We have a temperate climate, quality land, relatively abundant water supplies, and the world-class expertise and know-how of our farmers.  We are well-positioned on the edge of Asia, and have a growing number of free-trade agreements with countries in the region. We have a clean and green brand, and a reputation for producing safe, high-quality food.

Our challenge as a government, and your challenge as farmers, is to make the most of these competitive advantages and the extraordinary opportunities they present. If we succeed, agriculture will play a critical role in lifting New Zealand’s productivity, the value of our exports, and the growth levels of our economy.  That won’t necessarily be easy.

Other countries are increasing their agricultural production and positioning themselves to compete with us in our markets. What’s more, after several years of expansion and intensification, our farmers have to contend with pressures on the resources they rely on – land, water, and – despite rising unemployment – even skilled workers. And all of this is happening in the context of a world where consumers are increasingly aware of carbon footprints, climate change, and environmental performance.

So if New Zealand is to meet these challenges and make the most of our opportunities, we need to play to our strengths. We need to harness the experience born of generations of farmers. We need to make the most of our cutting-edge technology and know-how. And we need to protect our environmental credentials. All these factors will play a part in differentiating what New Zealand produces and ensuring better prices for your products. The question, of course, is how this is best achieved.

The Government has an important role to play in answering that question, and I’d like to take a few minutes outlining what we are doing. There is no one big idea we can implement to make the most of our opportunities in agriculture – or, for that matter, in any industry. But there are hundreds of small, relatively unexciting, pragmatic, but important things we need to do. Individually, these things may not seem to make much difference. But when you take them together they will have a significant impact.

From working to remove barriers to free trade, reforming the Resource Management Act, amending the Building Act, and reducing compliance costs for small businesses. Right through to bonding vets, doctors, nurses, and teachers in hard-to-staff rural areas, boosting investment in State Highways and broadband, and allowing trucks to carry larger loads. These and many other things are important and we are driving progress on them.