Government set to stall land bill

Agriculture Minister Jim Sutton talked tough to farmers protesting against new land access rules yesterday - but signs are emerging that legislation introducing the controversial changes may not be seen until after the election.

Mr Sutton has been accused of inflaming farmers after ridiculing the size of the Federated Farmers protest outside Parliament and telling one protester she was "a joke".

The protest drew about 200 people - a third the size of an apple-growers' march the day before - and was the culmination of Federated Farmers' "Access Orange" campaign opposing the proposed rules.

A Government source has now suggested it is unlikely the legislation will be introduced to Parliament before the election.

Mr Sutton told Parliament later that the bill would be tabled when it was ready, and went on to list policy issues that still needed clarifying, such as the mechanisms for negotiating compensation.

The protesters marched to Parliament from the Wellington Railway Station carrying a 29,000-signature petition opposing the proposal for a new agency to negotiate 5m walkway strips beside significant bodies of water.

They also carried two orange coffins symbolising the "death of property rights".

But Mr Sutton ridiculed the size of the crowd when he met the marchers outside Parliament.

To jeers and abusive chants, he said: "[Do you] want me to carry on, or should I wait until the rest of you have parked your cars and caught up.

"When Federated Farmers agree that they can hold a meeting without running around and telling everything that was said to the Opposition parties, we can talk about it some more. Have a nice day."

Protester Annie Carmichael shouted at Mr Sutton that the issue was not a joke.

"You're a joke," the minister fired back.

Asked later in Parliament by Act leader Rodney Hide if he would apologise to her, Mr Sutton said: "The member's friend was attempting to shout me down after I had been invited to address the crowd.

"I gave as good as I got, and if people think it's all right to dish it out they should be prepared to take it and stop whingeing afterwards."

Federated Farmers president Tom Lambie said later that Mr Sutton's attitude was likely to inflame farmers, and if the Government did not listen protests would escalate.

"We certainly expect the Government to listen to this ... There was a pretty clear indication there that they weren't."

Federated Farmers used the protest to release a "visitor access protocol" to solve the impasse with the Government. The protocol proposes that visitors ask farmers for access.

National Party leader Don Brash said a National government would ensure farmers kept the right to determine who had access to their land.

But Federated Mountain Clubs called the farmers' campaign short-sighted, president Brian Stephenson saying if the policy did not go ahead, 10 years from now New Zealanders would look back with sadness at a lost opportunity.

Why farmers oppose planned land access rules:

* Personal security and privacy.
* Impact on farming operations.
* Uncertainty over liability issues.
* Biosecurity risks.
* Cost for farmers from public access.