December 16, 2025 • 6 mins
North Otago farmer, award-winning environmentalist and Groundswell poster child - or is she? Today, she has Ikea, carbon farming and wind turbines in her sights. Plus, we get her Ag Person of the Year.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
She has another one making her final appearance for twenty
twenty five. Her name is Jane Smith, North Otago Farmer
Award winning environmentalists and I wrongly accused you in one
of my battles with Groundswell, Jane Smith, of being a
Groundswell pin up girl. An apologies to Groundswell because I
think they've done a good job in the past. But
I did take issue with their press release around the
(00:21):
RAMA reforms, calling them timid. I didn't agree with that,
So there you go. I've got that off my chest, Jane.
But this is about you, not about me. You've been
putting the boot into Ikea.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Oh god a name, Jamie. I look, that was just
a little distraction the other day, but it's a very
important issue. And you know you look at carbon farm.
I don't even want to call it farming, Jamie. You
know carbon factories around the Pine Tree and empty station
around the country. They are I think twenty five thousand
hectares now they're clocking up. And they joined a long
list of corporate moguls to do the same, including our
(00:54):
own Air New Zealand, Genesis Energy. There's a whole list
of that basically just to offset their emissions and for what, Jamie.
And I guess it's you know, it's all pain and
no gain because long term, this whole entire fast is
going to fall over and communities will be left with
wind factories on the landscape and carbon forests and big
(01:16):
solar panels and will be left to clean up, Jamie.
And that's a really sad thing. And I you know again,
I hold my you know, I really think those communities
that are fighting this type of scenario, particularly for example,
the Stuart and Boma families down in the Catlands, that
are fighting that fifty five wind t turbines that slope
down two hundred and twenty meters high on the beautiful
(01:37):
Powaka Taka horizon and in a conservation park and under
less Jamie. It's just unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
And but hang on, Jane, you're being a bit of
a nimbi here. Not in my backyard. I thought wind
turbines with clean energy, we should be applauding it.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
The environmental cross of this one is here. All of
them are huge, Jamie. And you know, if you want
renewable energy, look just up in the valley from where
we are here, the Wai Techi Valley beast Idea Ever
nineteen thirty two built the dams and they irrigate twenty
two thousand hittes on their way out to sea. But
you know this, you know, the fast check is probably
going to slip this one past the goalie in terms
of contact energy. Really disappointed to see Nitah, who were
(02:14):
originally opposed to this environmental disaster. They've now sold their soul,
just as they did with you know, one hundred and
eighty million dollars sweetness from already and energy up our way.
And we've just got to make sure that we support
our communities that are fighting this and the submission. You know,
they're submitting to this today, against this, against corporate lawyers,
and these are just family farmers and small businesses in
(02:35):
that area, the West Catland's area, just fighting their way
and it's been interesting. Jamie L. Ciover in Victoria, Australia,
a Chinese owned wind farm that's now twenty four years old.
They've got about a twenty five year lifespan, is now
decommissioning and they literally are walking away from over hundreds
of thousands of tons of concrete pedestals on the landscape,
(02:56):
just walking away so that's the thing. Once this easy
usic to collectse and the climate change fast which has
actually come into pieces very quickly, all falls apart, we
will be left with the burden to clean this up. Jamie.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Now, Jane, you have done a very good video. We're
going to share it on our social channels and at
the end of it it's quite moving, well thought out,
well constructed. Well done. You You've gone in and had
a look at a carbon farm not a mile down
the road from you in North Otago and the telling
factor for me was the outside three rows of the
(03:28):
carbon farm had been pruned once you got further in
what you couldn't see from the road. Disastrous ecological disaster.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Absolutely, Jamie. And that is a course of site where
where there was a fire for back in two twenty
twenty one, when at the same time as the Lake
Oha fire and the firefighters just couldn't get in there
to fight it. I mean, the local farmers did their best.
The owners don't live in the area, and really, you know,
(03:58):
in terms of sympathy and also for the for the
farmers that nearly lost their houses and also the ability
to fight the fire. This wasn't near Jamie, it's a
weed and pested haven. I think in that video I
might say as part of my rant that that the
weeds can barely grow on there. And that's been the
laughable thing that they you know, they talk about this
being a nature based solution. I mean, there's no way
(04:19):
natives are ever going to thrive in that again, and
it really looks like, particularly when they planted it out,
it looked like a scene from a Mad Max movie
because all of the gullies, all of the native bi
diversity has been scorched, scorch earth policy, and they literally
spray plant and walk away. And so this is the
type of thing that that again communities are less left
with and they seem to be seen as supposedly saving
(04:42):
the world, and this is not saving the world. And
you know, we need to be looking at real energy,
real energy solutions and security and food security. To Jamie,
I mean, it's just got beyond a joke. But I
do feel like the whole thing, the whole trojan horse,
has been falling apart plank by plank, and we need
to hold the line because future g will thank us
for that.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Jamie absolutely agree with you. Ecological disaster in the waiting.
I'm out of time, Jane Smith, and you have received
lots of nominations for a AG Person of the Year.
Once again, as I said to Myles Hurrell, Jane, out
of modesty, you can't nominate yourself very quickly. Who is
your twenty twenty five AG Person of the Year?
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Oh, without a doubt, it would be Mark Cameron MP.
I mean the tenacity and the courage that he's faced
in terms of and put forward in the face of
hels to health challenges. And he is one of the
few MPs that when he entered the Bee High he
didn't have an opinion lobotomy on the way. He's really
brave and he comes out and says exactly what he thinks.
(05:40):
And I really applaud that. So Mark Cameron, but also
equally all of those rural families out there and small
business people that are just fighting against the corporates at
the moment, and I take my hat off to them
and thank them for that. Jam mbit onwards and upwards
for next year, because we've got an election looming, so
that'll we all sorts of promises and some stupid decisions made.
So let's yeah's hope for some positive action next year too, Jamie.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Okay Jane Smith, north Otago farmer, an award winning environmentalist.
Thanks for your contribution and just for Laurie and Bryce.
If you're listening, I do love you guys. We'll catch
you back next year.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Thanks Jamie,
She has another one making her final appearance for twenty
twenty five. Her name is Jane Smith, North Otago Farmer
Award winning environmentalists and I wrongly accused you in one
of my battles with Groundswell, Jane Smith, of being a
Groundswell pin up girl. An apologies to Groundswell because I
think they've done a good job in the past. But
I did take issue with their press release around the
(00:21):
RAMA reforms, calling them timid. I didn't agree with that,
So there you go. I've got that off my chest, Jane.
But this is about you, not about me. You've been
putting the boot into Ikea.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Oh god a name, Jamie. I look, that was just
a little distraction the other day, but it's a very
important issue. And you know you look at carbon farm.
I don't even want to call it farming, Jamie. You
know carbon factories around the Pine Tree and empty station
around the country. They are I think twenty five thousand
hectares now they're clocking up. And they joined a long
list of corporate moguls to do the same, including our
(00:54):
own Air New Zealand, Genesis Energy. There's a whole list
of that basically just to offset their emissions and for what, Jamie.
And I guess it's you know, it's all pain and
no gain because long term, this whole entire fast is
going to fall over and communities will be left with
wind factories on the landscape and carbon forests and big
(01:16):
solar panels and will be left to clean up, Jamie.
And that's a really sad thing. And I you know again,
I hold my you know, I really think those communities
that are fighting this type of scenario, particularly for example,
the Stuart and Boma families down in the Catlands, that
are fighting that fifty five wind t turbines that slope
down two hundred and twenty meters high on the beautiful
(01:37):
Powaka Taka horizon and in a conservation park and under
less Jamie. It's just unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
And but hang on, Jane, you're being a bit of
a nimbi here. Not in my backyard. I thought wind
turbines with clean energy, we should be applauding it.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
The environmental cross of this one is here. All of
them are huge, Jamie. And you know, if you want
renewable energy, look just up in the valley from where
we are here, the Wai Techi Valley beast Idea Ever
nineteen thirty two built the dams and they irrigate twenty
two thousand hittes on their way out to sea. But
you know this, you know, the fast check is probably
going to slip this one past the goalie in terms
of contact energy. Really disappointed to see Nitah, who were
(02:14):
originally opposed to this environmental disaster. They've now sold their soul,
just as they did with you know, one hundred and
eighty million dollars sweetness from already and energy up our way.
And we've just got to make sure that we support
our communities that are fighting this and the submission. You know,
they're submitting to this today, against this, against corporate lawyers,
and these are just family farmers and small businesses in
(02:35):
that area, the West Catland's area, just fighting their way
and it's been interesting. Jamie L. Ciover in Victoria, Australia,
a Chinese owned wind farm that's now twenty four years old.
They've got about a twenty five year lifespan, is now
decommissioning and they literally are walking away from over hundreds
of thousands of tons of concrete pedestals on the landscape,
(02:56):
just walking away so that's the thing. Once this easy
usic to collectse and the climate change fast which has
actually come into pieces very quickly, all falls apart, we
will be left with the burden to clean this up. Jamie.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Now, Jane, you have done a very good video. We're
going to share it on our social channels and at
the end of it it's quite moving, well thought out,
well constructed. Well done. You You've gone in and had
a look at a carbon farm not a mile down
the road from you in North Otago and the telling
factor for me was the outside three rows of the
(03:28):
carbon farm had been pruned once you got further in
what you couldn't see from the road. Disastrous ecological disaster.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Absolutely, Jamie. And that is a course of site where
where there was a fire for back in two twenty
twenty one, when at the same time as the Lake
Oha fire and the firefighters just couldn't get in there
to fight it. I mean, the local farmers did their best.
The owners don't live in the area, and really, you know,
(03:58):
in terms of sympathy and also for the for the
farmers that nearly lost their houses and also the ability
to fight the fire. This wasn't near Jamie, it's a
weed and pested haven. I think in that video I
might say as part of my rant that that the
weeds can barely grow on there. And that's been the
laughable thing that they you know, they talk about this
being a nature based solution. I mean, there's no way
(04:19):
natives are ever going to thrive in that again, and
it really looks like, particularly when they planted it out,
it looked like a scene from a Mad Max movie
because all of the gullies, all of the native bi
diversity has been scorched, scorch earth policy, and they literally
spray plant and walk away. And so this is the
type of thing that that again communities are less left
with and they seem to be seen as supposedly saving
(04:42):
the world, and this is not saving the world. And
you know, we need to be looking at real energy,
real energy solutions and security and food security. To Jamie,
I mean, it's just got beyond a joke. But I
do feel like the whole thing, the whole trojan horse,
has been falling apart plank by plank, and we need
to hold the line because future g will thank us
for that.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Jamie absolutely agree with you. Ecological disaster in the waiting.
I'm out of time, Jane Smith, and you have received
lots of nominations for a AG Person of the Year.
Once again, as I said to Myles Hurrell, Jane, out
of modesty, you can't nominate yourself very quickly. Who is
your twenty twenty five AG Person of the Year?
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Oh, without a doubt, it would be Mark Cameron MP.
I mean the tenacity and the courage that he's faced
in terms of and put forward in the face of
hels to health challenges. And he is one of the
few MPs that when he entered the Bee High he
didn't have an opinion lobotomy on the way. He's really
brave and he comes out and says exactly what he thinks.
(05:40):
And I really applaud that. So Mark Cameron, but also
equally all of those rural families out there and small
business people that are just fighting against the corporates at
the moment, and I take my hat off to them
and thank them for that. Jam mbit onwards and upwards
for next year, because we've got an election looming, so
that'll we all sorts of promises and some stupid decisions made.
So let's yeah's hope for some positive action next year too, Jamie.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Okay Jane Smith, north Otago farmer, an award winning environmentalist.
Thanks for your contribution and just for Laurie and Bryce.
If you're listening, I do love you guys. We'll catch
you back next year.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Thanks Jamie,
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