4
January 2013
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I am fortunate enough to have a small bit of land with our home where boysenberries are planted. Christmas break from Parliament conveniently coincides with harvest time so the change has to be as good as a break. It is also a great reason to stay at home after a year of travelling to Wellington and the rest of the country as Labour’s representative for primary Industries. With the kind help and advice from neighbours and friends the berries were ready a few days after Parliament went into recess.
Predictions of a great season encouraged all local commercial growers to grow, pick and harvest with the help of irrigation, great staff and modern machinery. Nothing new and just like a lot of other horticulture and primary producers. While a hot Christmas was
beneficial for sweet fruit, the warm winds in the New Year proved to be less beneficial. Inspite of liberal irrigation the drying forces of nature are hard to combat. The fruit stopped growing and berries shrivelled on the vines. The result was a severe reduction in total production which upset everyone’s estimates, contracts and budgets. We were lucky because we are small growers with a small hit but the bigger you are the harder the fall, as the saying goes. These are the realities of farming and primary production. The newspaper stories of great prospects turned quickly into a reality of disappointment for many growers. Regardless of the
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best knowledge and improved technology, nature and the uncertainty of climate means nothing can be guaranteed for most of New Zealand’s primary industry participants. As a politician it was a timely reminder of the daily challenges facing farmers. While in some areas large scale irrigation projects reduce the risks to production and income, ultimately the weather will continue to rule our future success in farming. It could be climate change or it could be seasonal variation but regardless of the reasons, uncertainty will always be part of rural Kiwi economy. Our ability to plan for sudden change and adapt for it will determine the future fortune of the New Zealand economy because our export income is still driven by primary weather dependent production. Unfortunately fewer and fewer Kiwis appreciate these challenges and will continue to seek money for consumptive infrastructure at the expense of our rural infrastructure such as roading, education and health services. Our collective rural responsibility is to fight for the resources to maintain production, or everyone will suffer in the long term. The present National government seems to have also lost sight of the challenges and pressures of our vital rural economy and communities. Time for them to wake up before too many choose a lower risk urban lifestyle and consume rather than produce wealth for New Zealand. Then the weather really won’t matter to anyone because we won’t have a viable economy or future.
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