No more rate hikes – farmers

Farmers don’t want to pay ‘‘excessive and obscene’’ rates hikes by local and regional councils as their average $12,000-$16,000 bills are already in their top five costs, says Federated Farmers.

Federated Farmers Manawatu¯ / Rangitı¯kei president, Richard Morrison and regional policy adviser for the region, Coralee Matenga told Horizons regional council it should stick to its knitting and do what regional councils were obliged to do.

They were submitting on the council’s draft long-term plan, which proposed a 5.7 per cent rates increase in Palmerston North, which includes some rural areas, though ratepayers in the Ruapehu District faced a 17 per cent hike.

Rangitı¯kei and Tararua District ratepayers are also up against larger rate increases than the regional average because of increasing land values.

Ruapehu councillor Bruce Rollinson said the 17 per cent increase would be a shock for those facing it.

The Manawatu¯ -Whanganui region has more than 106,000 ratepayers.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand figures show the average farmer paid about $12,500 in local and council rates and DairyNZ said the average dairy farmer paid $16,000.

Morrison said farmers were pretty supportive of the Horizons regional council and its role of encouraging growth and prosperity in the regions, but the federation was concerned about the rates increases. He said they were well above the cost of inflation each year.

‘‘We are putting a watch on costs and activities outside core business. Rates are a significant cost to our members.’’

Matenga said rural rates were increasing and farmers had no idea why and what they were paying for.

She said Horizons wanted to charge all ratepayers to check on drinking water.

‘‘We are asking Horizons to recover all costs from other councils. They are the ones which benefit. Farmers generally have their own drinking water and look after it. It is fairer to charge councils.’’

Federated Farmers was concerned about old man’s beard, which strangled trees and forests. ‘‘Horizons was not making headway on the weed, particularly in the Taihape region,’’ Morrison said.

‘‘Resourcing to control weeds is always going to be a challenge. Weed pests spread and we are getting more and more weed pests coming along.’’

Morrison said farmers were willing to work with council to see benefits.

‘‘We need more of a collective responsibility and that includes farmers, the regional council and central government.’’