Speaking to the Te Awamutu Courier this week from lockdown in New Plymouth, she said she was thrilled to be given Agriculture and retain Energy and Natural Resources — two meaty and important portfolios.
"My background in agriculture gives me a great understanding of what the rural sector is experiencing," she says.
"But I have got my teeth into Energy and Natural Resources and now I have two portfolios that are vitally important for New Zealand, but at the same time undergoing rapid and major change."
Barbara thinks some of that change is too much, too fast.
She has been speaking with rural leaders and advocacy groups since the decision was announced, and says she and her team are "fizzing and ready to go".
And she's not mincing her words.
"Labour has drafted a raft of regulations, altered others and enacted unintended uses of various bits of legislation, leading to the enormous pressure on the agricultural sector.
"And farmers have had a gutsful. It's too much, too fast.
"Part of my new role is to hold the Government to account, and I have yet to see a workable and warranted proposal from them.
"Creating change with no concept of food production, is not helpful or useful.
"As I said in my column last week, the broad brush approach to farming will do nothing to either fix or support what they claim the outcomes will be.
"Nor do they include regional/local differences or support the hundreds of grassroots initiatives, catchment, conservation and land care groups that have been working well for years, some for decades.
"They don't even consider the voluntary work done by rural communities, farmers and private landowners, who have already placed thousands of hectares under covenants."
Barbara says the common-sense approach from the Government would be to stop, and work with the ag sector on one issue at a time.
She says the sector is trying hard to meet new requirements, but there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution.
"If we want to find workable solutions, Government has to work with farmers and then they will be able to develop workable policies," she says.
"Solutions never come out of Wellington, they come from the farmers.
"The Government also needs to be proactive and put tools in place to assist farmers to be compliant."
Intensive grazing
Just days into her new role, Barbara is pleased to see common-sense is prevailing in Southland.
The Government's proposed intensive winter grazing (IWG) rules for Southland, were due to come into effect in May, but were deferred in March for one year, after the farming sector deemed them "unworkable".
Last Thursday, the Government announced it's now going to adopt almost all the changes put forward by the Southland Winter Grazing Advisory Group, which is made up of ag sector representatives.
A consultation document was also released and is now open for feedback on the Ministry for the Environment website. Submissions close on October 7.
"Farmers are the first people to want to improve on what they're doing," says Barbara.
"But when the Government wants to bring in rules that don't work, why would they have agreed with them?
"Fortunately, ag sector reps have given the Government more level-headed suggestions, and they've listened this time.
"But the Environment Minister and the Agriculture Minister need to brush up on their understanding of how farming works before writing regulations that aren't feasible," she says.
"There is nothing like learning from one's mistakes, but not at the expense of rural New Zealand. We're far too busy for that."
