Thursday, 16 January 2020 11:12

Primary sector no more

Written by  Staff Reporters
Lain Jager. Lain Jager.

The Primary Sector Council believes it’s no longer appropriate to refer to “the primary sector”.

Read: Late last year, the Primary Sector Council unveiled its vision for the future of New Zealand’s primary industries.

Primary Sector Council (PSC) chair Lain Jager claims "the primary sector" conjures up images of volume-driven extractive commodity production, which was no longer reflective of how New Zealand farming and would fail to attract the people and investment needed for future success. 

“Reframing the sector as the ‘agriculture food and fibre sector of Aotearoa/New Zealand’ celebrates our high-value produce and the increasingly sophisticated farming processing and marketing systems and technologies we use.” 

Jager said New Zealand’s economic challenge and opportunity is to position it to meet the demand for high-value food and fibres. 

“Climate change, water scarcity and degradation, and pressure on biodiversity is the context for many of our consumers and our children. By owning our environmental responsibilities on carbon, water, biodiversity, we can lead the world in truly sustainable food and fibre production.”

More like this

Bright future for primary sector

A primary sector think tank believes it's incredibly important for the NZ sector to grow exponentially and a big focus should be on developing exports in the 'wellness' space.

All sizzle, no sausage — Editorial

OPINION: Despite all the hype and political theatre surrounding last week’s release of the Primary Sector Council’s report, the document seems more like a horoscope than a clear guide to anywhere.

More waste!

Your old mate notes that after almost two years of cosy meetings and more than $2 million wasted, Ag minister Damien O’Connor’s brainfart, the Primary Sector Council, released its ‘strategy’ on the eve of Christmas, last year.

Featured

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

DairyNZ plantain trials cut nitrate leaching by 26%

DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.

National

Machinery & Products

Tech might take time

Agritech Unleashed – a one-day event held recently at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton – focused on technology as an ‘enabler’…

John Deere acquires GUSS Automation

John Deere has announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognised leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy,…

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

A step too far

OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…

Save us from SAFE

OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter