Primary Industry Minister Nathan Guy
In response to the recent opinion piece by Katie Kenyon, a Central Hawke's Bay shepherd who wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Bill English.
Dear Katie
Thanks for your open letter published in Hawkes Bay Today. I have read it carefully and as a farmer myself I agree with a lot of your points. It was good to speak to you on the phone the other day as well.
I understand your frustration and I feel it too. Farming is the backbone of our economy and it's the hard work of people like you that earn this country a living (around three quarters of our exports come from the primary sector). It helps pay for our roads, schools and hospitals that so many take for granted.
You raise an excellent point around the divide between urban and rural sectors. In years gone by many New Zealanders spent their school holidays on their grandparents farms, but this is increasingly rare these days.
As a Government we have been trying a number of things to tackle this. Last year we launched Primary Industries "Champions" in a series of online videos to promote careers in the primary sector, featuring high-profile people like Richie McCaw and Rob and Sonia Waddell who have a connection to the land.
We also have Primary Sector "Ambassadors" going into schools to work with students and raise awareness of what farmers, growers and producers actually do.
I want to stress though that it's not a challenge the Government or politicians alone can tackle. It's up to farmers and the wider industry to tell these stories loud and clear, and reach out to our urban cousins.
I'll continue working my butt off and do my bit, but if we really want a message to change the public perception of farming, it's not going to come from a politician. It needs to come straight from the woolsheds and dairysheds - from someone in a swanndri, not a suit.
We need to keep telling our success stories - like how dairy farmers have fenced off over 96% of waterways and planted millions of trees. And not because they had to, but because farmers see themselves as stewards of the land.
In my view, farmers are environmentalists because they want to leave their farms in a better state for their children and grandchildren to enjoy.
That's why I'm proud to show my support and promote events like the Ballance Farm Environment Awards, the Ahuwhenua Trophy for Māori farming and the Hawke's Bay primary sector awards last night. If we don't celebrate success loudly and proudly, no-one else will do it for us.
Fonterra's television campaigns and providing breakfast in schools are good examples of this, and I challenge other industries to think how they can tell their stories better.
As a farmer myself I know how annoying regulations can be, but they are there for good reason.
We now live in an age where our social licence to operate has never been more important. Everyone has a camera in their pocket these days, and damaging footage can be on social media and around the world in seconds.
That's why we need to be leaders in areas like animal welfare and environmental standards. If we want to target the wealthiest consumers around the world, we need to prove we are meeting the highest standards. It's a way of telling our story and protecting our reputation, which is the most valuable asset we have.
With regards to wearing a helmet on quad bikes, the blunt fact is too many people have been dying on quad bikes and it's not good enough. Every year around 845 people are injured on quad bikes and last year five people on farms were killed. Again, this is part of the issue you raised about respect from wider New Zealand - to do nothing on safety would not help us in that.
And I can tell you the updated health and safety legislation would have been a lot worse if it wasn't for me (and other rural MPs) 'standing up and shaking our fists'!
I consider it a privilege to represent farmers as a Minister. I believe I'm the strongest advocate for the rural sector in Parliament and I'm proud to have achieved a hell of a lot in my four and a half years as Minister.
We now have massive investment into research and development through the Primary Growth Partnership (around half of which is going to the red meat sector). Our biosecurity funding is now at record levels with new staff and technology. And we are investing heavily in much-needed irrigation projects around the country.
In just the last few months I've been in Iran witnessing an agreement to restart our red meat exports, and chilled meat access to China is now underway - both of which are major victories for farmers.
Everyday I stand by our farmers; whether in the media, in Parliament, or when I'm around the world trying to knock down trade barriers for our exports. It's not easy and I don't always get my way. But I get to work early and leave work late every night. I travel around the country every week and spend long periods away from my family. If I do have any spare time, I try to get back to the family dairy farm in Levin to help out.
Finally, I'm really disappointed to hear how you were spoken to by a security guard on your recent visit to Parliament. I've raised this with the Speaker of the House David Carter (who is also very disappointed) and he is looking into it.
So thanks again for your letter and for the chat on the phone. I take your points very seriously and I'll be working as hard as I can this year to continue being a strong voice for the rural sector.
Nathan Guy is Primary Industries Minister. Views expressed here are the writer's personal opinion, and not the newspaper's. Email editor@hbtoday.co.nz.