Groundswell NZ Southland organisers 'blown away' by support
Friday, 16 July 2021
Three generations of Nightcaps farmers joined thousands of farmers nationwide as they took part in the Groundswell NZ protest on Friday.
Sharon and Kevin Harvey have farmed sheep and deer on their 80ha farm near Nightcaps for more than 40 years.
They brought their children and grandchildren all the way from Wairaki, north-west of Nightcaps, to Invercargill to protest against new environmental regulations.
They said the regulations would prevent them from being able to cultivate their land, essentially financially crippling them.
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“This is something these kids are going to remember forever,” Sharon said. “There’s a lot of depth of feeling here, it takes a bit to get country people this riled up.”
“They think farmers are dumb, well they’re going to learn.”
Her husband, Kevin, is concerned about the severe economic ramifications of new regulations not only on the farming sector, but urban hubs as well.
“It’s a step too far in all directions,” he said, “It’s too far down the idealistic road.”
Kevin wasn’t optimistic that the government would step up and listen to farmers calls.
“I hope they do. If they don’t, I’m concerned,” he said.
While the Gore protest has significance as it’s the home of the Groundswell NZ founders, the Invercargill and Te Anau protests were just as vocal about farmer discontent.
Te Anau protest organiser Kelly Wairau said a couple of hundred utes, 40 tractors, 10 trucks and hundreds of people were a part of the protest in the town.
'Clearly a lot of people [are] concerned about a lot of stuff going on.'
While conversations needed to be had, Wairau did not support what she said was over regulation of farmers.
'I think farmers are the backbone of New Zealand … they'll be forced off their family farms if these rules don't change.'
In Invercargill it was estimated about 500 utes and 157 tractors and 60 trucks took part and finished up at the Ascot Park Raceway. Organiser Bruce Robertson estimated 800 people were present.
As they made their way along the protests' path, children and “townies” clapped and held out signs in support of farmers.
Austin, 4, and Emma, 11, Gill were waiting outside the raceway with “Thank You Farmer” signs to support their Dad who’d driven his tractor all the way from Winton.
Their mum, Liz Gill, thought the support in Invercargill was fantastic.
“I think they’ll [Austin and Emma] be proud to know they were a part of this,” Liz said, “Hopefully it will start a conversation.”
In a show of support, Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds turned up to the protest in a tractor driven by her husband Marty Irwin.
“I don’t think our beloved leader has any idea about the level of feeling here in Southland,” Irwin said.
“I don’t remember any discussion about climate change, we’ve just been told what to do.”
Groundswell NZ Invercargill organisers Bruce Robertson, from Wyndham, and Mark Wilson, from Gore, were emphatic in their speeches that “enough was enough” with government over regulation of farming practices.
Robertson and Wilson were both part of the original eight Groundswell farmers, and said they had been blown away by the overwhelming support they had received on the day, and hoped the government would listen.
“It’d be pretty disrespectful to the people they [the government] are there to serve to not pay attention, to listen to the voices,” Wilson said.
“This is not our nature in New Zealand to do this sort of thing. It’s normally left to the few minority groups.”
“This is a chance that we do have to actually stand up.”