Horticulture New Zealand is calling on the government to introduce a national Food Security Plan to prevent the stunting of the sector's long-term growth. The industry representative group says that only 5 per cent of land in New Zealand, or around 1.4 million hectares is suitable for horticulture, but it is being threatened by community growth.
"What we face is urban encroachment, and lifestyle block encroachment," Chief Executive Mike Chapman said. "To understand how dramatic that is, a lot of the horticulture growing operations in vegetables is concentrated around towns and cities. Soils have to be high quality and very good for growing vegetables. It came to a head in Pukekohe, but if you look right around the country to where we are growing we are getting pressures from towns and cities onto our land."
Mr Chapman points out that according to Fresh Facts data in 2015 only 86,000 hectares of fruit and vegetables are planted in New Zealand (36,000ha in fruit, not including wine, and 50,000ha in vegetables), meaning the highly fertile land is not being utilised anywhere near its potential.
He says in Pukekohe, which is experiencing rapid growth, one per cent of soil is classed as elite and is protected under the Auckland Plan, but it does not protect the next category down, prime soils, which make up around 3 per cent. Horticulture New Zealand wants to see a national plan from the central government, for a consistent approach to protecting all quality horticulture land.
"We think the government should say 'no' this is not an issue that should be dealt with council by council, it is a national issue, and therefore there should be national policy,” Mr Chapman said. "We are constantly losing growing land to houses. We're not saying houses cannot be built; just do it in the other 95 per cent of New Zealand. It's about recognising we have a problem and taking action now."
He says this has the potential to severely hamper growth of the sector, which generates $5.4 billion ($3.4billion exports and $2billion domestic), with more than 60 per cent of what is grown being exported. Mr Chapman says it is on a "very fast track" to increasing those figures, but it needs suitable land to expand.
"The other aspect to all of this is New Zealand's ETS requirements," the Chief Executive said. "By 2050 we are going to have to have a dramatic reduction. A report from Vivid Economics, commissioned by Globe New Zealand, called Net Zero in New Zealand - that's got some scenarios in it with livestock reducing from 20-35 per cent and 1.5 million hectares going to horticulture."
The NZ Ministry for Primary Industries says these land management issues are a matter for local government at both levels, and any changes in responsibilities will be need to be made by changing the Resource Management Act, through the Ministry for the Environment.
"The successful growth of cities is an essential part of a growing New Zealand. In MPI’s view, New Zealand needs to make balanced decisions about the use of our valuable and most productive land resources," Manager for Land Policy and Resource Information, Bruce Arnold said. "The responsibility for regulating land use and managing pressures on natural resources (including versatile soil), lies with local government."
This Thursday the New Zealand Government hands down its budget, and already has committed major funding towards water infrastructure. New capital funding of $63million will support investment in the construction of regional irrigation infrastructure, while $26.7million provides matched grant funding to regional scale irrigation schemes.
With the sector employing 60,000 people nationwide, Horticulture New Zealand has also labelled improving workforce skills as another important focus for the budget.
"We have a lot of New Zealanders who are not working, so if we could have support for some of the programs that we are running to upskill these people and get them work ready this will be great for the country," Mr Chapman said. "You've got to have land, you've got to have water, you've got to have labour - they are the three ingredients you need to be successful."
