THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2014

PLUS: Radio personality DOMINIC GEORGE

COMMENTFRAN O’SULLIVAN

KIWIFRUITConsumers want premium

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2 Te Awamutu Courier Thursday, October 23, 2014

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Flagchangetalkcloudsbiggerpriorities

Dominic George hostsFarming First,5am-6am weekdayson Radio Sport.

COMMENT

withDOMINICGEORGE

Rural radio personalityDominicGeorge vents his viewshere every Thursday

Ulteriormotivessuspected indrive to

changenational insignia

DIFFERENTDESIGNS:Expect plentyof squabblingover how theNewZealandflag shouldlook if changesgoahead.

AND THEN THERE’S THE HAKA:There’s beenmoredebate thisweekaboutwhetherwe should stillinsist on this indulgence in thesporting arena in light of thenear-fisticuffs that punctuated the startof theon-field dramabetween theJuniorKiwis andKangaroosovertheweekend.

DON’T be fooled people. TheGovernment’s push tochange New Zealand’s flagis nothing but a self-

indulgent exercise in propagandadesigned to ignite the flames ofpatriotism.Of all the things to be concernedabout, this should be near bottom ofthe list. Who actually wants thischange and does anybody care? Behonest, would you have even thoughtabout it if the PrimeMinister hadn’traised the idea? Exactly.As a deeply cynical human being,

I’m inclined to think there’s anulterior motive here— no one wouldsquander millions of dollars on areferendum simply on a whimsicalnotion such as ‘‘time for a change’’,would they? No, I didn’t think so. Sowhy the change?The PrimeMinister said this week

we face international and regionalterror risks and wemay one day facea domestic risk. He’s right, of course,wemay. But, in recent times, we’veseen the country’s terror alert moveup a notch, New Zealand gain a seaton the UN Security Council andinvolvement in the fight against ISmilitants is inevitable. I can sniff a PRoffensive a mile away and this wholeflag shenanigans could be a way ofbuttering up Joe Public for someunsavoury times ahead with a bit ofjingoistic nonsense. Either that or it’sa ‘‘legacy’’ move by the PM— themanwho’s aiming to become thelongest-serving leader in NewZealand history and the manwhochanged the flag. I’m not particularlyenamoured with the current flag, butit’s just a flag and it appears there’sbigger fish to fry.Markmywords, there will be

people who get very aggressive in

their stance over this, no matterwhich side they’re on. I won’t be oneof those people. If the flag stays thesame that’s fine byme; if it changes,it will have no effect onme at all. Butthere will be a core group of peoplethat go along with it ’cos John said so.That’s fine, each to their own, but italso wouldn’t kill these people tothink for themselves once in a while.But if we indulge in this flag-

changing fiasco, why stop there?Weshould also address the nationalanthem and the haka while we’re atit.I’ve just recently found out,

courtesy of a column by Sir BobJones a couple of years ago, the 1876lyrics by Thomas Bracken were thewinning entry in a newspapercompetition judged by a group ofAussies and a couple of Germans. AsNew Zealand society becomesincreasingly secular, the wordsbecome increasingly irrelevant. In

fact, they’re less relevant to NewZealand than the Union Jack. Butthe only time people willcollectively think about changingthe anthem is when John Key sayswe should. Until then we’ll belt outthe lyrics without batting aneyelid.And then there’s the haka.

There’s beenmore debate thisweek about whether we shouldstill insist on this indulgence in thesporting arena in light of the near-fisticuffs that punctuated the startof the on-field drama between theJunior Kiwis and Kangaroos overthe weekend.I don’t mind it for All Blacks

tests, and there’s been a noticeabledecline in its use since Dave Curriestepped aside fromOlympic andCommonwealth Games chef demission duties, but it’s stilloverdone. And it’s often done inwildly inappropriate and

nonsensical situations, bearing inmind it’s a challenge. Sometimes lessis more.New Zealand’s flag may not be

great in terms of world flags, but it’spart of our history. People will saythey want to sever ties withMotherEngland. Tell that to the thousands ofadoring sycophants who clamberover each other to get a mere glimpseof a Prince or Princess when theyarrive at our shores.Plus factor this in— it’s New

Zealand.Whoever’s charged withcoming up with new designs will beslated for including this or excludingthat; there won’t be enoughrepresentation from one group,there’ll be too much of another.There’ll be squabbling, discontent

and general irrationality from all andsundry. For mymoney, the bestdesign I’ve seen recently was one of acertain leader holding a flag thatsimply said, “For Sale’’.

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Thursday, October 23, 2014 Te Awamutu Courier 3

Fran O’Sullivan is abusiness columnist forthe NZ Herald andAlexander Speirs(right) is a businessjournalist for HeraldBusiness Reports

Woollevyrejectedby57%Farmers sayno to raising$5million for R&D, keeping focusonmeat andholdingon to any spare cash

OPINION

withFRANO’SULLIVAN

Businesswriters FranO’SullivanandAlexanderSpeirs call the shots here every Thursday

ASTRONGTURNOUTANDNEARLY40PERCENTVOTING INFAVOUROF

CHANGESHOWSTHERE ISASIGNIFICANTPORTIONOFTHE

SECTORPREPAREDTOCOLLABORATE

LUXURY:Wool is astagnating industrysince the introductionof synthetic fibres.

DEBATE over whetherto reintroduce a woollevy to fund arepresentative body for

wool growers has hit a brickwall.Last week, wool-producingsheep farmers were given a finalopportunity to vote onwhetherto reintroduce a levy to fund arepresentative wool industrybody.Previously that bodywasMeat &Wool New Zealand. But whenfarmers voted to abolish the levyin 2009, the organisation wasrebranded as Beef + LambNewZealand and effectivelydissolved any affiliation theyhadwith wool production.Five years on, farmers havevoted tomaintain the status quowith 47 per cent of all of thoseeligible turning out to cast theirvote— a substantial increasefrom the last referendumwhichdrew only 39 per cent.That is a large proportion,consideringmany eligible willnot vote as their wool is merely aby-product of their meatproduction and relativelyinsignificant.A strong turnout andmore than40 per cent voting in favour ofchange shows that there is asignificant portion of the sectorprepared to collaborate. But thelack of industry-wide supportmeans they’ll have to go back tothe drawing board onwhatshape that could potentially takeif they want to get an industrybody up again.It’s more likely that we’ll see acontinuation of farmers gettingbehind some of themajorcommercial operations andplayers in the industry—committing their wool to thelikes of Elders PrimaryWools,Just Shorn andWools of NZ.The no vote follows a significantcampaign by theWool LevyGroupwho believe that farmershave paid the price since losingtheir representative voice—missing out on opportunities tocapitalise onmarketopportunities, research anddevelopment, productivity andpromotion.

It will come as amajor blow totheWool Levy Group that aconvincing 57 per cent offarmers voted against theinitiative.When the levywas first voteddown it was primarily becausetoomany farmers felt that theyweren’t getting value from theircontribution.The proposed levywould havenetted about $4.7 million for thepromotion and research of wool— the bulk of which was slatedfor the “education andpromotion” of wool.Although some of the ideastouted and programmes to beenacted sounded great inprinciple, the substance and

evidence of value to be derivedwas notably absent.Former financeminister RuthRichardson has been especiallyvocal in her opposition to the re-introduction of the levy. She saidthat the idea was outdated and

wasmissing the point withsolutions which were “not goingtomove the needle”.“Let’s concentrate on the real Rand D prize which is tomakebetter use of the $1.5 billion oftaxpayers’ money currentlyinvested in science by theGovernment of the day. If everthere was an R and D tree to beshaken by agriculture, it is thatexpenditure.”TheWool Levy Group hasargued that the promotion andadvocacy at an industry levelwas necessary if New Zealandwool was to become strong onceagain.But the bottom line is thatfarmers don’t agree and they’vevoted with their feet in numbers— opting to keep one of the fewcosts they can control off thebooks.The potential for the industryprobablymore realistically liesin securing improvedmarketaccess and reducing tradebarriers for wool exports.Having a representative at thenegotiation tablemight not havehurt— but the presentGovernment’s track record hasbeen strongwith trade talks—and the $500,000 set aside doesn’tbuy a heck of a lot of advocacy.In the face of uncertainty withstagnant global wool prices anda fluctuating New Zealanddollar, it appears that for woolproducers in the foreseeablefuture frugal is the name of thegame.

CourierTe Awamutu

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BRIEFLYBreast screen

The Waikato Breast Screenmobile unit is currently in TeAwamutu.

Women between the agesof 45-69 are eligible for freescreening at the unit which isbased in Selwyn Park (behindthe Te Awamutu i-Site VisitorInformation Centre).

The unit will be in TeAwamutu until June 14, thenwill return between August 12and September 13.

To make an appointment orfor enquiries phone 0800 270270 200.

Chasing ‘slam’Victory for Andrew

Nicholson at Badminton,starting tomorrow (NZ time),would see him become the firstKiwi and only the second riderin the world to take the RolexGrand Slam.

Kihikihi’s favourite son hastwo of his most experiencedhorses, Avebury and Nereo,on the card.

The rider who winsBadminton, Burghley andKentucky consecutivelypockets $US350,000.

The action gets underwaywith the first horse inspectionon Friday morning (NZ time),followed by two days ofdressage, the cross country inthe early hours of Mondaymorning and finishing with theshowjumping on Tuesday.

Secure homesBurglaries in the Waikato

have soared over the schoolholidays.

Hamilton TacticalCoordinator, Senior SergeantFreda Grace says there havebeen 99 burglaries reported inthe Waikato between ANZACDay and Monday morning.

"In many cases theburglaries involved youngpeople targeting electronics,alcohol or other easilytransferable goods.’’

Ms Grace urges people toget back to basics — securingproperties, making contactwith neighbours, recordingserial numbers of valuablesand reporting any suspiciousactivity.

FINAL PUSH: Downer contractors prepare Alexandra Street outside Te Awamutu College for new seal.

Final stage of majorproject under way

Work has begun on sealing TeAwamutu’s Alexandra Street,the final stage in the upgradeproject.

The sealing work will takeseveral weeks and is being donein small sections to minimisetraffic delays as well as disrup-tion to residents and businesses.

The underground work isalmost complete, with newwater and wastewater pipes nowlaid down most of Alexandra

Street from Tawhiao Street tothe railway crossing outsideFonterra, said Waipa DistrictCouncil service delivery mana-ger Barry Bergin.

‘‘We are pleased with theresult of the work to lay thepipes, and now we are askingresidents and businesses to bearwith us as we enter the last stageof this major project,’’ MrBergin said.

The cost of the $2 million

upgrade has been reduced bycombining the water servicesworks with the road reconstruc-tion.

Sealing work has begun out-side Te Awamutu College to takeadvantage of the reduced schooltraffic during the holidays. Thesection outside Fonterra will bedone last to coincide with thefactory’s quieter period.

There will be some timeswhen homeowners and busi-

nesses face restricted access,and the contractor, Downer isworking with those affected totry and keep disruption to aminimum. Traffic delays arepossible and detours away fromAlexandra Street may also beused during this phase of work.

dents, businesses and motoristsfor their ongoing patience as wec o m p l e t e t h i s i m p o r t a n tupgrade work,’’ Mr Bergin said.

dminton,w (NZ time),ecome the firste second riderke the Rolex

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RURAL

Property GuideTE AWAMUTU

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TE AWAMUTU’S MONTHLY MOTORING FEATURE, THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

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CourierTe Awamutu

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The Te Awamutu Courier has been serving Te Awamutu for over 100 years, it is delivered free every Tuesday and Thursday to over 13,968 urban and rural homes throughout Te Awamutu and surrounding areas. The paper circulates to a closely developed farming district renowned for its primary production and strong commercial, farm, horticulture and secondary industries. Other regular publications are the Rural Roundup, DriveBy, Te Awamutu Property Guide and The Land.CIRCULATION 13,968* (7059 urban, 6909 rural)

The Te Awamutu Courier is delivered free to every urban and rural home in these areas:• Te Awamutu • Kihikihi • Pirongia • Ohaupo • Kawhia • Ngahinapouri • Te Pahu • Tuhikaramea • Rukuhia • Rotorangi • Maungatautari • + Rural Deliveries north of Otorohanga township

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SUPPLEMENT TO TE AWAMUTU COURIER, TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2014

RURAL

ROUNDUP

North Is. Schedule This Last Year Versus$/kg CW net Week Week Ago 5-yr Avg

BEEF GRAIN & FEEDOVERSEAS PRICES FARMGATE PRICES

DAIRY FORESTRYPOWDER PRODUCTS FAT PRODUCTS

GlobalDairyTrade Previous Year VersusUS$/t Auction Ago 5-yr Avg

MORE: The information above is extracted from key reports produced by NZX Agrifax, the leading provider of specialist industry data and intelligence on the New Zealand sheep, beef, dairy, forestry, venison, wool and grain sectors. Please contact us to view the full reports. www.agrifax.co.nz | info@nzxagrifax.co.nz

metservice.com | graphic compiled by

North Is. Schedule This Last Year Versus$/head net Week Week Ago 5-yr Avg

SHEEP WOOLOVERSEAS PRICES FARMGATE PRICES

WMPAMFAverage

P2 SteerM2 BullM Cow

Lamb 17.5kgLamb 19kgMutton 21kg

40

60

80

100

120

Oct�12 Apr�13 Oct�13 Apr�14 Oct�14

NZ$/t

200

400

600

800

Oct�12 Apr�13 Oct�13 Apr�14 Oct�14

NZc/kg

29�Micron 39�Micron Lamb

200

300

400

500

Oct�12 Apr�13 Oct�13 Apr�14 Oct�14

NZ$/t

Milling�wheat Feed�wheat Feed�barleyOct 12 Apr 13 Oct 13 Apr 14 Oct 14

Milling�wheat Feed�wheat Feed�barley

250

350

450

550

Oct Jan Apr Jul

NZc/kg�(net)

5�yr�avg 2013/14 2014/15Oct Jan Apr Jul

5�yr�avg 2013/14 2014/15

After retreating from their peak US imported beef prices were largely unchanged last week, with 95CL bull trading at more than US$3/lb, and 90CL cow at $2.81/lb. Locally, schedules remain fi rm with premiums taking gross prices up to $5.60-5.70/kg for steers and bulls.

� �

Dairy commodity prices showed some long-awaited signs of recovery at the October 15 GDT. Whole milk powder posted an encouraging 3% gain. Market expectations on the NZX Dairy Futures is for prices to rise further, but at a pace slower than previously expected.

2503 2443 5058 –29% 3346 3117 5007 –20% 2640 2599 4888 –25%

5.02 4.99 4.32 +28%

107.35 107.35 101.40 0%

5.01 4.94 3.99 +35%

116.73 116.73 110.14 0%

3.85 3.82 3.06 +38%

61.68 61.68 62.42 –4%

� �

The chilled Christmas trade market continues to push schedule prices higher in the past few weeks to $6.60-6.70/kg. This is 7% or 40-45 cents higher than a year ago. Chilled exports returns are similar but the exchange rate is 5% lower allowing for higher prices to be paid.

� �

50

75

100

125

Oct Jan Apr Jul

NZ$/hd�(n

et)

5�yr�avg 2013/14 2014/15

2000

4000

6000

Jun Sep Dec Mar

US$/t

2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

EXPORT LOG PRICE LIFT ivan.luketina@nzx.com

Wharf-gate export log prices were up 10% in October, but the lift is due to foreign exchange movements and slightly lower freight costs. The volume of logs exported from New Zealand in August was down 26% year-on-year, which contributed to marginal drops in the high inventory situation in China. However, with lower construction activity there, importer confi dence is waning.

This has meant that there are fl at prices in China, and potential for declines if the inventory situation there doesn’t improve. The increasing wharf-gate prices are therefore sending a confl icting message to potential exporters and with returns verging on $100/t for A-grade logs in some ports the price is at a point that historically has lead to increasing exports.

However, many large scale exporters are taking a cautious approach, rather than increasing supply, and it’s possible that after the high prices and subsequent crash seen this year that there will be some more risk averse small scale forest owners around too.

Domestic prices have been mostly fl at for the past month, however, pruned log prices have had slight lifts and pulp prices are up about 3% across NZ. Pruned logs are in tight supply, particularly in the Central North Island, and returns for those processed products are reportedly increasing at the moment. Pulp log supply is also tight, and with reducing domestic inventories some pulp producers are now looking to buy small sawlogs to top up their supply going into summer.

IVAN LUKETINA – Agriculture Market Analyst

80

100

120

140

160

Jan 13 Apr 13 Jul 13 Oct 13 Jan 14 Apr 14 Jul 14 Oct 14

NZ$/tonne

Export Pruned Domestic Pruned Source: Agrifax

NZ Pruned Log Prices

0.00.20.40.60.81.01.21.4

millionm³

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov DecSource: GTIS5 yr Avg. 2013 2014

NZ Log Exports To China

23Oct2014

15/10/14���

���

� � �

As at October 20, 2014

Last 15 Days

The NZX Pasture Growth Index (PGI) is

an indicator of potential pasture growth

based on three key climatic variables –

temperature, moisture and light.

Pasture Growth Index

Above normal

Near normal

Below normal

NZX DAIRY PGI

NZ Feed Grain IndicatorNZ Feed Grain Indicator

Agrifax Log Price Indicator

Wool Prices

Agrifax WMP Price

North Island Steer Schedule

North Island Lamb Schedule

4 Te Awamutu Courier Thursday, October 23, 2014

Thursday, October 23, 2014 Te Awamutu Courier 5

Speed shearing’s new blood steps upNo.8 WIREwith DOUG LAING

JOEL HENARE

SIGNED:ShannonandRobertAuton

Followers of the country’s shearingguns may see some new namesappearing among the winners overthe next two years.New world champion RowlandSmith, of Hast-ings, is taking abreak from com-petition andWorld Cham-pionships team-mate JohnKirkpatrick, ofNapier, is out ofaction after suf-fering a shoul-der injury in theUK threemonths ago.Now rumoursare gathering pace that the legen-dary David Fagan may call thisseason his last on the show circuit.Last summer, they won 23 openfinals between them, Kirkpatricktopping Shearing Sports New Zea-land’s national ranking with pointsfrom an extraordinary 26 finals, butwith Smith scoring the most individ-ual wins — 11.

Former world champion CamFerguson, of Waipawa, is one takingthe bit, winning his third NewZealand Spring Shears Open titlelast weekend in what is thought tohave been the fastest time in thehistory of the 16-sheep final.Meanwhile, Golden Shears woolhandling champion Joel Henare, ofGisborne, has started the seasonstrongly with victory at the NewZealand Merino Championships inAlexandra, and his first Waimatetitle.

Time’s running out

Early registrations for the 407 sitesat the 2015 Northland Field Days atDargaville on February 26-28 are up50 per cent.Businesses need to move quickly tobook the 10 per cent of sites stillavailable, says event co-ordinatorMeagan Edmonds. To book seewww.northlandfielddays.co.nz;email her at info@northlandfield-days.co.nz; or call (09) 439 8998.

Referendumnumbers

Preliminary results for the refer-endum for a new new wool commod-ity levy, which closed on Friday,show wool growers voted 43.2 percent to 56.8 per cent againstintroducing the levy while theweighted vote from larger enter-prises was against the levy 40.29 percent to 59.71 per cent.

Berries off to Oz

Shannon and Robert Auton, whobought a rundown 9ha blueberryorchard in 2000, have signed a

multimillion-dollar deal for OmahaOrganic Berries to supply productsto 750 Coles supermarkets in Aus-tralia, where they already supply860 Woolworths stores.

6 Te Awamutu Courier Thursday, October 23, 2014

Thursday, October 23, 2014 Te Awamutu Courier 7

Flowof informationkey factorIrrigationNZchairwomanNickyHyslopdiscusses

the challengesfacing this importantaspect of farming

WEHAVETHELUXURYOFHAVINGANABUNDANCEOFWATER IN

OURCOUNTRYBUT IT’SNOTALWAYS INTHERIGHT

PLACEANDATTHERIGHTTIME.

PROFILE

NickyHyslop sayswaterstorageinfra-structure iscritical infuture-proofingoureconomyagainst thechallengesof climatechange.

TELL US A LITTLEABOUT YOURBACKGROUNDANDWHY YOUACCEPTEDTHE CHAIRWOMAN’SROLE?

I grew up on a high-country farm,Clayton Station, at the top of theFairlie basin. From an early age, Iwas encouraged to learn and bepart of my family’s farming oper-ation. My interest in farming ledme to a 20-year career in farmadvisory, mainly in the sheep,beef and deer industries.In partnership with my hus-

band, Jonty, we farm LevelsEstate, a 220ha sheep, beef, deer,arable property that started with26ha of border dyke irrigationnear Timaru.In 2001, recognising our farm’s

economic viability was limitedbecause of scale and vulnerabilityto summer dry, the property wasfully converted to spray irrigationover two years.We now have three daughters

and really appreciate being ableto raise a family in South Canter-bury’s vibrant rural setting.First-hand experience of the

value of water in our own farmingbusiness and surrounding com-munity has focused my attentionon irrigation. I am thrilled to nowbe leading IrrigationNZ, havingbeen a director for five years,three as vice-chair. We need tokeep pushing on and leading ourIrrigationNZ members throughthe challenges ahead for farmingwithin environmental limits.

WHATARE THEBIGGEST IRRIGATINGCHALLENGES FORFARMERS?

THE SETTING OF WORKABLE,AFFORDABLE ENVIRONMEN-TAL LIMITS IS ONE OF THEBIGGEST CHALLENGES OURFARMING COMMUNITIES FACEIN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.MANY COMMUNITIES IN CAN-TERBURY ARE WORKINGTHROUGH THIS NOWTHROUGH THE CANTERBURYWATER MANAGEMENTSTRATEGY (CWMS). I AM ASTRONG BELIEVER IN LOCALCOMMUNITIES DRIVING LO-CAL SOLUTIONS AND THECWMS SHOWS HOW WE CANWORK TOGETHER. MY EXPERI-ENCE OF OPUHA DAM IS AN-OTHER EXAMPLE OF HOW ALOCAL COMMUNITY CANCOME TOGETHER TO FINDECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTALAND RECREATIONALSOLUTIONS TO MEET ADIVERSE NEEDS.Our irrigation framework

called Smart, launched this year,demonstrates we’re putting ourmoney where our mouth is. Mygoal now is to get more irrigatorson board and be aware of thedifferent pathways they can take.Though water quality is

indisputably “the” water issueNew Zealanders want to seeresolved, I often feel irrigators aremade a scapegoat for all waterquality concerns. As irrigatingfarmers, we need support andcommunity buy-in as well as awider political vision if we aregoing to make tangible progressimproving the health of ourwaterways.

WHATCONTRIBUTIONDOES IRRIGATIONMAKE TONEWZEALAND?

In 2012-13 (a wet year) irrigationcontributed well over $2 billion ayear to New Zealand and $4billion in flow-on effects. On aver-age this equates to 20 per cent ofagriculture-related GDP.For an industry that occupies

only 6 per cent of total land areawe are punching well above ourweight. Studies of the socio-economic effect of irrigated agri-culture show that for every $1 ofwealth created on an irrigatedfarm at least another $3 is createdin the wider rural and urbancommunities.

WHATKINDOF CAREEROPPORTUNITIES ARETHERE?NUMEROUS, FROM FARMMANAGERS AND FARMWORKERS WHO USE IRRI-GATION SYSTEMS DAILY, SER-VICE INDUSTRY ROLES IN DE-SIGN, INSTALLATION, MAIN-TENANCE AND SALES,THROUGH TO HYDROLOGYAND CONSULTANCYSERVICES, WHICH INCLUDERESEARCH AND INNOVATIONDEVELOPMENTS.Irrigation schemes are also

significant employers andincreasingly are looking to recruitenvironmental managers. Thiswill continue to be a really excit-ing industry to be part of, withgreat opportunities for youngpeople and those looking for acareer change.IrrigationNZ is working with

the Primary ITO in providingirrigation training and relatedqualifications (working towards anational certificate) across arange of disciplines within theindustry.

TELL US ABOUT TWOAREAS IRRIGATIONNZWILL FOCUSON IN THECOMING YEAR?

This year the Governmentamended the 2011 national policystatement on freshwater manage-ment. IrrigationNZ supports thisbut wants to see more compre-hensive guidelines around its im-plementation. These guidelinesneed to ensure that regionalcouncils and their communitiesare working consistently throughthe process of setting limits andenvironmental standards.The other area of focus for

IrrigationNZ is the roll-out of ourSmart irrigation framework toindustry. We want to see allirrigators taking up this initiativeand moving towards Smartpractice.Our framework is not only for

the benefit of irrigators but

provides a mechanism to shareirrigation information with localcommunities and the wider publicaround the progress irrigatingfarmers are making and the accu-rate identification of gaps wherewe need more tools and support.

WHEREDOESWATERSTORAGE FIT INTO THEIRRIGATION PICTURE?WE HAVE THE LUXURY OFHAVING AN ABUNDANCE OFWATER IN OUR COUNTRY BUTIT’S NOT ALWAYS IN THERIGHT PLACE AND AT THERIGHTTIME.WATER STORAGEHAS THE ABILITY TO PROVIDEOPPORTUNITIES TO ADDRESSTHIS.Irrigation and farmers are only

one of many beneficiaries ofwater storage and irrigation.Surrounding communities and

service industries benefit immedi-ately, and the wider New Zealandpublic benefits from viable farmbusinesses significantly contri-buting through a range of ratesand taxes. Irrigation is also key toour domestic food supply.Augmentation of lowland streamsthrough irrigation schemes,supported by water storage, canalleviate existing water qualityissues.

WHAT’S YOURULTIMATEGOAL?

That we take the lead in workingtowards all summer-dry farmingareas having affordable access toirrigation through multi-purposewater storage infrastructure. Isee this as a critical in future-proofing our economy against thechallenges of climate changeahead. All users of water —irrigation, domestic, industry, re-creational — have an obligationand responsibility to use ourwater resource sustainably andefficiently. IrrigationNZ can pro-vide the tools, resources andtraining to achieve this.

8 Te Awamutu Courier Thursday, October 23, 2014