Fonterra payout drop shows holes in Govt strategy

The decision overnight by Fonterra to further reduce its forecast milk price must jolt the National Government to admit its economic direction is not working and commit instead to a major investment in research and development (R&D), the Green Party said today.

Fonterra has decided to cut its forecast Farmgate Milk Price for the 2015/16 season from $4.15 per kilogram of milk solids to just $3.90, following lower-than-expected demand from China and Russia, and higher than forecast dairy production in the European Union (EU).

“The National Government needs to recognise that its ‘one product to one market’ economic strategy has put the economy at risk, and will continue to do so if we don’t diversify our export base,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw.

“Recent significant policy changes to EU production quotas and US domestic subsidies mean that dairy prices may never be the same again.

“According to the OECD, New Zealand invests roughly half of what most other developed countries do in research and development, and significantly less than other, small advanced economies.

“Falling dairy prices must be a signal to massively ramp-up government investment in R&D to diversify our economy away from its dependence on one export commodity.

“Farmers can’t just grin and bear it, waiting for the global trends to change back in New Zealand’s favour.

“The government can’t control the prices of exports, but it can control the economic direction of the country through creating incentives to innovate and diversify. Businesses, including farmers, will do the rest,” said Mr Shaw.

Action

Protect te reo Māori

Sign our petition asking Minister Erica Stanford to keep prioritising the teaching of te reo Māori.

Action

Bird of the Year

Send Christopher Luxon an email letting him know that his fast track to environmental ruin is not something Aotearoa signed up for.

Action

Submission Guide to the Law Commission for Trans, Non-Binary & Intersex Peoples' Rights

Make a submission today for increased protection our trans, non-binary and intersex communities.

Action

Emissions Reduction Plan Submission Guide

Submit today on the Government's inadequate Emissions Reduction Plan.

Action

Safer Speeds Petition

Sign our petition asking Christopher Luxon to keep our roads safe.

Action

Cut the Coal Petition | Join the movement

Fight back: Tell the government that coal mining is not our future.

Action

Safer Speeds

Submit today on the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits, which stops Councils from being able to implement safe speeds on their streets.

Action

Protect Our Freshwater

Join our Green MPs in calling for the government to protect freshwater. Proposed changes to the Resource Management Act threaten New Zealand's...

Action

Marine Farm Consents Bill | Make A Submission

Tell the government that we will not accept damage to our oceans.

Volunteer

The Greens are proud to be driven by passionate people like you. Today we need your help to take action on the biggest issues facing Aotearoa. Volu...

Action

Save Auckland's Climate Budget

Sign the petition to stop Mayor Wayne Brown's proposal for dangerous cuts to climate and environmental programmes that protect us from extreme weat...

Action

No New Mines 2023

Action

Expand Voting

Now more than ever, young people in Aotearoa are impacted by Government decisions, and they deserve to have a say. We are calling on all Members of...

Action

End Intensive Winter Grazing

Sign the petition to Labour Ministers, to move faster in bringing regulations into force and end intensive winter grazing.

Action

Trains for Climate

Add your name to our open letter urging the Minister for Finance Grant Robertson to save our passenger trains between Wellington, the Wairarapa and...

Action

Healthy Oceans 2022

Join our Healthy Oceans Crew to help us keep the health and protection of our oceans high on the Labour Government’s political agenda.

Action

It's time: A Ministry for Rainbow Communities

Join our call asking the Prime Minister to establish a Ministry for Rainbow Communities that can champion Rainbow issues.

Action

No new mines on conservation land

Sign the open letter asking Labour Ministers to stick to their promise of banning new mining projects on conservation land.

Action

Allow community ownership of our buses

Public transport is an essential service and helps to tackle the climate crisis by reducing our carbon emissions. But there are barriers to communi...

Action

Local Events

We have activists across Aotearoa / New Zealand who are working hard to build a brighter future for our kids and grandkids. This page lists upcomin...

Latest Economic Development Announcements

Story

PREFU shows efforts to keep us all healthy, now we need to revenue raise

PREFU has given a good insight into what was required to ensure New Zealanders were largely supported to continue work and remain healthy during CO...

Sustainable business

In the wake of COVID-19, we must empower small businesses in Aotearoa to flourish, create new jobs, and support their local communities. The Green ...

Sustainable jobs

A sustainable economy means good working conditions and fair distribution of the benefits of our natural resources. As we respond to the disruption...

High tech economy

A strong manufacturing and technology sector will create jobs in low-emissions industries and ensure we can sell Aotearoa’s skills to the world. Th...

Green Party welcomes first Wellbeing Budget

“The Green Party is proud to welcome New Zealand’s first Wellbeing Budget to deliver change for New Zealanders,” Green Party Co-leader James Shaw s...

Wellbeing: We need to change how we see our economy

“The Wellbeing Budget is a first step in changing the way we look at the economy and our place in it”, said Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson. ...

Petition

Take action to protect our oceans

We’re taking the health of our oceans seriously and our Thriving Oceans Plan sets out exactly how the Green Party will protect them so we all can e...

TAKE ACTION

Policy

Agriculture and Rural Affairs Policy

The Green Party will support the agricultural sector through a just transition to reduce its emissions, minimise harmful inputs and practices, rege...

Story

Review of live animal exports needed to protect animal welfare and New Zealand’s agricultural brand

The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor to review New Zealand’s live animal exports rules. “New Ze...

Cameras on boats must be quickly scaled up: Greens

The Green Party is glad to finally see the rollout of cameras on selected fishing boats but believes it needs to be scaled-up fast. “We need camera...

More measures to protect Hector’s dolphins

Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage are accelerating work to improve protection of the nationally endangered Hect...

Commercial water charge the right thing to do

Using water for commercial gain is a privilege that should be paid for, the Green Party said today. “We recognise that the issue of charging for wa...