July 13, 2025 • 9 mins
Today’s dairy farmer/MP panel ponders Clarkson’s Farm in a dry UK summer and a very wet winter here in New Zealand.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Today's panel is the Dairy Farmer slash MP panel as
we talk farming and politics. Grant McCallum, the National MP
for Northland and Andrew Hoggard List, the MP out of
the Manor or Two. He's just come back, Andrew from
a junket to the UK where you were visiting Clarkson's
(00:20):
farm and I'm sure you enjoyed that. But what value
was in that for the tax players? Well?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Nothing, The taxpay didn't pay for it. It was a
family holiday, first in six years.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
So okay, sorry for throwing that accusation at you.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Don't get involved, just keeping the family happy, spending some
time with them because they've been doing a lot of
that recently. So yeah, it was school holiday, so an
opportunity I'm not going to get this next year, so
I figured to get family time taking care of this year.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Well good on you. What was Clarkson's farm like.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Well, pretty much as you saw on TV. So but
I just couldn't believe the number of people crowd The
queue went all the way around the car park. It
would have been at least an hour or so to
get into the shop to buy a spud or whatever
the hell they were doing I'm not usual. Yeah, they
don't sell souvenirs in there anymore. So I just went
(01:14):
to the beer tent that was a much smaller line
and got myself a complimentary glass or plastic cup with
Bidley Squat Farm on it and a beer in it,
and drank the beer and kept.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
The cup and yeah, yeah, well that's probably better than
a tea towel. It's pretty dry and warm at the moment.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
In the UK, Yeah, some of the farmers I was
talking to was sort of saying, you know, crops aren't
doing that well and they'd been struggling. It rained well,
was in Scotland, as per normal Scottish weather conditions, but
yeah there was. It still looked green, but their crops
(01:53):
were struggling.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Which is in stark contrast to what's happening here in
New Zealand at the moment. Grant and the Colum, I
know you're based and Northland and you've been incredibly wet
up there as well, but nothing to what the poor
buggers and the Tasman and Nelson region have had to face.
We're seeing some appalling scenes there. This is like Gabrielle
all over again for that region.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Yes, yeah, yeah, I'm good. I'm good after everybody, and
that's exactly right. It's just devastating seeing the photos. Not
as wide sprint as Gabrielle, but it's very devastating for
the people affected the photos. I took the stuff you
saw on TV last night in the news was you know,
when you start in just the sheer volume of water
and mud and that I just really feel for them
and all power I see the world support trust is busy,
(02:38):
I see it. Louis Upsin's offer support with getting people
ready to work, people to go and help that are
on the doll at the moment, you know, that sort
of thing, and the government is getting getting organized to
see what I can do. And I really feel for them,
they really do. It's just really tough and I know
every all the rest of the farming community, I'm sure
be wishing them all the best.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Well. That flood prone land is the best land for horticulture.
It's very intense of I mean, Nelson is one of
the best horticultural regions in the country. And getting out
of that or the reparation from that takes years rather
than months.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
I would have thought, yeah, absolutely, it does, you know,
and the recovery is not quick. You only have to
drive up the s Valley in Hawke's Bay the scene.
You know, it takes a long time and unfortunately it
is the way of the world. Are we bit In
New Zealand some of the no spurtile land is some
of the most flood prone and that's why because tradition
it would flood and you get those fertile flats. That's
(03:37):
what you're battling. We have the Hickory Swamp in Northland,
some of the best land in Northland, but there's a
reason that some of the best land is because it's
flooded for years and it floods now still to this day.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Andrew, we're going to get more and more of this
as we get more climate extremities. Where does the government
pull the pin on paying for this.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Let's obviously there's been a report being put forward that
hasn't been discussed by this stage and decisions made on it.
So you know that'll be seeing that happened shortly. I
mean there's always going to be this, you know, a
need for government to help. But we've got a bear
in mind, we can't keep doing it all the time.
(04:19):
I look back at you know, support we got in
two thousand and four. You know that was similar to
what happened with the support for Gabriel. But you know,
you can't just keep doing it, and you know, I
think it's incumbent. You know, one of the lessons I
learned from two thousand and four was to think about,
you know, how can I prepare myself on the farm.
So if you do have flood prin land, you know
(04:41):
you need to be thinking about how do we handle
this stuff coming through? Where can we put up tree
barriers and the like to try and catch debris before
it gets to other parts. You know, there's an element
of yep, the government can come in to assist, but
the best to the person that's most always going to
(05:02):
want to do the most is yourself. And so yeah,
whilst government can help, don't rely on government. Start thinking
about how you can do more for yourself. But you know,
obviously there's a need for government to provide assistance to
get lean back in production because that's what generates texts.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Okay, adaptation versus mitigation. And I guess we joke about
the bloke who runs or makes the orange cones got
the best business in New Zealand. I'll stay with you,
Andrew Hoggard, but maybe if you've got a bulldozer and
you're in the business of building flood banks, the next
twenty years could be a good time to be in
that business as well. So do we just have to
(05:40):
face the fact that the climate is changing, We're getting
more extremities. We need to adapt to living in it.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Well, I think you know, these weather events always occur,
whether or not it's more frequency or not, it can
be debatable at times. But you know, it's not just
about building flow banks. Sometimes a flood bank can actually
be a problem because it holds water in place. You know,
I look at my farm and the solution for me
(06:09):
is just to make sure when the river does rise
that you know, that water gets off there as quickly
as possible. Certainly, you know what I experienced after Gabriel
where the floodwaters were as high as what we got
on our farm in two thousand and four was we
didn't get all the silt and sediment. And there's been
a lot of work in the Horizons region on a
popular planting and stabilizing hillsides through the Slowy initiatives, So
(06:34):
you know, sort of antidotal. But I look at that
and go, well, perhaps that work was quite useful in
the fact that, you know, we didn't get as much
salt on our farm then, and it was a hell
of a lot easy. You know, we had to repair
all the fences, but we're able to get back into
production a lot quicker on much of that land. So
these elements like that you want to be looking at.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Grant McCallum. You're a dairy farmer in Northland, very wet
up there. You'll be thankful that you're a queen stream
farmer these days and not having to muck in and
do the carving and the mud.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Yeah, I feel I've done my time in that space, Jamie.
You know, when you get to a mature stage of life,
you feel you've earned a changing career and that's what
you have. You employ good people to do, and good
young fit people to do. Lifting calves out of the mud.
Well we have them mud these days. We carving really
good sordust pads. We got well set up for it.
(07:26):
But is really wet, and I'm quite happy actually to
be I'm mazed. I'm saying we're raby to ben Wellington
and not picking up calves for a change.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yeah, okay muck raking instead of picking up calves out
of the mud. Andrew Hoggard, you're halfway between Tasman and Lauthland.
How are you fairing in the manner A two?
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Yeah, it's been a bit wetter than normal and sidainly.
I mean the weather maps i've seen for all of
the North Island show you've got a hell of a
lot more moisture than normal, particularly tearing Aki Northland, but
also a bit in the eastern B twenty So yeah,
it's a wet it's going to be a wet spring.
(08:08):
Hopefully that means that might actually get some new and
usually I sort of get a period of winter that's
absolute crap and then you usually get a nice bit.
So fingers crossed we get a nice bit coming up.
But Murphy's Law will probably prove me wrong.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Okay, final question for you, Grant McCallum. I see Audrey Young,
I think in the Herald right this morning about who's
going to replace.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
A career liberty question. I'm going no, no, have you haven't.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Even heard the question yet? So the question was if
he was to fall under a bus or fall down.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
A crypt career liberty question go to answer.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Yeah, but here's the question, how come you weren't mentioned
alongside Bishop Willis Brown and Stanford.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I'm facity that you think I should be mentioned in
such a steamed company, but really I'm just a humble
back bench GDP from Northland doing his job, working hard
for the people of Northland. You know how it works, Jamie.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Happy to be the empty before tearing it.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Yeah, exactly, Well that might be a future prime minister.
He might be a future prime minister.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
There's always lots of people queuing up to be the
future prime minister. And right now I'm just very happy
to be the MP for Northland.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Okay, Andrew Higgart, and you're happy to be Associate agg
and Minister of Biosecurity. Keep up the good work man.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
We'll do thanks, so see James.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
See by
Today's panel is the Dairy Farmer slash MP panel as
we talk farming and politics. Grant McCallum, the National MP
for Northland and Andrew Hoggard List, the MP out of
the Manor or Two. He's just come back, Andrew from
a junket to the UK where you were visiting Clarkson's
(00:20):
farm and I'm sure you enjoyed that. But what value
was in that for the tax players? Well?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Nothing, The taxpay didn't pay for it. It was a
family holiday, first in six years.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
So okay, sorry for throwing that accusation at you.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Don't get involved, just keeping the family happy, spending some
time with them because they've been doing a lot of
that recently. So yeah, it was school holiday, so an
opportunity I'm not going to get this next year, so
I figured to get family time taking care of this year.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Well good on you. What was Clarkson's farm like.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Well, pretty much as you saw on TV. So but
I just couldn't believe the number of people crowd The
queue went all the way around the car park. It
would have been at least an hour or so to
get into the shop to buy a spud or whatever
the hell they were doing I'm not usual. Yeah, they
don't sell souvenirs in there anymore. So I just went
(01:14):
to the beer tent that was a much smaller line
and got myself a complimentary glass or plastic cup with
Bidley Squat Farm on it and a beer in it,
and drank the beer and kept.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
The cup and yeah, yeah, well that's probably better than
a tea towel. It's pretty dry and warm at the moment.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
In the UK, Yeah, some of the farmers I was
talking to was sort of saying, you know, crops aren't
doing that well and they'd been struggling. It rained well,
was in Scotland, as per normal Scottish weather conditions, but
yeah there was. It still looked green, but their crops
(01:53):
were struggling.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Which is in stark contrast to what's happening here in
New Zealand at the moment. Grant and the Colum, I
know you're based and Northland and you've been incredibly wet
up there as well, but nothing to what the poor
buggers and the Tasman and Nelson region have had to face.
We're seeing some appalling scenes there. This is like Gabrielle
all over again for that region.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Yes, yeah, yeah, I'm good. I'm good after everybody, and
that's exactly right. It's just devastating seeing the photos. Not
as wide sprint as Gabrielle, but it's very devastating for
the people affected the photos. I took the stuff you
saw on TV last night in the news was you know,
when you start in just the sheer volume of water
and mud and that I just really feel for them
and all power I see the world support trust is busy,
(02:38):
I see it. Louis Upsin's offer support with getting people
ready to work, people to go and help that are
on the doll at the moment, you know, that sort
of thing, and the government is getting getting organized to
see what I can do. And I really feel for them,
they really do. It's just really tough and I know
every all the rest of the farming community, I'm sure
be wishing them all the best.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Well. That flood prone land is the best land for horticulture.
It's very intense of I mean, Nelson is one of
the best horticultural regions in the country. And getting out
of that or the reparation from that takes years rather
than months.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
I would have thought, yeah, absolutely, it does, you know,
and the recovery is not quick. You only have to
drive up the s Valley in Hawke's Bay the scene.
You know, it takes a long time and unfortunately it
is the way of the world. Are we bit In
New Zealand some of the no spurtile land is some
of the most flood prone and that's why because tradition
it would flood and you get those fertile flats. That's
(03:37):
what you're battling. We have the Hickory Swamp in Northland,
some of the best land in Northland, but there's a
reason that some of the best land is because it's
flooded for years and it floods now still to this day.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Andrew, we're going to get more and more of this
as we get more climate extremities. Where does the government
pull the pin on paying for this.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Let's obviously there's been a report being put forward that
hasn't been discussed by this stage and decisions made on it.
So you know that'll be seeing that happened shortly. I
mean there's always going to be this, you know, a
need for government to help. But we've got a bear
in mind, we can't keep doing it all the time.
(04:19):
I look back at you know, support we got in
two thousand and four. You know that was similar to
what happened with the support for Gabriel. But you know,
you can't just keep doing it, and you know, I
think it's incumbent. You know, one of the lessons I
learned from two thousand and four was to think about,
you know, how can I prepare myself on the farm.
So if you do have flood prin land, you know
(04:41):
you need to be thinking about how do we handle
this stuff coming through? Where can we put up tree
barriers and the like to try and catch debris before
it gets to other parts. You know, there's an element
of yep, the government can come in to assist, but
the best to the person that's most always going to
(05:02):
want to do the most is yourself. And so yeah,
whilst government can help, don't rely on government. Start thinking
about how you can do more for yourself. But you know,
obviously there's a need for government to provide assistance to
get lean back in production because that's what generates texts.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Okay, adaptation versus mitigation. And I guess we joke about
the bloke who runs or makes the orange cones got
the best business in New Zealand. I'll stay with you,
Andrew Hoggard, but maybe if you've got a bulldozer and
you're in the business of building flood banks, the next
twenty years could be a good time to be in
that business as well. So do we just have to
(05:40):
face the fact that the climate is changing, We're getting
more extremities. We need to adapt to living in it.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Well, I think you know, these weather events always occur,
whether or not it's more frequency or not, it can
be debatable at times. But you know, it's not just
about building flow banks. Sometimes a flood bank can actually
be a problem because it holds water in place. You know,
I look at my farm and the solution for me
(06:09):
is just to make sure when the river does rise
that you know, that water gets off there as quickly
as possible. Certainly, you know what I experienced after Gabriel
where the floodwaters were as high as what we got
on our farm in two thousand and four was we
didn't get all the silt and sediment. And there's been
a lot of work in the Horizons region on a
popular planting and stabilizing hillsides through the Slowy initiatives, So
(06:34):
you know, sort of antidotal. But I look at that
and go, well, perhaps that work was quite useful in
the fact that, you know, we didn't get as much
salt on our farm then, and it was a hell
of a lot easy. You know, we had to repair
all the fences, but we're able to get back into
production a lot quicker on much of that land. So
these elements like that you want to be looking at.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Grant McCallum. You're a dairy farmer in Northland, very wet
up there. You'll be thankful that you're a queen stream
farmer these days and not having to muck in and
do the carving and the mud.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Yeah, I feel I've done my time in that space, Jamie.
You know, when you get to a mature stage of life,
you feel you've earned a changing career and that's what
you have. You employ good people to do, and good
young fit people to do. Lifting calves out of the mud.
Well we have them mud these days. We carving really
good sordust pads. We got well set up for it.
(07:26):
But is really wet, and I'm quite happy actually to
be I'm mazed. I'm saying we're raby to ben Wellington
and not picking up calves for a change.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yeah, okay muck raking instead of picking up calves out
of the mud. Andrew Hoggard, you're halfway between Tasman and Lauthland.
How are you fairing in the manner A two?
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Yeah, it's been a bit wetter than normal and sidainly.
I mean the weather maps i've seen for all of
the North Island show you've got a hell of a
lot more moisture than normal, particularly tearing Aki Northland, but
also a bit in the eastern B twenty So yeah,
it's a wet it's going to be a wet spring.
(08:08):
Hopefully that means that might actually get some new and
usually I sort of get a period of winter that's
absolute crap and then you usually get a nice bit.
So fingers crossed we get a nice bit coming up.
But Murphy's Law will probably prove me wrong.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Okay, final question for you, Grant McCallum. I see Audrey Young,
I think in the Herald right this morning about who's
going to replace.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
A career liberty question. I'm going no, no, have you haven't.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Even heard the question yet? So the question was if
he was to fall under a bus or fall down.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
A crypt career liberty question go to answer.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Yeah, but here's the question, how come you weren't mentioned
alongside Bishop Willis Brown and Stanford.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I'm facity that you think I should be mentioned in
such a steamed company, but really I'm just a humble
back bench GDP from Northland doing his job, working hard
for the people of Northland. You know how it works, Jamie.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Happy to be the empty before tearing it.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Yeah, exactly, Well that might be a future prime minister.
He might be a future prime minister.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
There's always lots of people queuing up to be the
future prime minister. And right now I'm just very happy
to be the MP for Northland.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Okay, Andrew Higgart, and you're happy to be Associate agg
and Minister of Biosecurity. Keep up the good work man.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
We'll do thanks, so see James.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
See by
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