Federated Farmers joins the many council elected representatives and citizens up and down the country urging the government to go back to the drawing board on reform of three waters delivery. “While it’s clear that billions of dollars of investment are needed to get drinking water, stormwater and sewerage infrastructure up to scratch, there are […]
Councils
Feds President’s letter on the Water Services Bill
Last Thursday the Water Services Bill went through its Committee Stage. The Third Reading is likely to happen this week. The National Party’s supplementary order paper, calling for those who supply 30 connections or fewer to be exempted, was defeated. (Federated Farmers had suggested an exemption for supplies to 50 people or fewer.) Local Government […]
Dedicated rural representation – A must-have for Gisborne
In November 2020 the Gisborne District Council voted in favour of including Māori wards, this, in turn, prompted a representation review. The review began in May this year with the council engaging with us on what fair representation looks like by conducting a pre-engagement survey, this resulted in the Council producing an initial proposal for […]
Forestry hiccup and lesson to councils on accurate SNA maps
By Rhea Dasent, Federated Farmers Regional Policy Advisor Federated Farmers is encouraging the Central Hawkes Bay District Council to be precise and accurate with landscape mapping in its District Plan, to avoid the lightbulb moment that Waipa District Council recently experienced. Waipa District Council needs to apply for resource consent, from itself, in order […]
Feds takes flawed Environment Southland LTP process to the Ombudsman
Federated Farmers has lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman over the way Environment Southland approved its Long-Term Plan 2022-2032 (LTP), citing unfairness as well as missing and misleading information. Feds has around 1200 members in the region – that’s a majority of Southland’s farmers – and many of them are appalled the Council has approved […]
District Plan flexibility could open up new land use, housing gains
By Simon Edwards Zeb Horrell’s vision for a less restrictive district planning approach to houses on farms brings dividends around extra farm capital, diversification, workforce help and self-sustainability. It’s also another bite out of our daunting housing shortage problem and a way that more Kiwi families can experience the joys and advantages of rural life. […]
Feds disappointed with deadline extension refusal
Federated Farmers is extremely disappointed with Otago Regional Council’s outright rejection of a multi-party request for a two week extension for all submitters on the Council’s Regional Policy Statement (RPS) review in light of the Covid lockdown. “ORC chief executive Sarah Gardner – quite correctly – has told her staff that during the lockdown they […]
Fix, don’t smash, the RMA
Federated Farmers is urging the Government not to try and push through a radical reform of the Resource Management Act during the current pandemic. Vice-President Karen Williams led a Federated Farmers team presenting to the Environment Select Committee this afternoon and agreed all is not well with one of our most important pieces of legislation. […]
Rural residents deserve strong voice at Council table
By Rhea Dasent, Senior Policy Advisor, Federated Farmers Farmers and other rural people value local democracy, so Federated Farmers has commented on the early stages of the Hastings District Council Representation Review. Farmers collectively contribute a huge portion of rates towards council revenues, and are also subject to most of the council regulation for use of land […]
Listen up, or farmers are going to start digging their toes in
The next instalment of our series introducing the new Federated Farmers Provincial Presidents – Chris Dillon, Southland What’s your farming background? I finished Lincoln University in the late ‘90s, travelled and worked in a few different places and ended up back on the home farm near Gore around 2000. We started an agricultural contracting business […]