Heavy-handed regulation is holding Manawatū-Rangitīkei farmers back from coming up with their own solutions to challenges like improving water quality, Ian Strahan says.
“Not enough carrot and too much stick sums up the problem for us farmers here – and all over the country – at the moment,” the province’s Federated Farmers president says.
“Kiwi farmers are some of the most adaptable farmers in the world because of the unsubsidised, market-led way we do things.
“We just need some incentives and a bit of room to move instead of being sat on by regulation, like we are right now.”
Strahan, who farms in Kiwitea, says there have been positive signals that many of the previous Government’s unworkable rules for farmers will be wound back.
For example, the new Government is reviewing the national direction for freshwater management and has extended the deadline to 2027 for councils to implement freshwater plans.
“Horizons Regional Council has extended the deadline to notify its Freshwater Plan to late 2026/early 2027, but has shown little sign that it’s listening to farmers,” Strahan says.
He says Horizons’ “impractical and unworkable” proposed water quality targets, which it presented to farmers at roadshows last year, are very much still on the table.
Strahan, who went to two of those roadshow meetings, says Horizons was genuinely surprised at the reaction it got from farmers.
“The council is totally out of touch and hadn’t really consulted properly with the rural community.
“They said they were just working with the science, but if we’d given effect to what they were proposing, it would result in widespread land use change.”
Horizons gave no indication of how its proposals would affect the local economy, he says.
“They will now look into what appears to be a very linear economic analysis of these potential land use changes.
“If a quarter of our hill country ended up in pine trees, I think freshwater would be the loser in the long term.”
Strahan says what farmers and the sector desperately need is space and incentives to come up with their own solutions.
For example, what farmers and catchment groups have learned about water quality in the past two decades – and especially the last 10 years – has been massive, he says.
“Farmer-led catchment groups are the best way for us to continue cleaning up waterways.
“These groups know exactly what’s going on in their catchments, but Horizons haven’t even asked for their input.
“Farmers are ultimately the ones who’ll have the biggest effect on freshwater, so they have to be part of the equation.”
Asked what the ‘carrot’ might look like, Strahan says he’s very keen on market-led initiatives.
Fonterra’s Scope 3 emissions target, announced last November, is a good example of farmers coming up with a solution to reduce emissions, he says.
“The co-op is targeting a 30% intensity reduction in on-farm emissions by 2030, and that’s broken down into nice bite-sized chunks and it’s doable.
“I’d like to see more of that, rather than politicians telling us if we don’t do what they want then no one’s going to buy our product.
“When our companies tell us what we need to do, it’s based on market signals. When politicians tell us, it’s just based on ideology.
“I’d like to see more actual market-led carrot rather than ideological stick.”
Alongside excessive regulation, another immediate concern for Strahan is the proposed rates rises for his province.
“Horizons are saying the average rates rise will be 12.9%. Well, I haven’t talked to one farmer whose rates will be anywhere close to that.
“The highest I’ve heard – and I’m only talking about year one – is 45%. My rates personally are going up by 20%.”
He strongly disagrees with Horizons’ plan to reduce the Uniform Annual General Charges (UAGC) from 27% of the rates take down to 16%.
“For property owners, this means the general rate hike will likely be more than the proposed 12.9% rise.
“This is a forced property tax without extra benefits or services at a time when farmers simply cannot afford it.”
Strahan says Horizons have “completely lost the plot” with their UAGC plan.
“They’ve done this to help the urban population because of the cost-of-living crisis.
“But the council’s just shifted the burden onto land owners and farmers, who are the ones at the moment who can least afford it.”
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.
