Jamie Mackay: The Country host addresses backlash from farmers as Southland farmland set to be converted into forestry

A series of livestock sales making way for blanket afforestation on a productive hill-country station on the Hokonui Hills in Southland isn't being received well by local farmers.

The Government announced changes to limit the amount of full farm to forestry conversions in December last year, with changes set to kick in by October.

The Country's Jamie Mackay unpacks the community backlash.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This took about rural things. We've got Jamie McCain from
the Country on the line, how Jamie Gooday Andrew Now
in south people are up in arms. Are farms being converted.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Well, not just our farm set. Lots of farms down
here and certainly lots of farms on the east coast
of the North Island as well, have been converted from
effectively good pastoral farms to forestry and or carbon farming.
This particular one I know very well on the Southland
are born and bred. It's on the northern slopes of

(00:30):
the Hokanui Hills. If you were driving, for instance, from
Gore to Queenstown, it's a lovely drive too, you would
pass it. This is a farm that shouldn't be going
to trees. Of course, the government has stepped and changed
the rules, or they announced a change in the rules
in December of last year. They'll come into force probably
about October this year. But they can't stop stop stuff

(00:54):
that's underway already. But this is a beautiful farm. The
entire operation is apparently seven three hundred hectares. It's not
only sheep and cattle breeding, but it's also a finishing
farm where you fatt and stock. It's got cropping arable,
you know, good enough to grow crops and also dairy farming.
The whole lot is apparently being holess. Bowlus are planted

(01:15):
into pine trees. It's wrong. It's not being planted for
production forestry. It's being planted for the carbon credits. You'll
get two clicks on it. But a lot of the
local farmers are quite rightly saying this is not right.
It's going to be an eyesore, it's going to be
a blight on the environment. And I think quite a
bit of government money was spent on this particular farm,

(01:36):
which is a lovely farm of tailed sheep there and
mustard as a young guy, was spent on this farm
in the seventies to develop it. And the likes of
Groundswell co founder Lorri Patterson, who also owns a big
sheep and beef station down there, says he's none too
toughed with it, and I think that's the general consensus
of people down there.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
I'm right there with you. You know, these forests they're just
a mirage affecting or improving the environment in any way,
shape or form. The fact, they're making it worse. As
you quite rightly said Hey, Jamie mackay, thank you so
much for your time today. Have yourself a great night.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
Yeah, he andrew National Lamb Day on Saturday. Hopefully the
supermarkets will come to the party. I haven't seen any
evidence of it yet, but go and taste some lamb.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
Oh, no problem, Jamie. I will thank you for more
from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
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