The Country 20/05/25: Richard McIntyre talks to Jamie Mackay

Federated Farmers dairy chair says Feds is calling on the Government to deliver on National’s pre-election promise to change KiwiSaver rules to help young farmers get their foot on the farming ladder.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Richard McIntyre, chief not chief executive. He is sorry you've
heard all that. You're one of the few people who
have heard what I actually said and no one else
said it. But you get you know, sometimes shit happens, Richard.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Hey, Jamie, I'm just delighted that you're feeling as fighter
as I am as to try to navigate the money
farm through Wellington's parking building.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
Yeah. Well, look, I've got my best mate and he's
dying and it's killing me and it's just my brain's
a bit of a mush to be perfectly honest, but
I'm battling on because I'm a professional, i'd like to think. So, Hey,
so we're going to talk to you. I'm going to
talk to Kate Acklin from Beef and Lamb New Zealand,
going to talk to Mark Delatour from Open Country Dairy

(00:49):
last GDT auction of the season tonight farmer Tom Martin.
I caught up with him earlier this morning in the
UK and if I get time. Karina Jordan, chief executive
of Fish and New Zealand, responding to a column on
ducks by doctor Jaquelin Routh and Richard by way of introduction,
did you realize that today is World to B Day.

Speaker 3 (01:12):
No, I didn't. I didn't be the fantastic insect. And
you know, we obviously oh a feb to them in
terms of what we can achieve as farmers.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
So you're good that they've got a day. I suppose.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
See, I thought they were responsible. I'd heard a stat
somewhere that they were responsible for sixty to seventy percent
of the world's food production. But they're not. Apparently that
is a fallacy. They're responsible for approximately thirty to thirty
five percent of the world's food crops because they depend
on bee pollination, but some crops like wheat, rice, corn,

(01:47):
are not insect pollinated. So someone's overstated the contribution of bees.
Now you're at the bee hive today. That's a nice segue,
isn't it. I'm getting back on the game. You're at
the bee hive today to plead the case for farmers
to be able to use key we saver to get
their foot on the farming ladder. It seems sensible. If

(02:07):
you can buy a house, why can't you buy a farm?

Speaker 3 (02:11):
Oh? Look exactly, Jamie, Like this to me is just
an absolute no brainer. You know, I remember two years
ago when SINS put together their election manifesto, I thought, hell,
this is a really easy win for the government. It
doesn't cost them anything. It encourages investment and progression within
the egg sector, and it also levels the playing field
with rural employees. You can't currently purchase the house because

(02:33):
they're in a service sentence and there I'm going to
live in it. And you know, yeah, I thought this
would be a really easy win. But it hasn't been
announced yet. You know, the government promised it leading into
the election, and then it still hasn't happened.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
Yeah, okay, it still hasn't happened. But they're in favor
of it, aren't they. We talked about sus Redmain's bell right.

Speaker 3 (02:56):
Yeah, looks Redmain is a great advocate for this year.
He's a great, great friend of the farming sector. And
she's put this together as a private member's bill and
so it's in the biscuit tin and it's got a
chance to be drawn out. But along with seventy others,
you know, when the government promised to do this, we're
expecting them to actually make this actual government policy, as
opposed to having it put into the biscuits and that

(03:19):
may get drawn out, and we're still expecting that to happen.
You know, Sue's Redman's Bill is a great one and
we're hoping that the government will actually make that their
own policy and to go forwards from them here.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
I say it. I think Mike Hosking I have mentioned
this this morning on z B. Maybe mister Luxeon will
be on the show today. Needs to be a bit
more like Trump and a good way, not a bad way.
I mean Trump, despite all his failings, at least has
got on and did what he said he was going
to do.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:47):
Look, and that's all we actually asked for from politicians.
You know, we want them to follow through on their promises.
We elect them based on their promises.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
They need to follow through on them.

Speaker 1 (03:56):
While I've got you, and while you're in Wellington, how
are you getting on with the banking inquiry? Because that's
your baby as well.

Speaker 3 (04:03):
Look it is. It's something I'm incredibly passionate about. And
from the feedback that we're getting from farmers, so are they.
Look the reports being written at the moment, we're really
looking forward to seeing it when it does come out.
And then the really key thing for us is going
to be making sure that the recommendations have followed through.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
All right, Richard, I better go because I've run myself
out of time due to a false start. Sorry about that.
It's just the way. That's just life at the moment
that anyhow, Hey, thanks and good luck you guys at
Federated Farmers, and I mean this and all sincerity, are
doing a good job going into bat for farmers.

Speaker 3 (04:36):
Hey, no where is Jamie.

Speaker 2 (04:38):
Were great to talk as always.

Speaker 1 (04:39):
Yep, got on out there we go. Richard McIntyre, Dairy
Chair