increase font size
NZ First candidate Mark Patterson (right) says his party would go after banks and supermarkets.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says the Government didn’t hold an inquiry into rural banking because the sector didn’t ask for one.
Speaking at the Rural Issues Debate last night in Hamilton, O’Connor backed Federated Farmers’ call for the next government to hold an independent inquiry into rural banking.
But he criticised Feds for not standing up to the banks earlier.
“I say, good on you Federated Farmers for stepping up for farmers.
“But this hasn’t been done before: Federated Farmers have never stood up and taken on the banks, as they should have.”
O’Connor says the farming sector is wary of talking on the banks because they all have mortgages.
“It’s very hard to take them on if you are beholden to them and they can be quite vindictive and vicious.”
In June, the Government announced that the Commerce Commission is to look into competition in the banking sector for personal banking services. Finance Minister Grant Robertson said then that record high profits had raised concerns the industry was not working well for New Zealanders.
O’Connor says the Government would have included rural banking into that inquiry had Federated Farmers asked for it.
“But if the sector isn’t saying there’s a problem, why would the Government overreach.”
O’Connor blasted National for planning to remove debt mediation legislation put in place by Labour.
But National ag spokesman Todd McClay claimed the Commerce Commission inquiry on the eve of the election was “to divert attention from high interest rates faced by homeowners and consumers”.
“If you were serious, this would have been done much earlier or you would have joined National when we called for an inquiry into banking in Parliament.”
NZ First candidate Mark Patterson says his party would go after banks and supermarkets.
Patterson says there should be an inquiry into rural banking.
This year’s Fieldays will feature a Rural Advocacy Hub - bringing together various rural organisations who are advocating for farmers and championing their interests as one team, under one roof, for the first time.
Farmers have been airing their concerns to the Government over changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme.
Southland farmers are welcoming moves by the Government to repeal intensive winter grazing rules.
A new report shows farm employers across the dairy, sheep and beef, and arable sectors have continued to invest strongly in one of their greatest assets – their staff.
The world’s largest wool processing facility, badly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle over one year ago, has re-opened following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says New Zealand has no intention of backing down in a trade dispute with Canada over dairy products.
There have been leadership changes at the Hamilton-based Dairy Goat Co-operative, which has been struggling financially in recent years.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.
OPINION: In recent years farmers have been crying foul of unworkable and expensive regulations.
Another 16 commercial beef farmers have been selected to take part in the Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme designed to help drive the uptake of genetics in the industry.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Kiwi exporters will be $100 million better off today as the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) comes into force.
OPINION: The new government has clearly signalled big cuts across the public service.
OPINION: Your canine crusader is not surprised by the recent news that New Zealand plant-based ‘fake meat’ business is in…
