Latest / The Muster on Hokonui / The Muster- Don Morrison: Rates Frustration

Transcript

The Muster- Don Morrison: Rates Frustration · The Muster on Hokonui

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Don Morrison Farms at Willowbank and joins us once again
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: this afternoon on the muster for our regular chinwag.
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: G'day Howie. Oh god Andy, another Swedish Supergroup lead in there,
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: that's pretty good to hear.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: You're tailing today?
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we've just started the hoggarts. So first day tailing
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: the hoggarts and the lamb's looking really good and some
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: really good paddock percentages. So, of course, the hoggarts lamb
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: through the better spell in October. So, yeah, they're looking
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: pretty good, Andy.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: Overall, though, how's the tailing looking?
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: Look, we finished the tailing the ewes last week and
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: my main statistician, Lockie, went away to a stag zoo
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: for the weekend. So we haven't actually quite done all
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: the percentages yet, but we'll get him to do those tonight. No,
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: the tailing from the ewes actually looked really good. Andy,
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: I think the lowest twin paddock was about 170% and
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: up to 185%. So if seven to eight and a
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: half out of every 10 ewes that had multiples was
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: raising those twins, then I was pretty happy with that.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: I thought Statistician Lockie would have had those results on
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: demand for you, Howie.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: He was organising the stags, so he had a fair
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: bit of responsibility, so we let him away with that.
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: Well, that's not too bad. Ground conditions, how are you
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: looking out there? Have you found your happy medium place yet?
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: The ground conditions are good. We're turning over. We've got
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: a lot of ground turned over well ahead of the
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: track to work. As I say, cereal's in. some of
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: the turnips in, and getting the last bit turned over,
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: ready to go on, and then get some potter beet planted,
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: and a couple of paddocks we'll be spraying off in
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: the next couple of days for potter beet and then swede.
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: So no, really good ground conditions, still some paddocks looking
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: a bit bare, so the big thing's been just equating
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: that feed and getting the right number of sheep in
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: each block to equate it, what it needs to be.
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: Howard, you want to pass a bit of comment today
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: around possible rates rises for Gore District farmers?
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: Oh, well, look, I've examined the proposal, and I appreciate
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: it as a proposal. I've spoken to every single councillor,
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: bar one, who I will talk to, just expressing my,
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: I guess, a little bit of absolute frustration that I
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: believe they're negligent. in presenting such a proposal. I mean,
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: it has huge implications for the commercial farming sector, for
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: sheep and beef and for dairy. And I think they've
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: absolutely been negligent in their role as councillors, even putting
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: such a proposal forward. I mean, I spoke to everyone.
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: I appreciate the chance to talk to all of them.
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: I think there's a clear misunderstanding from a lot of
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: them in their role, and they're there for governance, not representation.
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: and they need to clearly understand that they have to
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: deliver a fair and equitable outcome to all their ratepayers,
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: and which this proposal clearly isn't. Look, I'll commend them
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: that I was able to talk to them. I'll commend
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: them with the rate calculator that they've got online where
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: we can do the calculations. The council has a far
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: greater time and ability to look at the results, but
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: I've been averaging out some random results across the different
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: sectors And it appears to me that your average rural
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: sheep and beef farmer will face a 27% to 41%
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: increase in their rates. While the dairies will be probably 24%
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: to 36%, rural lifestyle will remain largely unchanged but a
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: little bit negative. Urban residential reduction between 5% and 8%
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: based on the different options you're looking at. And commercial
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: and gore, a 26% to 28% reduction. So there's a
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: clear bias against the rural sector based on the percentage value. But,
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: of course, it's the materiality that's the really big thing. So,
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: you know, for a sheep and beef or dairy farmer,
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: they're going to be looking at possibly a $ 10, 000 increase
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: in their rates, where a commercial operation, commercial property in
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: town might be looking for a $ 2, 400 reduction based on
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: the average figures I've looked at. So the effect on
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: the rural ratepayers is percentage-wise biased and clearly very material.
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: So there's no way that they can propose that as
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: being fair and equitable to all ratepayers. So I would
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: urge all rural ratepayers, probably all ratepayers, to jump on
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: that calculator and try and understand what the implications of
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: their proposal are. Howie, you say governance over representation, but
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: aren't those two things intertwined? No, not at all. If
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: you're in a governance role, if you're in the role
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: of the councillor, your responsibility is to all ratepayers. While
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: you may represent the ratepayers that... that you canvassed or
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: platform for, your role is entirely governance. And I think
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: from my discussion with those councillors, clearly a number of
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: those councillors do not understand their fiduciary responsibility in terms
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: of what they're legally required to do in terms of
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: delivering that fair and equitable result to all sectors.
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: So who represents the constituents?
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: Well, your governance, when you're a councillor, when you're a
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: director on a company, Andy, your role as governance, yours
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: is a responsibility to your entire company or to your
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: entire community when it's in terms of a councillor. You're
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: not there to represent only your particular ward.
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: Well, all these proposals are on the basis of water
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: not being included with water rates doesn't come under new modelling.
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: Of course, you know, if you're a rural rate payer, Andy,
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: you don't get any water delivered in terms of your
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: rates anyway. And I guess this is the frustration for
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: a lot of rural rate payers where the rates are
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: based on a capital value. You bear a hugely disproportionate
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: amount of that responsibility in terms of total rates and
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: you receive far less services. So, you know, I'm prepared
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: to pay for... You know, my use of the sports facilities, libraries.
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: I love the awards, the events that the district council supports. But,
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: you know, I don't get any lighting. I don't get
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: any rubbish. I don't get any sewage. I certainly don't
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: get any water, historically, from the Gord District Council. And
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: you might argue all I get is some pretty crappily...
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: carefully looked after rural roads. So once again, I'm saying,
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: you know, you've got to understand your responsibilities and what
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: you have to deliver.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: AB's over in Scotland. Does this get you excited as
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: we're getting the countdown to World Cup here next year?
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think we've got four pretty good weeks of
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: rugby coming up, Andy. So we're just talking about it
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: at Smoko, what those games are going to be. So, yeah,
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: I'm excited for a chance to develop a bit more talent.
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: Rugby League World Cup, are you watching it at all?
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: Yes or no?
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: I'd say no.
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: No, no, I've been definitely watching those games and enjoying
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: the calibre. Best Kiwi team I think we've ever had.
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah, not far away from that one in the mid-80s. Anyway, Howie,
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: it sounds like chaos there. Lockie with the numbers wants
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: you to go and do your job, so we'll let
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: you carry on.
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, cheers, Andy. Look forward to next chance.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: Don Morrison of Willowbeck.
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: You're listening to The Muster.
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: Up next, we have the team from the Gopher in studio.