New Zealand First says Waikato Regional Council’s Plan Change 1 must be paused before it becomes a bureaucratic death sentence for farmers and growers across the region.
“Plan Change 1 is a 14-year-old regulatory taniwha, dragged out of the swamp by the old RMA, and now threatening to strangle the very people who feed this country,” says New Zealand First Deputy Leader Shane Jones.
“These rules were designed under a planning system the Government is already replacing. It is absurd to force Waikato farmers into costly consents, gold-plated farm plans, and layers of compliance just as Parliament is moving to scrap the very framework that created this mess.”
More than 4500 farms across the Waikato and Waipā catchments could be affected, with hundreds facing the prospect of needing resource consent simply to continue existing farming operations.
“That is not environmental management. That is economic vandalism wearing a hi-vis vest and carrying a clipboard,” Mr Jones says.
“New Zealand First will not stand by while regional bureaucrats and courtroom processes make it harder to grow vegetables, milk cows, produce food, and keep rural communities alive.
“We are in a cost-of-living crisis. The last thing New Zealand needs is a planning regime that pushes up food prices.”
New Zealand First is calling for PC1 implementation to be paused until the replacement RMA system is in place, existing lawful farming operations are protected, and any future freshwater rules are subject to a primary production viability test.
With the support of our Coalition partners, we can get this done quickly and we encourage them to come to the table.
“Cleaner rivers do not come from bankrupting farmers. They come from practical, workable rules that recognise the work already being done on-farm.
“New Zealand First’s position is common sense. We must protect productive land, protect food production, and stop the bureaucratic war on farmers. We urge National and ACT to join us so we can put an end to this charade quickly.”
