Bridging the gap with rural New Zealand
OPINION: One thing I keep hearing from rural New Zealanders is the importance of relationships. Strong relationships don’t just happen - they take trust, consistency, and time.
To keep growing and contributing its acknowledged benefits, Horticulture NZ lists five priorities it believes the next government must address.
1. Biosecurity
Biosecurity is consistently listed as the number-one concern for growers. Given NZ’s heavy reliance on primary industries, a devastating pest or disease could hugely affect individual businesses, families, communities, food supplies and the nation’s economic wellbeing.
In horticulture, we have seen this with Psa, which ravaged Bay of Plenty kiwifruit orchards in 2010 and is still costing growers today. We need government partnership and commitment for both appropriate border control and preparedness for potential incursions.
2. Food security
Growing land tends to be close to urban areas for ease of getting fresh food to consumers in NZ and around the world. We have pockets of land rare in the world, including Pukekohe (near Auckland) and surrounding areas, where soil and climate allow year-round growing of leafy green vegetables. We need to protect this land for affordable, year-round food production. And we need sensible access to water, without which no food grows.
Our most valuable growing land is under threat from houses. Decisions made by local government about land and water use in one area can impact food supply for the whole country, as well as valuable exports. As part of a food security policy, we believe there is a need for central government to be able to consider the national good via a national environmental standard to protect access to land and water for primary producers.
3. Workforce capability
Horticulture is growing faster than the pool of skilled labour. Horticulture participates in many schemes to get NZers into work, including people leaving prisons. We focus on attracting and upskilling NZers first, and we need the education system to be part of equipping people with the right skills for employment.
Where we cannot find skilled workers, we support immigration policies focused on supplying those workers, particularly in big horticulture regions outside Auckland. We also require support for schemes to supply seasonal labour during peak harvest and pruning times, including the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme, widely acknowledged as one of the most successful labour mobility schemes in the world.
4. Country of Origin Labelling (CoOL)
An independent Consumer NZ survey showed that 71% of NZers want mandatory CoOL for fresh fruit and vegetables. The Consumers’ Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill has had its first reading in Parliament and is under consideration by a parliamentary select committee. We want to see this bill progress into law because people have a right to know where their food comes from.
5. Healthy eating education
Understanding the value of healthy food for positive lifelong health needs to start young. Developing the ability to prepare healthy meals will empower our children and young people to be able to access and enjoy a nutritious diet within their budgetary, cultural, social and time constraints, over a lifetime. The school curriculum is the most appropriate place to teach and develop cooking skills as it reaches all children and provides cross-cultural learning. We want the government to support healthy eating education through the curriculum.
