MARK KELLY Last month, I wrote about the Farm Debt Mediation Act 2019. The FDMA requires lenders to mediate with farmers before they can enforce farm debt. The idea is to create a circuit-breaker in high pressure farm debt situations. A chance for folk to talk before things go too far. This month, some tips […]
Employment
Economic Week, 30 September
by Nick Clark, National Manager General Policy Business confidence recovering – but not for farmers ANZ’s September Business Outlook Survey registered another lift in business confidence but it remains negative and it in fact deteriorated for farmers. A net 36.7% of businesses expect general economic conditions to worsen over the coming year, an 11 point […]
3000 more RSE workers to ease workforce pressures
Over 3000 additional places to bring further relief to horticulture sector Largest increase to the RSE Scheme in over a decade RSE workers to receive access to sick leave Employers commit to provide transparent, clear information and independent support for RSE workers The Government continues to respond to global workforce shortages by announcing the largest […]
Research set to improve safety over calving
Research into sprain and strain injuries over calving has identified some simple ways farmers can reduce injuries on dairy farms. The three-year DairyNZ project, funded in partnership with ACC’s Workplace Injury Prevention programme, is researching the causes of sprains and strains on dairy farms – and developing practical solutions to reduce injuries. “Around 40 percent […]
Economic Week – 16 September
by Nick Clark, National Manager General Policy GDP surprises on the upside New Zealand’s economy grew by 1.7% in the June 2022 quarter compared to the March 2022 quarter, according to Statistics NZ’s quarterly Gross Domestic Product. This was much stronger than most economists’ expectations, although very close to the Reserve Bank’s pick of 1.8%. […]
Falling working age population and the case for immigration
By Paul Melville, Federated Farmers principal advisor water & environment strategy In 2020 New Zealand shut its border to non-citizens due to an unfolding global pandemic. At the time it was very much considered a short-term response while we waited for the COVID-19 virus to be brought under control overseas. Few people expected the closure […]
Meat Industry Association gains access to migrant workers
The Meat Industry Association (MIA) says a new sector agreement with the Government will help address labour shortages. The sector agreement with the industry includes access to migrant workers for entry-level red meat processing roles at $24.00 per hour with a cap on the number of visas. This will be replaced with a Pacific […]
Economic Week – 19 August
by Nick Clark, National Manager General Policy Reserve Bank hikes again The Reserve Bank has continued its fight against inflation, increasing the Official Cash Rate another 50 basis points to 3.0%. The Reserve Bank was blunt in saying that despite a recent easing in global oil prices, core consumer price inflation remains too high and […]
Economic Week – August 12
by Nick Clark, National Manager General Policy Inflation relief? Inflationary expectations may be easing, according to the Reserve Bank’s latest quarterly Survey of Expectations. Survey participants think inflation will be 4.86% for the year to September 2023, a little less than the one-year-out rate of 4.88% expected in the previous June quarter survey. It breaks […]
Economic Week – August 5
Farmer confidence plumbs new depthsSix months ago, in January, farmer confidence was at its lowest level recorded in the 13 year life of Federated Farmers’ six-monthly Farm Confidence Survey. Anyone hoping for improvement in July’s survey will be disappointed. In fact, confidence has dropped even further. 1,217 farmers completed the survey over the period of […]