August 1, 2025 • 40 mins
Hamish McKay talks to Todd Charteris, and Jamie Mackay talks to Tim King, Emma Poole and Tim Dangen, and Shane Jones.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The best of the country with rubbo Back.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Choose the bank with one hundred and twenty years global
agribusiness experience.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Grow with Rubberback.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Macan line.
Speaker 4 (00:14):
Two thousand people name, people talking well, feeding.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
People here, well.
Speaker 5 (00:30):
People runners, gooday and good morning New Zealand. My name
is Jamie McKay. This is the best of the country.
It's brought to you by Rabobank each and every Saturday
morning here on News Talk said b We're growing a
better New Zealand together and together on the country. Myself
(00:52):
and mainly Hamish Mackay of TV three fame back in
the day, great broadcaster filling in for me, put together
a week programming and I'm going to hear from Hamish.
He's going to kick off proceedings on Wednesday show. He
caught up with Rabobanks Chief executive Todd charteris top of
the class in the Federated Farmer's Bank report cards. Yesterday
(01:16):
I caught up with Tim King Nelson or Tasman Sheep
and Beef Farm are also the local mayor in the
Tasman region. The long recovery ahead for his region after
the devastating floods wettest winter on record although they did
dodge a bit of a weather bullock this week. Thank
goodness for that. Emma Paul and Tim Dangan Brothers and
Sisters or brother and Sister two twenty twenty three Young
(01:40):
Farmers of the Year talk about dairy farming at the
opposite ends of the country and how the weather gods
are treating them, and talking about treats, I've got one
for you, Shane j Owes, the Prince of the Province's
Marta Shane let off the leash on yesterday's show on
the Country. Up next Todd Charteris and Hamish mackay.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Wow, Wow, the best of the country with Rabobank. Choose
(02:21):
the bank for a huge network of progressive farming clients.
Speaker 6 (02:25):
Rabobank, This is the country haimersh McKay in for Jamie
for a few days this week. A great heavy company
right across the country, whatever you might be doing. One
of the last times I caught up with this gentleman,
he actually had the footy boots on mouth garden. Yeah,
it was a game of footy played at the Natapa
(02:46):
Rugby Club and the mighty Tyrafferty part of the country.
See Rabobank Todd Chatter Sott.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
How are you on good?
Speaker 7 (02:54):
Thanks Sam, good to catch up again.
Speaker 6 (02:56):
Yeah, you haven't pulled the footy boots on again or
done anything crazy like that.
Speaker 7 (03:00):
No, no, no, And I regretted that actually for a
few days after. But it was it was a great cause.
So I was privileged to be there, but I'm not
hurry to do it again for a number of reasons understandable.
Speaker 6 (03:13):
Righty, let's say get into it. The you would have
been pleased, you would have been pleased at Rabobank with
the Federated Farmer's Banking Survey top of the class there.
Speaker 7 (03:21):
Yeah, no, we were. I mean at the end of
the day. I mean, it's what our clients say directly
to a set that really counts. But it's great to
have that sort of third party endorsement and yeah, yeah
that the key is for us as around that communication
and overall satisfaction. So yeah, it really pleased with that.
And of course there's always more work to do and
we don't always get it right, but it's good endorsement
(03:42):
all the same.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (03:43):
Look, I was I spent I spent my time these
days between the Manawa two and Auckland, and I was
talking and I won't name her, but a member of
the Rabobank team, and she was off to a very
very high tech Manawatu dairy farm, you know, and I
just love the way she was going about a business,
you know, and you know, excited to be going up
there and seeing what this outstanding property was a farming
(04:07):
set up was doing. I mean, I just love that
sort of you know, boots and the mud stuff.
Speaker 5 (04:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (04:12):
No, Look, we've got a great team that is hugely
dedicated and I think just so well aligned to our purpose.
You know, they get up here every morning, they know
exactly what we're doing and they just get into it.
And it's a real pleasure for me to be part
of leading that team. And we've got a really dedicated
team that's that's in boots and all.
Speaker 6 (04:31):
As you say, part of what you do is the
good stuff and this the catchment community alt tell us
about that and the involvement of that.
Speaker 8 (04:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (04:42):
Look, we're really delighted to partner with catchment communities out here,
and we're doing that in conjunction with MPI, and I
think it's another great example of private public partnership. You know,
the catchment community is doing great work coordinating you know
what is about two hundred catchment groups across the country,
(05:03):
and I'm really excited about We've actually got their board
and our officers today, so we're hosting them, which is
great for us to be able to do that. I'm
just really looking forward to getting in behind what the
great work they are doing and how we actually promote
that right across the country side and have a sort
of coordinated voice, if you like, for all of our
wonderful catchment groups that as I sat doing fantastic stuff.
(05:27):
There's lots to do, of course, but it's really ground,
ground up stuff and I think that's really really great.
And so yeah, we're really pleased with the partnership.
Speaker 6 (05:37):
In a couple of words, from an urban perspective, that's
about water is making our water better?
Speaker 9 (05:41):
You know?
Speaker 10 (05:42):
Yeah, well yeah, yeah it is.
Speaker 7 (05:43):
And if you think about New Zealand, it's just a
collection of catchments, you know, water catchments, you know, because
the catchments obviously water lands comes out of sky and
where does it end up? And so it's it's broader
than just farming. It's whole community stuff. It's different businesses,
e we you know, a whole lot of things. And
(06:04):
I think that's what it's about. It's about understanding what
makes up the sort of ecology of our landscape and
this is a big part of it. So you're super excited.
Speaker 6 (06:15):
The Farmer Confidence survey has been out and some good
results across the dairy, sheep and beef, but a bit
more challenging for the for the horable boys at the
ladies at the moment.
Speaker 7 (06:26):
Yeah, it is tough in that sector for sure, and
so they've been going through a couple of tough seasons
and hopefully, you know, as we look forward into the
next twelve months, things will improve in that regard. But
he has certainly been some pressure on grain prices and
hopefully there's some relief there because it has been tough
and they haven't been able to enjoy some of those
(06:47):
higher commodity processes and those other sectors which continue to
look really, really strong. And that's that's great to see
because that's what we need is a wider economy across
New Zealand. We need that agriculture based really pumping because
the money goes round and we need get to continue.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Todd Charter see rubber Bank before you go.
Speaker 6 (07:09):
I've been doing this survey this week early September, South
Africa spring Box at Eden Park. Does Fortress Eden Park survive?
Are we going well enough to keep that record intact?
Speaker 10 (07:21):
Oh?
Speaker 7 (07:21):
Look, I think it's going to be a hunting a
Homers fits for sure. I think it's a bit early
to say if we're going well enough. But look, I hope, so,
I really do. I think it's going to be an
outstanding game and I really look forward to it, and
it's what we all get excited about, right yeah, And
let's hope.
Speaker 6 (07:38):
So the next best thing to a Rugby World Cup final,
there go Todd. Thank you very much for joining us.
Todd chaters their CEO of Rubber Bank.
Speaker 7 (07:47):
Here on the Country, Cheersmous, good on you.
Speaker 5 (07:52):
Hamous mckaye sitting in for me, Jamie mckaye. Awey, But
earlier in the week you got two McKay's for the
price of one. This week on the Country. Up next,
Tim King, the Tasman Mayor and Sheep and Beef Farmer
terrible terrible times in his region with the flooding. Emma
Paul and Tim Dangein and Shane Jones to wrap the
best of the country here on News Talk, said me.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
London the best of the country with Rubber Bank, the
bank with local acribanking experts passionate about the future of
rural communities.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
Rubbo Banks guest has had a very high media profile
in recent times. That's because he's been fronting for the
Tasman region around the devastating flooding. He's obviously the mayor.
He's also a sheep and beef farmer. Tim King, great
to have you on the show now. Rowena my former
producer here on the country, Rowena Duncan ran into yesterday
(08:50):
and she said, you need to get Tim on the
show a talk about the recovery from the flooding. But
b she said, Tim that you love dams and no
one loves a good damn more than me. Shall we
come back to dams goodness go yep. So dams are
the last thing you need at the moment because water
is not in short supply in the Tasman region. But
to take a more serious approach to this issue, Rowena
(09:13):
did mention wearing a re FMG hat again of some
of the damage. You dodged a bit of a bullet
this week, but it's going to be a big recovery.
Speaker 9 (09:22):
It is. Yeah, the damage is pretty extensive and it
covers a large chunk of the region. Fortunately, that means
that it hasn't affected kind of one industry to a
massive extent, a lot of individual properties across a whole
range of industries from dairy, farm sheep and beef horticulture hops.
So say, small upside in terms of the industry wide damage,
(09:45):
but the devastation on individual properties is huge.
Speaker 5 (09:49):
Obviously on some of that more fertile land, on lower
lying land near the rivers was the most badly affected.
Or did you, for instance, get slips? How major were
the slips on the on the hill country, the grazing land.
Speaker 9 (10:02):
Yeah, so not so bad this time. So the biggest
industry impact was the forest and the second event we
had a really strong wind after weeks and weeks of
heavy rain and there's about five thousand hectares of wind
thrown pine trees across the region. In terms of the slipping,
it was isolated to an area kind of around the
western part of Motorwacre, around Madahoe and Kaitei. Not so
(10:26):
much on farmland, just more on roads and probably this
one large campground it was badly affected. So not too
bad on the slipping front. Most of it was erosion
or salt gravel washing over properties.
Speaker 5 (10:39):
What about the infrastructure that likes are the roading infrastructure.
How's it fared?
Speaker 9 (10:45):
Yeah, the roading infrastructure has been absolutely thrashed in this event,
so there are hundreds and hundreds of individual sites that
have been damaged. The roading crews have done a phenomenal
job both between the two events and then post the
second event to get a lot of that back up
to at least being operational, although it probably is going
to need to be redone to back to a proper
(11:06):
standard and due course, so there's been a huge amount
of work on the roading network. The second event also
lots of trees down over roads, which involved including the
state highway networks at one stage. I think there's like
three state highways. We're pretty much isolated as a region
in that for a couple of days there. So yeah,
(11:28):
big impact on the roading network and big impact on
the river network as well.
Speaker 5 (11:32):
Do you think you've had enough support from central government.
Speaker 9 (11:35):
Yeah, I'd have to say we've been really well supported
by a whole range of people. Actually, other councils from
all around the country, particularly the South Island and Canterbury,
but also North Island councils sending people and staff down
NIMA have been excellent in terms of their support NZTA
so yeah, and the volunteer support of Federated Farmers have
been phenomenal. They've had a guy who I need to
(11:57):
give a rap to individually, Ben who came down here,
has been here for a few weeks liaising with farmers,
working on coordinating repairs, helping them with not kind of
the claim process and the money side of it, but
also organizing diggers and bulldozers, working with the council staff
over repairing rivers and bridges. So they've been great. So
(12:19):
I think the support across the board to this point
has been awesome. Still, we are going to need a
lot of support in the recovery phase. Government's making all
the right noises about that, so we just have to
wait and see.
Speaker 5 (12:30):
When it came to cyclone Gabrielle, which is the mother
of all recent storms, anyhow, we know that it's years
rather than months in the recovery phase. Will it be
the same for the Tasman Nelson region.
Speaker 9 (12:43):
Yeah, I think it'll be certainly. The roating network a
lot of the final gating back. Getting things fully back
will probably take it least a year. In the rivers,
that will probably take longer to work through all the
damage and what's going to be done and how that's
all going to be worked through. And then on individual properties,
certainly some of the horticultural properties, you know where they've
(13:04):
lost lost crops, lost land, you know, some of those
will be years in the recovery and getting back to production.
So yep, certainly years and a lot of situations.
Speaker 5 (13:16):
Tim King with us, Tasman mayor, sheep and beef farm
are also How have you fared? Because I felt sorry
for you at the height of us Everyone in the
media wants a piece of you. You've obviously had your
own farm to deal with.
Speaker 9 (13:29):
Yeah, we've been pretty fortunate. So we were just on
that kind of the edge of the worst effect. You know,
if you go five kilometers south of us, it's absolute
chaos in a lot of the small valleys up the
Whitey Valley and behind Wakefield. So we've just got a
lot of minor damaged floodgates, few slip through fences, a
lot of trees down in the second event, nothing major,
just another long list of chores to add to the well.
Speaker 7 (13:51):
They're always longest the chores who've got on a farm.
Speaker 5 (13:54):
So are you standing again in this year's local body elections?
Tim King for Tasman Maya. I'll get a shame a
spig in for you. With your profile and recent times.
You're going to bolt them.
Speaker 10 (14:03):
Aren't you.
Speaker 9 (14:05):
You never know, gosh politics these days. You know you're
a brave man to bet on the atcome or at
any level of politics, from national to international to local books.
So I have checked my name back in the ring
for and I have I have made it. I've done
this a long time say, I've made it clear to
those who have asked me to do it that this
will be the last time win or lose. But yes,
I have put my name of this round of elections.
Speaker 5 (14:27):
And it's remiss to me. We were going to talk
about dams. You've got the wy Mare Dam there. We
need more dams. We need Shane Jones to build more dams.
Speaker 9 (14:35):
Yeah, I think we definitely do need more dams. I
think water security is going to be a huge issue
right around the country. I know we've we've built two dams,
one small dam and the Kainui Catchment supporting the wide
Valley and then obviously the more recent and high profile
one in wym on the Wymir planes or supporting the
Wymir planes. And as I mentioned last night at the event,
(14:57):
Row and I were at, one of the big aallenges
is the funding of these things and particularly who carries
the risk, and they are risky projects. I don't think
there's any way around when you start building large scale infrastructure,
geological issues, timing in our case COVID, so all sorts
of things can impact on it. And obviously it's been
(15:18):
well documented the dam cost a lot more than it
was anticipated to and what that's resulted in is particularly
for irrigators and landowners who are paying fifty percent of
the cost or forty nine percent of the total cost.
Now I've not got so much capital tied up in
water security that that limits their ability to invest on
their properties to actually deliver the outcomes that both the
(15:40):
region and the country needs in terms of that productivity
on the land concerned. So the way they're structured and
the way they're financed, I firmly believe needs to change,
and there has to be a greater role for central
government investment.
Speaker 5 (15:56):
Well that's what Shane Jones is for I'm fond of saying,
Tim King, you can never have too many sheds on
your farm. You can never have too many dams around
New Zealand. Thanks for your time. Go well on the elections.
Speaker 9 (16:06):
No worries you. More than welcome.
Speaker 10 (16:07):
Jamie.
Speaker 9 (16:08):
Always happy to catch up the best.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Of the country with Rubbobank.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Choose the bank with one hundred and twenty years global
agribusiness experience.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Grow with Rubbobank.
Speaker 5 (16:17):
Today's panel is the Danngeon Panel. Brother and sister Tim
Dangen Emma Paul knee Dangeon of Course twenty twenty two,
twenty twenty three Young Farmers of the Year. They're both
dairy farming these days, but at opposite ends of the
country and having opposite fortunes weatherwise at the moment, Emma Paul,
(16:38):
I'm going to start with you in the Waikato region.
I spent the last or best part of the last
week in the Bay a plenty. Would be fair to
say it's fairly wet at the top of the country.
How's Carvin going good?
Speaker 8 (16:49):
Hey, Jamie? Thanks Evan, I saw him, and yes, it
is fairly wet underfoot at the moment. Unfortunately, there's some
very swollen rivers in some of our big peddocks have
gone completely underwater. Before that, we had pretty much a
dream run of ten days of frosts and very blue skies.
So it's not all bad news, but it's pretty hard
when it gets quickly to deal with that volume of water.
(17:11):
But I'd say most people in the Wayketo were pretty
much halfway through carving at the moment, and everyone seems
to be coping really well. We've had heaps of sunlight
ours which has really helped the milk fever situation in
the Wayketo. I think everyone's experiencing quite low numbers of
down cows this year, which has been good. I would
just have to watch with it whether that we don't
(17:32):
follow that up with a few metabolic issues in the
following week.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
Well, Emma, I've never done a carving. I don't really
have any intention of doing one. It sounds like far
too hard at work. But I've done dozens of lammings
and i've done them in the old line seven year
of the Parker and Leggings, so I know what it's
like down on South them when things go wrong weatherwise.
One man who's down there. He must have, he must
(17:56):
have the weather God's on his side. He's gone sheer
milking at Riverton for another former young farmer of the Air,
Simon Hopcroft as Tim Dangein and Tim I was down
on Southland a couple of weeks ago. I've never seen
Southland look better in July than what I saw it.
How's it looking now, first day of August?
Speaker 11 (18:13):
Yeah, Jamie, good to be here. It's looking spectacular mate.
And if you ever want to do a carving then
there's always a spot open here for you to get
your boots dirty. But we've had an unreal run really,
and so I think all of Stouthland farmers are dis
grateful to be heading into spring with a bit of
room in the soil to handle a bit of moisture
if it does come. Our thoughts go out to those
(18:34):
farmers that are having a very tough time, particularly at
top of the South Island there. But everyone gets their turn,
don't they. So we've certainly taken it while it's here
and we're farming in front of us, and yeah, carving's
just sort of starting to kick off for the region.
So yeah, farmers are excited and pretty buoyant. I think
about the season ahead.
Speaker 5 (18:51):
Amma, Paul, whether it's carving or lambing or whatever you're
flat out doing on your farm at springtime. Mental health,
keeping the old top pad right, it's pretty important. What
do you do because you're flat out You've got two farms,
you and your husband Chris. I think you've got what
two kids? Now you must have your hands for.
Speaker 8 (19:10):
Yeah, there's a bit of a handful. I think there's
two point five kids sere. Jamie's another one coming in December,
so that'll keep us real busy.
Speaker 5 (19:17):
But what is that, Hemma, what is it about you
dairy farmers? You're great breeders.
Speaker 8 (19:22):
Yeah, don't seem to be too bitter. I started to
stick at what you're good at, Jamie, So we'll keep
going along that line. But we need someone to help
us through these calvings in future years, so that's the idea.
We've got two from two boys so far, so I'm
pretty sure the third one is going to be a
surprise boy as well, so we'll see how we get on.
But yet, it's you've got to really keep your chin up,
(19:43):
especially you just get tired during carving, don't you know.
There's lots of days lots of people cut their time
off short, but we're just try and make sure that
where we can, we get off farm in between milkings
and in between feeding calves. And the other day we
were lucky enough to shoot up to see Hugh Jackson
and Tiakau. He's been an hour away from us, and
he's of course the twenty twenty five FMG Young Farmer
of the Year, so it was neat to have a
(20:04):
quickly farm tour of his place and see how he's
running his bull operation up there.
Speaker 5 (20:09):
Tim Danjin, what do you do to keep the top
paddock right? Because can I make a suggestion if you
get a couple of spare hours tomorrow afternoon or late
tomorrow afternoon, you head along. I know you're at Riverton,
it's only half an hour from inmb Cargo. You can
go to Rugby Park for Stags Day milk the cows
a bit earlier.
Speaker 11 (20:27):
Yeah, certainly on Tenton. Jamie, my wife and my daughter
hit along with me to that one. We'll try and
pretend like we're true set South Winders now.
Speaker 7 (20:36):
That we're down here.
Speaker 11 (20:36):
But yeah, it's always just about finding that balance, isn't it.
And particularly my thoughts are going out to those farmers
at the top of the South Island that have had
a shopping run the last or a month or so.
It takes me back to our cyclone gabriel days back
at home and some of the tools that we use
there that people might find beneficial. We're just around finding
that balance, so making sure that you're getting off farm. Absolutely,
(20:59):
but we did a lot of checklists, so we put
down the things that we need to try and focus
on to make sure that we're working towards a clear objective.
And then as we're sort of tiding we were tidying
things up and ticking things off, it felt like we
were actually achieving something. The most difficult thing after Gabrielle
was really just having to adjust o expectations for our
goals on farm that year, and we sort of had
(21:20):
to put a few things on the back burner and
just focused on trying to get the farm back up
and running as quick as possible. So it's all just
about balance. So Jennie, make sure you try and refresh,
refresh yourself where you can and get off farms, spend
time with loved ones and get around your other members
of your community as well. Because it's a team effort
when things are tough, and we know that in farming,
(21:43):
everyone seems to get their turn of bad luck. So
the sun will come out for everyone and eventually you
work through these hard times and there's always good times
on the other side.
Speaker 7 (21:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
I like your idea of priorities and lists, so I
love lists as well. And you can't what's that old saying,
You can't? You got to eat an elephant one bite
of the time. So anyhow, I got to go guys. Emma,
good luck carving with the two point five kids and
Simon Simon Simon Hopcroft as your boss, will try Tim
Danjean because Simon's a keen Stags man. Get down to
(22:13):
Rugby Park and support the Southland Stags up against the
invaders from Otago.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
The Best of the Country with Rabobank. Choose the bank
for the huge network of progressive farming clients.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
Rabobank.
Speaker 5 (22:31):
Good Morning New Zealand. I'm Jamie McKay. You're listening to
the Best of the Country. It's brought to you by Rabobank.
We're growing a better New Zealand together. Very shortly, Shane
Jones two part interview caught up with them on yesterday's
show on the eve of the Trump tariff announcement more
about Shane Jones in a tick, but I want to
talk about Rabobank for a moment. They sent twenty five
(22:55):
high school students from across the country to complete a
three day living program to learn about career pathways in
the food production supply chain. The all expenses paid Rabobank
Farm to Future Educational camp was attended by year twelve
students from twenty different high schools across New Zealand. The
program took in visits to a range of agri business
(23:15):
operations across the Canterbury region. The initial idea for the
program was developed by the Rabobank Upper South Island Client Council.
Good on your team for doing that after they identified
the need for more promotion of agri industry careers among
secondary school students. To find out more, go to the
Rabobank website. Up next, The Prince of the Provinces pre
(23:39):
the tariff announcement, Stagflation, the ocr John Keys, Rockstar Economy,
Sleeping through the Tsunami Alerts, Jacinda and Carmela's books and
adjoint Tapooki Rugby Club fundraiser. It's all on the best
of the country.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
The best of the country with Rabobank, the bank with
local agri banking experts, passionate about the future of rural communities,
Rubber Bank.
Speaker 5 (24:06):
Shange Jones kicking off the country today four o'clock. This afternoon,
we get Trump's tariff announcement, so we're maybe heading towards
fifteen percent. Who knows. I don't even know if Trump
knows half the time. But Shane Jones, as long as
we're at the base level whatever that is, we're doing okay?
Are where or is that being a bit negative?
Speaker 10 (24:26):
No, we have to deal with the cards that we're
we're playing with. The reality is we're five point two
million people, We've got two hundred and sixty seventy maybe
eighty billion US GDP and what are they at? Twenty
twenty trillion? So it's very tempting break wind and be
(24:49):
staunch and rude, but there are other ways to deal
with these issues, and I back my leader. It's often
important to allow silence to do that. You're speaking for you.
Speaker 5 (24:59):
Well, that can't be said about you, well, that criticism
can't be leveled at you too often being too silent.
Speaker 10 (25:05):
Well, I did say that's the leader's strategy, not them tour.
Speaker 5 (25:08):
Well, you've been busy this week getting rid of Jacinda's
coal and gas spain.
Speaker 10 (25:13):
Our worst decision ever of an economic character since the
Treaty of White Hongey. Look, it's driven by this puritanical
religious view about climate change. It's this dystopian view that
the world is going to fry and we've got no hope.
And when you've got that type of mentality, it really
requires a strong robust response to myself. We're in New Zealand. First,
(25:36):
we are not going to cow. We're not going to
be guilt trip over climate change if we need to
do out. But that's not closing down the economy or
taxing belching cows to change the weather and tape down.
Speaker 5 (25:48):
Yeah, but you're rewriting history here. You were standing but
you and Winston were standing behind Jasinder in twenty eighteen
when she did it. Nodding away.
Speaker 10 (25:58):
Passively sadly is an active penance on my part, but
you show it just shows I'm an ordinary. Can we both,
like many of the husbands, fathers and sons that are
listening to this show, capable of redemption.
Speaker 5 (26:10):
Let's move on from your coal and gas band. So
Matthew Horton, I'm quoting the Herald yet again an interesting
column today saying basically, crystopa Luxen's on borrowed time. I
want to go to coalition cannibalization and just a tick.
But he says we're headed for stagflation. Okay, So that's
stagnant economic growth, high unemployment and rising inflation. It's probably
(26:33):
the worst economic disease or earlier you can get.
Speaker 10 (26:38):
Well. Stagflation is something that brought the United States down
about thirty or forty years ago. Look, Winston has encouraged
me to go around and hold these public meetings. I'm
holding one on Nelson, I've had one in New Plymouth,
and I'm dealing with the issues that are afflicting the
daily lives of people on behalf of New Zealand. First.
(26:59):
So they tend to not pass views about the quality
of the National Party's stewardship in terms of their own brand,
but notvous from me. Every role I've been given, I've delivered.
I extended all the marine farming permits till twenty fifty.
I've got rid of the oil and gas band. I've
spent sixty million dollars trying to turbocharge geo thermal energy.
(27:20):
I'm spending money in small communities, including the Chathams and
this Stuart Island, so that they can reduce the cost
of their energy. I've got a mandate to do that,
and I only hope and pray that more of my
colleagues are willing to emulate the more pragmatic approach. There
is no electability involved in being puritanical or being so
(27:41):
calvinistic that voters believe that we don't care.
Speaker 7 (27:44):
We do care.
Speaker 10 (27:45):
So we just need a mix of policies that people
can see that their lives are changing on the ground,
and that's what I've been doing.
Speaker 5 (27:51):
How are you doing a better job of spending the
money this time around? Because the Provincial Growth Fund under
just Sender was a bit of a lolly scramble.
Speaker 10 (27:59):
No, those are just on heretics writing in the media.
You always get a few sort of aberrations, and that
happened because of COVID. Obviously this time round money isn't
a shorter supply. But throughout the South Island, mate a
whole host of the projects that I funded. Every time
I go there, I've got free beer for life.
Speaker 5 (28:17):
Well that doesn't necessarily make them go to economic policies.
Speaker 10 (28:21):
Well, it makes me popular in the South Island.
Speaker 5 (28:23):
There's an election coming up. What about coalition cannibalization. Like
Winston and Seymour, you can say what you want about
demand yourself for that matter, but your messaging is pretty clear.
Once again, that has been a real criticism of the
National Party within the coalition.
Speaker 10 (28:41):
Well, once again, you know you've got to You've got
to hang that on. You've got to hang that on
the fact that Winston and I were elected on the
basis of a manifesto and on the basis of a
coalition agreement. We've got a rear ents booted right out
of public life in twenty twenty into into the desert
for three years. So we'll let a bitter and hard
(29:04):
lesson stay on message, try and avoid too many distractions.
And the message is this, we're not going to tolerate
mission creep either on climate change, the unnecessary treaty itis
that is quite frankly undermining economic activity and its distorting
where Maryadam should be going. And the other thing is
that we cannot afford a lot of these indulgence luxury
(29:27):
woksh beliefs look at our economy. Look at the fact
that our export percentages of our GDP are going down,
energy prices are skyrocketing. Those are the issues that I
focus on and I believe Winston and I have been
delivering on and if people love it, then vote for it.
Speaker 5 (29:46):
Shane Jones worth us on the country. We're just going
to take a quick break back on the other side
of it. I on o'honan on the economy, the.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
Best of the country with Rubbobank.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
Choose the bank with one hundred and twenty years global
agribusiness experience Grow.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
Welcome back to the country. Shane Jones joining us, Part
two of a two part interview. Believe it or not,
let's talk about the economy. We touched on stagflation, which
is stagnant economic growth, high unemployment, rising inflation. We've got
all of those. The jury's out on the inflation perhaps
are here in New Zealand. But Shane Jones, the Reserve
(30:21):
Bank GDP forecaster is picking zero point three percent decline
for the June quarter. We don't know those numbers yet,
but that forecast won't be a mile off. We've basically
spent the last two or three years in recession.
Speaker 10 (30:37):
Well, obviously we came out of COVID with a big
fiscal overhand. We've tried to correct the fiscals. The monetary
policy driven by the Reserve Bank stayed. They got that wrong.
That's obviously that's up too much for couidity out of
the economy. We don't control the Reserve Bank, sadly. But
you know, on the export side, we are doing well.
A lot of your exporters in the South Island have
(30:58):
said that they're pretty happy. I acknowledged that their strength
is not such that they can lift the whole economy out.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
Of the funk.
Speaker 10 (31:06):
Yeah, I agree that or Auckland isn't a isn't a funk,
possibly related to the poor treatment of property values. But
I say this to you, we are trust up in
so many rules and regulations that will become if not complacent.
Too many people have gone into survival mode without hope.
(31:30):
And that's the trick of a politician. By all means,
keep a clear view about what we can afford, but
don't withdraw the crown from the economy where an injection
is needed to spurt activity. That's why I came into politics.
You don't get everything right, but if you sit in
a calvinistic way on the sideline barracking delivering homilies without
(31:54):
spending money from time to time, don't be surprised if
the economy doesn't follow.
Speaker 5 (31:58):
Okay, I think the quickest efect for the Reserve Bank
to get off the fence and start making some serious
cuts to the official cash. Right, John Key, who I
think was a pretty smart politician and economic commentator, is
saying that we should be cutting one hundred basis points.
Speaker 10 (32:18):
Yeah, well, John's in a position to do that. But
I don't want to remind John that he had a
golden opportunity to change the trajectory and improve our economy
and he did it largely through immigration. New Zealand first
is not a huge believer in infusing the country with
a whole lot more immigrants when the nefts are on
the couch.
Speaker 5 (32:36):
Is that because you're racist, No.
Speaker 10 (32:39):
It's because we're nationalists and we're not going to have
continuing flows of people coming from the Third World into
New Zealand whilst we are struggling to cope with our infrastructure.
And number two, we need people in New Zealand that
we need, not those who need us. And the days
of everyone floating here as an uber driver, trying to
(33:00):
get citizenship and running away to Australia after the next election.
I hope to bring that all that to an end.
Speaker 5 (33:06):
John Key presided over the Rockstar economy once a gale.
You're rewriting history.
Speaker 10 (33:12):
No, John had several great dramas to deal with, was
not the least which was the christ earthquake. But sadly,
our per capita GDP income, our productivity went down in
John's time. But hey, we're responsible for what we've inherited.
In my view, we need to focus more on a
mixed economy where the Crown can actually accelerate activities. See.
(33:35):
I don't believe we should impose any more burdens to
do with climate change on industry unless we're going to
help them make the transition. In fact, what I hear
from the sort of old maidish contributions from the Labor
Party the other night, from Megan Woods and others, it
was like pipe cleaner. Somehow by canceling the oil and
gas industry, destroying the coal industry, we're going to keep
(33:56):
the lights on. I mean, that level of naivety, biggest belief,
and that's ever for as long as I'm around form
another government.
Speaker 5 (34:03):
Were you over sharing when you said you slept through
the tsunami alerts after a glass or three of red wine?
Speaker 10 (34:10):
Lot Mate, I was in Lake Topor, So for a
tsunami is about to strike the west coast, it has
to come up the like Heado River, jump over the
hook of Falls, then somehow make its way into Lake
Topor and wash up in the hotel room where I
was as a part of the geothermal energy. And I
look a lot of this because tashtafization of these alarms,
et cetera. Kiwis are blessed with inordinate amounts of common sense,
(34:31):
and a lot of this sort of wokish exaggeration not
only blights the media, but it sort of devalues the
common sense capacity of kewys.
Speaker 5 (34:40):
Okay, we'll talk about wokism. I know you haven't read
Jacinda's new book. Did you realize Kamala Harris is coming
out with the book and it's called one hundred and
seven Days and that's how long she had to campaign
against the Trumpster.
Speaker 10 (34:56):
Well, I think the book should outline in one hundred
and seven days, she saved her country from absolute disaster
by losing the race. That's perfect. Second thing. Jacinda and
Kamala are bookends of a woksh social engineering experiment. It's
(35:17):
ruined the UK. It has brought New Zealand in many
respects down many pegs, which is why I'm fighting against
this mythology that you can't grow the country without destroying
the planet. That we don't want to get ahead, we
don't want to take risks, we don't want to have
trade offs. I mean, I promise you this, mate, when
(35:39):
someone stands in the future and through the long lens
of history looks at our country, they'll be amazed as
to how many of us lost leave of our senses,
brought into this religiosity and this cultism. And the fact
that the Green Party said yesterday in Parliament, the moment
they get back into power, they're going to cancel the
oil and gas industry, which I'm trying to revive it
(36:00):
talking about Tenseling investment. They're talking about Tenseling, the desirability
of New Zealand to be a responsible economic destination. And
I'll tell you a little secret. They never talk about
the Indonesian coal that comes month after month to keep
the lights on. That's the hypocrisy of these cultures on
the other side of politics. I've got no time for
(36:21):
their dystopian, predictable troops.
Speaker 5 (36:24):
Well that's a wonderful, wonderful piece of rhetoric there. I
hope we can enjoy similar rhetoric in three weeks time, Friday,
three weeks time, you and I are kind of well,
you're doing most of the heavy lifting on this. There
to help a wee bit and try and get you
off the chain, unleash you. Shane Jones unplugged for the
TAPUK Rugby Club fundraiser. They sold out in a matter
(36:45):
of ours. Shane. They're expecting big things from you. I
hope you don't disappoint and go quiet on them.
Speaker 10 (36:51):
No doubt you'll be there to spark my spark my interest,
and I'll be like a spark plug. Look I come
from OUI Our rugby hero was big Peter Jones, fantastic
hero of the fifties and sixties. I sadly my rugby
playing ability doesn't match my rhetoric. But let that small
fact slip away.
Speaker 5 (37:11):
You're not there to play rugby. You're there to raise
money and Peter Jones. Isn't it amazing? Nineteen fifty six,
scoring that winning try against the spring Box Amrica South
Africa at Eden Park. Got on radio with Winston McCarthy said,
I'm absolutely buggered and the nation was shocked. Gee, I
don't think you would have gone very well in nineteen
(37:32):
fifty six.
Speaker 10 (37:33):
Well, I tell you what made I wouldn't have stort
up in Parliament and used the sea word.
Speaker 5 (37:37):
Good on you. Shane Jones, looking forward to your company
in Tapoki three weeks time.
Speaker 10 (37:41):
He gay buddy, see bye.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
The Best of the Country with Rabobank. Choose the Bank
with a huge network of progressive farming clients.
Speaker 5 (37:50):
Rabobank Shane Jones wrapping the Best of the Country. My
name is Jamie Mackay. The show's brought to you each
and every Saturday morning here on News Talk. Se'd be
by Rabobank. We're growing a better New Zealand together. The
song is The Sounds of Silence, a great remake from Disturbed.
(38:11):
Shane could never be accused of silence. Stags are playing today,
my beloved Southland Stags and are Stagg Day and in
the cargo they're facing Otaga. I live in the Needen,
but I've been a lifelong Southland rugby fan and will remain.
So go the stags catch you back next Saturday morning.
Speaker 4 (38:29):
So heaven in the neck and nine eyes, ten thousand people,
people talking, we speaking, and people hearing were.
Speaker 12 (38:54):
People running, stable shap.
Speaker 3 (39:04):
No one disturb the side from silent.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
Fol scen I.
Speaker 3 (39:16):
You do not silence like a cancer.
Speaker 4 (39:27):
Here my words are.
Speaker 12 (39:32):
Tame out on my words. Time, silence and jobs fall.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
Gold in the words.
Speaker 3 (39:52):
Of silent handle balance to the real God.
Speaker 12 (40:04):
Thing in the.
Speaker 3 (40:08):
Signe blastown and his father Han the words.
Speaker 12 (40:14):
At its father.
Speaker 4 (40:18):
In the sign and words on the willmans up when
the subway.
Speaker 3 (40:26):
Walk tenement as whisper in the sun
The best of the country with rubbo Back.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Choose the bank with one hundred and twenty years global
agribusiness experience.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Grow with Rubberback.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Macan line.
Speaker 4 (00:14):
Two thousand people name, people talking well, feeding.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
People here, well.
Speaker 5 (00:30):
People runners, gooday and good morning New Zealand. My name
is Jamie McKay. This is the best of the country.
It's brought to you by Rabobank each and every Saturday
morning here on News Talk said b We're growing a
better New Zealand together and together on the country. Myself
(00:52):
and mainly Hamish Mackay of TV three fame back in
the day, great broadcaster filling in for me, put together
a week programming and I'm going to hear from Hamish.
He's going to kick off proceedings on Wednesday show. He
caught up with Rabobanks Chief executive Todd charteris top of
the class in the Federated Farmer's Bank report cards. Yesterday
(01:16):
I caught up with Tim King Nelson or Tasman Sheep
and Beef Farm are also the local mayor in the
Tasman region. The long recovery ahead for his region after
the devastating floods wettest winter on record although they did
dodge a bit of a weather bullock this week. Thank
goodness for that. Emma Paul and Tim Dangan Brothers and
Sisters or brother and Sister two twenty twenty three Young
(01:40):
Farmers of the Year talk about dairy farming at the
opposite ends of the country and how the weather gods
are treating them, and talking about treats, I've got one
for you, Shane j Owes, the Prince of the Province's
Marta Shane let off the leash on yesterday's show on
the Country. Up next Todd Charteris and Hamish mackay.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Wow, Wow, the best of the country with Rabobank. Choose
(02:21):
the bank for a huge network of progressive farming clients.
Speaker 6 (02:25):
Rabobank, This is the country haimersh McKay in for Jamie
for a few days this week. A great heavy company
right across the country, whatever you might be doing. One
of the last times I caught up with this gentleman,
he actually had the footy boots on mouth garden. Yeah,
it was a game of footy played at the Natapa
(02:46):
Rugby Club and the mighty Tyrafferty part of the country.
See Rabobank Todd Chatter Sott.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
How are you on good?
Speaker 7 (02:54):
Thanks Sam, good to catch up again.
Speaker 6 (02:56):
Yeah, you haven't pulled the footy boots on again or
done anything crazy like that.
Speaker 7 (03:00):
No, no, no, And I regretted that actually for a
few days after. But it was it was a great cause.
So I was privileged to be there, but I'm not
hurry to do it again for a number of reasons understandable.
Speaker 6 (03:13):
Righty, let's say get into it. The you would have
been pleased, you would have been pleased at Rabobank with
the Federated Farmer's Banking Survey top of the class there.
Speaker 7 (03:21):
Yeah, no, we were. I mean at the end of
the day. I mean, it's what our clients say directly
to a set that really counts. But it's great to
have that sort of third party endorsement and yeah, yeah
that the key is for us as around that communication
and overall satisfaction. So yeah, it really pleased with that.
And of course there's always more work to do and
we don't always get it right, but it's good endorsement
(03:42):
all the same.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (03:43):
Look, I was I spent I spent my time these
days between the Manawa two and Auckland, and I was
talking and I won't name her, but a member of
the Rabobank team, and she was off to a very
very high tech Manawatu dairy farm, you know, and I
just love the way she was going about a business,
you know, and you know, excited to be going up
there and seeing what this outstanding property was a farming
(04:07):
set up was doing. I mean, I just love that
sort of you know, boots and the mud stuff.
Speaker 5 (04:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (04:12):
No, Look, we've got a great team that is hugely
dedicated and I think just so well aligned to our purpose.
You know, they get up here every morning, they know
exactly what we're doing and they just get into it.
And it's a real pleasure for me to be part
of leading that team. And we've got a really dedicated
team that's that's in boots and all.
Speaker 6 (04:31):
As you say, part of what you do is the
good stuff and this the catchment community alt tell us
about that and the involvement of that.
Speaker 8 (04:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (04:42):
Look, we're really delighted to partner with catchment communities out here,
and we're doing that in conjunction with MPI, and I
think it's another great example of private public partnership. You know,
the catchment community is doing great work coordinating you know
what is about two hundred catchment groups across the country,
(05:03):
and I'm really excited about We've actually got their board
and our officers today, so we're hosting them, which is
great for us to be able to do that. I'm
just really looking forward to getting in behind what the
great work they are doing and how we actually promote
that right across the country side and have a sort
of coordinated voice, if you like, for all of our
wonderful catchment groups that as I sat doing fantastic stuff.
(05:27):
There's lots to do, of course, but it's really ground,
ground up stuff and I think that's really really great.
And so yeah, we're really pleased with the partnership.
Speaker 6 (05:37):
In a couple of words, from an urban perspective, that's
about water is making our water better?
Speaker 9 (05:41):
You know?
Speaker 10 (05:42):
Yeah, well yeah, yeah it is.
Speaker 7 (05:43):
And if you think about New Zealand, it's just a
collection of catchments, you know, water catchments, you know, because
the catchments obviously water lands comes out of sky and
where does it end up? And so it's it's broader
than just farming. It's whole community stuff. It's different businesses,
e we you know, a whole lot of things. And
(06:04):
I think that's what it's about. It's about understanding what
makes up the sort of ecology of our landscape and
this is a big part of it. So you're super excited.
Speaker 6 (06:15):
The Farmer Confidence survey has been out and some good
results across the dairy, sheep and beef, but a bit
more challenging for the for the horable boys at the
ladies at the moment.
Speaker 7 (06:26):
Yeah, it is tough in that sector for sure, and
so they've been going through a couple of tough seasons
and hopefully, you know, as we look forward into the
next twelve months, things will improve in that regard. But
he has certainly been some pressure on grain prices and
hopefully there's some relief there because it has been tough
and they haven't been able to enjoy some of those
(06:47):
higher commodity processes and those other sectors which continue to
look really, really strong. And that's that's great to see
because that's what we need is a wider economy across
New Zealand. We need that agriculture based really pumping because
the money goes round and we need get to continue.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Todd Charter see rubber Bank before you go.
Speaker 6 (07:09):
I've been doing this survey this week early September, South
Africa spring Box at Eden Park. Does Fortress Eden Park survive?
Are we going well enough to keep that record intact?
Speaker 10 (07:21):
Oh?
Speaker 7 (07:21):
Look, I think it's going to be a hunting a
Homers fits for sure. I think it's a bit early
to say if we're going well enough. But look, I hope, so,
I really do. I think it's going to be an
outstanding game and I really look forward to it, and
it's what we all get excited about, right yeah, And
let's hope.
Speaker 6 (07:38):
So the next best thing to a Rugby World Cup final,
there go Todd. Thank you very much for joining us.
Todd chaters their CEO of Rubber Bank.
Speaker 7 (07:47):
Here on the Country, Cheersmous, good on you.
Speaker 5 (07:52):
Hamous mckaye sitting in for me, Jamie mckaye. Awey, But
earlier in the week you got two McKay's for the
price of one. This week on the Country. Up next,
Tim King, the Tasman Mayor and Sheep and Beef Farmer
terrible terrible times in his region with the flooding. Emma
Paul and Tim Dangein and Shane Jones to wrap the
best of the country here on News Talk, said me.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
London the best of the country with Rubber Bank, the
bank with local acribanking experts passionate about the future of
rural communities.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
Rubbo Banks guest has had a very high media profile
in recent times. That's because he's been fronting for the
Tasman region around the devastating flooding. He's obviously the mayor.
He's also a sheep and beef farmer. Tim King, great
to have you on the show now. Rowena my former
producer here on the country, Rowena Duncan ran into yesterday
(08:50):
and she said, you need to get Tim on the
show a talk about the recovery from the flooding. But
b she said, Tim that you love dams and no
one loves a good damn more than me. Shall we
come back to dams goodness go yep. So dams are
the last thing you need at the moment because water
is not in short supply in the Tasman region. But
to take a more serious approach to this issue, Rowena
(09:13):
did mention wearing a re FMG hat again of some
of the damage. You dodged a bit of a bullet
this week, but it's going to be a big recovery.
Speaker 9 (09:22):
It is. Yeah, the damage is pretty extensive and it
covers a large chunk of the region. Fortunately, that means
that it hasn't affected kind of one industry to a
massive extent, a lot of individual properties across a whole
range of industries from dairy, farm sheep and beef horticulture hops.
So say, small upside in terms of the industry wide damage,
(09:45):
but the devastation on individual properties is huge.
Speaker 5 (09:49):
Obviously on some of that more fertile land, on lower
lying land near the rivers was the most badly affected.
Or did you, for instance, get slips? How major were
the slips on the on the hill country, the grazing land.
Speaker 9 (10:02):
Yeah, so not so bad this time. So the biggest
industry impact was the forest and the second event we
had a really strong wind after weeks and weeks of
heavy rain and there's about five thousand hectares of wind
thrown pine trees across the region. In terms of the slipping,
it was isolated to an area kind of around the
western part of Motorwacre, around Madahoe and Kaitei. Not so
(10:26):
much on farmland, just more on roads and probably this
one large campground it was badly affected. So not too
bad on the slipping front. Most of it was erosion
or salt gravel washing over properties.
Speaker 5 (10:39):
What about the infrastructure that likes are the roading infrastructure.
How's it fared?
Speaker 9 (10:45):
Yeah, the roading infrastructure has been absolutely thrashed in this event,
so there are hundreds and hundreds of individual sites that
have been damaged. The roading crews have done a phenomenal
job both between the two events and then post the
second event to get a lot of that back up
to at least being operational, although it probably is going
to need to be redone to back to a proper
(11:06):
standard and due course, so there's been a huge amount
of work on the roading network. The second event also
lots of trees down over roads, which involved including the
state highway networks at one stage. I think there's like
three state highways. We're pretty much isolated as a region
in that for a couple of days there. So yeah,
(11:28):
big impact on the roading network and big impact on
the river network as well.
Speaker 5 (11:32):
Do you think you've had enough support from central government.
Speaker 9 (11:35):
Yeah, I'd have to say we've been really well supported
by a whole range of people. Actually, other councils from
all around the country, particularly the South Island and Canterbury,
but also North Island councils sending people and staff down
NIMA have been excellent in terms of their support NZTA
so yeah, and the volunteer support of Federated Farmers have
been phenomenal. They've had a guy who I need to
(11:57):
give a rap to individually, Ben who came down here,
has been here for a few weeks liaising with farmers,
working on coordinating repairs, helping them with not kind of
the claim process and the money side of it, but
also organizing diggers and bulldozers, working with the council staff
over repairing rivers and bridges. So they've been great. So
(12:19):
I think the support across the board to this point
has been awesome. Still, we are going to need a
lot of support in the recovery phase. Government's making all
the right noises about that, so we just have to
wait and see.
Speaker 5 (12:30):
When it came to cyclone Gabrielle, which is the mother
of all recent storms, anyhow, we know that it's years
rather than months in the recovery phase. Will it be
the same for the Tasman Nelson region.
Speaker 9 (12:43):
Yeah, I think it'll be certainly. The roating network a
lot of the final gating back. Getting things fully back
will probably take it least a year. In the rivers,
that will probably take longer to work through all the
damage and what's going to be done and how that's
all going to be worked through. And then on individual properties,
certainly some of the horticultural properties, you know where they've
(13:04):
lost lost crops, lost land, you know, some of those
will be years in the recovery and getting back to production.
So yep, certainly years and a lot of situations.
Speaker 5 (13:16):
Tim King with us, Tasman mayor, sheep and beef farm
are also How have you fared? Because I felt sorry
for you at the height of us Everyone in the
media wants a piece of you. You've obviously had your
own farm to deal with.
Speaker 9 (13:29):
Yeah, we've been pretty fortunate. So we were just on
that kind of the edge of the worst effect. You know,
if you go five kilometers south of us, it's absolute
chaos in a lot of the small valleys up the
Whitey Valley and behind Wakefield. So we've just got a
lot of minor damaged floodgates, few slip through fences, a
lot of trees down in the second event, nothing major,
just another long list of chores to add to the well.
Speaker 7 (13:51):
They're always longest the chores who've got on a farm.
Speaker 5 (13:54):
So are you standing again in this year's local body elections?
Tim King for Tasman Maya. I'll get a shame a
spig in for you. With your profile and recent times.
You're going to bolt them.
Speaker 10 (14:03):
Aren't you.
Speaker 9 (14:05):
You never know, gosh politics these days. You know you're
a brave man to bet on the atcome or at
any level of politics, from national to international to local books.
So I have checked my name back in the ring
for and I have I have made it. I've done
this a long time say, I've made it clear to
those who have asked me to do it that this
will be the last time win or lose. But yes,
I have put my name of this round of elections.
Speaker 5 (14:27):
And it's remiss to me. We were going to talk
about dams. You've got the wy Mare Dam there. We
need more dams. We need Shane Jones to build more dams.
Speaker 9 (14:35):
Yeah, I think we definitely do need more dams. I
think water security is going to be a huge issue
right around the country. I know we've we've built two dams,
one small dam and the Kainui Catchment supporting the wide
Valley and then obviously the more recent and high profile
one in wym on the Wymir planes or supporting the
Wymir planes. And as I mentioned last night at the event,
(14:57):
Row and I were at, one of the big aallenges
is the funding of these things and particularly who carries
the risk, and they are risky projects. I don't think
there's any way around when you start building large scale infrastructure,
geological issues, timing in our case COVID, so all sorts
of things can impact on it. And obviously it's been
(15:18):
well documented the dam cost a lot more than it
was anticipated to and what that's resulted in is particularly
for irrigators and landowners who are paying fifty percent of
the cost or forty nine percent of the total cost.
Now I've not got so much capital tied up in
water security that that limits their ability to invest on
their properties to actually deliver the outcomes that both the
(15:40):
region and the country needs in terms of that productivity
on the land concerned. So the way they're structured and
the way they're financed, I firmly believe needs to change,
and there has to be a greater role for central
government investment.
Speaker 5 (15:56):
Well that's what Shane Jones is for I'm fond of saying,
Tim King, you can never have too many sheds on
your farm. You can never have too many dams around
New Zealand. Thanks for your time. Go well on the elections.
Speaker 9 (16:06):
No worries you. More than welcome.
Speaker 10 (16:07):
Jamie.
Speaker 9 (16:08):
Always happy to catch up the best.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Of the country with Rubbobank.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Choose the bank with one hundred and twenty years global
agribusiness experience.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Grow with Rubbobank.
Speaker 5 (16:17):
Today's panel is the Danngeon Panel. Brother and sister Tim
Dangen Emma Paul knee Dangeon of Course twenty twenty two,
twenty twenty three Young Farmers of the Year. They're both
dairy farming these days, but at opposite ends of the
country and having opposite fortunes weatherwise at the moment, Emma Paul,
(16:38):
I'm going to start with you in the Waikato region.
I spent the last or best part of the last
week in the Bay a plenty. Would be fair to
say it's fairly wet at the top of the country.
How's Carvin going good?
Speaker 8 (16:49):
Hey, Jamie? Thanks Evan, I saw him, and yes, it
is fairly wet underfoot at the moment. Unfortunately, there's some
very swollen rivers in some of our big peddocks have
gone completely underwater. Before that, we had pretty much a
dream run of ten days of frosts and very blue skies.
So it's not all bad news, but it's pretty hard
when it gets quickly to deal with that volume of water.
(17:11):
But I'd say most people in the Wayketo were pretty
much halfway through carving at the moment, and everyone seems
to be coping really well. We've had heaps of sunlight
ours which has really helped the milk fever situation in
the Wayketo. I think everyone's experiencing quite low numbers of
down cows this year, which has been good. I would
just have to watch with it whether that we don't
(17:32):
follow that up with a few metabolic issues in the
following week.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
Well, Emma, I've never done a carving. I don't really
have any intention of doing one. It sounds like far
too hard at work. But I've done dozens of lammings
and i've done them in the old line seven year
of the Parker and Leggings, so I know what it's
like down on South them when things go wrong weatherwise.
One man who's down there. He must have, he must
(17:56):
have the weather God's on his side. He's gone sheer
milking at Riverton for another former young farmer of the Air,
Simon Hopcroft as Tim Dangein and Tim I was down
on Southland a couple of weeks ago. I've never seen
Southland look better in July than what I saw it.
How's it looking now, first day of August?
Speaker 11 (18:13):
Yeah, Jamie, good to be here. It's looking spectacular mate.
And if you ever want to do a carving then
there's always a spot open here for you to get
your boots dirty. But we've had an unreal run really,
and so I think all of Stouthland farmers are dis
grateful to be heading into spring with a bit of
room in the soil to handle a bit of moisture
if it does come. Our thoughts go out to those
(18:34):
farmers that are having a very tough time, particularly at
top of the South Island there. But everyone gets their turn,
don't they. So we've certainly taken it while it's here
and we're farming in front of us, and yeah, carving's
just sort of starting to kick off for the region.
So yeah, farmers are excited and pretty buoyant. I think
about the season ahead.
Speaker 5 (18:51):
Amma, Paul, whether it's carving or lambing or whatever you're
flat out doing on your farm at springtime. Mental health,
keeping the old top pad right, it's pretty important. What
do you do because you're flat out You've got two farms,
you and your husband Chris. I think you've got what
two kids? Now you must have your hands for.
Speaker 8 (19:10):
Yeah, there's a bit of a handful. I think there's
two point five kids sere. Jamie's another one coming in December,
so that'll keep us real busy.
Speaker 5 (19:17):
But what is that, Hemma, what is it about you
dairy farmers? You're great breeders.
Speaker 8 (19:22):
Yeah, don't seem to be too bitter. I started to
stick at what you're good at, Jamie, So we'll keep
going along that line. But we need someone to help
us through these calvings in future years, so that's the idea.
We've got two from two boys so far, so I'm
pretty sure the third one is going to be a
surprise boy as well, so we'll see how we get on.
But yet, it's you've got to really keep your chin up,
(19:43):
especially you just get tired during carving, don't you know.
There's lots of days lots of people cut their time
off short, but we're just try and make sure that
where we can, we get off farm in between milkings
and in between feeding calves. And the other day we
were lucky enough to shoot up to see Hugh Jackson
and Tiakau. He's been an hour away from us, and
he's of course the twenty twenty five FMG Young Farmer
of the Year, so it was neat to have a
(20:04):
quickly farm tour of his place and see how he's
running his bull operation up there.
Speaker 5 (20:09):
Tim Danjin, what do you do to keep the top
paddock right? Because can I make a suggestion if you
get a couple of spare hours tomorrow afternoon or late
tomorrow afternoon, you head along. I know you're at Riverton,
it's only half an hour from inmb Cargo. You can
go to Rugby Park for Stags Day milk the cows
a bit earlier.
Speaker 11 (20:27):
Yeah, certainly on Tenton. Jamie, my wife and my daughter
hit along with me to that one. We'll try and
pretend like we're true set South Winders now.
Speaker 7 (20:36):
That we're down here.
Speaker 11 (20:36):
But yeah, it's always just about finding that balance, isn't it.
And particularly my thoughts are going out to those farmers
at the top of the South Island that have had
a shopping run the last or a month or so.
It takes me back to our cyclone gabriel days back
at home and some of the tools that we use
there that people might find beneficial. We're just around finding
that balance, so making sure that you're getting off farm. Absolutely,
(20:59):
but we did a lot of checklists, so we put
down the things that we need to try and focus
on to make sure that we're working towards a clear objective.
And then as we're sort of tiding we were tidying
things up and ticking things off, it felt like we
were actually achieving something. The most difficult thing after Gabrielle
was really just having to adjust o expectations for our
goals on farm that year, and we sort of had
(21:20):
to put a few things on the back burner and
just focused on trying to get the farm back up
and running as quick as possible. So it's all just
about balance. So Jennie, make sure you try and refresh,
refresh yourself where you can and get off farms, spend
time with loved ones and get around your other members
of your community as well. Because it's a team effort
when things are tough, and we know that in farming,
(21:43):
everyone seems to get their turn of bad luck. So
the sun will come out for everyone and eventually you
work through these hard times and there's always good times
on the other side.
Speaker 7 (21:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
I like your idea of priorities and lists, so I
love lists as well. And you can't what's that old saying,
You can't? You got to eat an elephant one bite
of the time. So anyhow, I got to go guys. Emma,
good luck carving with the two point five kids and
Simon Simon Simon Hopcroft as your boss, will try Tim
Danjean because Simon's a keen Stags man. Get down to
(22:13):
Rugby Park and support the Southland Stags up against the
invaders from Otago.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
The Best of the Country with Rabobank. Choose the bank
for the huge network of progressive farming clients.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
Rabobank.
Speaker 5 (22:31):
Good Morning New Zealand. I'm Jamie McKay. You're listening to
the Best of the Country. It's brought to you by Rabobank.
We're growing a better New Zealand together. Very shortly, Shane
Jones two part interview caught up with them on yesterday's
show on the eve of the Trump tariff announcement more
about Shane Jones in a tick, but I want to
talk about Rabobank for a moment. They sent twenty five
(22:55):
high school students from across the country to complete a
three day living program to learn about career pathways in
the food production supply chain. The all expenses paid Rabobank
Farm to Future Educational camp was attended by year twelve
students from twenty different high schools across New Zealand. The
program took in visits to a range of agri business
(23:15):
operations across the Canterbury region. The initial idea for the
program was developed by the Rabobank Upper South Island Client Council.
Good on your team for doing that after they identified
the need for more promotion of agri industry careers among
secondary school students. To find out more, go to the
Rabobank website. Up next, The Prince of the Provinces pre
(23:39):
the tariff announcement, Stagflation, the ocr John Keys, Rockstar Economy,
Sleeping through the Tsunami Alerts, Jacinda and Carmela's books and
adjoint Tapooki Rugby Club fundraiser. It's all on the best
of the country.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
The best of the country with Rabobank, the bank with
local agri banking experts, passionate about the future of rural communities,
Rubber Bank.
Speaker 5 (24:06):
Shange Jones kicking off the country today four o'clock. This afternoon,
we get Trump's tariff announcement, so we're maybe heading towards
fifteen percent. Who knows. I don't even know if Trump
knows half the time. But Shane Jones, as long as
we're at the base level whatever that is, we're doing okay?
Are where or is that being a bit negative?
Speaker 10 (24:26):
No, we have to deal with the cards that we're
we're playing with. The reality is we're five point two
million people, We've got two hundred and sixty seventy maybe
eighty billion US GDP and what are they at? Twenty
twenty trillion? So it's very tempting break wind and be
(24:49):
staunch and rude, but there are other ways to deal
with these issues, and I back my leader. It's often
important to allow silence to do that. You're speaking for you.
Speaker 5 (24:59):
Well, that can't be said about you, well, that criticism
can't be leveled at you too often being too silent.
Speaker 10 (25:05):
Well, I did say that's the leader's strategy, not them tour.
Speaker 5 (25:08):
Well, you've been busy this week getting rid of Jacinda's
coal and gas spain.
Speaker 10 (25:13):
Our worst decision ever of an economic character since the
Treaty of White Hongey. Look, it's driven by this puritanical
religious view about climate change. It's this dystopian view that
the world is going to fry and we've got no hope.
And when you've got that type of mentality, it really
requires a strong robust response to myself. We're in New Zealand. First,
(25:36):
we are not going to cow. We're not going to
be guilt trip over climate change if we need to
do out. But that's not closing down the economy or
taxing belching cows to change the weather and tape down.
Speaker 5 (25:48):
Yeah, but you're rewriting history here. You were standing but
you and Winston were standing behind Jasinder in twenty eighteen
when she did it. Nodding away.
Speaker 10 (25:58):
Passively sadly is an active penance on my part, but
you show it just shows I'm an ordinary. Can we both,
like many of the husbands, fathers and sons that are
listening to this show, capable of redemption.
Speaker 5 (26:10):
Let's move on from your coal and gas band. So
Matthew Horton, I'm quoting the Herald yet again an interesting
column today saying basically, crystopa Luxen's on borrowed time. I
want to go to coalition cannibalization and just a tick.
But he says we're headed for stagflation. Okay, So that's
stagnant economic growth, high unemployment and rising inflation. It's probably
(26:33):
the worst economic disease or earlier you can get.
Speaker 10 (26:38):
Well. Stagflation is something that brought the United States down
about thirty or forty years ago. Look, Winston has encouraged
me to go around and hold these public meetings. I'm
holding one on Nelson, I've had one in New Plymouth,
and I'm dealing with the issues that are afflicting the
daily lives of people on behalf of New Zealand. First.
(26:59):
So they tend to not pass views about the quality
of the National Party's stewardship in terms of their own brand,
but notvous from me. Every role I've been given, I've delivered.
I extended all the marine farming permits till twenty fifty.
I've got rid of the oil and gas band. I've
spent sixty million dollars trying to turbocharge geo thermal energy.
(27:20):
I'm spending money in small communities, including the Chathams and
this Stuart Island, so that they can reduce the cost
of their energy. I've got a mandate to do that,
and I only hope and pray that more of my
colleagues are willing to emulate the more pragmatic approach. There
is no electability involved in being puritanical or being so
(27:41):
calvinistic that voters believe that we don't care.
Speaker 7 (27:44):
We do care.
Speaker 10 (27:45):
So we just need a mix of policies that people
can see that their lives are changing on the ground,
and that's what I've been doing.
Speaker 5 (27:51):
How are you doing a better job of spending the
money this time around? Because the Provincial Growth Fund under
just Sender was a bit of a lolly scramble.
Speaker 10 (27:59):
No, those are just on heretics writing in the media.
You always get a few sort of aberrations, and that
happened because of COVID. Obviously this time round money isn't
a shorter supply. But throughout the South Island, mate a
whole host of the projects that I funded. Every time
I go there, I've got free beer for life.
Speaker 5 (28:17):
Well that doesn't necessarily make them go to economic policies.
Speaker 10 (28:21):
Well, it makes me popular in the South Island.
Speaker 5 (28:23):
There's an election coming up. What about coalition cannibalization. Like
Winston and Seymour, you can say what you want about
demand yourself for that matter, but your messaging is pretty clear.
Once again, that has been a real criticism of the
National Party within the coalition.
Speaker 10 (28:41):
Well, once again, you know you've got to You've got
to hang that on. You've got to hang that on
the fact that Winston and I were elected on the
basis of a manifesto and on the basis of a
coalition agreement. We've got a rear ents booted right out
of public life in twenty twenty into into the desert
for three years. So we'll let a bitter and hard
(29:04):
lesson stay on message, try and avoid too many distractions.
And the message is this, we're not going to tolerate
mission creep either on climate change, the unnecessary treaty itis
that is quite frankly undermining economic activity and its distorting
where Maryadam should be going. And the other thing is
that we cannot afford a lot of these indulgence luxury
(29:27):
woksh beliefs look at our economy. Look at the fact
that our export percentages of our GDP are going down,
energy prices are skyrocketing. Those are the issues that I
focus on and I believe Winston and I have been
delivering on and if people love it, then vote for it.
Speaker 5 (29:46):
Shane Jones worth us on the country. We're just going
to take a quick break back on the other side
of it. I on o'honan on the economy, the.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
Best of the country with Rubbobank.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
Choose the bank with one hundred and twenty years global
agribusiness experience Grow.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
Welcome back to the country. Shane Jones joining us, Part
two of a two part interview. Believe it or not,
let's talk about the economy. We touched on stagflation, which
is stagnant economic growth, high unemployment, rising inflation. We've got
all of those. The jury's out on the inflation perhaps
are here in New Zealand. But Shane Jones, the Reserve
(30:21):
Bank GDP forecaster is picking zero point three percent decline
for the June quarter. We don't know those numbers yet,
but that forecast won't be a mile off. We've basically
spent the last two or three years in recession.
Speaker 10 (30:37):
Well, obviously we came out of COVID with a big
fiscal overhand. We've tried to correct the fiscals. The monetary
policy driven by the Reserve Bank stayed. They got that wrong.
That's obviously that's up too much for couidity out of
the economy. We don't control the Reserve Bank, sadly. But
you know, on the export side, we are doing well.
A lot of your exporters in the South Island have
(30:58):
said that they're pretty happy. I acknowledged that their strength
is not such that they can lift the whole economy out.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
Of the funk.
Speaker 10 (31:06):
Yeah, I agree that or Auckland isn't a isn't a funk,
possibly related to the poor treatment of property values. But
I say this to you, we are trust up in
so many rules and regulations that will become if not complacent.
Too many people have gone into survival mode without hope.
(31:30):
And that's the trick of a politician. By all means,
keep a clear view about what we can afford, but
don't withdraw the crown from the economy where an injection
is needed to spurt activity. That's why I came into politics.
You don't get everything right, but if you sit in
a calvinistic way on the sideline barracking delivering homilies without
(31:54):
spending money from time to time, don't be surprised if
the economy doesn't follow.
Speaker 5 (31:58):
Okay, I think the quickest efect for the Reserve Bank
to get off the fence and start making some serious
cuts to the official cash. Right, John Key, who I
think was a pretty smart politician and economic commentator, is
saying that we should be cutting one hundred basis points.
Speaker 10 (32:18):
Yeah, well, John's in a position to do that. But
I don't want to remind John that he had a
golden opportunity to change the trajectory and improve our economy
and he did it largely through immigration. New Zealand first
is not a huge believer in infusing the country with
a whole lot more immigrants when the nefts are on
the couch.
Speaker 5 (32:36):
Is that because you're racist, No.
Speaker 10 (32:39):
It's because we're nationalists and we're not going to have
continuing flows of people coming from the Third World into
New Zealand whilst we are struggling to cope with our infrastructure.
And number two, we need people in New Zealand that
we need, not those who need us. And the days
of everyone floating here as an uber driver, trying to
(33:00):
get citizenship and running away to Australia after the next election.
I hope to bring that all that to an end.
Speaker 5 (33:06):
John Key presided over the Rockstar economy once a gale.
You're rewriting history.
Speaker 10 (33:12):
No, John had several great dramas to deal with, was
not the least which was the christ earthquake. But sadly,
our per capita GDP income, our productivity went down in
John's time. But hey, we're responsible for what we've inherited.
In my view, we need to focus more on a
mixed economy where the Crown can actually accelerate activities. See.
(33:35):
I don't believe we should impose any more burdens to
do with climate change on industry unless we're going to
help them make the transition. In fact, what I hear
from the sort of old maidish contributions from the Labor
Party the other night, from Megan Woods and others, it
was like pipe cleaner. Somehow by canceling the oil and
gas industry, destroying the coal industry, we're going to keep
(33:56):
the lights on. I mean, that level of naivety, biggest belief,
and that's ever for as long as I'm around form
another government.
Speaker 5 (34:03):
Were you over sharing when you said you slept through
the tsunami alerts after a glass or three of red wine?
Speaker 10 (34:10):
Lot Mate, I was in Lake Topor, So for a
tsunami is about to strike the west coast, it has
to come up the like Heado River, jump over the
hook of Falls, then somehow make its way into Lake
Topor and wash up in the hotel room where I
was as a part of the geothermal energy. And I
look a lot of this because tashtafization of these alarms,
et cetera. Kiwis are blessed with inordinate amounts of common sense,
(34:31):
and a lot of this sort of wokish exaggeration not
only blights the media, but it sort of devalues the
common sense capacity of kewys.
Speaker 5 (34:40):
Okay, we'll talk about wokism. I know you haven't read
Jacinda's new book. Did you realize Kamala Harris is coming
out with the book and it's called one hundred and
seven Days and that's how long she had to campaign
against the Trumpster.
Speaker 10 (34:56):
Well, I think the book should outline in one hundred
and seven days, she saved her country from absolute disaster
by losing the race. That's perfect. Second thing. Jacinda and
Kamala are bookends of a woksh social engineering experiment. It's
(35:17):
ruined the UK. It has brought New Zealand in many
respects down many pegs, which is why I'm fighting against
this mythology that you can't grow the country without destroying
the planet. That we don't want to get ahead, we
don't want to take risks, we don't want to have
trade offs. I mean, I promise you this, mate, when
(35:39):
someone stands in the future and through the long lens
of history looks at our country, they'll be amazed as
to how many of us lost leave of our senses,
brought into this religiosity and this cultism. And the fact
that the Green Party said yesterday in Parliament, the moment
they get back into power, they're going to cancel the
oil and gas industry, which I'm trying to revive it
(36:00):
talking about Tenseling investment. They're talking about Tenseling, the desirability
of New Zealand to be a responsible economic destination. And
I'll tell you a little secret. They never talk about
the Indonesian coal that comes month after month to keep
the lights on. That's the hypocrisy of these cultures on
the other side of politics. I've got no time for
(36:21):
their dystopian, predictable troops.
Speaker 5 (36:24):
Well that's a wonderful, wonderful piece of rhetoric there. I
hope we can enjoy similar rhetoric in three weeks time, Friday,
three weeks time, you and I are kind of well,
you're doing most of the heavy lifting on this. There
to help a wee bit and try and get you
off the chain, unleash you. Shane Jones unplugged for the
TAPUK Rugby Club fundraiser. They sold out in a matter
(36:45):
of ours. Shane. They're expecting big things from you. I
hope you don't disappoint and go quiet on them.
Speaker 10 (36:51):
No doubt you'll be there to spark my spark my interest,
and I'll be like a spark plug. Look I come
from OUI Our rugby hero was big Peter Jones, fantastic
hero of the fifties and sixties. I sadly my rugby
playing ability doesn't match my rhetoric. But let that small
fact slip away.
Speaker 5 (37:11):
You're not there to play rugby. You're there to raise
money and Peter Jones. Isn't it amazing? Nineteen fifty six,
scoring that winning try against the spring Box Amrica South
Africa at Eden Park. Got on radio with Winston McCarthy said,
I'm absolutely buggered and the nation was shocked. Gee, I
don't think you would have gone very well in nineteen
(37:32):
fifty six.
Speaker 10 (37:33):
Well, I tell you what made I wouldn't have stort
up in Parliament and used the sea word.
Speaker 5 (37:37):
Good on you. Shane Jones, looking forward to your company
in Tapoki three weeks time.
Speaker 10 (37:41):
He gay buddy, see bye.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
The Best of the Country with Rabobank. Choose the Bank
with a huge network of progressive farming clients.
Speaker 5 (37:50):
Rabobank Shane Jones wrapping the Best of the Country. My
name is Jamie Mackay. The show's brought to you each
and every Saturday morning here on News Talk. Se'd be
by Rabobank. We're growing a better New Zealand together. The
song is The Sounds of Silence, a great remake from Disturbed.
(38:11):
Shane could never be accused of silence. Stags are playing today,
my beloved Southland Stags and are Stagg Day and in
the cargo they're facing Otaga. I live in the Needen,
but I've been a lifelong Southland rugby fan and will remain.
So go the stags catch you back next Saturday morning.
Speaker 4 (38:29):
So heaven in the neck and nine eyes, ten thousand people,
people talking, we speaking, and people hearing were.
Speaker 12 (38:54):
People running, stable shap.
Speaker 3 (39:04):
No one disturb the side from silent.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
Fol scen I.
Speaker 3 (39:16):
You do not silence like a cancer.
Speaker 4 (39:27):
Here my words are.
Speaker 12 (39:32):
Tame out on my words. Time, silence and jobs fall.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
Gold in the words.
Speaker 3 (39:52):
Of silent handle balance to the real God.
Speaker 12 (40:04):
Thing in the.
Speaker 3 (40:08):
Signe blastown and his father Han the words.
Speaker 12 (40:14):
At its father.
Speaker 4 (40:18):
In the sign and words on the willmans up when
the subway.
Speaker 3 (40:26):
Walk tenement as whisper in the sun
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