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National Party leader Christopher Luxon.
Christopher Luxon says the present government has spent much of its time running around with problems in search of solutions.
He says a lot of stuff has been piling on the rural community and likened it to sitting on the other end of the tennis court, getting 10 tennis balls thrown at you at the same time and you can't hit any of them. He points to the problems of rising inflation, increasing fuel and other input costs and supply chain challenges.
"We have had a situation where fruit has been sitting on trees rotting because orchardists can't get workers into this country.
"You are buried under a mire of regulation and this is coming from a culture within government that is really rooting in centralisation," he says.
Luxon hit out at the expansion of the bureaucracy during Labour's time in office, claiming the addition of 14,000 more 'pen pushers' in four and half years. He also points to what he describes as some dumb ideas being generated by bureaucrats, such as the plan to spend $800 million on a walking bridge across the Auckland Harbour that might draw 3,000 people on a good day.
OPINION: Your old mate hears that at a recent China Business Summit, PM Christopher Luxon delivered a none-too-subtle "could try harder" report card on the red meat industry regarding its exports to China - particularly when compared to Australia.
Meat Industry Association (MIA) independent chair Nathan Guy says getting meat processors involved has been a shot in the arm for the sector's key marketing initiative into China, Taste Pure Nature.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has reiterated New Zealand’s ‘China And’ policy, adding that it wasn’t about choosing one market over another but creating more options for exporters.
This past week has seen another round of negotiations between India and New Zealand to produce a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
Alliance Group and Grand Farm have signed a strategic co-operation agreement with a focus on delivering more premium New Zealand grass-fed beef to Chinese consumers.
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.
Environment Southland's catchment improvement funding is once again available for innovative landowners in need of a boost to get their project going.
The team meeting at the Culverden Hotel was relaxed and open, despite being in the middle of calving when stress levels are at peak levels, especially in bitterly cold and wet conditions like today.
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.
OPINION: The phasing out of copper network from communications is understandable.
Driven by a lifelong passion for animals, Amy Toughey's journey from juggling three jobs with full-time study to working on cutting-edge dairy research trials shows what happens when hard work meets opportunity - and she's only just getting started.
OPINION: Westland Milk may have won the contract to supply butter to Costco NZ but Open Country Dairy is having…
OPINION: The Gene Technology Bill has divided the farming community with strong arguments on both the pros and cons of…
