Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was in Whakatāne on Wednesday, meeting with farmers and discussing the Government’s plans for agriculture, trade and the economy.

He also spent time at Busy Bees Daycare Centre chatting with staff, parents and preschoolers.

A large group of farmers gathered at the Virbickas cowshed in Ōtākiri to meet Luxon, who was accompanied by East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay.

He thanked the farmers for their contribution to New Zealand, describing them as the backbone of the country and highlighting the importance of the agricultural sector to the economy.

Luxon said the Government had been working to reduce regulations while opening up more international markets for New Zealand products.

“We’ve been backing them big time; getting rid of a lot of the compliance and regulatory burdens that they were dealing with,” he said.

If re-elected, he said National wanted to continue that work particularly through the implementation of new Resource Management Act (RMA) laws.

“We’ll keep the same programme. There’s a lot of red tape and green tape to remove from the system,” he said. “A lot of that is actually now tied to implementing the new RMA laws and making sure they work as intended.”

Luxon said the next three years would involve ensuring the new rules reduced the burden on farmers, with adjustments made where necessary.

The Government wanted farmers to spend less time dealing with compliance requirements and more time running their businesses.

The RMA changes were also discussed by McClay, who said replacing the existing system was intended to reduce the number of resource consents required each year.

He said the average cost of a farm consent was about $45,000, money he argued could otherwise be invested in farms or used to employ more people.

McClay said the Government wanted to focus on environmental outcomes rather than processes that could create unnecessary costs for farmers.

He also discussed plans around water storage and irrigation, saying access to water could give farmers more options for how they used their land.

The Government had announced $300 million to partner with communities and farming groups on irrigation and water-storage schemes, he said.

McClay said the Bay of Plenty was included in the second group of priority areas for the work.

He also spoke about the need to ensure farmers had access to fertiliser, including exploring agreements with other countries to provide greater security of supply.

The minister said improving productivity and allowing farmers to make more choices about their land would help the agricultural sector meet growing international demand.

International trade was another key focus of Luxon’s visit.

He said New Zealand had a relatively small population but was well placed to sell its products and services to consumers around the world.

National wanted to build on existing trade relationships and open more markets for exporters.

“Todd (McClay) and I have got an ambition; we want to get to seven more markets in the next five years and find our next billion consumers for our products and services,” he said.

He said having more markets available would give exporters greater flexibility over where they sold their products, including when conditions changed in individual countries.

Luxon said the Government wanted to make sure New Zealand businesses could get the best returns from their products and bring that money back into local communities.

He also pointed to the importance of agriculture for employment, saying the sector offered opportunities for young people across farming, technology and other related industries.

McClay said New Zealand’s food and fibre exports had reached $65.2 billion, which he described as a record.

He said the sector supported about 360,000 jobs and international consumers continued to value New Zealand products.

Luxon also spoke about the Government’s wider priorities, including law and order, health and education.

Asked about smaller communities such as Whakatāne, Edgecumbe and Ōpōtiki, he said the Government had been working to reduce violent crime and address gang activity.

He said there had been 37,000 fewer victims of violent crime and the Government had focused on getting gang members off the streets.

Education was another area he highlighted, particularly school attendance and ensuring children learned the basics.

“We’ve been lifting the standards there and getting our kids to school with attendance, making sure we teach them the basics in maths and reading really well,” Luxon said.

He said there was still more work to do in areas including health, but he believed they were making progress.

During his day in the Eastern Bay, Luxon also visited McGarvey Road Busy Bees Daycare Centre, where he met with parents and carers to hear about their needs.

He spent time with the children, helping them go down the slide and joining their play.

Luxon praised Kirkpatrick’s work as the local MP, saying she had become a strong addition to the National Party’s parliamentary team since joining in 2023.

He encouraged those at the gathering to support her and vote National.

During the visit, Luxon said he appreciated the opportunity to speak directly with farmers and hear about their concerns.

He said the Government wanted to continue supporting the agricultural sector, grow the economy and create opportunities for future generations.