Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Click here to return to the policy homepage.

• Not available on their website yet.

• Support labelling of imported produce to show its country of origin and whether it complies with NZ’s environmental, health and safety standards.
• Support the development of a national line of vessels powered by renewable energy sources.
• Encourage development of minimum sustainability standards for all sectors, with the target of half of New Zealand's production becoming certified organic by 2025.
• Control methane and nitrous oxide emissions from livestock by promoting organic agriculture, intensified research into methane reduction, and place the liability for any increased emissions from the dairying and deer farming sectors with the large processing companies rather than with individual farmers.
• Strengthen rural communities by developing their essential infrastructure, ensuring basic access to services, encouraging people to move to rural areas, and amend the Overseas Investment Act to restrict the sale of rural property to New Zealand citizens. (more here)

• Support the primary sector to play a greater role in the education system, promotecareer opportunities and develop mentoring relationships with current and potential students.
• Encourage the development of a targeted funding mechanism for those studying agribusiness.
• Support the Primary Industries Capability Alliance (PICA) as a resource for people planning a career in agribusiness and provide continuing professional development.
• Work with the sector to develop a collaborative project to encourage urban unemployed people into the rural economy.
• Investigate how to incentivise retiring farmers to support new farmers onto their land to ensure more capital in succession farms is retained when they are sold. (more here)

• Not available on their website yet.

• Not available on their website yet.

• Establish a Food Safety Science and Research Centre, as recommended by the Government inquiry into the whey protein contamination incident.
• Ensure that publicly funded R&D spending supports innovation and jobs in the primary sector.
• Continue our commitment to provide up to $400 million from the Future Investment Fund to help kick-start regional water infrastructure projects.
• Spend $100 million over 10 years to buy and retire selected areas of farmland next to important waterways.
• Require dairy cattle to be excluded from waterways by 1 July 2017. (more here)

• Not available on their website yet.

• Undertake an immediate review of all legislation and regulations that impose coercive powers and administrative burdens on farmers to ensure their impact is minimised, consistent with the overall public interest.
• Continue to increase agricultural workforce skills by encouraging more people into industry training, e.g. through modern apprenticeships in the agriculture and horticulture sectors.
• Encourage landowners to return non-viable farming land to native regenerating forest, possibly with assistance from the QEII National Trust and carbon credits allocated through New Zealand’s Kyoto obligations.
• Actively support the role of research and development into the sustainability of primary industries and the ongoing development of new niche industries, with a particular emphasis on adding value.
• Boost funding for Crown Research Institutes to conduct research into the health, wellbeing and productivity of New Zealand soils, to develop new techniques for remedying any deterioration that has occurred over time, and establish targets for the quality of soil in which crops are grown. (more here)