Luke Kirkness: Why do we bite the hand that feeds us?

A tractor driver participates in the Groundswell New Zealand protest in Christchurch. Photo / George Heard

OPINION:

New Zealand owes much to its rural community.

In the south, the high-country station owners used to be king, then there was the dairy industry boom, and lately - and locally - kiwifruit is the place to be.

Cities and towns have been built on the success of the farms that surround them and without the people who manage them, these urban areas could topple.

However, despite this, the powers that be appear to have forgotten the old adage: Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

It's fitting this expression with obvious ties to farming is being used but it simply means, when you bite the hand that feeds you, you're being ungrateful, unappreciative.

In the midst of a global pandemic when people have lost so much - namely their livelihoods, loved ones, months of their life to lockdown - our reliance on the rural community has not waned.

Our supermarket shelves have remained stocked with homegrown food and drink, and the country's exports have also been able to keep running.

Yet, instead of thanking this community for slaving away whether it's rain, hail or shine, on weekends and weekdays, day and night, the Government is set to hit them in the pocket with a ute tax, and other regulations.

The Clean Car Discount is about to be implemented across the country and it is hoped it will encourage drivers to switch to electric vehicles and hybrids.

Under the scheme, imported cars could be slapped with charge fees of up to $5175 and used to subsidise discounts up to $8625 of people buying EVs, hybrids and other low-pollution cars. Utes could fetch tax costs of up to $3000.

The rural community won't be the only ones affected by the scheme but all sorts of people, think of tradies, fishermen, and recreational hunters who all heavily rely on utes.

Rural folk know the importance of looking after the environment because they wouldn't be able to operate without it. No healthy ecosystem, no livestock, no honey, no forestry, no fruit, no vegetables. The list is endless.

Without farmers, our rural communities would slowly die. Farming supply stores and supermarkets will have limited customers, mechanics and builders will run out of business. Slowly but surely, people will head to our cities, of which many are overpopulated already.

Tractors, utes, 4WDs and protesters took to small-town New Zealand and big cities on Sunday as part of the Groundswell event to show their united disdain towards these changes.

The protest was about eight changes that affect farmers. They are the Three Waters and Crown pastoral lease reforms, freshwater regulation, rules that protect significant natural areas (SNA) and indigenous biodiversity, difficulty getting seasonal rural workers, measures to reduce climate change and the Clean Car programme that affects people buying vehicles.

Urgent action is needed around climate change but a blanket approach isn't the way to do it - some sectors need to be given a break.