Fence-posts Feds

Comments made by Federated Farmers' chairman Don Nicolson on CUE TV about the Waituna Lagoon reveal the serious disconnect from reality he and his federation of farmers suffer.

His denial of the obvious and refusal to accept the science around the state of the lagoon make sensible people cringe. Bluntly defending the actions of his 'team' and deflecting the blame 'somewhere else' isn't going to save the lagoon from ruination. A man in his position should show leadership other than than being the first to duck for cover.

Don't sell!

Most New Zealanders are unhappy about overseas investors buying local farmland, according to the poll described in your article about foreign ownership of our farms (Thurs 8).
Most women are opposed to selling farmland to foreigners, it says.
Most men are against the sales.
Most Maori are opposed to the selling of our land.
South Islanders in particular are strongly against the selling of NZ farms to overseas buyers.
Very wealthy New Zealanders went against the views of most of us and said they supported selling our farms to foreigners.
Federated Farmers chairman Don Nicolson said that the results of the poll pleased Federated Farmers.
He praised New Zealanders for having a ‘realistic compass’ when it comes to the investment market.
It clearly looks like we don’t want to sell our farms to foreign buyers.
That’s very encouraging to hear.