Source: Federated Farmers
A new poll shows strong public support – especially in Auckland – for cutting green tape to boost agricultural exports and help grow the economy.
The independent poll asked 1000 New Zealanders if regulations, including environmental regulations, should be reduced to allow increases in agricultural production, in line with the Government’s ambition to double exports over the next decade.
Nationwide, 47% of respondents said yes, 35% said no, and 18% were unsure – but the biggest surprise came from Auckland.
“In Auckland, 62% of people backed cutting regulation to enable export growth. Only 23% were opposed,” Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says.
“That’s a huge vote of confidence from New Zealand’s largest city – and from the block of voters who often decide elections.”
The poll results should challenge some of the old assumptions about urban-rural divisions, Langford says.
“Sometimes we hear people in the provinces grumbling about the ‘JAFAs’ not understanding farming, but these numbers tell a different story.
“It turns out Aucklanders do understand where their bread is buttered, quite literally.”
He says the poll result s