Biosecurity has been a problem, with lessons hopefully learned on that front. We've had to get our heads around a world of rising nationalism and trade protectionism, Brexit, Trump and other polarising international matters outside our control.
Climate Change talk has gone from something considered "fringe thinking" to something widely accepted as an issue that needs action. The Primary Sector has accepted that challenge, and through He Waka Eke Noa – we're all in this together – we'll do our part.
The past year has seen a mass of proposed regulations being cooked up in the coalition government's kitchen. 2020 will see these proposals coming out of the Beehive's oven, and I guess we'll get to see what's edible and what will have us reaching for the bucket.
The quality of water, and how we use it will continue to be a significant focus throughout the coming decade. Outcomes of these work streams will hit rural communities hard, but don't expect urban rates and taxes to come off lightly either.
Activities affecting New Zealand's indigenous biodiversity will be more strongly regulated, and as we work our way through those challenges, there'll be some frustrations. Again, this will not be a cheap problem to fix, and the government's chequebook must come to the party.
Looking more positively, from an environmental perspective, I think the decade's unsung hero award should go to rural catchment groups (and their leaders). Key to that is the NZ Landcare Trust. The gains that come from these ground-up, constructive and community-based approaches are immeasurable.
Through these processes, farmers learn from each other; they learn from groups and speakers that come in to talk with them; they learn from the information passed around and that gained from direct research and projects undertaken. It will ultimately be from these local groups that we make the necessary gains for our environment and its water, biodiversity and climate.
Any new and existing regulation must work alongside these, supporting and empowering processes, rather than derailing any buy-in at a local level.
An overly heavy-handed red tape and big stick approach may well catch what the government calls "the laggards", but it also risks ostracising the leaders and the majority who're already committed to working on solutions.
It is also at odds with human nature. We do best when supported, empowered and treated with trust and respect, not when treated as "guilty until proven innocent".
So that's what I hope we take into the new decade. An approach of partnership, constructive engagement, and a ground up approach which focuses on practical, workable solutions.
I hope everyone enjoyed a great Christmas/New Year, a restful break and here's to saying farewell to the century's "noughty teens" and welcoming in the new roaring twenties.
