Federated Farmers presidents around the country are encouraging farmers to make sure their voices are heard in the upcoming Fish & Game elections.
Jason Herrick, Southland Federated Farmers president, says it’s important for farmers to vote in the elections to ensure they’re represented well.
“At the moment, it feels like we’re constantly butting heads with Fish & Game and fighting over what we can and can’t do on our farms.
“We need farmers – or at least people who actually understand farming – on each Fish & Game regional council to make sure we have better, fairer representation.”
Herrick says he wants to see Federated Farmers and Fish & Game working more collaboratively.
“Fish & Game needs farmers on-board to ensure they can have access to rivers on our land.
“At the same time, farmers need Fish & Game behind them when it comes to getting approval for things like extracting gravel and other farming activities.
“We should be working together so we can get the best outcomes for the community.
“I really urge all farmers who are licensed anglers or game bird hunters to enrol now to vote.”
Fish & Game councillors are elected every three years to represent the interests of anglers and hunters in each of the organisation’s 12 regions.
Councillors’ tasks include setting regional fishing and hunting regulations, developing policy, and promoting freshwater sports fishing and game bird hunting in their community.
Waikato Federated Farmers president Keith Holmes has also written to his members with a prompt to vote.
“It’s crucial that we speak up to make sure people who understand farming are elected to these roles.
“What happens if we don’t? Well, in recent years we’ve seen the result, with Fish & Game playing a litigious role in Plan Change 1.
“They’ve argued for more stringent rules for farming, such as 10 metre minimum setbacks from waterbodies.”
Holmes says Fish & Game seems to have given no consideration to how these rules will affect Waikato farmers financially and practically.
“Of course, these are the very farmers on whose land hunters and fishers want to shoot on or walk across to access fishing spots.”
Licensed farmers can register to vote at www.fishandgame.org.nz.
Voting opens in late September and closes on October 11.
Federated Farmers, New Zealand’s leading independent rural advocacy organisation, has established a news and insights partnership with AgriHQ, the country’s leading rural publisher, to give the farmers of New Zealand a more informed, united and stronger voice. Federated Farmers news and commentary appears each week in its own section of the Farmers Weekly print edition and online.
