The Country - Pastoral edition

Today on The Country, Jamie Mackay had words with Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor over the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill.

On with the show:

Steve Maharey:

Is a former Labour Cabinet Minister and Vice Chancellor of Massey University who (some say) could have been a Prime Minister! Today we talk election year infrastructure spending, the fate of the world economy, the age of the leader of the free world, how young is too young to be a politician, and the future of the tertiary sector without foreign students.

Kate Cocks:

One of the owners of Mount Nicholas Station, on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, goes into bat for high country farmers who are none-too-pleased with some of the proposals in the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill which she says are poorly drafted and place a number of absurd limitations on day-to-day farming activities.

Damien O'Connor:

We pat the Minister of Agriculture on the back for his Opportunity Grows Here initiative to attract 10,000 New Zealanders to primary sector jobs. The government's handling of M. bovis and DIRA also receive a positive reception but not so the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill.

Jane Smith:

Is a high-profile North Otago farmer and former winner of the Ballance Farm Environment Awards who ponders polls, coal and Marama's "tax is love" decree!