Farm or city – unnecessary cost is the enemy

As politicians ramp up rhetoric and roll out the policy ahead of the November election, most New Zealanders want to hear what their solutions are for getting the cost of living down.

Whether you’re a farmer out in Stavely or you’re living in the middle of Ashburton, we’re all interested in cutting out things that unnecessarily add to costs.

In the last few years, a big focus of Federated Farmers has been to encourage central and local government to streamline and simplify resource management rules and regulations.

In short, less red tape means less cost.

When you add to farmers’ costs, you’re adding to the costs Kiwi families pay to put food on the table and undermining the competitiveness of our exporters.

It’s in all our interests to find better ways of doing things.

I’ll give you just one example of Federated Farmers’ advocacy on this front.

In the last few months, Feds has been working with the Agricultural Aviation Association (NZAAA). There’s only a few hundred operators of topdressing planes and helicopters that spread fertiliser and pest control agrichemicals and they’re frequently flying across council boundaries.

NZAAA executive officer Tony Michelle says the current regional and district plan rules covering his members are a bureaucratic nightmare. They vary significantly from district to district, and some of them are totally impractical.

He’s been spending up to 50% of his working week dealing with regional and district plan changes and trying to get council officers and elected representatives to understand what’s practical for the sector.

“You fight the same battle with 74 councils each time they get round to a review, and it all starts again from ground zero. There’s no consistency,” he told us recently.

The current Government is making huge strides with its overhaul of the Resource Management Act, which over the last 30 years has become bloated and stifling for progress – a gravy train for consultants and lawyers.

Feds has made detailed submissions on what would work better for our sector, and we’re on the eve of new legislation that will drastically cut the number of expensive resource consents, while still ensuring strong protections for the environment.

Now on our wish list for whoever forms the next government are 10 new national permitted activity standards within the first year of office.

A national standard means a clear set of conditions and rules. If they’re complied with, delays and expense of getting a resource consent are avoided.

There are still strict protections for land and water, and if they can’t be complied with, resource consent is needed.

Federated Farmers wants to see a national standard not just for fertiliser spreading, but for vegetable growing, gravel extraction from rivers to help stop flooding and damage to roads and bridges, for on-farm water storage, wetland restoration – and five other farm and food producing activities.

This drive by Feds for smarter ways of doing things and reducing costs extends into other areas too.

Driven by the Government’s plans to get rid of regional councils by 2028, Ashburton and every other district have been deep in conversations recently on local government reorganisation.

Change like this is uncomfortable and challenging – but rates bills that consistently outstrip inflation, sometimes by a country mile, are uncomfortable too.

I’m proud of Feds’ involvement in these discussions here in Canterbury and elsewhere.  For us, the key principles have been around new unitary councils that acknowledge that big cities like Christchurch and provincial areas have different needs and priorities. New councils must preserve strong local representation and decision-making.

I’m three months into my role as Federated Farmers president. I’ve been on the national board for four years, so I know how busy the organisation is on multiple fronts – but suffice to say things have got a whole lot busier for me!

It’s humbling and gratifying that people from all sectors and walks for life have opened doors of welcome to me as the new Feds president.

I’ve been around the traps for a while and I’ve built up wide array of contacts and networks here where I farm in Canterbury, and in other regions. I’m making full use of those links to help Federated Farmers achieve better things for farming families and rural communities.

Primary production is the engine room of our economy and merchandise exports – when farmers do well, it’s good for all New Zealand.

I was passing through Christchurch airport the other day in my Feds branded shirt and I actually got a cheer from a group of young farmers who clearly back our mission.  It gave me such a lift!

So if you see me out and about – come up and say hello. I’d love your ideas and feedback.