Feds claiming 'some real success' on policy front
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford is claiming “some real success” on the 12 policy priorities it placed before the Coalition Government.
Farmers want the Government to back off local government in the Hauraki Gulf and let the people decide their futures.
Federated Farmers Auckland provincial president Andrew Maclean says the Government proposes to establish a Ministerial Advisory Committee to implement the Hauraki Gulf Marine Spatial Plan (aka Sea Change), “clearly stepping on local government”.
"This move is just the latest assault on local democracy from central Government."
Matters to do with the impact of land use on water quality in coastal waters are the domain of local government, regional councils, through Resource Management Act (RMA) processes.
"Why have local government at all if they’re just going to be pushed aside?"
Water quality issues that potentially impact the Hauraki Gulf are well addressed through council plans, Maclean says.
He was speaking on behalf of the Federated Farmers provinces affected by the Government’s latest proposal - Auckland, Waikato and Hauraki-Coromandel.
"There are still questions about how Sea Change will fit in around all the other legislation and how it can be made fair for all that it will effect. Will those local concerns be looked at by the central government body?
"The Government should be wary of trying to impose a ‘one size fits all’ set of regulations over the two regions impacted. Even adjacent sub-catchments can have completely different sets of problems that require tailored solutions. We have learned that those solutions are best addressed by local communities and the councils that represent them. It would be a mistake to dictate a package deal of recommendations."
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford is claiming “some real success” on the 12 policy priorities it placed before the Coalition Government.
Federated Farmers is throwing its support behind the Fast-track Approvals Bill introduced by the Coalition Government to enable a fast-track decision-making process for infrastructure and development projects.
The latest report from ANZ isn’t good news for sheep farmers: lamb returns are forecast to remain low.
Divine table grapes that herald the start of a brand-new industry in Hawke’s Bay have been coming off vines in Maraekakaho.
In what appears to be a casualty of the downturn in the agricultural sector, a well-known machinery brand is now in the hands of liquidators and owing creditors $6.6 million.
One of New Zealand’s deepest breeder Jersey herds – known for its enduring connection through cattle with the UK’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II – will host its 75th anniversary celebration sale on-farm on April 22.