September 14, 2025 • 8 mins
Penny Simmonds says the growth figures for the south continue to be the envy of the country.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Please, Yes we did it.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Penny Simmons is MP from the Cargo as well as
Minneso for the Environment amongst other portfolios, and joins us.
Good afternoon, Penny. How was your weekend?
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Yes, good afternoon, Andy. Well it was mixed with that
terrible weather on Saturday, but at least it gave me
a day to get all my paperwork done from the
weekend papers. But very pleased to see a bit of
sunshine yesterday and today because it's been pretty bleak for
the farmers. I was in Wellington last week but was
(00:39):
getting reports of how awful it was down here and
just a really tough week for the farmers. That really
test the resilience, you know, having to go out and
see lambs beaten into the mud with that sort of
rain and wind. So they hope we get a few
good fine days this week to bring things right for them.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Penny will start this Agribusiness is no longer part of
the curriculum and secondary schools, So what's the reasoning behind this.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Yeah, so it's still going to be offered, it's not
part of the academic pathways. So what Erica Stamford, the
Minister is doing, is having vocational pathways and academic pathways,
and so the vocational pathways are just taught slightly different
with skill standards, with industry programs, industry written, industry developed
(01:33):
programs that then pathway into what are called vocational programs,
so trades and polytechnic qualifications. So it's rarely to make
sure that the schools are catering for those that want
to go down the university pathway. And remember only about
(01:53):
thirty percent or maximum of thirty percent of school leaders
go into universities. So it's really important to have a
pathway that is still valuable to those that are going
either directly into work or into apprenticeships or into other
vocational pathways. And for a long time people have complained
(02:15):
that secondary school is all focused on those kids that
are going to university. Well, this is to try and
give pathways that are valuable to both those that are
going to university about a third and those that aren't
a good two thirds.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
So as are going to come down to organizations likes
of Beef and Land for example, to implement this program
is that what you say.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
No, they'll still be run through the schools, but they
will probably be linked up with a polytechnic or an
industry provider, and the courses will be developed by the
Industry Skills Board, so that I've set up as part
of the vocational reforms, so Industry skills Board, so there's
a food and Fiber industry skills Board. They will write
(03:00):
the program for the schools and then the schools they
can deliver them themselves, but more likely they will partner
with someone else, a polytechnic or an industry provider to
do the actual delivery.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Now, the story that's come out of Canterbury over the
weekend about a farm owd of having a hell of
an issue in battle with e Can getting a consent
for his farming operation. Are you seeing this around the country.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Look, yes, we are still seeing this, and there's a
few examples coming out of each environment, Canterbury as well
as out of Horizon. There are changes obviously coming with
the Resource Management Act amendments or replacement that we're doing.
(03:48):
I'd have to say not all the councils have grasped
that as well as they should have, and perhaps not
taking sea sible approaches to the consenting. We're looking specifically
at a few consents that are being really i think
(04:12):
looked at under the old regime where there should be
some ability to roll over consents until the new resource
management comes out, new resource management acts come out. So
there's a few of us having a look at it, myself,
Minister Hoggard, mister McLay, Tom McClay. We're all trying to
(04:36):
work with the regional counsels and find a way forward
that isn't detrimental to the farmers because in some cases
they are being asked to look at either a short
term consent with fewer restrictions, or if they go for
a long term consent, and bearing in mind some are
(04:56):
coming off twenty five year consents being hit with a
whole heap of restrictions that quite frankly won't be there
once we've made the changes.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yeah, certainly looks as though this is going to be
a case study for months for the months to come. Now.
A few positives going on down here in the south.
We talked about it, are we while ago Penny about
a targo and south and driving growth of the country.
But it looks as though Auckland they need to pick
up the slack on the chain oralies.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Yeah, Look, it is very much a two speed economy
at the moment. The report out today had Bay of
Plenty at the top of the leaderboard for economic growth
and housing growth and employment growth on the back of
the good Kiwi fruit season. South Limb was second and
Lake's District third. Auckland and Wellington particularly Wellington was at
(05:49):
the very bottom of the regions. Just those big urban
areas are not coming back the way the rest of
the country is and as a bit of a result
of that you've seen the announcement in the weekend of
a seventy million dollar events large events fund that's to
try and get some economic activity going in those large
(06:12):
urban areas. But it's definitely the regions that are pulling
things through at the moment. Canterbury's doing well as well,
but certainly South Island and regional New Zealand are doing
really well and good on Southland being right up there.
We've either been top or second for most of the
last year.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
What can we expect to see down South from this
large events fund?
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Look, I wouldn't think we'll see too much and Nest
perhaps to need and get something for the stadium there.
It's definitely the very big events, the Lady Gagas and
Taylor Swifts and things like that that they will be targeting,
So I'm not expecting to see that down here in Nimbicargo.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Unfortunately, over the weekend, Penny, it was almost like the
attis horribillus for the Southlands boarding fan. Which one hit
home for you more of the All Blacks record defeat
of the Box or the Stags yesterday limping to the
finish line against Counties.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Well they were kind of on a par really, weren't
They both looked both looked strangely familiar. Yeah, look at
the All Blacks one. I listened to Mills Muliana afterwards
where he said and he looked very, very upset about
it that it looked like they gave up at the
(07:28):
finish and that's not a trait that we expect to
see in the All Blacks. So definitely you would say
that was an awful thing to see in the All Blacks. Look,
I think Southland are just coming off the back of
that really big high of the ram Filly Shield. Look,
we've got to keep the face. We can't just be
fair with the friends. We've got to be fans that
(07:51):
are with them through the thickened thin So I think
they'll pick themselves up and do better for the rest
of the season.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
You're disappointing is very subt away putting at Penny Simmons
always appreciate your time on the Muster.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Thanks Andy Hie.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Penny Simmons, MP from the Cargo and Minister for the Environment.
Up next on the Muster Dean Ravage based at Glenham
Please, Yes we did it.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Penny Simmons is MP from the Cargo as well as
Minneso for the Environment amongst other portfolios, and joins us.
Good afternoon, Penny. How was your weekend?
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Yes, good afternoon, Andy. Well it was mixed with that
terrible weather on Saturday, but at least it gave me
a day to get all my paperwork done from the
weekend papers. But very pleased to see a bit of
sunshine yesterday and today because it's been pretty bleak for
the farmers. I was in Wellington last week but was
(00:39):
getting reports of how awful it was down here and
just a really tough week for the farmers. That really
test the resilience, you know, having to go out and
see lambs beaten into the mud with that sort of
rain and wind. So they hope we get a few
good fine days this week to bring things right for them.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Penny will start this Agribusiness is no longer part of
the curriculum and secondary schools, So what's the reasoning behind this.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Yeah, so it's still going to be offered, it's not
part of the academic pathways. So what Erica Stamford, the
Minister is doing, is having vocational pathways and academic pathways,
and so the vocational pathways are just taught slightly different
with skill standards, with industry programs, industry written, industry developed
(01:33):
programs that then pathway into what are called vocational programs,
so trades and polytechnic qualifications. So it's rarely to make
sure that the schools are catering for those that want
to go down the university pathway. And remember only about
(01:53):
thirty percent or maximum of thirty percent of school leaders
go into universities. So it's really important to have a
pathway that is still valuable to those that are going
either directly into work or into apprenticeships or into other
vocational pathways. And for a long time people have complained
(02:15):
that secondary school is all focused on those kids that
are going to university. Well, this is to try and
give pathways that are valuable to both those that are
going to university about a third and those that aren't
a good two thirds.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
So as are going to come down to organizations likes
of Beef and Land for example, to implement this program
is that what you say.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
No, they'll still be run through the schools, but they
will probably be linked up with a polytechnic or an
industry provider, and the courses will be developed by the
Industry Skills Board, so that I've set up as part
of the vocational reforms, so Industry skills Board, so there's
a food and Fiber industry skills Board. They will write
(03:00):
the program for the schools and then the schools they
can deliver them themselves, but more likely they will partner
with someone else, a polytechnic or an industry provider to
do the actual delivery.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Now, the story that's come out of Canterbury over the
weekend about a farm owd of having a hell of
an issue in battle with e Can getting a consent
for his farming operation. Are you seeing this around the country.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Look, yes, we are still seeing this, and there's a
few examples coming out of each environment, Canterbury as well
as out of Horizon. There are changes obviously coming with
the Resource Management Act amendments or replacement that we're doing.
(03:48):
I'd have to say not all the councils have grasped
that as well as they should have, and perhaps not
taking sea sible approaches to the consenting. We're looking specifically
at a few consents that are being really i think
(04:12):
looked at under the old regime where there should be
some ability to roll over consents until the new resource
management comes out, new resource management acts come out. So
there's a few of us having a look at it, myself,
Minister Hoggard, mister McLay, Tom McClay. We're all trying to
(04:36):
work with the regional counsels and find a way forward
that isn't detrimental to the farmers because in some cases
they are being asked to look at either a short
term consent with fewer restrictions, or if they go for
a long term consent, and bearing in mind some are
(04:56):
coming off twenty five year consents being hit with a
whole heap of restrictions that quite frankly won't be there
once we've made the changes.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yeah, certainly looks as though this is going to be
a case study for months for the months to come. Now.
A few positives going on down here in the south.
We talked about it, are we while ago Penny about
a targo and south and driving growth of the country.
But it looks as though Auckland they need to pick
up the slack on the chain oralies.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Yeah, Look, it is very much a two speed economy
at the moment. The report out today had Bay of
Plenty at the top of the leaderboard for economic growth
and housing growth and employment growth on the back of
the good Kiwi fruit season. South Limb was second and
Lake's District third. Auckland and Wellington particularly Wellington was at
(05:49):
the very bottom of the regions. Just those big urban
areas are not coming back the way the rest of
the country is and as a bit of a result
of that you've seen the announcement in the weekend of
a seventy million dollar events large events fund that's to
try and get some economic activity going in those large
(06:12):
urban areas. But it's definitely the regions that are pulling
things through at the moment. Canterbury's doing well as well,
but certainly South Island and regional New Zealand are doing
really well and good on Southland being right up there.
We've either been top or second for most of the
last year.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
What can we expect to see down South from this
large events fund?
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Look, I wouldn't think we'll see too much and Nest
perhaps to need and get something for the stadium there.
It's definitely the very big events, the Lady Gagas and
Taylor Swifts and things like that that they will be targeting,
So I'm not expecting to see that down here in Nimbicargo.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Unfortunately, over the weekend, Penny, it was almost like the
attis horribillus for the Southlands boarding fan. Which one hit
home for you more of the All Blacks record defeat
of the Box or the Stags yesterday limping to the
finish line against Counties.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Well they were kind of on a par really, weren't
They both looked both looked strangely familiar. Yeah, look at
the All Blacks one. I listened to Mills Muliana afterwards
where he said and he looked very, very upset about
it that it looked like they gave up at the
(07:28):
finish and that's not a trait that we expect to
see in the All Blacks. So definitely you would say
that was an awful thing to see in the All Blacks. Look,
I think Southland are just coming off the back of
that really big high of the ram Filly Shield. Look,
we've got to keep the face. We can't just be
fair with the friends. We've got to be fans that
(07:51):
are with them through the thickened thin So I think
they'll pick themselves up and do better for the rest
of the season.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
You're disappointing is very subt away putting at Penny Simmons
always appreciate your time on the Muster.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Thanks Andy Hie.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Penny Simmons, MP from the Cargo and Minister for the Environment.
Up next on the Muster Dean Ravage based at Glenham
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