Jamie Mackay: The Country host on rural New Zealand's reaction to Chris Luxon

Amid discussions surrounding Luxon's political future, there's still one sector backing him.

National MPs are arriving to the Capital ahead of tomorrow's big meeting to discuss the Prime Minister's political future. 

The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Rural Report with Farmlands. Rural never rests, and neither
is Farmlans Rural Report with Farmlands. Jamie mckaye, host of
the Countries with us Alo Jamie.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Well I can talk sport on a bit of footy
with you, Heather. There's no finer sport at the moment
than what's happening and we're about to happen in Wellington.
I did my show in Queenstown today and I spent
the afternoon. I've just got back to the Needen where
I'm based. I've been listening to Barry with Tyler. I've
been listening to you and Barry debating on what's going
to happen. Interestingly, just before I kicked off my show

(00:32):
at midday either I'm not betraying a confidence because it's
what he's already said. Anyhow, I said to Barry, is
that any appetite to roll Christopher Lux And he said, nah,
not the appetite that was at midday. At four pm
he sends me a text saying that was earlier in
the day. It would seem the hungers on. So there's
obviously been a bit of a sea change this afternoon.

(00:53):
And like you, I've been working the phones. But I
haven't got as many connections as you, but I did
call some kind of senior people. I would say in farming, agriculture,
the primary sector, you know, to see where their support lies.
And it would be fair to say that Christopher Luxeon
has really good support from farming and the primary sector,

(01:14):
you know, the very important part of our economy, obviously
the primary sector. But when it comes to one man,
one vote, there's only what fifty thousand odd farmers in
the country Chuck, mum, dad and the kids, and there
might be a couple one hundred thousand. That's less than
what there is in Wellington, where no doubt crystalher Luxon

(01:34):
probably won't get or the National Party mightn't get that
many votes anyhow, so it doesn't take too long to
wipe out the farmer vote either. But in summary, the
farmers back, like.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
Would that be because the farmers are doing I mean
Jordan Williams's argument on the huddle earlier was basically this
all comes down to the economy and people across at
National because National said they're going to fix the economy,
and the fix the economy, and is it possible that
the farmers back Luxeon because they are not suffering to
the extent that other people are.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
Oh absolutely, But you've got to remember that Luxan and
Winston and Seymour to bee Fair have made the environment
a hell of a lot easier for farming and farmers.
You know they'll deny it, but the twenty or the
twenty twenty to twenty three Labor government when they had
an absolute majority, were brutal on farming. If David Parker

(02:24):
had been left to his device, as he would have
killed it. Damien wasn't better on many occasions either. At
one stage we were staring down the barrel of maybe
twenty percent of sheep and sheep and beef farmers going
out of business because the ets or the METHANEA mission
targets were just well, they were unreachable, they were brutal,
they were unrealistic. Describe it as however you would. So

(02:46):
this lot have come in and all three parties Act
New Zealand First and National have been very pro farming.
They would absolutely support them for that reason. The turkeys
don't vote for an early Christmas.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
There's a good point. Hey, very quickly, tell me what's
going on with the wilding pines. Has the money now
become available.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
Oh wow, there's an extra one million for a community
funding program. I mean this is a drop in the
ocean really compared to the one hundred and nine million
that the government is going to invest over the next
three years. But Federated Farmers they're saying it's a welcome boost,
and you know they're supporting those on the ground doing
the hard yards because there are a lot of little
private groups out there doing their bit to get rid

(03:24):
of the wilding pines. One of the best things that
could happen for the wilding pines in this country, and
Federated Farmers are calling for this heather is to allow
the use of low impact stock grazing on conservation land.
This is this dock land that has gone to kind
of rack and ruin because they're not grazing it. Not
only the wilding pines and other weeds getting away, it

(03:48):
becomes a bit of a fire hasard as well. So
Federated Farmers are a part of their election manifesto, they're
asking for five hundred thousand dollars or five hundred thousand
hectare should I say off dockland to be restored to
grazing and it would make good common sense to do
so good stuff.

Speaker 1 (04:05):
Hey, thank you very much, Jamie. We'll talk to you
again in a couple of days. It's Jamie mckaye, host
of the Country.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
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