IN SAFE HANDS: Damien O'Connor, the new minister in charge of agriculture, biosecurity and food security, on a campaign outing in Greymouth with Jacinda Ardern.
IN SAFE HANDS: Damien O'Connor, the new minister in charge of agriculture, biosecurity and food security, on a campaign outing in Greymouth with Jacinda Ardern.
THE new government is getting into full stride now and it will be interesting to see how their policies on immigration, the Emissions Trading Scheme, forestry and regional economic development pan out for farmers and the wider rural community.
In the end, the delay before Winston Peters and his smallband of New Zealand First merry followers chose Labour as their Beehive partner (with the Greens allowed to peep through the keyhole of the Cabinet door) was no big deal.
In some ways, the fact it only took a few of weeks was a disappointment as I thought the country was doing a great job running itself during that time.
The sun came up each morning when it wasn't raining softly upon the fields, the wheels of industry kept on turning, the poets dreamed and the rest of us were separated from the mire of hot air and promises bestowed upon us during electioneering.
Even social media trolls found themselves starved of oxygen as negotiations went on behind closed doors before Winston cosied up to the left.
One of the more immediate changes the new Government has bought in is splitting up primary sector ministerial portfolios and the looming dismantling of the Ministry for Primary Industries into more specialist roles.
It will mean another round of changes for those in the old MPI but, as with most government departments, they've endured more reshuffles over the years than your average deck of cards in the casinos along the Las Vegas strip.
Damien O'Connor will be in charge of agriculture, biosecurity and food security. He is a safe pair of hands and a wise choice following all the rhetoric and general anti-farming vibe over water taxes, clean rivers and all the rest of it in the election run-up.
One positive for the regions, if it comes to fruition and is spent wisely, is the $1 billion annually that is going to be pumped into provincial New Zealand. Let's keep an eye out for this one.
Just as eye-watering a figure is the target to plant one billion trees over the next decade. Let's hope it comes with a billion-dollar budget to maintain and fix the roads the heavy logging trucks and contractor vehicles will be using.
Harry Matthews
Harry Matthews is president of Wanganui Federated Farmers
