‍Three Waters campaign
Our campaigning on Three Waters to councils has been a great success, with councillors feeling the pressure and those councillors on our side – the side of local democracy – taking your support back to their council tables.

Most recently, Gore District Council has called for a nationwide referendum on Three Waters – a notable turnaround from their previous ambivalence towards having their ratepayer’s assets stripped away.

We’ve also been keeping Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) on their toes, by turning up with our trademark tractors to their conference in Palmerston North this week.

We won’t forget how they betrayed ratepayers, whose councils they are supposed to represent, by agreeing with the Government to not criticise Three Waters.

If you haven’t yet used our website to send a message on to your local councillors, tell them what you think at our website, www.itsyourwater.nz.

National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity (NPSIB) and Significant Natural Areas (SNAs)
The Government’s new policies, the NPSIB and the SNAs, are an outrageous land grab, taking control of private land away from their owners, in the name of protecting native bush and wildlife.

We know the best caretakers of our natural environment are the people that live on it. The Government’s policies will make native bush a liability for landowners, rural or urban.

Rabobank survey
The Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey has found the data to show what we all know – rising farm input costs are reducing farmer confidence significantly.

With the costs of fuel, fertiliser, feed, and labour all up, now is the worst time for the Government to be ramping up unworkable regulations on Kiwi farmers and growers.

The Rabobank survey shows the agricultural economy net confidence is at its lowest since the start of the pandemic, dropping drastically from -3% last quarter to -35% this quarter.

It’s time for the Government to stop the break-neck pace of new unworkable regulations, given the difficult times New Zealand faces. The alternative is higher food costs, worse environmental outcomes, and more strain on the mental health of both all those involved in food production and our rural communities.

Beef+Lamb comment on the Andrea Vance issue
You may remember when we called out journalist Andrea Vance’s untrue comments about Groundswell NZ and mentioned that we hoped Beef+Lamb wasn’t involved in those comments, given the personal connection at play.

Beef+Lamb has since let us know that they had no knowledge of the interview and we’re happy to pass that on to you.

The support has enabled us to fight on your behalf against the unworkable regulations the Government is heaping on farmers, growers, and our rural communities. We will keep up the good fight to restore New Zealand’s pride in food production.

Thank you for your support.

Kind regards,
Bryce, Laurie, Mel and the team at Groundswell NZ.