Jones promotes Māori agriculture amid RMA reforms

Waatea Team Shane Jones | Jones promotes Māori agriculture amid RMA reforms

Download Audio

New Zealand First Minister Shane Jones says amendments to the Resource Management Act will boost Māori agriculture by attracting overseas investment.

Passed into law last month, the Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Act reduces regulations on water and irrigation resource consents for applicants and supports development in farming, mining, and other primary industries.

Jones says while speaking in Singapore during discussions on food security, he championed Māori agriculture as a key investment option for their food supply.

These law changes are critical to maintaining New Zealand as a viable investment destination.

“It’s extraordinarily difficult to convince people to come here and invest in New Zealand. And I mean, why would you? If your projects are going to be snagged and caught in some bog when you’ve got other places to go? They can stay in Southeast Asia, they can stay in America, that economy is just powering ahead, or they can go to Australia,” says Jones.

RELATED NEWS

Maori negotiators not properly paid Hawera embraces Iron Maori Green vote to beat poverty