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 […]
Councils
Resource management proposals positive on consultation, flawed in content
The government should be applauded for a proper consultation process on replacement RMA legislation but Federated Farmers has significant concerns about local democracy being stripped away. Reacting to the release today of an ‘exposure’ draft of the Natural and Built Environments Act, Feds Vice-President and resource management spokesperson Karen Williams said it was pleasing this […]
Gisborne maintenance cutbacks will ramp up fire risk
By Debbie Bidlake, Federated Farmers senior policy advisor The east coast has a lot of forestry and scrub. Both are highly flammable. Fire Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) doesn’t talk about if there will be a big fire in Gisborne, they talk about when – and their inability to control that fire once it takes off. […]
Fighting for the rural ratepayer
By Nigel Billings and Nick Clark Winter is upon us and Federated Farmers is in the thick of it fighting for hard-working farmers against the rates hordes. It’s a hard battle but one worth fighting. We’re staring down the barrel at a swarm of huge rates rises which will add thousands to many farmers’ rates […]
Hastings Council urged to push ‘paws’ on working dog fee hike
by Rhea Dasent Federated Farmers Regional Policy Advisor Federated Farmers opposes the Hastings working dog registration fee increasing from $48 to $56. While we are pleased that the cost of registering a working dog is heavily discounted compared to town dogs, $56 is still too expensive, especially when there is no discount for subsequent dogs […]
Rein in rates and show some backbone on water plan, ECan urged
Federated Farmers is strongly urging Environment Canterbury to demonstrate financial discipline and stick with current water plans developed with the community, rather than cave in and start a $25 million exercise re-writing them. Feds Mid-Canterbury President David Clark and fellow Ashburton farmer and national board member Chris Allen said the Federation’s Canterbury membership of around […]
Horizons decision on Plan Change 2 brings certainty for farmers
Federated Farmers and DairyNZ are pleased the Horizons Regional Council has adopted the recommendations of the Independent Hearing Panel for Proposed Plan Change 2. “This gives some certainty for farmers who have been in limbo,” Federated Farmers National President and Manawatu dairy farmer Andrew Hoggard says. “Importantly, PC2 is an interim measure, intended to […]
Humble dung beetle potential game changer for landowners
Marlborough landowners and the Council will be as happy as dung beetles in muck if an ambitious programme to improve the region’s waterways achieves its objectives. The humble little critters themselves could also prove to be a game changer for Marlborough landowners, assisting in the quicker conversion of manure back to pasture. Did you know […]
Farmers seek fairer route to meeting road costs
by Rhea Dasent, Federated Farmers Senior Policy Advisor Federated Farmers members have highlighted to us a discrepancy between the high rates they pay towards roading, and the low level of service they receive. There is wide concern that their distance from main centres means their roads are low priority for maintenance and repair, yet they […]
Maintaining roads is key step to traffic safety
By Rhea Dasent, Federated Farmers Regional Policy Advisor Federated Farmers supports road safety as a priority in its submission on the Regional Land Transport Plan for Hawke’s Bay. Ensuring road maintenance is adequately funded and actually carried out will complement the safety strategy. Many rural councils are falling further behind in essential maintenance of roads, which shortens the lifetime of […]