The Feds say: Share ideas to help us all

Communication is the key to consultation. This may seem common sense, but sometimes it doesn't come easy.

In our busy ever-changing world, opportunities to 'pick up the phone' often go amiss.

Recently, Federated Farmers' Wairoa branch held its AGM. Among the items discussed were communication and consultation.

Wairoa is a significant community of the Hawke's Bay Regional Council, though largely because of its geographical isolation, it's often left feeling like the fifth wheel.

Generally latecomers to the consultation table, Wairoa members consider they miss out on key opportunities to shape and direct the tone and content of key documents.

The recent biodiversity strategy development is a great example, although, to the regional council's credit, when concerns with consultation were raised, there was a solid attempt to ensure those members and their communities were appropriately consulted.

Federated Farmers is always keen to participate in consultation, both formally and informally. Rural input is more critical than ever, especially from those in geographically isolated areas.

Agriculture has evolved over a few decades, perhaps more so in the past 10 years, and future progress looks even more rapid.

Farmers can't have their urban cousins uninformed and not understanding what they are doing, especially given the level of resource farmers' pump into matters that are increasingly becoming more important to urbanites.

While farmers are often seen as the 'wrong-doers' for all things environmental, the reality is our farmers are becoming more efficient in this space. Nutrient management, for example, is at the forefront of farm management decisions.

This is where communication is key. We have seen the connection between rural and our urban cousins fade in one generation. A whole generation has had no or little contact with our 'cousins' on the farm.

Understanding the farming process and how this translates from food on-farm to food on the fork is critical in bridging the gap between rural and urban.

This is where consultation and communication are vital. For us to better understand each other, we all need to make an effort to 'get around the table', to not only share our own ideas, but to listen to the viewpoints of others, and hopefully move forward together.

- Coralee Matena is a Federated Farmers senior regional policy adviser.