of New Zealand’s greatest crime writer
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own. Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...7 hours ago - ‘Apologies to Dvořák’: How a serenade for strings cemented one of New Zealand TV’s strongest...Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...8 hours ago
- An Ode to .. King Luxon
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...9 hours ago - In the studio with artist power couple Claudia Kogachi and Josephine JelicichThe pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like. ‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...11 hours ago
- An ode to the muesli bar, a national treasureThank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...11 hours ago
- Government urged to hit the gas on revamp of road user chargesInfrastructure New Zealand is pushing for new road user charges to be brought in quicker to help relieve pressure on strained transport funding. ...22 hours ago
- US student Palestine protests against Israel’s war on Gaza inspire global action
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...24 hours ago - Former Te Whatu Ora chairperson Rob Campbell criticises Health NZ's 'savings' directi...Rob Campbell said it shows "poor management" and is "frankly irresponsible". ...1 day ago
- ‘To lead is to serve’ – Governor-General to call PM election in Solomon IslandsRNZ Pacific The race to form the next government of Solomon Islands could be a tight one, with no single party emerging from the election with enough seats to govern. Caretaker prime minister Manasseh Sogavare’s Our Party did the best, securing 15 out of the 50 seats in the House. ...1 day ago
- Bryce Edwards – FastTrackWatch: The Case for the Government’s Fast Track BillAnalysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz) New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...1 day ago
- NZ and Türkiye pledge cooperation during natural disastersThe two countries have "a long history of coming to each other's aid", including after the 2023 Turkish earthquakes, Winston Peters says. ...1 day ago
- Waste not, want not: New series Food Waste Kitchen turns food trash into treasureTara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...1 day ago
- Vaping regulations fight 'immeasurably harder' under coalition – campaignerFocus on Politics - Successive governments have claimed crack downs on youth vaping, but the bending and breaking of rules seems pervasive. ...1 day ago
- Dog of the month: Scout, who is so independent she could be a catScout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...1 day ago
- ‘I don’t know if we were brave or stupid’: Megan Alatini on changing reality TVMegan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...1 day ago
- Behind the counter: Wellington shopkeepersA new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...1 day ago
- Iranian Solidarity Group New Zealand Condemns Toomaj Salehi's Death Sentence And The New Aggres...Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...1 day ago
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Great post. Does the 6% of GDP farming contributes justify the impact it’s having and the environmental cost it expects the rest of NZ to pick up the tab for.
I often see cows wading through the Waipa, which joins the waikato at ngaruawahia.
Bottoms up auckland enjoy the clean taste of chemicals inserted to ensure you don’t get Giardia, Hepatitis etc as farming is the backbone of the NZ economy according to national….yum.
Thanks Lynn
Can we also remember that we all “help” farmers in many ways
R and D subsidies
Leaving them out of ETS has saved them money others have not ( eg forestry)
Buy their produce
Help fund the roads their food travels on
…
And remember the English family has long standing direct and indirect links to Fed Farmers.
…. and according to Mike Joy they are actually paid (handout) not to produce milk in order to protect Rotorua lakes
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/201858826/ecologist-mike-joy-critic-and-conscience-award
Essential listening,
from Dr Mike Joy, (recently presented with the inaugural Critic and Conscience Award for the difference he has made to the issue of New Zealand’s declining freshwater state.
The award, acknowledges university academics who act as the critic and conscience of society by providing independent, expert commentary on issues that affect the New Zealand community and future generations.
Dairy Intensification is the primary issue! Particularly in places that are totally unsuitable, like Canterbury!
The fertiliser companies also need to be held to account, i.e. Balance and Ravensdown, along with Fonterra, and Synlait etc..
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/201858826/ecologist-mike-joy-critic-and-conscience-award
Al;so
http://www.noted.co.nz/currently/science/science-for-sale/
The John McCrone piece is good, especially re Tasmania.
I would feel more supportive of irrigation schemes if there was no dairy production involved, and if Federated Farmers and Fonterra could be trusted to act in the interests of us all and of our whole country.
From their actions over the last decade pursuing cheap volume and bulk commodity supply, that trust is pretty hard to find.
The new Tasman dam will be a good fresh test of diversified use of irrigation farming.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/71734277/nz-irrigation-and-its-guilty-secrets
Is this the John McCrone piece you were referring to?
Cos man that’s SCARY!
Or was their another piece … that’s less damming!
Speaking of holding in high esteem, what about teachers?
Tracy, surely you understand that belonging to and supporting a union disqualifies one completely from any kind of esteem!
Bloody good post.
“Dairy farms have agreed to fence off 98 per cent of their land adjoining waterways.”
Would love to see them back that up. What does it even mean? In the absence of detail (intentional I’m sure), I’ll take that as more evidence that Federated Farmers can’t be trusted, at all. I think farmers are important, but FF can get fucked. And the majority of farmers, who aren’t represented by FF, need to start stepping up and doing their own PR. Because so many people have just had enough.
Someone said recently (was that you Ad?) that when the govt changes a whole bunch of lobbying doors will close to organisations like FF. Good. It will be interesting to see how much of the culture changes as a consequence.
Well, I hoped so.
FF will still have a swipe card to 9th floor dont you worry. Does the Poverty Action group?
This “boast” is, as Mike Joy pointed out, in an interview with Kathryn Ryan the other day, all well and good, but actually pure bullshit.
The 90% of waterways the farmers are talking about are the major rivers and lakes but it is the tributaries to these waterways that run through farms – the small streams and drains that remain unfenced and into which farm effluent pours. The spreading of manure over pasture may seem like a very good way of using the sewage from cowsheds but it just goes straight into the drains and streams and water courses that run over farms and ultimately into our rivers and lakes.
There is no way to reduce this runoff other than reducing our already overpopulated herd size.
The farmers don’t feel appreciated? What about the poor lawyers?
“Farmers should know they are still appreciated“.
Oh, the poor dears. After everyone’s finished letting farmers know they’re appreciated, could you all come by to tell me how great I am? I’m feeling very put-upon at the moment…
LOL… ask teachers what it really feels like to be under valued and vilified
Or anyone in the Health system
Nurses and orderlies etc are financially undervalued but everyone doesnt think they are an expert. Every parent thinks they are an expert in teaching!
I’m hearing support for Labour solely on the basis of their water policy from some pretty conservative people I know – Act voters, wine growers, professional tour operators, drystock farmer relatives, foresters.
Curious to hear people voting well outside of their direct economic interests of tax and GDP, into a really specific environmental field that has never has electoral traction before.
Ad
I have heard those murmurs before but seemingly when in the ballot box they revert to type or the extra 15 bucks a week. Hopefully this time is different.
Am wondering if Conor English really believes he struck out on his own and risked a stable salary… you know given who his brother is…
https://www.celebrityspeakers.co.nz/conor-english/
He definitely is omnivorous or whatever, he has been all round the world trading his Kiwi sincerity, and this is great from a ‘struggling’ family of 12 children. How soon does it take to make a small city if you have families, all of whose children live, maintain two-figure yields?
I liked that bit showing his sharpness, “He has flown in Lear jets with people who actually have money, whilst working on an attempted takeover of the largest dairy company in Kazakhstan.” That would be an interesting story. Was he going to sell the idea of a socialist co-operative business model to a country that was
recently under the Soviet Union? It’s a funny old world.
Beef cattle used to be stocked at the rate of 1 beast equal to 5 sheep.
Dairy cattle ratio must be much higher. Can’t find the figures but must be double that. Maybe 1 dairy cow equal as high as 10 sheep. Big effect in Canterbury.
Somewhere in the things I read today there was a comment that the increase in the intensity, numbers and types of livestock over the last few decades as had the same environmental impact (presumably just the foot pressure, drinking, peeing and crapping parts) as adding about 90 million people.
I’d love to find a numbers source for that. But a hasty back of the envelope calculation said that it was in the right order of magnitude. The biggest impact are hoof impact and concentration of nitrates.
Yes I recall a country calendar where a northland farm had ditched the Dairy model and was running a music festival (northern Bass I think) and regenerating the land.
The line ‘once the cloven hooves stopped you could almost hear the land breath’ stuck with me as it was heartfelt and came from a former Dairy Farmer.
Another example of it doesn’t have to be so damaging there are better ways.
Try this for a refresh, see if it matches the back of your envelope
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/opinion/93646489/marc-93646489-the-truth-about-cow-poo-and-other-myths
Try this instead: present some peer-reviewed evidence to support your case, and please not a set of personal anecdata. You claim to be doing the right thing, you’ve fenced off every single drainage ditch and stream and river on your property; can you say that about your neighbours?
Taranaki doesn’t meet Ministry requirements.
I can only speak for myself fella, but absolutely 100% fully fenced and riparian planted council compliant.
Do you want a copy of my compliance encyclopaedia, nah that probably photoshopped right?
Just to be clear, I didn’t ask whether you are “compliant” – that’s just the letter of the law. I asked whether all the streams and ditches are fenced off too.
I do recall the days when riparian planting was being disparaged as an environmentalist plot. Not that long ago either. Good to see the Green Party’s influence despite the bogeyman rhetoric.
Every farmer who comments here claims to be doing the right thing, but the fact is your public face is that ‘Socialistic’ fool in Morrinsville, or the protest organiser spewing racist shite on RNZ.
Not to mention all the cash farmers donate to the malnutrition and human rights abuse party.
Yes all streams and ditchs fenced off, no stock access to water at all!
If you are asking my own personal experience with riparian planting,
I was against it for the first couple of years, well not against exactly, but just not bothered, extra cost, time etc.
But now 10 years on, the farm looks great, and the plants have been a “Buzz” to watch mature.
Yep: vote Green: they understand farming better than you do.
Gawd *citation needed*
Always in the lead, on everything from pesticides to Climatology to water quality.
You get dragged along behind regardless. Why not be ahead of the curve instead of being “against it for the first couple of years”.
Can’t see what you are complaining about Jimmy, you sound so green you must be invisible on your farm.
It could be that many of the farmers we have writing in seemingly very upset and angry are just misunderstood. We think they are writing to say they have a complaint. It is possibly just a typo, and we all have those, and they are saying they are compliant. It’s not easy to be green says Kermit.
I always find it interesting that people don’t think about where things wind up.
In this particular case in your link to the Cambridge area, I’d have to say that the article was selective billshit. Sure some of the added carbon from plant fixation and some of the other minerals and nutrients stay in the topsoil as part of their cycles. But some always escapes.
But as long ago as 1980, the ground water in the bores from farms around Cambridge had far higher than natural levels of nitrates, phosphates, and certain heavy metals like cadmium. Most of this was easily identifiable as being added recently because of the different isotopes apparent using XRF. I measured it then as part of a geochemistry lab work.
The nitrates were by far the worst as you can see from this 1994 paper. But it is a systemic problem that has been going on for a long time and shows few or no signs of getting much better.
http://www.enviroknowledge.co.nz/assets/Uploads/Publications/Nitrate-in-ground-water-in-the-Waikato-Region-FLRC-1994-PDF.pdf
It is a major issue throughout the Waikato area.
https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/Environment/Natural-resources/Water/Groundwater/Monitoring-groundwater-quality/Nitrate-contamination-of-groundwater/
It is also completely invisible to seat of their pants scientific dimwits like the Marc Gascoigne trying to argue from analogy rather than getting of their lazy arse and measuring it. Hell he seems to be not able to do basic accounting of the nutrients that any farmer should be doing and try to figure out what they are using rather than putting into downstream and down below.
Could you please at least try to actually use some intelligence in your replies? Trying to convince me that you are a witless fool who doesn’t understand the basic science of your profession doesn’t exactly engender respect.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1709/S00523/dairy-farms-using-same-amount-of-water-as-60-million-people.htm
Mike Joy in a conservative estimate puts it higher …..
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/201858826/ecologist-mike-joy-critic-and-conscience-award
If some would care to read! And listen!
Thanks. I have dealt with the Ropere Consulting maths before. I think that it is reliable. Especially since they used the DairyNZ’s own numbers.
Mike Joy is trying to figure out the pollution effects. He is probably correct, but the case for arguing just on the water is a hell of a lot simpler and a more immediate problem. It is on soils that are going to cause really bad leachate problems fast.
Check interview on RNZ National yesterday. Can’t remember whether it was Nine to Noon or some other programme later in the day. (I was driving at the time.) An interviewee was talking about the impact on the planet of humans and domestic/agricultural animals versus wild animals – the impact of the latter was only 2% currently, versus the former (humans and domestic/agricultural animals – 98%). He said that the environmental impact of the number of dairly cows in NZ currently was equivalent to 140 million humans, in terms of effluent production.
Re the Morrinsville debacle. Many of those ‘dressed down’ farmers and their supporters who apparently don’t have to worry about water taxes in their region but are concerned for their colleagues in the Mackenzie Basin. That’s because they are the same people. There are many very wealthy Waikato farmers who bought land in the South Island and developed it into those big high density dairy farms. They are not struggling cow cockies who get their hands dirty every day, (they have managers to do that.) Same goes for the Wairarapa, many of their wealthy dairy farmers have also been developing farms in the South Island. How do I know? I have relatives in both areas who are both dairy farmers, farm advisers and joint owners of networks of these huge industrial dairy enterprises.
Labour needs to do more research into exposing the above. Big debt is also involved in starting and maintaining these enterprises. The bio threat of new diseases being spread around these farms owned by the same people is also a concern as we have recently seen.
Interesting Melanie Scott. We wonder why we get such little traction with our ideas and even proven scary stats, but the traction from the big wheels on the farm machinery has greater torque than our talk!
You are almost on money in regards to stocking rates and also most of those sheep/ cattle producers were into mix cropping as well as part the rotation system on those old school Canterbury farms. In some cases stock or mix cropping was a afterthought depending on how market futures was going.
Any dairy farms in the Canterbury region were for the town supply only and were usually close too town as well. This so called dairy boom is just one big Ponzi scheme that will go tits up regards of the so called water tax, especially when dairy farmers are exported NZ dairy cows and know how to its major market, just like the Kiwifruit producers once did many moons ago or when war breaks out in Northern Asia. In the end the real winners are going to those farmers who didn’t convert their farms to dairy farms. I don’t have anytime for dairy farmers who are farming in NZ dry areas such as Canterbury, Central Otago and Hawkes Bay etc.
Anyway another excellent post Lynn.
Really great post LPRENT, as was the interview with Dr. Mike Joy on National Radio last Sunday. It was truly one of the best interviews I have ever heard. If I could link it here I would, but I’m not that adept. It is worth looking up (National Radio, Sunday Morning, Dr. Mike Joy) and listening to. It will probably make you feel like crying, it did me.
I agree on all points. Mike joy speaks clearly and with conviction while remaining lucid and in control. (Unlike a few of those farmers in Morrinsville…)
Here’s the link 🙂
Drinking water and arsenic made worse by irrigation is big news around the world.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-41002005
and
http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2015/07/13/battling-the-largest-mass-poisoning-in-history/
Also I came across this. Monkeys outsmarting themselves, sounds familiar.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/sifter/tool-using-monkeys-threaten-shellfish-population-thailand
”They are called water bills, sewerage bills, and through our organisations like councils and council organisations we pay considerably for having and growing the infrastructure to deal with it”
does anyone know if a farmers council rates are used to help mitigate their effect on the environment .
iv’e linked the below story only because it shows the rates paid by one farmer.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/68316559/farmers-downgrade-waipa-district-councils-gold-standard
The rates I pay too the NPDC for the pleasure of owning my 100% fully fenced and effluent compliant (council came yesterday to test water quality) dairy farm, is just in excess of $12,000.
For this money I get, No rubbish collection, No sewerage treatment, No water.
I do get a road, but that’s about it, oh and a shiny art centre in NP that I have never been too, they tell me it’s nice.
So in my opinion this article is just as much bullshit as the one it intends to denegrate.
Reality check: the NPDC annual plan lists the following Council Services.
Jimmy tells lies of omission.
What’s your feeble excuse Jimmy? Been voting National for so long lying just comes naturally?
Jesus just be an arsehole why don’t you, most things on that list are not applicable to me, as I don’t live in the Urban area.
So Parks and open spaces, nice if it wasn’t over 50kms away I could enjoy it!
Transportation, transporting who and what? Nothing that I’m using.
Stormwater drainage, I’m guessing that’s for the people that live in the city, nobody but me is paying for stormwater on this farm.
Flood protection and control, again that’s my cost on this farm.
Solid waste and kerbside collection, my cost nobody picking up rubbish here.
Wastewater treatment, my cost, septic tank and 3stage pond system.
You get the idea, farmers pay plenty and get no services in return.
Last farm I was on had a huge rubbish tip just up the hill from the river. Tucked away out of sight, of course. Lovely people and everything.
What do you do with yours?
Waste Management provide me with a bin, that they empty provided I pay them $150 per empty.
That’s over and above my council rates.
ACC supplies us with a bin – and we pay to have it emptied as well.
Jimmy
Complain to your council, don’t come bitching here. Do you want someone to hold you hand as you go to make your case. You do know that it is a collective fund for the whole area that you pay into along with the others?
It’s not a privatised fund where your instalments add up and eventually you will get a small bridge over your stream properly built. But then maybe there should be something like that. Work out a plan as to how the council can do this. You may just be a little guy and they tend to get ignored by all in power. Get some neighbours together and ride a tractor into their offices. Get your girlfriend to go in naked on a horse with a long wig and tell them the roads are so bad you can’t use your car and you’re at your wit’s end.
You might get arrested and kept overnight in a cell and enjoy a nice chat with your local constable. A cheap night out. Your girlfriend will be given some clothes by the local ladies who will feel sympathy with her. Life can be on the up and up in your area.
Me personally very happy, not bitching at all, just trying to be involved in a NZ discussion, try not to be a cock!
So, you don’t use the roads to go shopping?
Don’t use them to send your produce off the farm (must be really expensive paying for all those helicopters).
I suspect that it would be costing you a lot more if the council weren’t doing anything about it.
BS
You wouldn’t be able to farm without all the services that you use apparently without even realising it.
I understand the services provided and don’t mind paying rates, I’m just pointing that their is a difference between services provided and $ amount paid between the rural and urban communities.
I’m sure you can see this.
There probably is a difference but I suspect that it tilts that the other way.
It’s the farmers that aren’t paying enough.
Your on to it Jimmy
Aquifers are now fully recharged after winter rain. City folk pay their waterbills,sewerage bills ,rates etc but it’s no where near enough as city infra structure is failing bigtime. Townsfolk are going to have to front up with massive dollars to catch up with what farmers are doing. Mike joy is a tool and and a disgrace to science.
I pay my dues to the apolitical organisation, federated farmers and have never been a member of a political party.
Townsfolk are going to have to front up with massive dollars to catch up with what farmers are doing.
Newsflash: we already did. Massive costs to separate stormwater and build proper water treatment facilities.
You already did?
Not if you are in Auckland you didn’t!
We did and we keep having to do it.
We have National to thank for adding population in excess of the existing rate payers to pay or even have time to build capacity for them arriving. National are cheap arseholes who like getting freebies at other peoples expense.
Perhaps you should actually read my post rather than jerking off your silly ideas into type.
What happens when you keep having about 40,000 more people added to a city every year just from offshore? This government that the rural sector helped to foist on us has now been doing that to Auckland for the last 4 years. Since they got in we have added more than the current population of Hamilton to the city just from nett migration from offshore.
And that doesn’t even count the migration from the provinces and rural sector to the city.
Auckland city has no control over either. If we did then we’d be a damn sight more selective than to accept the poor quality migrants National seems to find acceptable. Sure we can make most migrants productive eventually. We just can’t do it fast enough for them to pay for our growth.
Mike joy is a tool and and a disgrace to science.
You just blew any credibility you had right there.
Closely followed by,
I pay my dues to the apolitical organisation, federated farmers
Thanks, Weka. That joke had slipped past as I was skimming. Apolitical!!
He didn’t have any – he’s been parroting National’s lies ever since he got here.
does anyone know if a farmers council rates are used to help mitigate their effect on the environment .
Yes. Amongst other things, directly or indirectly via regional councils they make the resource planning, provide the testing and enforcement, provide much of the drainage systems where natural ones are available, deal with natural drainage systems that blocked, deal with straying stock, provide effluent drainage sites fro stock carrying trucks, and a host of other services that I can’t currently remember.
Plus of course they maintain the kilometres of road that keep the individual farms accessible. Up at our old farm there was a 3 kilometre gravel road that was put in for just 3 farms. In the lower part of the farm there was 1.5 kilometre road that we shared with a farm on the other side of it. We used both.
I tried to figure out how much road I pay for in Auckland on rates. Works out to about 12 metres length.
If farmers can be taken to task for overstocking their farms and overloading the environment with poo and fertiliser, then the government could also be sued or something for encouraging immigration without the services to deal with their poo and general needs. We sure get an overdose of fertiliser from government. It affects all the senses, listening to the radio is bad enough without even looking at them.
So how does sueing the govt for 40000 per year kiwis returning home work ?
Which particular year are you talking about? Not this year nor last year.
Is this another Farrar / National billshit myth from the years gone by? Or is it just another simple lie – the type that Nick Smith and Steven Joyce prefer?
This was the first link I found – nett migration from the Stats Department for May 2017. My bold for the relevant sentence.
http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/population/Migration/IntTravelAndMigration_MRMay17.aspx
For fucks sake – please learn to actually look at real data before writing. Apparently holding your testicles and gently hand milking them is not the way to generate it.
Where is the historical comparison ?.Traditionally a lot more kiwis were leaving than returning. Probably around 40000 not so many years ago.
Using selective stats to abuse me is crawling pretty low
Migration timeline 1922 – 2012.
In short, you’re wrong about this too.
Your statement of fact was
It was completely wrong because you didn’t give a time period.
That your job to dig out information supporting your position since you were the one asserted that it was happening now. If you assert a fact, then in my eyes you own the statement. I regard assertions without backing or knowledge and that are simply wrong as just being an outright deliberate lies. I particularly dislike repeated myths.
You deserved the ‘abuse’ for using false facts without checking. Perhaps the ‘abuse’ will assist you in not making the same stupid mistake again. The trick is that if you don’t know then express it as your opinion or your current belief. Don’t assert it as a fact. Because if you do, then you are fair game for the less polite amongst us.
The ‘abuse’ you are referring to is an interesting question as well. I postulated three possible ways that you could have come up with your false fact. Which bit did you find was abusive?
FYI: There have been a few years over the last century when returning kiwis outweighed immigration. As far as I am aware they all coincide with the beginning of severe downturns in employment in Aussie. There was one a few years ago when the aussie commodity boom with china died – it was for a short period in 2013 or 2014 I think. The only other one I am aware of was one back in the 1970s during the oil shocks and Aussie commodity boom dropped with the world economy. Before that I’d have to look.
The nett migration for the last few years has been close to or above 70 thousand which is completely unprecedented. Because the nett migration of kiwis for the last year has effectively been zero or close to it, our current nett migration is all immigration. These can all be found on the reports from StatsNZ.
OAB gave the link that shows nett migration in the historic sense. The sustained high nett long term migration is far above anything that NZ can sustain. It is over 1.5% increase per annum and hasn’t gone down since it hit the highest peak 2 years ago.
The “urban waterways are just as polluted as rural waterways” argument used by farmers is a total straw man.
99% of NZ’s waterways are in rural areas and just 1% are in urban areas.
Therefore, if a total of 60% of NZ’s waterways are polluted (a conservative estimate), what percentage of NZ’s rivers, streams and wetlands are contaminated and where has the damage occurred?
Well, we now know who “owns” NZ and we saw the display of assertion and intelligent posturing (banjo anyone?)
To really make things feeling a lot better, Mr Sweetee distributes phone numbers and some ballot boxes are being taken home.
Hang on, I just need to look at my GPS whether I am a lot further north/west than was my impression.
Err.. how much income tax do farmers pay
Last I heard about the same as a couple on a pension…
Farm owners, average about $1800/year.
Some turning violent towards Labour MPs as well it seems.
I had a close up experience of a dairy farm yesty.
Was helping my brother with firewood on a local cockies farm.
Had split a load and saw the cows coming in for the milking.
Time to leave as we were using the race they were on to get out. (Very wet underfoot here in the manawatu)
Sods law, I had ‘traction issues’, and took 1/4 of an hour to get free.
Any how, long story short, drove gently through this herd on the race and through the feed lot. Some really big cows amongst them too.
Shit everywhere, really hard to comprehend how the faeces and urine is managed. Especially when it is multiplied out with the increase and intensification of dairying recently.
Having said all that I am very wary of the idea of dairy farmer=bad.
As was witnessed in morrinsville recently, the notion of ‘townies don’t appreciate farmer’s stuck in the craw, therefore I am mindful of generalising about farmers.
I spent 6 months working as a farmhand for a town supply back in the 1970s (and 6 months on a sheep station) when I was deciding if I wanted to go into farming as a vocation. I have traipsed those races myself. High gumboots and a shuffle style of walking to stop the shit flicking up is the way. I’d hate to take a vehicle on them unless it was a bike or 4wd.
The whole point about the post is that in my view the time for freebies for farmers effectively funded by other taxpayers should be well and truly over. The intensification of farming means that those farms are far more polluting and resource hungry now than they were back then.
Paying for resources used and cleaning up should be just as much a cost of living and business just as it has been for decades is for townies. If a particular business isn’t capable of paying for their resources and cleaning up after themselves, then that business is freeloading on the backs of whoever has to clean up the mess and should be shutdown. Crafar farms comes to mind.
Especially since we have other growing industries like tourism using the same resources and employing far more people that can really get damaged by widespread pollution.
As I point out in the post, I target a lot of this fear and loathing divisive shit directly on to the way that Federated Farmers and National operate. It is their way of trying to shut down debate on the subject of pollution and resource costs while trying to foist poor pollution standards on the rest of us.
You will remember then that in the 1970’s untreated dairy effluent went into the nearest river or stream. It was not untill the mid seventies that the Govt. acted and along with catchment boards started to get farmers to clean up their act. MAF employed a multitude of advisors and a lot of progress was made in a relatively short time. Over the last 30 years Effluent disposal methods have become highly technical and non polluting.
As a farmer it would be nice to get recognition for the effort and the negative campaign by labour directed at a small group of farmers who will get whacked with the water tax has been obscene .
I aknowledge nitrate leaching is an issue we must deal with and we are dealing with it. WE have committed to reducing our nitrate leaching by 35 % by 2025.
The fear and loathing divisive shit is real and your poster girl needs to look in the mirror to find out why.
I did point that out in a comment as being the biggest single improvement that dairy farmers had made.
But did you realise that up until the early 60’s effluent was pumped with minimal processing out into the Manakau Harbour from Auckland. From memory Dove-Meyer Robinson kicked the ignorant C&R (National party in drag) blockheads enough to put through the rates increases required to pay for and run an effective sewerage systems.
I can’t see any farmers lauding that – can you? I also can’t see any Aucklanders wailing and gnashing their teeth demanding respect from the rural community for removing the vast poo stain on the landscape. Unlike farmers we tend to just get the frigging problem fixed usually having the fight the National government and their damn C&R proxies here each time to get it done. Consequently it tends to be a annoying start/stop approach.
Since it was installed the plant has had two major upgrades that I know of. It has also now had almost all of te city either hooked into it, or had subsidiary systems added for places like Owera.
I can remember similar commitments being made in the 1980s, 90s, 00s as well as the 10s. I acknowledge that the problem is being tackled. However I don’t know of a place apart from possibly the Rotorua Lakes where there is any real evidence that groundwater is getting better. There are slightly better results for streams, however I don’t know of anywhere apart from possibly the Rotorua lakes where the main cloaca (hard to call them rivers these days)
Instead, what I can see is that dipshit Nick Smith trying to make out that the far lower standards that he set last year (?) were in fact a improvement. Furthermore this appears to be done at the bidding of the farmers through your organisations like Federated Farmers and DairyNZ. The faux ‘consultations’ with other interested groups who use the rivers in the Fresh Water Coalition eventually led to virtually all of them walking.
I’m afraid that farmers now own the problem because they are the ones doing the great bulk of the pollution and the ones who seem to fight tooth an nail against doing anything that actually makes it better – rather than simply slowing down the rate of increase in pollution.
FFS if you want to be victims, then you really do need to pick up some decent lines. These are much the same ones that I have been hearing for virtually all of my adult life.
I did those groundwater surveys in 1980. I started questioning it then. All I have seen since is that there have been attempts to fix it in the existing farming areas but the insidious problem has been spread to many other areas. Meanwhile research on other ways of fixing things like nitrate leaching or superphosphate tends to get a blaze of publicity when the research starts and then it gets quietly cut a few years later.
Fish and game and greenpeace were never going to agree on anything and it was their decision to piss on the tent from the outside. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
We are victims of lies,innuendo ,and a political campaign that is smashing right back into the faces of the nasty ,envious priks that are running it. Personally I am following best practice,complying with all resource consents and helping keep our local economy humming. Why Jacinda nd her motley crew want to ruin our community has me perplexed. She has not fronted up any where in the rural community to debate her plans for working groups and committees for very good reason. Labours negative ,nasty campaign is disgusting .
Ian, Master of Irony, Ruler of the Ethical Void. Fact-mumbler, Poet of Tripe. Blowhard.
Speaking of negative…
Forest and Bird? Trampers? Whitewater rafting? Ummm Exactly how many members have left that forum? How many recreation and enviromental groups are are left?
Effectively what is left is industry groups and the EDS who tried to start up a collaborative approach and lost all credibility doing so.
When Nick Smith and national just ignored virtually everything in the forums report on freshwater in favour of placating the polluters, they also lost all credibility amongst anyone who was interested in conservation. Hence your farmers feelings on not holding esteem. Since the government blocked the routes to actually achieving future change largely at the behest of the farming groups like FF and DairyNZ – you are perceived to be the problem. That was your choice.
Well after you get standards as low as possible, then why not follow them? After all, the freshwater standards that Nick Smith has put in effectively gave you have much more room to pollute eh?
I haven’t seen billshit turn up to anything amongst unions apart from a carefully choreographed enforced one at one of the Talley’s plants. Apparently the management insisted that the workers stayed to met him.
You mean because they want to have cleanish fresh water, rivers that have water in them, aquifiers that haven’t been drained and some attempt to actually clean up the mess that farming has been trying to make worse for decades?
If you don’t understand that by now, then I suspect that you probably won’t ever until the water you feed your stock starts to poison them. In the meantime those downstream in the rivers, towns, cities and beaches will be having to clean up your messes and not treating you with the respect that you haven’t earned.
Just as an aside, I think that a lot of farmers, especially the younger ones are actually trying to do a better job and not just to the pissant standards that Nick Smith thinks are appropriate. But until they get rid of the dumb shits that are in organisations like Federated Farmers and other farming organisations who keep fighting needed changes tooth and nail, then farming will wind up with crap all over their image.
“But did you realise that up until the early 60’s effluent was pumped with minimal processing out into the Manakau Harbour from Auckland.”
Dunedin City were pumping sewerage into the Otago Harbour up until the 2000s and out to sea at Tahuna until the last decade (yes, toilet paper on the beach when the tide was wrong). I think the difference there though is that everyone knew it was wrong and when the council went to fix it people didn’t argue about their right to not pay rates and that the shit should keep being pumped into the water.
How many dairy farms were there up until 1970s? How many cows? What were the stocking rates? If you want to be taken seriously on the environment, then you need to stop making disingenuous, self-serving arguments about how good farmers actually are, and start addressing the valid concerns that people have. Our stocking rates are too high, we have too many farms, and the ecosystems can’t cope. You can tinker around the edges of that all you like, but in the end there will need to be less cows and less industrial dairy farms.
*fewer 😈
why?
😛
I was waiting for that. Correct there were a lot more farms,less cows and lower stocking rates. But nearly all the effluent from the milking cycle was being discharged directly into the nearest river. Literally the rrivers and streams in Taranaki and the Waikato ran green for a while after each milking. WE have come a long way,just like urban waste is now treated bigtime before it is discharged into the sea or the Manawatu river for example.
Your valid concerns has turned into a hate campaign and people who live in glasshouses should be carefull throwing stones.
Our cities have too many people in them, We have too many suburbs,and the infrastructure can’t cope. You can tinker around the edgesof that all you like but at the end of the day there will need to be less people and less cities.
Transparent avoidance and spin. Votes National then complains when infrastructure doesn’t meet demand.
And pop! goes the weasel.
Again, from an ecological point of view, pouring effluent into a river isn’t necessarily a problem, it depends on how much and the flow of the river.
Obviously it’s not ideal, but I argue this on the other side too when townies start going on about cows shitting in rivers next to National Parks. Cows have been doing that for over a hundred years and while again it’s not ideal, what’s actually at issue is whether the local ecologies can manage. Where those are high country farms with low stocking rates, it’s way less of an issue, but now we have people calling for every single water way in NZ to be fenced.
There are small towns all over NZ that still have septic tanks with overflows that empty into water. That didn’t used to matter because the numbers of people using the systems was low. Now they’re high (thanks tourism). The issue is ecological. Your arguments are mechanical. When I see farmers, Fed Farmer especially, expressing ecological intelligence I’ll give them some pats on the back (and do already where I see that).
“Your valid concerns has turned into a hate campaign and people who live in glasshouses should be carefull throwing stones.”
I live in the country, in a place undergoing inappropriate dairy conversion. Land being flattened, trees cut down, overstocking, big irrigation. Don’t know yet how bad the nitrates and other pollutant issues are. So sorry, your arguments don’t wash, because I am literally seeing the country side being wrecked.
every time I drive through Rolleston to Christchurch or Christchurch to Amberley I see complete and utter devastation as productive farmland is nuked for motorways ,housing,and industry. At least the dairy conversions you have as neighbours will be able to replant shelter belts, use science to mitigate problems with nitrates and the xtra people working those farms contribute to your community. In 20 years the native birds will be back if we can do this thing better.
you do know why Rolleston was sited where it is dont you?
productive farmland is nuked for motorways ,housing, and industry
🙄
So your main concern is zoning changes, not environmental degradation.
“Our cities have too many people in them, We have too many suburbs,and the infrastructure can’t cope. You can tinker around the edgesof that all you like but at the end of the day there will need to be less people and less cities.”
I’m totally for NZ moving to a steady state economy and stabilising population. This is why I vote Green. Am happy to have that discussion with you any time, but I’m guessing you will flounder at the first sustainability hurdle.
I was waiting for that. Correct there were a lot more farms,less cows and lower stocking rates. But nearly all the effluent from the milking cycle was being discharged directly into the nearest river.
The point of stopping the direct discharge of effluent into rivers wasn’t to enable intensification to the point where there’s no nett gain from stopping the direct discharge of effluent into rivers. The intensity has to be cut back if we’re to have clean waterways – either that or the people doing the intensive farming need to fund research and technology implementation to mitigate the effects of what they’re doing. One way or another, you’re going to have to come to the conclusion that what you’re doing is unsustainable. If a progressive government has to drag you kicking and screaming to that conclusion, so be it.
Couldn’t agree more.
After all ff is just the farmers union.
Once we have the polluters doing the right thing it is time to focus on getting the freight where it belongs: on rail or coastal shipping.
Free the roads of trucks.
Thank you for your knowledgeable contribution LPRENT.
Sadly it is likely beyond the the [ self interested] comprehension
of a certain group of farmers.
Definitely worth reading. The problem isn’t the farmers. It is that they appear to be extremely susceptible to National’s scare tactic propaganda.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/97062007/on-the-eve-of-the-election-a-farmers-sons-letter-to-his-father
Perhaps they need a blog site where this kind of crap can be discussed transparently in public
I prefer to listen to Jamie Mcfadden from North Canterburyhttps://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/opinion/97029047/antifarming-ranters-enough-is-enough