Great to see so many of you in person

I and others from HortNZ have visited seven different growing regions in the past few weeks and have talked with more than 200 growers and others in our industry.  At the same time, Michelle Sands has been talking to grower groups about all the changes that have been proposed as part of replacing the Resource Management Act (RMA). 

It was heartening to see so many growers and enable them to connect with each other, especially in some of the smaller regions where (due to Covid) there have not been many meetings for a few years. The get-togethers were also an opportunity for you to hear from HortNZ, as well as the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) about the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme policy review.

MBIE is wanting to revisit the regions in late February to early March, to share what they have captured from their first round of visits and seek further grower feedback on MBIE’s proposed policy changes for the RSE scheme. We are acutely aware that this timing is terrible for several of our regions, but this is an important piece of policy for many of you. Unfortunately, we cannot control the timing for these visits.

In terms of the new pieces of legislation to replace the RMA, HortNZ and product groups have written to the Environment Select Committee to ask members not to be swayed by political pressure and extend the consultation ending currently on 30 January 2023 to ending on 13 March 2023. I will let you know how we get on. 

‘Eat more broccoli and save the planet’

This headline caught my attention late last month. The BusinessDesk story was about ‘Growing for Good research conducted as part of the Government’s National Science Challenges, which concluded that ‘New Zealand should be growing more grains and vegetables while keeping its primary export sector intact, if it is to meet emissions and water quality targets’. 

The research looked at two land use scenarios. One that optimised land use for greenhouse gas reductions and the other, that optimised land use for freshwater quality improvement.  The research found that if reducing emissions was the main target, farm profits would increase by $89 million ‘but going all out for water quality would lead to a net $526 million drop in profit’. 

At the same time, a related study concluded that ‘if New Zealand adopted a healthier diet, there would be large gains in health and healthcare savings’. 

In other words, these two pieces of research support what we all know and have been saying for ages: that our industry holds the key to New Zealand achieving environmental, health and economic outcomes! So, with that in mind, why is it so hard to grow sustainably at the moment, and why is Government policy so misaligned, fragmented and contradictory?

Government policy must align and reflect the necessity of food production and export in New Zealand, to feed our nation, and the Pacific and in so doing, improve health, and achieve our economic and environmental ambitions. Individual pieces of policy must reflect an interconnection with other policies. For example, the world’s transition to lower emissions should mean that New Zealand is able to export more of its low emission fruit and vegetables, not be making it harder for growers to grow sustainably. 

This is the message we have consistently been giving the current Government. It will certainly be the message we amplify next year, as New Zealand heads into a General Election.