It is not widely known that the World Bank has ranked New Zealand as having the second highest level of natural resources per capita. When New Zealand’s pastures, minerals, forests, fisheries, and freshwater supplies are accounted for, we are one of the luckiest countries on earth. Agriculture, fisheries, and forestry provide 71 per cent of national merchandise exports, and it is by the judicious use of our environment that our country pays the bills.
Despite these facts primary industries face a strong headwind and struggle to control their own destiny. They are increasingly dictated to by zealous civil servants and pressure groups that have little practical knowledge of how the primary industries and the environment that supports them actually work. Responsible custodians of our resources often get undue and negative public attention. Meanwhile government growth and spending continues unabated and is significant threat to Primary Industry success. This year alone 18 billion dollars of deficit spending means borrowing more money offshore, which raises the dollar and hurts all exporters.
Adding to the list of new costs are legislated taxes for fuel and electricity under the ETS. This new cost is set to double by 2013. Once again domestic policy settings are making it harder for our Primary Industry to maintain its international competitiveness. For agriculture, legislation adding even more costs for biological emissions is already enacted, with mandatory emission reporting starting January 1st 2012. Labour wants these directly charged against farming by 2013 and National by 2015. At $25 per ton Carbon Dioxide equivalent by 2015 an average sized dairy farm will be paying close to $12000 off its bottom line. ACT asks; what does it achieve?
The Resource Management Act was to be an enabling not disabling piece of legislation but has allowed a culture of constant interference with basic freedoms especially for land management. Again this reduces the competitiveness of our primary industry and our entire economy.
In the last parliamentary term, with ACT’s pressure and support the government:
• Reformed the Local Government Act to improve transparency, accountability and financial management in local government.
• Opened up ACC to some competition, giving more options for responsible operators to save on accident insurance.
• ACT pressured the government to delay the entry of animal emission into the Emissions Trading Scheme, saving farmers thousands of dollars, plus ACT also won review clauses.
• Reformed the Resource Management Act (RMA) to make resource consents easier.
ACT will continue to advocate for Primary Industry. A Party vote for ACT is a vote to:
• Reduce the burden government spending to take pressure off interest rates, inflation, and the currency.
• Continue streamlining the RMA to make it easier for responsible farmers to use their own land to its potential.
• Continue opposing the inclusion of biological emissions in the ETS and ultimately dump it.