NZ–India FTA Gains Labour Support Amid Risk Concerns
The Labour Party has announced it will support New Zealand's free trade agreement (FTA) with India.
Labour’s West Coast MP, Damien O’Connor is the new Minister of Agriculture, Biosecurity, Food Safety and Rural Communities.
He is also the Associate Minister of Trade and Export Growth.
The new Cabinet line-up was announced in Wellington today by Prime Minister-elect Jacinda Ardern.
Horticulture NZ says it looks forward to working with the new Labour-led coalition Government and O’Connor.
HortNZ president Julian Raine says access to land, water and labour are the key components to keep horticulture growing and to enable access to healthy, fresh, affordable fruit and vegetables for all New Zealanders.
"Horticulture is essential to New Zealand. It is a $5.6 billion industry, with exports totalling $3.4 billion and New Zealanders being fed with the remaining $2.2 billion earned - that is, delivering fresh fruit and vegetables to New Zealanders every day to ensure a healthy diet.
"The new Government has expressed a desire to drive for better outcomes for New Zealanders and we look forward to working with them on delivering jobs and healthy food to contribute to that. We are particularly pleased to see planned investment in regions where horticulture has great capacity for growth," Raine says.
Wallaby control efforts in Canterbury have received a major boost, with Canterbury Regional Council releasing $2 million from its Pest Management Reserve.
Finding and supporting ‘champion farmers’ – or top-quality farmers - is one of best ways of getting other farmers to take the appropriate measures to mitigate environmental issues, according to a leading Irish scientist Dr Mary Ryan.
Zespri has unveiled Grown for Good, a refreshed global brand platform, in an effort to reinforce the company's commitment to nutrition and creating value across the kiwifruit industry.
For the first time in more than 30 years the Government has set a new set of radical priorities for the science it funds - including agriculture.
The Labour Party has announced it will support New Zealand's free trade agreement (FTA) with India.
OPINION: Political parties in New Zealand have a long history of supporting free trade agreements together.

OPINION: When Donald Trump returned to the White House, many people with half a brain could see the results for…
OPINION: Media trust has tanked because of what media's more woke members do and say.