By Bruce Wills
According to one of our less sympathetic critics, Federated Farmers is a dinosaur.
It seems we are a legal version of Jurassic Park for having the temerity to question the Environment Court’s reversal of independent hearing’s commissioners on the Horizons One Plan.
That of course is the right of that critic because we thankfully live in a democracy.
That said I have the impression some are less democratically aligned because they are the first to extol their right to use the court process, yet disparage those who have opposing views from doing the same.
I imagine for this one critic that if it was Forest & Bird appealing they would laud that as the right thing, but because it is farmers, we suddenly become less virtuous.
I am heartened the public can often see through hypocrisy.
We all have a democratic right to access the law whoever we are, especially when a ground breaking ruling is at stake.
Kim DotCom can certainly be thankful people who deny us access out of spite or malice do not hold the levers of the judiciary.
So yes we have lodged an appeal against the Environment Court decision on the One Plan and we were not alone. Horticulture New Zealand similarly lodged an appeal so I guess you can sum up our combined view as this; if sheep farmers despoil the environment along with beef, cropping and dairy farmers, it doesn’t leave anyone a lot to eat. That choice reduces to seafood when vegetable and fruit growers are put into the same group boat.
That being the case, can anyone please tell us what we can eat?
This seems a recipe for much more expensive food in the Manawatu and Wellington regions, let alone, the loss of jobs and opportunity there.
There are currently some vibrant farmers’ markets that would struggle to survive without food production from the Manawatu Wanganui region.
Federated Farmers, like Horticulture New Zealand, stand for sustainable and profitable farming as part of New Zealand's future.
Jobs, opportunity and the environment do not have to be incompatible so our appeal is about getting the balance right.
Any appeal on a decision of the Environment Court is based on what we see as being errors in law. We believe the Court has gone too far and this is why Federated Farmers and Horticulture NZ are seeking legal clarity. Whatever the outcome, everyone will be affected in some way, whether it is through job prospects, enjoyment of the environment or the future prospects for that region.
The one thing our critics overlook is that farmers want good water quality too.
This is why farmers have invested millions of dollars to positively change how we farm over the past decade alone.
I must add that the winds of change are blowing because we welcome Palmerston North City Council’s proposed investment to improve its sewage infrastructure.
We want to swim in the Manawatu River too.
So instead of seeing things in the negative our appeal and that of Horticulture NZ, should be seen positively.
Less positive is the Lobbying Disclosure Bill of Green Party Member of Parliament, Holly Walker. With submissions closing next week, you can bet your bottom dollar we will be submitting.
And if you ever wanted proof why a Regulatory Standards Act is needed, this Bill provides it in spades.
The Bill seems based on loose media linkages and reminds me of an episode in Yes Prime Minister! (The Prime Minister wants an inquiry after reading a newspaper only to be reminded that the British media pander to their reader’s prejudices.)
If you want to end up with poor public policy or regulation this is how you start.
It is also no wonder why some lobbyists are said to be delighted by this Bill.
In limiting the art of lobbying to a privileged few, a lobbyist’s business plan is created and enshrined in statute.
The lobbying Bill effectively shuts down the need for local Members of Parliament given contact will be limited and strictly controlled.
Forget privacy or even freedom of expression with this Bill.
Rather, the Bill as written elevates registered lobbyists to the status of a priesthood.
It is only through registered lobbyists will ‘the public’ have access to our parliamentary Pantheon.
We doubt either the public or Members will be delighted by this prospect.
There is however a simpler and more elegant solution.
This is to make the diaries of all Members of Parliament publicly available on the internet after the fact. Either that or to make Members of Parliament minute every conversation, or meeting they have.
Yet we need to back up the bus here because New Zealand is a village where even our spies are outed by the Prime Minister for getting in wrong.
Stalinist Russia we are not, yet this Bill I can see will create a culture of denouncement befitting the iron curtain.
Instead of lobbying being some negative, it is positive, but only if done in the open.
That perhaps is why New Zealand is the world’s least corrupt nation according to the Transparency International. We need to remember that.
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Bruce Wills is the President of Federated Farmers. You can contact him here »
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