Regulations' chokehold must loosen

Farmers have the best chance of success if they work together.

A new year and a slight hangover from 2014. A hangover in both camps, one from celebration and the other from 2014's issues.

This year starts off with a legacy of grunt work by the primary industries and stakeholders. The results, I hope, will begin to be realised this year.

We are in our sixth year of the Land and Water Forum and 2014 saw the pinnacle of water reform. The Forum is a result of government reform by developing a shared vision and a common way forward among all those with an interest in water.

This is done through a stakeholder-led collaborative process, which is modelled off in the regions. Waikato will set up a water users' group of the upper Waikato River this year.

Made up of Landcorp, Federated Farmers and Wairakei Pastoral, the aim is to optimise water usage and ensure that the water requirements of local dairy farmers are being met to the greatest extent possible. Ultimately, it's about using water responsibly and efficiently.

Farmers have the best chance of success here if we work together, hence the set up of the water users' group. Committed, organised and efficient farmers are where we've been heading with water. By the end of 2015 I am confident we will be seeing real progress on reducing the impact farming has on our waterways.

The health and safety hangover will be weighing heavily on many farmers' minds this January. Unlike the slow burn of resolving the water issues, WorkSafe came in hot and heavy in 2014 and has left heads pounding. Unfortunately, here, the collaborative process has yet to take off, but sometimes you need to let people throw their weight around before they're ready to sit at the table and sort it out. Consultation can come at the beginning or the end but, at some point, we need to talk to each other and take a better approach than the heavy-handed and disjointed one we have now.

Farmers are rightly concerned about how much the local and national government is choosing to solve problems with more rules. It's a Band-Aid rather than a long-term fix. Health and safety is no doubt going to be the kicker for 2015, but the Resource Management Act is not far behind.

Last year's sentencing of Hold the Gold and its director Bas Nelis had not just Waikato farmers in an uproar but most of the community, too, with echoed sentiments from throughout the country. An example of the absurdity of parts of the RMA that allow environmental stewards, trying to do the right thing, to get tangled up in red tape and punished for their trouble.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) 2014 report highlighted real problems in our system of environmental regulation, pointing out high environmental standards don't have to mean high administrative costs. Thankfully, Nick Smith announced a Resource Management Reform Bill will be reported back by Local Government and the Environment Select Committee this June. It's time we had a good cleanse, or detox, if you will.

Finally, 2015 will see some pretty relieved farmers who are set to be compensated by banks for their investment in swaps under misleading information.

An important lesson to learn: you cannot always trust the integrity of your banker but you can bank trust in the relationship. Knowing if the relationship has long-term value for both parties can help you take better educated risks than going it alone.

So, take what you want from 2014, but know we've laid the groundwork to make 2015 count.

-Chris Lewis is Federated Farmers Waikato provincial president.