Latest news with #ACTRuralCommunities
Scoop
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
ACT Responds To Legislation To Restrict Farm-To-Forest Conversions
Press Release – ACT New Zealand The Government is moving to address legitimate concerns in rural communities. Forestry is swallowing up productive farmland because the current system is rigged against those who feed the world. Responding to the introduction of legislation to restrict farm-to-forest conversions, ACT Rural Communities spokesperson Mark Cameron says: 'The Government is moving to address legitimate concerns in rural communities. Forestry is swallowing up productive farmland because the current system is rigged against those who feed the world,' says Mr Cameron. 'Red tape and distorted incentives make it more profitable to plant pine trees than to run a farm. 'There is more the Government could do to address the root of the problem. It could start by letting Kiwis offset their emissions overseas. There's no reason we should be covering our own productive land in carbon farms when planting is cheaper and more efficient in other parts of the world. 'It's also time for a wider conversation about whether New Zealand's Paris climate commitments are worth the cost. 'Right now, our only options to meet these targets are blanketing the countryside in trees, or driving up costs on fuel, electricity and everyday goods. Neither of those is acceptable. We need to ask whether the pain is worth it. 'Kiwi farmers are the best in the world at what they do – the freer they are to compete and grow, the better. ACT will keep backing farmers and rural communities.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Climate Activists Dressed As Lawyers Would Sacrifice Farmers To The Climate Gods
Responding to legal action from Lawyers for Climate Action NZ, ACT Rural Communities spokesperson Mark Cameron says: "This is a courtroom stunt by climate activists dressed as lawyers. They would sacrifice our rural lifeblood at the altar of climate ideology. "The clear goal of this challenge is to place more restrictions on Kiwi farmers. It's the same tired approach we saw from Labour and the Greens. "Shutting farms down or burying them in regulation won't save the climate. It will just shift food production offshore, cost us jobs, and make food more expensive. "New Zealand farmers are the most emissions-efficient food producers on the planet. We need to back them, which is what ACT is doing in government. "This government is right to back off from costly, unworkable policies that punish rural New Zealand. The idea that New Zealand – responsible for just 0.17% of global emissions – should wreck its economy to impress international activists is absurd. "ACT is committed to climate policies that are practical, not performative. We will back Kiwi innovation, not regulation for its own sake. We'll support farmers, not sue them. We know that when farmers do well, all New Zealanders are better off."
Scoop
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
ACT Responds To Legislation To Restrict Farm-To-forest Conversions
Responding to the introduction of legislation to restrict farm-to-forest conversions, ACT Rural Communities spokesperson Mark Cameron says: 'The Government is moving to address legitimate concerns in rural communities. Forestry is swallowing up productive farmland because the current system is rigged against those who feed the world,' says Mr Cameron. 'Red tape and distorted incentives make it more profitable to plant pine trees than to run a farm. 'There is more the Government could do to address the root of the problem. It could start by letting Kiwis offset their emissions overseas. There's no reason we should be covering our own productive land in carbon farms when planting is cheaper and more efficient in other parts of the world. 'It's also time for a wider conversation about whether New Zealand's Paris climate commitments are worth the cost. 'Right now, our only options to meet these targets are blanketing the countryside in trees, or driving up costs on fuel, electricity and everyday goods. Neither of those is acceptable. We need to ask whether the pain is worth it. 'Kiwi farmers are the best in the world at what they do – the freer they are to compete and grow, the better. ACT will keep backing farmers and rural communities.
Scoop
28-04-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Mark Cameron Drafts Bill To Stop Banking Wokery And Protect Rural Borrowers
Press Release – ACT New Zealand Rural and regional New Zealanders are being hammered by banking wokery that judges businesses on political fashion rather than commercial sense, says ACT Rural Communities spokesperson Mark Cameron. ACT Rural Communities spokesperson Mark Cameron has drafted a bill to scrap the red tape forcing banks and financial institutions to make climate-related disclosures, by repealing Part 7A of the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013. 'Rural and regional New Zealanders are being hammered by banking wokery that judges businesses on political fashion rather than commercial sense,' says Mr Cameron. 'Farmers are already seeing discrimination creeping into interest rates based on perceived emissions. They fear they'll be the next to be 'debanked', not because of financial risk, but because they don't fit the agenda of the suit-and-tie bigwigs. We've already seen it happening to essential industries like mining and service stations. 'These rules are the ultimate virtue signal that only ACT opposed back in 2021. They reduce banking competition and force significant costs on lenders – and therefore borrowers – for absolutely no environmental gain. 'This week I wrote to the Minister for Commerce and Consumer Affairs, raising concerns about the harmful impact these regulations have on borrowers, banking competition, and economic growth, and encouraging him to adopt my proposal as a Government Bill. 'The Bill I've drafted sends two clear messages to the banks. First, they will no longer win political favour by making ideological lending decisions, and they can be confident that they won't be punished for sticking to their core role of serving customers. Second, for those banks that have fallen under ideological capture, it's a signal to get back to basics – or risk losing customers to competitors who understand what banking is really about. 'For government and the regulators of banks, it's about getting back to basics too. The role of financial regulation is to ensure the sound functioning of financial markets in a way that promotes trust, efficiency, and stability. The climate-disclosure requirements are a departure from this limited function into social engineering. 'It's also unnecessary. We already have an Emissions Trading Scheme that makes these woke rules completely redundant – emissions are capped and the cost of carbon is already factored into investment and production decisions. 'So while the disclosure requirements haven't reduced a single gram of global emissions, they do put pressure on the banks by waving a stick at the banks, tacitly saying 'if we don't like who you're lending to we'll hit you'. That is part of what's driving this madness and why ACT believes markets, not ministers should decide where investment is directed. 'The answer to woke lending practices is not more red tape, it's getting rid of the existing stuff that's causing it in the first place. 'We'll win the war on banking wokery by letting better ideas and businesses compete against out-of-touch lenders. Piling on additional heavy-handed regulations risks scaring off new entrants to the market, further entrenching the power of the big players. If we want to force their hand, the market is best placed to do it.' .
Scoop
28-04-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Mark Cameron Drafts Bill To Stop Banking Wokery And Protect Rural Borrowers
Press Release – ACT New Zealand Rural and regional New Zealanders are being hammered by banking wokery that judges businesses on political fashion rather than commercial sense, says ACT Rural Communities spokesperson Mark Cameron. ACT Rural Communities spokesperson Mark Cameron has drafted a bill to scrap the red tape forcing banks and financial institutions to make climate-related disclosures, by repealing Part 7A of the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013. 'Rural and regional New Zealanders are being hammered by banking wokery that judges businesses on political fashion rather than commercial sense,' says Mr Cameron. 'Farmers are already seeing discrimination creeping into interest rates based on perceived emissions. They fear they'll be the next to be 'debanked', not because of financial risk, but because they don't fit the agenda of the suit-and-tie bigwigs. We've already seen it happening to essential industries like mining and service stations. 'These rules are the ultimate virtue signal that only ACT opposed back in 2021. They reduce banking competition and force significant costs on lenders – and therefore borrowers – for absolutely no environmental gain. 'This week I wrote to the Minister for Commerce and Consumer Affairs, raising concerns about the harmful impact these regulations have on borrowers, banking competition, and economic growth, and encouraging him to adopt my proposal as a Government Bill. 'The Bill I've drafted sends two clear messages to the banks. First, they will no longer win political favour by making ideological lending decisions, and they can be confident that they won't be punished for sticking to their core role of serving customers. Second, for those banks that have fallen under ideological capture, it's a signal to get back to basics – or risk losing customers to competitors who understand what banking is really about. 'For government and the regulators of banks, it's about getting back to basics too. The role of financial regulation is to ensure the sound functioning of financial markets in a way that promotes trust, efficiency, and stability. The climate-disclosure requirements are a departure from this limited function into social engineering. 'It's also unnecessary. We already have an Emissions Trading Scheme that makes these woke rules completely redundant – emissions are capped and the cost of carbon is already factored into investment and production decisions. 'So while the disclosure requirements haven't reduced a single gram of global emissions, they do put pressure on the banks by waving a stick at the banks, tacitly saying 'if we don't like who you're lending to we'll hit you'. That is part of what's driving this madness and why ACT believes markets, not ministers should decide where investment is directed. 'The answer to woke lending practices is not more red tape, it's getting rid of the existing stuff that's causing it in the first place. 'We'll win the war on banking wokery by letting better ideas and businesses compete against out-of-touch lenders. Piling on additional heavy-handed regulations risks scaring off new entrants to the market, further entrenching the power of the big players. If we want to force their hand, the market is best placed to do it.' Mark Cameron's letter to the Minister can be read here. Financial Sector (Climate-related Disclosures and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021.
