Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Government Reluctant to Confront Ideological Conflict


Dairy Industry Changes Show Government Reluctant to Confront Ideological Conflict

Proposed changes to the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA) show the National Government is having trouble reconciling a free market with the reality of a near-monopoly co-operative being good for the dairy industry and good for New Zealand Inc.

Primary Industries Spokesperson Richard Prosser said the proposed changes, announced by Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy today, went some way to overturning anachronisms in the Act, but not far enough in others.

“It’s a half-way house that sees the government half-heartedly admitting it’s got certain fundamentals wrong, but is still unwilling to take a common-sense approach over and above its beloved free-market neo-liberal mantra,” Mr Prosser said.

“Removing the requirement for Fonterra to supply milk to its own largely foreign-owned competitors is long overdue, and could do with being brought in a year earlier than mooted.

“But issues for Fonterra stemming from the requirement that they accept all intending shareholders, and all milk, have occurred because of government wanting to have its cake and eat it too. Either there is a near monopoly or there is a contestable market.

“Forcing Fonterra to pick up the crumbs that no-one else wants, while requiring them to effectively subsidise their competitors at the same time, was never going to work, and it hasn’t.

“We will be very interested to see the detail in the proposed Amendment Bill, particularly with regards to the Trading Among Farmers scheme. It was a cynical attempt to open the Co-op up to foreign ownership via the back door, and it has benefitted no-one but international traders,” Mr Prosser said.

ENDS

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.