Out In The Cold On Freshwater -- April 2020

As New Zealand entered the nationwide lockdown in response to COVID-19, I was acutely aware of the privileged position I was in as a dairy farmer; I could still go to work each day, Fonterra would ensure my milk was picked up on schedule and the milk cheque would still be deposited into my bank account on the 20th of each month.

The effects of the virus on my business have largely been minimal; there has been a two month delay in sending some cull cows to the meat works, the value of these cows has crashed and I can no longer go into a Farm Source store for a coffee and chat when I pick up my supplies.

Despite these minor inconveniences, we’re not at risk of losing our businesses and we can keep our employees working and paid, and I was happy to see this largely reflected in farmer’s online behaviour. It’s time for farmers to keep our heads down and keep working while doing our best to support and help others who have been caught up in the effects of fighting the virus. Our tourism industry ceased to exist overnight and the flow on effects to related industries like hospitality are reflected in our growing unemployment figures.

I was surprised then, against this backdrop of business as usual for the primary sector and economic devastation for the service industry, to see Federated Farmers publicly calling for farmers to be given a break. They wanted the Government to defer policies on freshwater management, climate change, Resource Management Act reform and more.

Holding ourselves up as potential economic saviours of the country might be tone deaf and a touch arrogant, but publicly calling for special treatment at the same time plumbs new depths.

Part of my surprise was that the call was done via a press release instead of a quiet word in the ear of a Government official behind closed doors. Surely that’s the power of having an industry group helping to shape the very legislation they’re now calling to delay?

Of all the policies freshwater was the one that surprised me the most. It’s a personal crusade for the Minister for the Environment and, once the consultation process has finished and all the submissions have been summarised, the Ministry will pass their advice to Cabinet who will then issue a National Policy Statement on Freshwater.

That’s it. There’s no Select Committee hearing and no need for a law change, the NPS will provide direction to regional and district councils as to how they should carry out their responsibilities under the RMA. There are no second chances.

Surely Federated Farmers have been working tirelessly in the background making the views of their members known, making their policy team available to the Ministry for the Environment and the four advisory groups that had been established?

Unfortunately not. Documents released to Politik website under the Official Information Act show that Federated Farmers, suspected of leaking confidential information, have effectively been excluded from discussions on freshwater reform since May of last year.

How bad is this for farmers? When Fed’s invited Martin Workman, the Ministry’s Director for Water, to their board meeting to discuss the water proposals he declined to attend saying “The recent sharing of confidential information provided to primary sector groups means we are not able to share further information on Essential Freshwater.”

In June a Federated Farmers official apologised to the Minister’s Advisor over the leak without accepting any responsibility, the equivalent of a “sorry, but not sorry” letter. The damage had already been done. A policy that will deeply affect farmers has been developed almost entirely without a rural perspective being heard.

The reputational damage to Federated Farmers is immeasurable. They are viewed with suspicion by the Ministry and it’s fairly safe to assume calls to delay any policies will simply be ignored.

The idea that a policy as important as the National Policy Statement on Freshwater could be developed without significant input from the very group who are meant to represent farmers interests is almost ludicrous, yet that’s exactly the situation we find ourselves in.

I’ve been told before when I’ve criticised various bodies for their dealings with the Government that it’s far better to have a seat at the table so you can at least negotiate some compromise. As far as freshwater is concerned, farmers weren’t even in the room, and the very group we pay to represent our views have only got themselves to blame for that.