Please note that submissions have now closed. Thank you to everyone who submitted.

We need you to tell He Waka Eke Noa (HWEN) and the Government to listen to grassroots farmers and growers over workable and credible options for emissions reduction.

‍The proposed emission reduction options under HWEN are so unworkable that Groundswell NZ has put forward our own proposal.‍

Rather than incentivising or subsidising the uptake of new methods and technology, the current HWEN options would just punish production and take hundreds of millions of dollars from farmers and growers, ultimately shrinking our rural communities.

Just like the blunt Emissions Trading Scheme, emissions pricing schemes that punish agricultural production will just shift production to less efficient foreign agriculture, meaning increased global emissions.‍

In our alternative, we propose an integrated environmental policy framework, covering all environmental policy to break down the policy-making silos that produce contradictory and unworkable regulations.

Combining this framework with a short-term research fund to find credible and workable alternatives for farmers to implement, we think a more workable, comprehensive emissions reduction scheme could then be introduced, enabling farmers and growers to take up new approaches and technologies.

What we need now is for everyone who backs Kiwi farmers and growers taking workable steps on the ground to deal with emissions reduction to have your say and tell He Waka Eke Noa and the Government that you support Groundswell NZ’s alternative plan.

This is our opportunity to secure a workable solution to our environmental issues and prevent farmers and growers being hit with an unworkable scheme.

If our rural communities speak up in large numbers, the Government will be forced to take notice. That is why it is critical you have your say before it is too late.