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NZ Herald
7 days ago
- General
- NZ Herald
Central Hawke's Bay farming family on why kids should never be banned from farm work
The Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016 currently state that no workers under that age can be involved in the 'manufacture or preparation of goods for trade or sale' or any other work likely to compromise health and safety. The maximum punishment for breaching the regulation was a $50,000 fine. In the announcement, van Velden said one proposed change was to amend the General Risk Regulations to make it clear that young people could safely take part in light chores on family farms, such as feeding chickens. Labour leader Chris Hipkins has criticised the move as something that isn't really needed. 'I think this is a policy in search of a problem. Farmers are more than capable of telling their kids which chores they can and can't do. I think we should just leave that to parents.' Stoddart said she hoped to see common sense prevail through the consultation and with any possible changes. 'As long as it's common sense and done the right way and there is a benefit to caring for our kids and protecting them, then yes. 'It is setting some guidelines to protect children, protect families, protect farmers, basically what we are doing already, but having it so it is a guideline you can see and follow.' Consultation will take place with farmers and the wider agriculture sector until September, on a possible change to regulations that govern health and safety requirements for workers under 15 years of age. Van Velden said this included 'making space for children to safely learn and contribute to farm life in ways that are safe and age-appropriate'. Stoddart said she had always made a concerted effort to take the time to teach about the light chores and everyday tasks and the dangers that came with it. 'We are always working with our children on the farm and setting up boundaries and rules to protect them. 'Kids are still learning - they don't know the boundaries that you have learnt along the way.' Lewis Stoddart, 14, helps with pest control under the guidance of his parents. She said as a parent, part of her job as a farm worker and mum was to assess the risk, and ensure what they were doing was age-appropriate and safe. 'If we are working in the yards with cattle, you have them in an area where they are safe, and you do pull them back if they are trying to do more than what they should.' Stoddart said she hoped never to see a time when kids couldn't experience life on the farm and were confined to their homes. 'It would change why you would do this as a lifestyle, that is your farming culture, so it would be very limiting.' Federated Farmers New Zealand president Wayne Langford said farmers had been calling for clarity on the rules. 'Taking a closer look at these rules is really important, so it's disappointing a lot of people have gotten the wrong end of the stick. 'The Government aren't trying to add layers of bureaucracy or wrap farm kids up in cotton wool.' Van Velden expected that Cabinet would make a decision in November, with any changes implemented by mid-2026. Michaela Gower joined Hawke's Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke's Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
NZ Herald
01-08-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Government's farm chores proposal misunderstood, says Federated Farmers
'I expect higher-risk activities, such as being near heavy machinery like a hay baler, will remain off-limits. 'As children grow older, they'll be able to undertake more complex tasks with supervision and training, such as driving a tractor.' Federated Farmers New Zealand president Wayne Langford said farmers had been calling for clarity on the rules. 'Taking a closer look at these rules is really important, so it's disappointing a lot of people have gotten the wrong end of the stick,' Langford said. 'The Government aren't trying to add layers of bureaucracy or wrap farm kids up in cotton wool. 'They're actually trying to do the exact opposite of what's been portrayed in the media so far. 'This is all about making sure health and safety rules are practical, common sense, and easy to understand - and Federated Farmers absolutely welcome that conversation.' He said the examples given by van Velden were unfortunate and related to situations where children could be harmed, such as around large stock, heavy machinery and quad bikes. 'What she was saying was that, 'Hey, let's look at the roles that kids can play on-farm and some of those that maybe should be avoided'. 'For example, on my farm, I keep my young children out of the milking shed. 'It's a dangerous place for the kids to be. 'It's a place where they could be kicked or harmed.' In a statement, van Velden said the Government was proposing making it clear that children could safely take part in 'light chores' on family farms - but she expected higher-risk activities involving heavy machinery would remain off-limits. Farmers had told her they wanted the law to recognise that the farm was both their workplace and home, she said. Langford said the current health and safety rules for farmers had gone 'way too far' and were unnecessarily confusing for smaller family-owned farming operations. 'We're talking about small mum and dad type businesses which might only employ one or two staff members. 'They're certainly not big corporates with a health and safety manager on staff. 'They're hands-on farmers who actually spend their days farming rather than sitting in an office. 'That's why it's so important these rules are practical and easy to understand.' He said confusion about health and safety obligations meant some farmers no longer allowed children on the farm like they would have in the past, for fear of falling foul of the law. 'There's something very special about growing up on a farm and having that classic rural childhood many farmers enjoyed themselves,' Langford said. He said his own son was very good at reading stock because he'd grown up around them and spent so much time by his father's side on the farm. 'That's the childhood I had, and my own kids have had something similar, but I think we're at risk of losing that kind of upbringing if we don't get these rules right.' Langford said preserving that traditional rural Kiwi upbringing, while still keeping kids safe, was what was trying to be achieved. Labour's workplace relations and safety spokesperson Jan Tinetti said the Government was focusing on a non-existent problem, and her colleague Kieran McAnulty questioned the rationale and said he 'wouldn't have thought' it was an issue. 'It's pretty common knowledge if an egg is covered in poo, you don't lick it,' McAnulty said. 'Wash your hands afterwards. What's the problem?' But Langford said collecting eggs and watering plants was 'not really what we're talking about here'. 'The fact those are the talking points the minister was provided with by bureaucrats tells you everything you need to know about why we need to get Wellington out of farming,' Langford said. 'In reality, we're talking about things like feeding calves, shifting stock, or helping mum and dad hose down the shed after milking - perfectly safe everyday farming activities.' He said Federated Farmers looked forward to engaging in the consultation process. - RNZ
