Thursday, 28 May 2020 09:53

Overstayers irk farmers

Written by  Staff Reporters
Feds dairy section chairman Chris Lewis says some people in houses on dairy farms are refusing to leave and there is nothing the farmer can do about it. Feds dairy section chairman Chris Lewis says some people in houses on dairy farms are refusing to leave and there is nothing the farmer can do about it.

A new law preventing the eviction of tenants from rental properties is causing a headache for some dairy farmers.

Lawmakers in Wellington came up with a blanket law that failed to take account of what normally happens in the rural sector. The law prevents people being evicted from a house without long notice, but failed to recognise that when a house goes with the job, as it does on many farms, that is known as service tenancy and has a known end point – in this case June 1.

The lawmakers lumped the two together and that is causing a problem.

Federated Farmers dairy section chairman Chris Lewis says this is causing angst for some dairy farmers and he’s fielded a lot of calls on the subject.

He says some people who are in houses on dairy farms are refusing to leave and there is nothing the farmer can do about it.

“In the end, new sharemilkers may have to stay in the houses of farmers in the meantime. We have written to various government ministers seeking an amendment to the legislation and are patiently waiting for some action. 

“There are consequences because a lot of farmers have recruited people laid off in the tourism industry and have promised them accommodation, but it’s hard if the existing employee won’t move,” he says.

Lewis says they are encouraging farmers to sit down and try to get the people who are refusing to leave to do so on their own volition. But he says unless there is a law change, farmers may have to wait until the end of the notice period.

Meanwhile, Moving Day will still need to operate differently to normal despite the country now in Alert 2.

That’s the word from DairyNZ’s Sharon Morrell who says guidelines as to how farmers should operate on that day are on the DairyNZ website. 

It’s estimated that up to 7,000 households will move on June 1. Counting people in households mean that about 20,000 people will be on the move 

Morrell says the guidelines up on the DairyNZ web site are there to help people think though what is required. – Peter Burke

More like this

Dr Mike Joy says sorry, escapes censure

Academic Dr Mike Joy and his employer, Victoria University of Wellington have apologised for his comments suggesting that dairy industry CEOs should be hanged for contributing towards nitrate poisoning of waterways.

Farmer anger over Joy's social media post

A comment by outspoken academic Dr Mike Joy suggesting that dairy industry leaders should be hanged for nitrate contamination of drinking/groundwater has enraged farmers.

M.I.A.

OPINION: The previous government spent too much during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite warnings from officials, according to a briefing released by the Treasury.

Featured

Australia develops first local mRNA FMD vaccine

Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

National

All eyes on NZ milk supply

All eyes are on milk production in New Zealand and its impact on global dairy prices in the coming months.

Machinery & Products

Leader balers arrive in NZ

Officially launched at the National Fieldays event in June, the Leader in-line conventional PRO 1900 balers are imported and distributed…

JDLink Boost for NZ farms

Connectivity is widely recognised as one of the biggest challenges facing farmers, but it is now being overcome through the…

New generation Defender HD11

The all-new 2026 Can-Am Defender HD11 looks likely to raise the bar in the highly competitive side-by-side category.

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Full cabinet

OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter