MEDIA RELEASE
22 April 2014
Rain sparks recovery but things remain fragile
Recent rain in Waikato and South Auckland has set farmers on the road to recovery from the drought but the situation
remains fragile for some, a meeting today of farming leaders and central and local Government officials has heard.
The teleconference attended by Federated Farmers, DairyNZ and other farming groups, the Rural Support Trust, the
Ministry for Primary Industries and Waikato Regional Council was told there had been good rain in the two regions over
the past week.
There was general agreement that the drought had been “broken” by the rain but rainfall totals still weren’t that much
in some places, some pasture was still brown and that more rain was needed over coming weeks to ensure that recovery
continued.
“The feedback I’m getting after the rain is that mentally people are in a better place and we can hopefully move on from
here,” said Rural Support Trust chairman Neil Bateup.
“Farmers are now in a position where they feel they can plan better for the winter. But it will be important for us to
keep getting more rain over coming weeks,” said Mr Bateup.
One particular concern was that not enough ongoing rain between now and winter, coupled with a cold winter, could
significantly stifle pasture recovery.
Farmer representatives and officials agreed that they would continue to jointly monitor the situation closely.
“We have arranged to catch up again within the next few weeks to review how the recovery is going,” said Waikato
Federated Farmers president James Houghton.
“We should collectively have a better idea by mid-May how farms are recovering from this drought and can then discuss
further what extra steps may be needed to help farmers manage going forwards.”