The Country 05/06/25: Wayne Langford talks to Jamie Mackay

The president of Federated Farmers and poster boy for Toyota, Yamaha and One NZ. We discuss “Save Our Sheep” billboards in Wellington and the Feds’ banking survey. Plus, the Fish & Game announcement today - its advocacy function is under review. Also, Federated Farmers is at Fieldays next week – where can people find them and what will they focus on?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
But let's kick it off with the man himself, Wayne Langford, Wayne, Toyota, Yamaha,
One New Zealand any other gigs you need to declare
before we take you to air.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
No, yeah, I mean nothing else to declare there. No,
they've been long time supporters of me. They've actually they
get him behind, particularly the work I do in the
mental health space, and have back that for quite some time.
And so it's really cool that they do, actually because
obviously it's a big part of all New Zealand and
a big part of what I do as well. Well.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
Well answered, any you and I are doing a song
and dance routine I think at field days for Toyota
next week. Let's get onto the more serious subjects at hand.
Save our sheep billboards in Wellington. Gee, you certainly stamped
your mark on the Wellington landscape.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah, well, there's nothing. There's nothing more kind of in
your face than it than a use looking right at
you when you're looking from the officers of the deal
b I and I guess what we were thinking behind
that was. You know, there's a lot of these trees
being planted the back blocks of nowhere, and a lot
of country being covered up. That's easy to forget about
to not see. But having this, having this, you look

(01:08):
at your right from a billboard right in front of
the b I've officers, that's a hell of a lot
more on your face. And it's making sure that our
politicians don't forget.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
How do you get the T shirt?

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Save our Sheep T shirt? Yeah, you have to visit
the ficacy harbit Field days. There will be plenty of
T shirts here for you to get your hands on,
cheap if you're a member, and even cheaper if you
want to become a member. So get amongst it and
get involved.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Let's have a look at that Federated Farmer's Banking survey,
which I've conveniently left at my Poor Rowena's running around
looking for I've conveniently left at my desk. Here in Auckland,
they do they do? Oh no, there it is there,
I found it, Thank you, Rowena. Here what they do here? Wayne?
They do hot desking. Do you know what that is? Oh?

Speaker 2 (01:54):
Yeah, well you don't even have a disk po and
you're got to jump around whoever it is? Right?

Speaker 1 (01:58):
I think it's sort of a trend Auckland.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
Think.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Thank god, I've got my own office. I'm too grumpy
to share down in Danedin anyhow was hot desking rowenas
found the Federated Farmers are banking survey for me an
improvement from the banks, but they can do a lot better.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah, still still some work to go there, but it's
good to see the improvement and good to see that
the advocacy that we've been putting in there is starting
to have an effect. You know, banks are a big
part of our businesses, so all our farming businesses, and
they play a key role in what we do. And
we're just making sure that you know that the farmers
are getting as much as we can out of them,
and the banks are being kind of well behaved and

(02:34):
looking after our farmers as well.

Speaker 1 (02:35):
What surprised me and I've been banging on about this
all week and apologize and apologies to be in z
if you guys at feeds or I've got it wrong,
but overdraft rates they're too high across the board from
all banks, if you ask me, with the security the
average farm offers, but rabobanks the lowest seven point three
percent from the what is it seven or eight hundred

(02:57):
farmers who answered your survey, I just can't remember the
exit number. So there at seven point three percent, B
and Z remains the highest at nine point seven percent.
And I know this is a smallish sample. It's a sample. Nonetheless,
there shouldn't be that discrepancy. I wouldn't have thought.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yeah, well, it certainly does make you wonder. Obviously, banks
are in a competitive market and are allowed a price
accordingly however they want to. But I think, actually, Jamie,
you mean need to take a bit of credit here
as well. Some of the interviews that you've done and
some of the things you've highlighted have no doubt helped
many farmers across the country. I know at one stage

(03:34):
there you were interviewing A and Z who I bank was,
and you were asking them about their average interest rate. Well,
I was then able to take that to my bank
and say, hey, well why am I over the average?
You know what's going on here? And ask some questions. So,
I mean, you're doing exactly what federal farmers are doing
as well. We're just asking the question to say, hey,

(03:56):
what's going on here? You're a big part of our businesses.
How do we make sure what's going on on? A
fear as I think Jane Smith starts on the other day.
How do we create a trusted relationship so that we
know that everyone's getting looked after here as best we
can well.

Speaker 1 (04:09):
Wayne Length, But I've got a bit of a vested
interest in this. I'm a partner in a dairy equity
partnership and I'm pretty hands off, to be perfectly honest.
Haven't never darkened the door of the milking shed, and
I don't really intend to. I spent enough time on
the end of the handpiece. But I was shocked last
year when I found out what our overdraft rate was.

(04:29):
I thought, we're being ripped off.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
Yeah, no, certainly, And that's one of the biggest feedbacks
that we're hearing from farmers was around there overdraft rates,
their ability to move them, and obviously their inability to
switch banks at time, so just being lumped with what
they've got, so it is a challenging space. I will
put a small plug and I actually got rid of

(04:52):
my overdraft three years ago, mainly one reason because I
kind of had to, but it is, it is. It's
a whole different world when you live in the black
comp than the red Jamie and any farmers they can
get rid of it. I may actually suggest it because
because yeah, there's something different between the number zero and
maybe negative underd Yeah.

Speaker 1 (05:12):
Not every farmer out there has got a side hustle
with Toyota. Who else Yamaha one New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (05:20):
No, I know that's it for me.

Speaker 1 (05:22):
Good on you all right now. I also want to
talk about advocacy. Be fair to say Federated farmers and
Fish and Game haven't always had the best of relationships,
especially down on Southland, my home province. Their advocacy function
is under review. What's happening there.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
Yeah, so we've seen an announcement this morning from the
Minister where effectively a lot of centralization of what fish
and Game is doing, so bringing effectively forming a national
Council similar to what c pharmacies actually into into a
national body, all kind of accountable to the to the

(06:01):
National CEO and and and that direction of travel, your
licensing fees and then we so and your fishing fees
will will we'll all head to the to the central
point as well and then get distributed out to the
best point of need. And that takes away this this
you know, different province has done different things, having different rules,
attacking different different farming bodies in different ways and doing

(06:24):
all kinds of things that you know, that we felt
were unnecessary. So it's a step in the right direction.
I don't know that we've fully got it there. I
mean we advocated that that they lose their advocacy function altogether.
We don't really see a need for them to be
you know, another environmental NGO. We think they should just
really be focusing on their on their fishing, their game.
But but it's a step in the right direction. As
we work our way through the Select Committee will be

(06:47):
we'll be still advocating that from from a farming point
of view.

Speaker 1 (06:50):
Now next week, as I mentioned, you and I will
be doing a song and down streetaining at field Days
together and no doubt we'll catch up again. What a
feeds up to it? Field Days?

Speaker 2 (06:59):
Yeah, well, I think you're in the avacy hub. And
as it is with anything you know, it's got bigger
and better. And I see the calendars fully fully booked,
I think, with ministers and MPs that will be coming
to make announcements and to share the good word. A
political so across the spectrum of all the parties all
coming along, even I think Stave be Able from the

(07:19):
Greens is coming along as well, so it's good to
see and a chance for everyone to meet and shake
hands with these politicians and here their thoughts are kind
of one on one. It'll be fantastic, so so looking
forward to being part of the hub. And also that
also all the Royal advocacy groups are there as well,
getting amongst it and so a chance to meet up
with with those that represent you as farmers across the country.

Speaker 1 (07:42):
Okay, we'll see you at field Days next week. Wine
Length and President of Federated Farmers