Getting Back to Farming

National has a plan to end Labour’s war on farmers.

National understands how important farming is to rural communities and to lifting New Zealand’s earnings. Last year, 63 per cent of goods exported from New Zealand came from agriculture. Agriculture employs 1 in 9 workers. It’s the backbone of the New Zealand economy.

Farmers deserve recognition for their efforts to reduce their environmental footprints. Their livelihoods, and the legacy they leave, depend on them protecting their environment. In the past decade, dairy farmers have fenced 25,000 km of waterways, indeed, 98 per cent of waterways covered by the Sustainable Dairy Water Accord have been fenced. Additionally, New Zealand has among the world’s most carbon-efficient farmers.

But since being elected in 2017, Labour has tied farmers up in red tape, introducing more than 20 new or updated rules that have added compliance costs, without any meaningful environmental change.

National will end Labour’s red tape. Our “Getting Back to Farming” package of 19 changes backs farmers while protecting the environment. National will:

Deliver smarter rules for the future
Super-charge the rural economy
Get Wellington out of farming

You can read our full policy with all 19 changes here.

Note - National will make further announcements on:

Emissions pricing
Agriculture R&D
Water, including nutrient caps and water storage
Comprehensive primary industries policy