“On October 14th rural communities and food producers gave their votes overwhelmingly to the coalition government. A handful of weeks in and we already have serious cause for concern,” Groundswell NZ co-founder Bryce McKenzie says.

“Just when we thought we could relax and watch this government - which we campaigned so hard for - wind back the unworkable regulations imposed by the last government, we get this.

“We were told that David Parker’s diabolical freshwater rules would be scrapped and that it would be done quickly. Today we learn that repeal won’t happen for two years and that Te Mana o te Wai is only going to be ‘rebalanced’. If this is a sign of things to come the new government could find itself on the receiving end of the protests they’ve attended the past few years.

“What possible benefit could the government get from delaying the repeal? It will cause havoc because we still have to farm in the meantime and councils will still regulate.

“It would appear that this backslide might be an attempt at appeasing all the anti-farming lobbyists and activists who are now in their ear. We’ve heard that the ‘green lobby’ with its money and friends in the media is simply scarier than a bunch of farmers. Well, our livelihoods are on the line, as is New Zealand’s food supply and economy, and we won’t take broken promises lying down. 

“This government has severely misjudged the patience of Kiwi farmers if they think after everything we endured with the last government they can make promises, yank our chain, and then cuddle up with those who want to decimate our industry.” 

“We’re not going to take it.”

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