Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Posted on

Fishers fined $1000 each for breach of no-take rules

Source: Northland Regional Council

Two fishers have been fined $1000 each for breaching no take rules in Northland’s Mimiwhangata and Rakaumangamanga (Cape Brett) Rāhui Tapu marine protection areas.
Group Manager – Biosecurity Don Mckenzie, says both incidents saw Northland Regional Council (NRC) environmental monitoring officers obtain evidence of breach of the no-take rules (fish on a line) during scheduled surveillance.
The Mimiwhangata incident occurred on Wednesday 18 February at approximately 11.44am. The offender, from the Whangārei area, was fishing off Rimariki Island, bringing up a kahawhai when asked by NRC’s officer to reel in his line.
The Rakaumangamanga incident occurred during a night surveillance trip on 23 February 2026 at approximately 9.10pm. The offender (a recreational fisher from the Waikato staying on a launch) was caught in Maunganui Bay (Deep Water Cove) pulling up a large snapper/tāmure on his line.
Mr Mckenzie says night surveillance and response trips were incorporated into NRC’s surveillance schedule to avoid predictability in regulatory activity.
Five night surveillance trips occurred, with one response trip following a report from a member of the public.
“Council has undertaken 94 surveillance trips since October last year, approaching more than 246 vessels, resulting in the issue of 23 formal direction notices (essentially a ‘cease and desist’ order) and two infringement fines of $1000, both of which have been paid.
Mr Mckenzie says the no take rules came about after an Environment Court decision in 2023 directing the NRC to implement the rules via its Regional Plan, as fishing was shown to have been causing significant disruption and deterioration to local marine ecosystems.
The public can report incidents of fishing within the Rāhui Tapu by filling in an online form via: www.nrc.govt.nz/rahuitapuformor by calling NRC’s 24/7 incident hotline (0800) 504 639. 
Posted on

Appointments – Tim Larkin appointed to lead Link Financial Group

Source: NZHL

Link Financial Group (LFG) has appointed Tim Larkin as its new General Manager, effective 22 June 2026, as the business sharpens its focus on supporting adviser performance and sustainable growth.
NZHL Group CEO, which LFG is part of, Kip Hanna said Larkin brings a combination of commercial leadership and sector insight that will be important as the aggregation landscape continues to evolve.
“Tim has a strong track record of leading teams in complex, fast-moving environments and understands what it takes to support performance at scale,” Hanna said.
“He brings a clear focus on execution, alongside a collaborative leadership style that aligns well with LFG’s approach. That balance is important as we continue to support advisers to grow their businesses and deliver for clients.”
Larkin has built a career across law, technology start-ups, global telecommunications businesses with multiple subsidiaries, and more than seven years in financial services. He joins from Profsee, where he held dual roles as Managing Director of PIQ and Chief Commercial Officer at Dacreed.
His experience across aggregation, adviser technology and distribution positions him well to support advisers as the market continues to change.
Hanna said the appointment reflects a focus on building on the business’s existing strengths while continuing to evolve.
“LFG has a well-established adviser network and a strong position in market,” he said.
“Our priority is to continue strengthening that – ensuring advisers are well supported, have access to the right tools and capability, and are well positioned to grow in a changing environment.”
Larkin said LFG’s adviser-first model and clarity of purpose were key factors in his decision to join.
“What stood out to me is the strength of the adviser network and the focus on enabling advisers to succeed,” Larkin said.
“There’s a solid foundation in place, and I’m looking forward to building on what’s already delivering good outcomes.”
Larkin said his initial focus will be on engaging with advisers and understanding how LFG can best support their performance.
“My approach is to listen first and work closely with advisers and the team,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to connecting across the network, understanding what’s working well, and continuing to strengthen the support and capability available to advisers.”
About LFG
Established over 30 years ago by a group of visionary mortgage advisers, Mortgage Link was one of the founding aggregators for financial advisers in New Zealand. Expanding its offerings to offer a holistic approach to financial services, Insurance Link (2015), FG Link (2016) and Advice Link (2017) were launched, forming Link Financial Group (LFG) as a broad Financial Services Aggregator in 2017.
As a Financial Advice Provider (FAP), LFG empowers advisers with the flexibility to operate under its brands or their own brands as an Authorised Body under the LFG Licence or under their own brands and Own FAP Licence, offering them robust compliance support, innovative technology like the custom-built Advice Link CRM, continuous professional development and business growth support.
LFG's commitment to empowering financial advisers through knowledge, skill, and compliance-focused support has solidified its position as one of New Zealand's most enduring and successful financial aggregators.
For more information, visit https://www.lfg.co.nz/
Posted on

Health – WHO vape flavour ban call backed by NZ heart and lung health organisations

Source: Asthma and Respiratory Foundation

New Zealand health organisations are backing a World Health Organization push to remove flavours from nicotine products, saying sweet, fruity, confectionery-style flavours are undermining efforts to protect young people from addiction and disease.
Kia Manawanui Trust – The Heart of Aotearoa and the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ have welcomed the call, which comes amid growing concern about the impact vaping can have on both respiratory and cardiovascular health.
The WHO says flavours such as bubble gum, cotton candy and menthol are helping drive nicotine addiction among young people by masking the harshness of tobacco and nicotine products and making them more appealing to experiment with.
Countries such as Belgium, Denmark and Lithuania have already moved to restrict flavoured nicotine products, with the WHO now calling on other governments to take similar action.
Foundation and Trust Chief Executive Ms Letitia Harding says flavours have become one of the industry's most effective tools for attracting young people to products that carry health risks.
“These products are being marketed as fun, colourful and harmless, but that's not what the evidence tells us.
“We are seeing growing concern internationally about the impact inhaled flavouring chemicals can have on the lungs, airways and cardiovascular system.”
Research has found some flavouring used in e-cigarettes can damage blood vessel cells and disrupt normal heart rhythms. Other studies have linked vaping to airway inflammation, respiratory symptoms and reduced lung function.
Heart disease is New Zealand's leading causes of death, while respiratory illness affects 1 in 5 Kiwis.
Policymakers should be asking a simple question, Ms Harding says.
“What public health purpose is served by a nicotine product that tastes like a lolly?
“The answer is none,” she says.
“Young people often see the flavour and not the risk.”
While there are some flavour restrictions in New Zealand, it doesn’t go far enough, she says.
“The reality is tamariki can still get their hands on vapes with enticing flavours such as sour raspberry, strawberry watermelon and tropical sweet.”
The Foundation and Trust are urging the Government to support stronger restrictions on flavoured nicotine products and prioritise the long-term health of children and young people.
“Food industry flavours may be fine for the stomach, but that is totally different to inhaling them” Ms Harding says.
“Supplying a wide range of vape flavours for current smokers shouldn’t come at the expense of our tamariki – they deserve maximum protection from these products.”
Posted on

Federated Farmers launches election priorities

Source: Federated Farmers

Federated Farmers has launched a five-point plan for the next government, setting out what it says should be a major focus for political parties heading into the November election.
President Wayne Langford says the organisation’s election platform, Backing Kiwi Farmers, is a practical blueprint for whichever parties form the next government.
“This isn’t just another wish list or a collection of vague ideas. It’s a clear roadmap built by farmers to double farm productivity, cut costs, and improve environmental outcomes,
“We’ve launched it this week to coincide with National Fieldays, the sector’s biggest event of the year, when all eyes are on agriculture and farmers’ contribution to the country.
“These priorities are all about making sure farmers have the right rules and government backing to improve profitability and grow the economy.”
The five-point plan focuses on:
1. cutting the cost of farming
2. enabling technology and infrastructure
3. empowering community conservation
4. supporting young farmers
5. fixing local government.
Langford says each of those high-level themes has very specific and practical requests for whoever forms the next government.
“We’ve made our asks extremely clear, so politicians have absolutely no doubt what farmers are actually looking for this election,” he says.
“For example, we’ve asked for resource consents to be replaced by farm plans, an end to permanent carbon forestry, and for no new taxes to be introduced for farmers.
“We’ve also laid out practical steps to cut the cost of farming, accelerate solar uptake on farms, and double the funding for QEII Trust.
“With local government reform currently underway, we’ve spelled out exactly what we think should happen, including a separation of provincial areas from major cities, and removing councils’ ability to commit to joint decision-making with unelected groups.
“There’s a real breadth to this election platform and the issues we’re wanting to discuss, but no room for confusion about what we’re asking for.”
Langford says Federated Farmers had huge success with its list of election priorities in 2023, which were geared towards restoring rural confidence.
“We put forward 12 priorities for the incoming government and we’re pleased to have got all 12 of those across the line over the past three years.
“As a result, while costs are still high and some regulations are still a niggle, rural communities are feeling a lot more positive about the future.
“That’s why we’ve shifted focus, launching 2026 election priorities designed to continue that momentum and unlock the full potential of rural New Zealand.”
Langford says a stronger farming sector will benefit the entire country, not just rural communities.
“Farming contributes tens of billions of dollars to our economy, supports regional towns and businesses, and feeds millions of people here in New Zealand and around the world.
“When farming does well, provincial New Zealand does well, local businesses do well, export earnings increase, and jobs are created.”
Federated Farmers wants political parties to engage with its proposals over the coming months.
“This election platform is ultimately about backing the people who produce the food, fibre and products that keep this country moving,” Langford says.
“Farmers are problem-solvers by nature. Give us the tools, get out of the way, and we will deliver a stronger, more productive New Zealand for future generations.”
FEDERATED FARMERS’ POLICY PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT GOVERNMENT
1. Cut the cost of farming
  • Create 10 new permitted activity standards for farming
  • Guarantee flexible land use in every region
  • Stop incentivising whole-farm conversions to permanent carbon forestry
  • Use farm plans to replace resource consents
  • Introduce no new taxes for farmers.
2. Empower community conservation
  • Use 100% of International Visitor Levy funding for conservation and tourism projects
  • Allocate a 10-year funding stream to control wilding pines
  • Permanently double funding for the QEII National Trust
  • Restore grazing to 500,000ha of Department of Conservation land
  • Ensure coordinated pest control across public and private land.
3. Enable technology & infrastructure
  • Streamline access to new technologies
  • Rebalance EPA resources toward new approvals and product innovation
  • Provide seed funding for new water storage projects
  • Establish national standards for on-farm water storage
  • Establish national standards for small-and medium-scale solar.
4. Support young farmers
  • Support practical and industry-led vocational training
  • Build practical industry experience, work-based learning and apprenticeship pathways into vocational education
  • Empower rural schools to teach agriculture
  • Review the Sharemilking Agreements Act
  • Include agricultural and horticultural science within the year 0-10 science curriculum.
5. Fix local government
  • Establish a single layer of local government
  • Separate provincial areas from major cities
  • Remove the need for cultural impact assessments
  • Ensure fair compensation for overlays, like outstanding natural landscapes and significant natural areas
  • Remove the ability for councils to commit to joint decision-making with unelected groups.
Posted on

Polls – New poll shows public know Holidays Act changes favour employers over workers – PSA

Source: PSA

– 41% say the changes will benefit employers more. Only 11% say workers will benefit more.
– Among part-time workers, those hit hardest by this Bill, just 10% think the changes will help them. 45% say it helps employers.
– Two in three New Zealanders (66%) say workers whose pay varies week to week should receive the same pay on holiday leave as in a typical working week.
New Zealanders can see through the Government’s spin on the latest attack on workers’ rights with a new poll showing the public knows the overhaul of the Holidays Act is taking leave off workers, particularly part-time workers.
“The public overwhelmingly believes the Government’s changes to holidays and sick leave under the Employment Leave Bill will benefit employers, not workers,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
Part-time workers, those working variable hours, sales reps earning commission, health workers and others working beyond contracted hours regularly, bear the brunt of these changes in the bill now before a select committee. 
“Far from simplifying the Holidays Act as the Government claims, this Bill sets out to cut the leave of workers, How is that fair?
“This all fits the Government’s pattern of relentlessly attacking the rights of workers at every step over the past two years. This government is the most anti-worker Government that New Zealand has ever seen.
“On top of gutting pay equity, cancelling equal pay claims, it’s reinstated 90-day trials, upended personal grievance processes so workers can be fired at will, suppressed minimum wage rises, and is also trying to undermine their health and safety in the workplace.
“All this is happening to suit ACT’s anti-worker agenda.
“National is standing idly by allowing this latest erosion of rights to happen, while NZ First, so often banging the drum that it is the true party of workers, refuses to walk its talk yet again. It’s a disgrace.
“We call on National and NZ First to stop the Employment Leave Bill from progressing, no political party should cut the pay of workers during a cost of living crisis.”
Public services suffering
The same survey also found 39% of New Zealanders say public services have got worse since the Government came to office in 2023. Only 25% say they have got better.
“When you cut the workforce, services suffer and New Zealanders see it every day. This is not an accident. It is a choice. And this was all before the Government decision to axe one in seven workers, or 8,700 across the country by 2029,” said Fitzsimons.
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.
Posted on

ANZLF brings business leaders together with Australian and New Zealand Prime Ministers ahead of leaders’ meeting

Source: BusinessNZ

The Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF) today convened a Business Dialogue with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and senior business leaders from both sides of the Tasman ahead of their official Australia-New Zealand Leaders' Meeting in Noosa.
The Dialogue focused on the issues shaping the future prosperity and resilience of Australia and New Zealand and provided a forum for business and government to exchange perspectives on economic security, long-term competitiveness and trans-Tasman cooperation.
Prime Ministers Albanese and Luxon heard directly from industry about how businesses are responding to current geopolitical and economic uncertainty, technological change, supply chain disruption and economic security challenges, and the factors likely to shape future economic performance and stronger trans-Tasman outcomes.
Business leaders shared perspectives from sectors that underpin the trans-Tasman economy including energy, aviation, logistics, agriculture, technology, infrastructure and manufacturing, highlighting the increasingly interconnected nature of supply chains, critical infrastructure, trade, investment and industrial capability across the trans-Tasman economy.
Participants discussed approaches to strengthening resilience across key systems and supply chains, lifting productivity through technology and innovation, and supporting investment in the industries, infrastructure and capabilities needed for future growth.
The Dialogue also explored the industries, technologies and capabilities likely to shape future prosperity, including artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, cyber security, advanced manufacturing, industrial transition and strategic industries.
The discussion highlighted areas where Australia and New Zealand can build on their complementary strengths and deepen collaboration to support long-term economic growth, resilience and competitiveness.
ANZLF Co-Chair John Paitaridis said the Dialogue provided an important opportunity for business to contribute practical perspectives on the issues and challenges facing both countries.
“Australia and New Zealand are among the most integrated economies in the world. The business dialogue with the Prime Ministers provided an opportunity to discuss how we can strengthen resilience, lift productivity and position both countries to succeed in an increasingly competitive and uncertain global environment. The focus is on how business and government can solve these challenges together.”
ANZLF Co-Chair Greg Lowe said the discussion reinforced the importance of looking beyond immediate challenges and focusing on the drivers of future growth.
“The years ahead will increasingly be shaped by technology and investment in strategic industries. Australia and New Zealand have significant potential to work together to support innovation, attract investment and build the foundations for long-term prosperity and economic growth.
The ANZLF thanked Prime Ministers Albanese and Luxon for their participation and continued engagement with the Forum.
Posted on

Opinion: Average annual household spending for war is $2917 and rising fast – Peace Action Wellington

Source: Peace Action Wellington

Average annual household spending for war is $2917 and rising fast: How to understand what the 'Defence budget' means.

Most of us don’t have much of a grasp on the relationship between our government’s annual budget ($155 billion), the Gross Domestic Product (GDP: the sum total of all goods and services produced within a country in any given year = $433 billion) and the amount spent on preparing to fight a war ($5.8 billion). Most of us understand economics from the perspective of a weekly paycheck, rent, bills and rising costs of living expenses.

It is easy to see why defence spending often gets a pass from the public: most of us know little about the military and have little interaction with soldiers, and even less with actual wars and advanced weaponry. We are subjected to relentless state propaganda manufacturing heroic histories and daily stories of the achievements, both great and small, of the military. The basis for any standing army is the perception of an existential threat, a nationalist formula for compelling and legitimising almost any action with the public’s consent, including unquestioned and extravagant spending.

Breaking down spending into per capita amounts (ie. cost per person) helps us to see how much we are all paying for war. More than that, however, it helps us to understand the implications of dramatically increasing spending to the 2% of GDP goal by 2032. As a so-called ‘bi-partisan’ agreement between National and Labour, this goal takes on the appearance of reasonableness and inevitability. It is neither.

Current situation

  • GDP $433 billion 
  • 2026 military spending: $5.8 billion (1.33% of GDP)
  • 2026 population: 5,367,750
  • Per person war spending per year: $1080
  • Average household size is 2.7 residents
  • Average annual household spending for war: $2917
When war spending rises to 2% of GDP by 2032 as agreed by Labour and National

  • NZ’s war spending would be $11.6 billion
  • Population will be 5,617,291 (approx) 
  • Per capita war spending per year: $2065
  • Average annual household spending for war: $5575

That the NZ ‘establishment’ has agreed to this 2% goal is hardly surprising given membership in the military-intelligence alliance of the Five Eyes, NATO involvement, and ongoing, extreme US pressure for more spending.

However, the rise to 2% is itself unjustifiable, untenable and unnecessary. We made a clear case outlining examples of projects, infrastructure and care that we are sacrificing when the NZ government agrees to ramp up to $11 billion in annual war spending by 2032. Instead, we should be heading in the other direction: reducing military spending and redirecting these resources to urgent domestic crises: poverty, healthcare and environmental breakdown.

Let’s retire the 2% lie.

There is no body of evidence justifying the 2% minimum spending on war, yet it has been accepted as gospel truth about an appropriate war budget. It is essentially a number picked out of the air by the US and pushed onto NATO with no basis in reality or the specific strategic context of any nation-state.

While there has been an outright rejection of US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s recent suggestion that NZ was ‘freeloading’, much of the discussion around it was a de facto endorsement of the anticipated rise to 2% of GDP from the current 1.33%.

We can’t afford to continually prepare and train for US wars, if we want to care for the people and environment of Aotearoa NZ.

And it isn’t just the money.

It goes without saying that most of us can think of many, many things we could use $1000 for right now. With costs for food, power and transport skyrocketing, that amount of money would be a significant windfall especially for larger families.

For many of us, the issue isn’t solely, or even primarily, about the money we spend on war. It is the knowledge that we have become complicit in the horror being inflicted on the world with our tax dollars like when the NZDF is training alongside the US and Israel at RIMPAC, when we help make weapons dealer Lockheed Martin bigger and stronger, when the NZDF buy weapons from Israeli arms companies like Elbit and Roboteam, and when the NZ Navy deploy to uphold ‘freedom of navigation’ while our political leaders refuse to condemn Israel’s decades long naval blockade of Gaza and the US’s maritime assassinations in the Caribbean.

While cross-party political assurances exist for a steady rise in war spending irrespective of the election, no other public service has any certainty at all, save for the knowledge that next year will almost certainly have less money and fewer resources than this one.

If we want to end NZ’s role in war and empire making; if we want healthcare, a liveable environment and opportunities for our children’s future, it is imperative that we understand this escalating war spending, and that we act to stop it now.

Posted on

Agricultural snapshot: Insights into farmers’ lives – Stats NZ news story

Posted on

Greenpeace – Seamount closures for world’s largest orange roughy fishery as population plummets

Source: Greenpeace

The New Zealand Government has announced temporary seamount closures in the world’s largest orange roughy fishery, following news that deep sea fish numbers are plummeting. The closures, set for six weeks, will mean that several seamounts will be off limits to bottom trawling. But environmentalists say the closures don’t go far enough.
Greenpeace says while it’s pleased to see the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries finally recognise seamount protection as vital, they add that permanent protection of these ecosystems is what’s required to protect fish populations and vulnerable coral habitats.
“It’s great that the penny has finally dropped,” says Greenpeace ocean campaigner, Ellie Hooper
“Seamounts are vital habitats that require protection, whether you’re looking at fish numbers or the important coral species that live there. Yet every year New Zealand bottom trawlers smash seamounts in their bid to catch breeding orange roughy. It is no surprise that after decades of bulldozing coral and spooking spawning fish, we are seeing a drastic decline in these fish numbers.
“But temporary closures are the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. What’s needed is proactive, precautionary, preventive action – closing all seamounts to bottom trawling – to ensure long term health of the ocean and everything in it.”
A 2025 scientific stock assessment revealed populations in the Chatham Rise, the world’s largest orange roughy fishery (ORH 3B) were plummeting. Models showed orange roughy numbers could be as low as 8-18% of their original population size. 
Karli Thomas, from the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, says it’s well established that protecting seamounts and similar features from bottom trawling is vital for ensuring healthy oceans and abundant fisheries.
“The importance of seamounts is acknowledged in this decision, but the closures announced today only give an annual six week reprieve from trawling. This leaves deep-sea coral reefs at risk from destructive bottom trawling for the other 46 weeks of every year. 
“Imagine how this fishery, which is on the verge of collapse, and the coral habitats of the deep could rebuild if seamounts were permanently closed to trawlers. Biodiversity could return, spawning fish be protected, and their increased numbers spillover into the surrounding area, having a long term benefit for all.”
Orange roughy are a slow growing species that reach breeding maturity late, making them especially vulnerable to overfishing. They were fished to collapse in the ‘90s, and rebuilding this Chatham Rise population from where it stands today is expected to take decades.
Barry Weeber for ECO says it's time to learn from the lessons of the past and get serious about permanently protecting all orange roughy spawning areas including on seamounts and features.
“We have already lost important orange roughy spawning areas on the Chatham Rise, East Coast of the North Island, and on the edge of the Challenger plateau.”Internationally, it’s recommended that vulnerable marine ecosystems like seamounts be closed to bottom trawling because of their fragility, complexity and slow-growing nature.
Over 100,000 New Zealanders have signed petitions calling for a ban on bottom trawling on seamounts in domestic waters and the high seas of the South Pacific – where New Zealand is the last country to conduct the practice. 
Posted on

Environment – Danish Govt to lower drinking water nitrate limit, Greenpeace calls on NZ to follow

Source: Greenpeace

The Danish Government has officially confirmed, via its coalition agreement, that it will dramatically lower legal limits for nitrate contamination in drinking water in line with authorities’ recommendations, following outcry from Danish citizens over the country’s pork industry and its links to water contamination.
Greenpeace Aotearoa says that New Zealand should follow in Denmark’s footsteps, calling nitrate contamination a ‘hidden public health crisis’ and warning that it will worsen if action isn’t taken.
The existing nitrate limits – set at 50 mg/L NO3 , which is equivalent to the 11.3 mg/L NO3-N metric used in New Zealand – were set in the 1950s by the World Health Organisation in response to methemoglobinemia risk in infants (Blue Baby Syndrome), but do not account for long-term and chronic health risks. Denmark is set to lower its nitrate limits to 6 mg/L NO3, equivalent to 1.3 mg/L NO3-N, following the recommendations of an independent scientific review commissioned by the Danish Ministry for the Environment.
“From New Zealand to Denmark and beyond, nitrate contamination is threatening rural communities’ health,” says Greenpeace Aotearoa freshwater campaigner Will Appelbe.
“Intensive meat and dairy corporations are poisoning drinking water, and governments are not holding them accountable. Denmark’s commitment to lowering the nitrate limit is the first step towards forcing these corporations to stop their pollution.”
“Denmark has just proven that public health can take precedence over corporate agribusiness lobbies. Every child should be able to grow up drinking safe, clean water at home, without pollution from industrial livestock production making them sick.”
“Lowering the nitrate limit will make that possible for Danish communities. But New Zealanders will find little comfort in this while they are drinking water that could be making them sick.”
Nitrate contamination in drinking water has been linked to increased risks of bowel cancer and preterm birth by a growing body of international scientific research.
“New Zealand is in the middle of a nitrate crisis,” says Appelbe.
“Already, many rural communities cannot safely drink the water coming out of their kitchen tap. Towns like Darfield and Oxford in Canterbury, or Lumsden in Southland, have levels of nitrate in their drinking water that put pregnant people at an increased risk of preterm birth. This is unacceptable, and New Zealanders should be ashamed that it’s got this bad.”
“While Fonterra and other corporations are reaping record profits, their intensive dairy farms are leaking nitrate and other toxins into the soil and water systems. A handful of wealthy agribusiness executives cannot be allowed to compromise the health of our communities just to enrich themselves. That’s why New Zealand must lower the nitrate limit immediately, just like Denmark.”