Inflation shocker, thief on the loose. This week saw the release of inflation data for the September quarter and it was a shocker. Inflation is an insidious ‘thief in your wallet’, to quote a former Reserve Bank Deputy Governor, eroding purchasing power and savings and distorting decisions on spending and investment. The thief is becoming […]
Opinion
Match being stoic with a good dose of realism
By Cherrie Chubb, Dairy Chair, Federated Farmers Golden Bay OPINION: It is no understatement to say that we live in challenging times. While we can be thankful to have avoided the worst of the impacts from the Delta lockdowns, we have not been spared from the weather. Floods, storms and the persistent number of wet […]
Current policy directions don’t work for Northland or NZ
A Q&A with one of the new crop of Federated Farmers Provincial Presidents – Colin Hannah, Northland What is your background? I was raised on a dairy farm, and as a teenager ran the farm while still at school as my father was busy building houses for others. My father had a rule: We could […]
Transporting NZ unimpressed with emergency powers, ACC fees change
by Nick Leggett, CEO Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand OPINION: Transporting New Zealand’s work this past week has focused on the Government giving itself emergency powers until just before the 2023 election, ACC fees appearing to not back the Government’s Road to Zero road safety strategy, and minor tinkering with the driver licensing system […]
New water regime is overkill for small rural suppliers
By Rhea Dasent, Federated Farmers Regional Policy Advisor I’m disappointed that the Water Services Bill has passed its third reading in parliament with no exemption for small rural suppliers, despite Federated Farmers’ best efforts. At first it appeared to be an oversight that a farm water supply like my family’s was captured by a Bill […]
Economic Week – October 8
OCR increased. After holding off in August, the Reserve Bank did what it had been widely expected to do, this week lifting the Official Cash Rate from 0.25% to 0.50%. This was the first OCR increase in more than seven years. The Reserve Bank had to strike a balance between the economic hit caused by […]
Don’t blame us if land use switches to non-productive carbon farming
by Roger Ludbrook, Meat and Fibre Chair, Federated Farmers Northland OPINION: As a farmer I believe climate change is real and reducing our carbon emissions is important. What I am not convinced about is the process and the manipulation of the public by the current government and the Greens around how to reduce our CO2 […]
Watch and learn so we don’t end up running on empty
Written by: Nick Leggett, CEO, Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand In Britain this week we’ve watched mayhem at the petrol pumps as they ran out of fuel due to a shortage of truck drivers. Watch and learn New Zealand, this could be us before long. There are a number of lessons to learn from […]
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 […]
Open trade and climate action can work together
By Macaulay Jones, Federated Farmers Senior Policy Advisor Climate Change, Trade, Science & Innovation Supporting local businesses benefits the economy, but supporting local products is not always beneficial for the climate. As the world and New Zealand continues to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and policies enacted to curb its spread, many consumers are […]