Most farmers will agree the last few years under a Labour Government were incredibly challenging for rural communities, Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says.
“There was a lot of regulatory change being pushed down on farmers at a rapid pace and it didn’t always feel like it was particularly fair, practical or affordable.
“Public sentiment turned, we could feel the pressure building, and farmer confidence plummeted to record lows that we’re only just starting to recover from now.”
Langford has spent a lot of time reflecting on how farmers came to find themselves in that position when Labour swept to power in 2017, after nine years of National-led government.
More importantly, he’s also spent a lot of time reflecting on what Federated Farmers could do now to ensure farmers never find themselves in that position again.
“There’s no denying part of the problem was we hadn’t invested much time building strong relationships with the Labour Party while they were in Opposition,” Langford says.
“The day after the election, an email went around asking our team who had any relationships in the new Labour caucus. Just one reply came back saying, ‘I kind of know Damien O’Connor’.”
It was this experience that drove Federated Farmers to pull together a two-day meeting with the Labour Party in Hamilton earlier this month – including some hands-on farm visits.
The meeting included representatives from Federated Farmers, DairyNZ, Beef+Lamb NZ, Groundswell, Rural Women, Young Farmers, Rural Support Trust, and other farming groups.
The Labour Party attendees included leader Chris Hipkins, agriculture spokesperson Jo Luxton, environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking, and a large group of senior MPs and staff.
“For Federated Farmers, this was really about making sure we’re walking the walk and building on that concept of ‘Team Ag’, bringing all the different voices together,” Langford says.
“It was also about clearly demonstrating we are an apolitical organisation that will work constructively with any political party if it means achieving better outcomes for farmers.
“Did we agree on every issue? Definitely not. But was the time spent together worthwhile? Absolutely.
“We were never going to resolve all our issues overnight, but it feels like we made some really good progress and our relationship is in a much more positive space.”
Labour leader Chris Hipkins was positive about the meeting and farm tours, saying it was a great opportunity for his party to “reconnect” with farmers and rural communities.
“Farming is so incredibly important to New Zealand’s economy,” Hipkins says.
“The reality is that the relationship between farmers and the last Labour Government was not where we needed it to be – and I think it’s really important we do something about that.”
Hipkins has said Labour would use this year to think carefully about policy and be an effective Opposition.
“When you lose an election, you need to get out and talk to people, and to really understand the mood of the nation.
“We’ve done a lot of visits and, in particular, we’re looking at the areas we didn’t have the support we needed.
“People have their own views about how many farmers would be Labour supporters, but we’ve got to have a good constructive working relationship with the farming community.”
Hipkins says one of the things he’s focused on during the visits is identifying areas where Labour can make progress and provide more certainty regardless of where the political cycle is at.
“Gaining an understanding of those things that cause unnecessary irritation and uncertainty for farmers is important.”
Asked if greater cross-party consensus could be developed on the big issues, Hipkins says that depends on the government of the day’s willingness to compromise.
“If there are areas they’re willing to work with us on to provide some more enduring answers to challenges the sector faces, we’re certainly open to having that discussion with them.”
Hipkins says “polarising language” isn’t the way to bring people together to solve complex issues – and neither is some of the rhetoric used to criticise farmers.
“Challenges like climate change are incredibly complex and we’re going to need to bring people together if we’re going to solve them.
“A balance can – and must – be found between looking after the environment, business and people making a living.
“I don’t think farmers get enough credit for the huge amount of progress they’ve already been making in the environmental area. We’ve seen it on the farms we visited on this trip.
“Farmers rely on the environment day in and day out, and they’re quite conscious of that. I think if we work together, we can highlight that a bit more than we have in the past.”
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.
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