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 […]
Councils
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 […]
Rural rates – going up faster than ciggies and booze
New Zealand’s 78 district, city, and regional councils have started consultations on Long Term Plans setting out proposed rates increases for the coming year and beyond. Expect cries of pain, says Federated Farmers manager of general policy, Nick Clark. “The high cost of council rates on farmland has always been a problem and it is […]
Wairarapa farmers leading the way with wetland restoration
A partnership of Wairarapa farmers is a part of a growing wetland restoration movement to build community resilience against flooding, drought, landslides and water pollution. Since 2016 the partnership has been proactively fencing off stock, planting native plants and trapping pest animals to restore wetlands and surrounding areas on Hapua farm. However, restoration work began over a decade ago. The Hapua […]
Gisborne Wairoa rates showdown
By Toby Williams President, Gisborne Wairoa Federated Farmers It’s frustrating and very disappointing that Federated Farmers’ submissions on Gisborne District Council and Wairoa District Council rates issues have largely fallen on deaf ears. We certainly highlighted the unfairness and inconsistency of some of their proposals, both in comprehensive written submissions and in person when I […]
Wairoa rates review misses the mark
By Rhea Dasent, senior policy advisor for Federated Farmers Federated Farmers has a long history of submitting on Wairoa rates, so our ears pricked up when we saw the current Wairoa Rates Review. We were especially interested to read in the Council’s own words “This proposal would simplify the rating system and transfer rates from […]
Reviewing the year we’d all rather forget
Kim Reilly, Federated Farmers South Island Regional Policy Manager Queen Elizabeth II once described 1992 as an “annus horribilis” – a horrible year. Moving forward 28 years, I’m not even sure there is a sufficient (publishable) term to sum up 2020. Let’s just say, it was a bloody shocker. Covid19 created the perfect storm for […]
Hold on to your wallet – bumpy council rates ride ahead
By Nigel Billings, Federated Farmers Senior Policy Advisory With local authorities due to roll out their Long-Term financial Plans in early 2021, a hard road beckons for rural ratepayers. This isn’t just a Covid-19 thing. Some councils, particularly in tourism centres, took big hits on their revenue in 2020 but new demands on council coffers […]