Ann Thompson
Like all the 23 other provincial branches of Federated Farmers across New Zealand, the Golden Bay branch held its annual meeting recently. Those elected into office become part of the full council of Federated Farmers and the associated industry councils and attend the national AGMs in June.
We took the opportunity at our meeting to hear from national Board Member, Mark Hooper, a dairy farmer in Taranaki. He spoke of the Federation’s emphasis on making sure that all who sit in Parliament understand the importance of the rural sector. To this end, MPs from all sides of the House have been treated to field trips on farms, accompanied by Federated Farmers’ leaders.
These visits help show that not all good farm practices require regulation. Significantly, Labour leader Chris Hipkins, who attended the High-Country Field Day, saw that a blanket plan to fence all waterways was difficult and maybe not that wise or practical. Mark spoke of rural connectivity, and lack in some areas, with the disestablishment of the copper phone network.
This leaves all of us needing to hook up to something in the sky if we want to contact someone by phone unless there is fibre available. Power cuts affect connectivity, too and worryingly, the linking of personal medical alarms to the copper network is still to be solved. The Federation is pushing to get New Zealand based services to help sort the fish hooks out for users.
On the reform of the Resource Management Act (RMA), the general opinion in the room was that progress is very slow, and that promise of change has seen few results. With regard to farm plans, the Federation is pushing to allow existing industry plans to be used, and for these to be of an auditable standard (although only a few would be audited, as is the case with the tax system). A question on the stance of the Federation on genetic engineering (GE) brought forth the possibility that GE should be about choice, to protect those that don’t want it. Using it in spaces like health and pest management, leaving arable uses (pasture, grains etc) outside the scope of it, might be an answer.
Asking what the markets want is important too. This important topic is to be discussed at the National Council in June. All in all, it was a successful, interesting and well attended meeting.
Election Result
The following people were elected at the 2025 Annual General Meeting of Federated Farmers Golden Bay: Sue Brown, President; Cherrie Chubb, Immediate Past President; Pax Leetch, Meat & Wool Chairperson; Tyler Langford, Dairy Chairperson; Mark Tubman, Sharefarmer Chairperson. Executive members: Daphne Woods (Administrator/Accounts), Ann Thompson, Maree Edwards (Minute Taker).
