The Country 13/02/26: Christopher Luxon talks to Jamie Mackay

The prime minister celebrates great results for New Zealand’s red meat sector, discusses RMA reforms, and rules out a water tax.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the country. Day three at the Southern Field,
days here at way Mumu. And I don't know, is
twice in a week too much Prime Minister to be
kicking off the country and I'm in his election here.
I need to try and be balanced. Where's Damian O'Connor
when I need them?

Speaker 2 (00:15):
I don't know where they are, but I know I'm
here because it's a great event and I've been coming
from bits and it's absolutely awesome. It's the sector's on fire,
it's doing well. In the mood and the vibe I
think in southland's absolutely outstanding.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Well, you're sort of walking amongst the converted here today.
Let's be honest, even though this is the most amazing
political stat of all time. In twenty twenty, the Southland
electorate formerly built English as Kluth for south Electorate Party
voted labor. Can you believe that?

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Yeah? Well, I mean I'm not ready to worry about
the history. I'm now worried about the future and it's
just making sure that actually we've got this sector moving
as quickly as we can. If you think about the
progress of made in dairy and read meat even wolving
at a ten year high you know, they are really
good results, and that's giving people a lot of cash
and a lot of certainty to invest back in the sector.
But it's amazing the number of young people here, Jamie,

(01:04):
you know like that are waving around wanting to have
careers and agriculture is brilliant, you know, really exciting.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
Have you caught up with those numbers from the Meat
Industry Association out later yesterday afternoon? Eleven point seven billion
sheep meat LAMB up thirty one percent.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
It's incredible, isn't it. Yeah, it's a record number, and
you know, after having had such a tough tough time
and sheep and beef meat. I mean, it's been a
real problem and challenge for people over the many years.
But the thing is when you look around the world now,
the supply of red meat is down and it's much
less than the demand. And so that's why we're opening
up these new markets because now the meat processes can

(01:40):
move product from America to the Europe, to China, to India,
Middle East, wherever they want to go.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
It's a real shame with everything being so good that
you're going to tax the water. What a load. Let
me finish my sentence you're going to tax the water
for the farmers to put on the paddocks to grow
the grass.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Tell me this is well, I can categoric we rule
that out. I don't know how some people interpreted that's
what we would be doing. But we are not having
a water tax in any description. You realize you've heard
it from me. You've got aluse.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
It's like a dog with the bub.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah, they they jump at shadow sometimes, they jump at
shadow sometimes. But I just say to you, no, I
want everyone to understand and hear this crystal clear. We
are not doing a water tax. You heard it from
Chris Bishop yesterday, You're hearing it from me today. We've
got this new thing called the RMA going through. I've
had a couple of people talk to me about that
as well. We've had a first reading, we have a
second reading, so we have a whole bunch of people.
Give us your thoughts on it. We put our best effort. Third,

(02:36):
they give us some thoughts. We then improve it, then
we send it back out again. Then we improve it again,
and then eventually it becomes a law. So no, the
design of the RMA is to get rid of a
lot of regulation, red tape, get fifty percent of our
consents down and actually get on it. But we are
not doing a water tax.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
And one more perhaps correction, if indeed I take you
at your word. When we were chatting on Wednesday, we
were talking about the President of Federated Farmers, Wayne Langford,
standing as a labor candidate on West Coast Tasman. Wayne
assures me that isn't so well. I don't know.

Speaker 2 (03:11):
You have to talk to him.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
But have you been talking to him?

Speaker 2 (03:13):
You'd have to talk to him. But I just say
to you he's doing a good job leading FEDS and
I think he's got them in good shack over the
last couple of years.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
Okay, Prime Minister, thanks as always for your time to
do really appreciate it. Great to have you down here
in South and god So Farming Province. I'm looking for
your doppelganger. Where's he got there? He is? Yeah, we'll
just grab him.

Speaker 2 (03:32):
Yeah he's a good looking man there, said David Fagan.
A well, he's a good looking man.

Speaker 1 (03:37):
There's no hurry, David, Yeah, there's no how to say.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
What a goodness.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
Broadcast gear back to Forsyth Bar Stadium tonight for the
rugby