Our policy and advocacy work for farmers

Overview

Our current advocacy and policy work is focused on five key areas. Dairy farmers have identified these priorities as issues that are top of mind and require urgent attention. The five areas are:

Scroll down for more detailed information on each of the five priorities.

1. Resource management reform

DairyNZ seeks resource management legislation that enables innovation, balances economic development and sustainable environmental management, and better manages conflicts. We want to see legislation that can survive multiple election cycles to provide farmers with the certainty they need to invest and innovate.

Progress update

The Government has:

• Repealed the Natural and Built Environment and Spatial Planning Acts.
• Introduced a ‘fast-track approvals’ bill to speed up the process for infrastructure and development.
• Proposed a resource management amendment bill with targeted changes to national regulations including:
  • Repealing national intensive winter grazing regulations for the 2025 season.
  • Revoking the stock exclusion provisions regulating the grazing of beef cattle and deer on low-slope land.
  • Suspending the requirement for councils to identify Significant Natural Areas for three years.
  • Removing the need to demonstrate compliance with the 'Te Mana o te Wai' hierarchy through resource consent applications.
• Signalled a full replacement of the RMA over the coming 18 months.

DairyNZ is advocating for farmers throughout the reform process.

2. Improving freshwater policy

DairyNZ is committed to helping improve freshwater outcomes across all dairy catchments, building off the great work farmers have already been doing.

The National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 (NPS-FM) does not sufficiently recognise the importance of primary production. We seek:

• A freshwater policy framework focused on defining and achieving environmental and human health outcomes at a catchment level rather than numerical limits.
• A renewed focus on catchment plans focused on actions, including regulatory and non-regulatory, offering science-based on-farm and catchment actions that deliver environmental and human health outcomes.
• Updates to the existing regulations for Freshwater Farm Plans (FWFPs) to enable them to be a practical tool in this catchment and actions-focused framework, and to recognise existing industry-led farm environment plans that meet specific requirements.
• With these updates, FWFPs could play a critical role as an alternative to consents or general rules.

Our advocacy over the past few years has sought change at national and local government levels on these issues and others, for example regulations relating to stock exclusion, winter grazing, and use of nitrogen fertiliser.

Progress update

• The NPS-FM will be replaced with a new national framework developed over the next 12-18 months.
• Councils have an extra three years, until December 2027 to notify their freshwater plan changes.
• Regional councils may choose to proceed with planning processes before the NPS-FM is replaced. While we are pushing against this, we will also continue to engage with existing regional plan development processes to ensure sensible policy outcomes for farmers. We encourage farmers to get involved too – for more, see our regional advocacy pages.

We will continue to engage with Ministers and officials, working alongside dairy companies, Beef + Lamb New Zealand and Federated Farmers. For more on our efforts see this summary.

3. Climate targets and emissions pricing

DairyNZ is committed to dairy farming playing its part in transitioning to a low-emissions economy alongside the rest of New Zealand. See our climate pages for more information.

We are advocating for fair and scientifically robust emissions targets that account for the warming impact of methane. See our climate change advocacy page for more information.

Progress update

• A new Pastoral Sector Group will be created to address methane, with the Government working directly with DairyNZ, Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Deer Industry New Zealand, Federated Farmers, DCANZ and Meat Industry Association.
• An independent panel has been set up to review the methane targets for consistency with no additional warming from agriculture. This will report to the Government in December 2024 at the same time as the Climate Change Commission advice on the targets. Read DairyNZ's most recent submission to the Commission.
• The climate change legislation is being amended to remove agricultural obligations from the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
• Consultation is underway on the Government's draft Emissions Reduction Plan covering the period 2026-2030. This acknowledges the Government's promise that pricing will not be introduced until 2030 and its commitment to finding technological solutions that enable farmers to reduce emissions while maintaining profitability.

DairyNZ views are regularly sought in climate policy development, including contributing technical expertise to MPI’s development of a nationally consistent greenhouse gas calculation methodology. The Government has signalled this will be published in September 2024 and may be introduced ina voluntary way to support on-farm accounting in 2025.

We have also been working with regional councils to strengthen their understanding of New Zealand’s climate change targets and the broader agricultural landscape.

4. Gene technology reform

The Government has announced it is modernising New Zealand’s gene technology laws. Draft legislation will be introduced before the end of 2024 to enable the science while still ensuring strong protections for human health and the environment. The new legislation will be based on Australia’s system, modified to work here in New Zealand. Public feedback will be sought via a select committee process, with final legislation and the new regulatory body in place before 2026.

DairyNZ's current view is that it is time to revisit the regulations. Science has advanced rapidly in recent years and the sector should be able to explore all promising avenues that could help with the challenges it faces. However, we need to tread carefully and ensure a regulated approach that considers the wide range of views, opportunities and risks. For more see our page on genetic technology reform.

5. Regulatory reform

Progress update

The Government is establishing a Ministry of Regulation to strengthen the regulatory management system and improve regulatory quality. In June 2024, its Minister, Hon. David Seymour, announced a regulatory sector review of the approval process for new agricultural and horticultural products. This aims to reduce red tape and improve access to new technologies and products to enable Kiwi farmers to stay ahead of the game.

DairyNZ alongside other sector partners, will ensure that the review addresses the concerns of dairy farmers.

Other issues

DairyNZ is also actively involved in policy work relating to biosecurity.

On other critical issues, like rural banking reform and workforce development, we work closely with sector partners like Federated Farmers to ensure better outcomes for dairy farmers.