Dear John,

Labour has waged a red tape war on farmers. That ends under a National Government.

National knows the value of agriculture as the backbone of New Zealand’s economy. Last year alone, agriculture exports totalled $41 billion or 63 per cent of our goods exports. It is how we pay our way in the world. Growing the rural economy will help lift incomes for all and allow more spending on the things Kiwis want the Government to provide – everything from better cancer drugs to more resilient roads. When farmers do well, New Zealand does well.

But since it was elected, Labour has introduced or changed more than 20 laws and regulations for farmers, adding extra costs on them often without any environmental gain. For example, wetlands are so poorly defined that farmers are having to go to court to determine whether land is a paddock that can be farmed, or a protected wetland that can’t.

So today, I unveiled National’s Getting Back to Farming package – the 19 things we’ll do to back farmers by cutting the mountain of red tape that’s buried them since 2017, while protecting the environment.

National will:

Deliver smarter rules for the future

• Introduce a 2-for-1 rule – for every new agriculture regulation, two must be removed.
• Establish a Rural Regulation Review Panel to consider all regulations affecting farmers.
• Require new rules to be assessed for their costs to farmers with findings published.

Supercharge the rural economy

• Double the RSE worker cap from 19,000 to 38,000 and create a path to residency through the Accredited Employer Work Visa.
• Ban foreign farm-to-forest conversions for carbon farming.
• Allow normal rural activities on Highly Productive Land.

Get Wellington out of farming

• Replace one-size-fits-all rules with local decision-making.
• Focus environmental protection on areas of high environmental value.
• Improve stock exclusion rules.

You can read the full policy here.

This policy is only the start. We will make further announcements on emissions pricing, agriculture R&D, water and a comprehensive primary industries policy.

This country does not need more rules. It needs better regulation, and I want world-class regulation for our world-class farmers.

National will boost our economy while protecting our environment. We’re proud to back New Zealand’s world-leading farmers.

Finally, you might have seen in the news yesterday that I spoke to an India–NZ Summit in Auckland, and pledged that a National government I lead will make it a priority to pursue a free trade agreement with India. Australia has one, and the UK is about to.

India will soon have the third-largest economy in the world yet our trade with India is declining, not growing. New Zealand is not making the most of the opportunities that are out there. That worries me.

New Zealand needs to get its mojo back.

A government I lead will greet the world with purpose and confidence. We can compete and we need to be more active in pursuing the opportunities to do so.

Christopher