Editorial: Time for change
OPINION: With election day only a few days away and advance voting well underway, there appears to be a mood for change in rural and provincial New Zealand.
Ministers are “working on proposals” for revamping the Ministry for Primary Industries, says the Minister for Agriculture Damien O’Connor.
“Change will be made to enhance the focus in each of the respective and important areas of government responsibility,” he told Rural News.
But O’Connor did not say whether the role of the minister would also involve restructuring MPI into separate departments.
Under the coalition, government roles within the primary sector include O’Connor becoming Minister for Agriculture, Biosecurity, Food Safety and Rural Communities; Stuart Nash Minister for Fisheries and NZ First’s Shane Jones Minister for Forestry and Regional Economic Development.
MPI director of market access, trade and policy division Tim Knox was asked at a conference on October 27 about the splitting of the primary industries ministry.
He answered that at that stage there was no decision he was aware of to make any change to the structure of MPI.
If there was a change to the structure of MPI, Knox said, “we would work very hard to ensure the good work done in the last five years is continued in whatever form it takes.”
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.
Making things simpler, not harder, for deer farmers in farm planning and coping with regulations is Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) industry capability manager John Ladley’s current focus.
Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) is launching an online business directory called The Country Women’s Collective to promote and support entrepreneurial rural women.
New Zealand actor Sam Neill has joined the Campaign for Wool NZ as an ambassador, lending his name and profile to educate and advocate for New Zealand strong wool.