00:00:09
Speaker 1: Don Morrison Farms at Willowbank and joins us once again this afternoon on the muster for our regular chinwag.
00:00:15
Speaker 2: G'day Howie. Oh god Andy, another Swedish Supergroup lead in there, that's pretty good to hear.
00:00:21
Speaker 1: You're tailing today?
00:00:23
Speaker 2: Yeah, we've just started the hoggarts. So first day tailing the hoggarts and the lamb's looking really good and some really good paddock percentages. So, of course, the hoggarts lamb through the better spell in October. So, yeah, they're looking pretty good, Andy.
00:00:38
Speaker 1: Overall, though, how's the tailing looking?
00:00:42
Speaker 2: Look, we finished the tailing the ewes last week and my main statistician, Lockie, went away to a stag zoo for the weekend. So we haven't actually quite done all the percentages yet, but we'll get him to do those tonight. No, the tailing from the ewes actually looked really good. Andy, I think the lowest twin paddock was about 170% and up to 185%. So if seven to eight and a half out of every 10 ewes that had multiples was raising those twins, then I was pretty happy with that.
00:01:11
Speaker 1: I thought Statistician Lockie would have had those results on demand for you, Howie.
00:01:15
Speaker 2: He was organising the stags, so he had a fair bit of responsibility, so we let him away with that.
00:01:20
Speaker 1: Well, that's not too bad. Ground conditions, how are you looking out there? Have you found your happy medium place yet?
00:01:26
Speaker 2: The ground conditions are good. We're turning over. We've got a lot of ground turned over well ahead of the track to work. As I say, cereal's in. some of the turnips in, and getting the last bit turned over, ready to go on, and then get some potter beet planted, and a couple of paddocks we'll be spraying off in the next couple of days for potter beet and then swede. So no, really good ground conditions, still some paddocks looking a bit bare, so the big thing's been just equating that feed and getting the right number of sheep in each block to equate it, what it needs to be.
00:02:03
Speaker 1: Howard, you want to pass a bit of comment today around possible rates rises for Gore District farmers?
00:02:10
Speaker 2: Oh, well, look, I've examined the proposal, and I appreciate it as a proposal. I've spoken to every single councillor, bar one, who I will talk to, just expressing my, I guess, a little bit of absolute frustration that I believe they're negligent. in presenting such a proposal. I mean, it has huge implications for the commercial farming sector, for sheep and beef and for dairy. And I think they've absolutely been negligent in their role as councillors, even putting such a proposal forward. I mean, I spoke to everyone. I appreciate the chance to talk to all of them. I think there's a clear misunderstanding from a lot of them in their role, and they're there for governance, not representation. and they need to clearly understand that they have to deliver a fair and equitable outcome to all their ratepayers, and which this proposal clearly isn't. Look, I'll commend them that I was able to talk to them. I'll commend them with the rate calculator that they've got online where we can do the calculations. The council has a far greater time and ability to look at the results, but I've been averaging out some random results across the different sectors And it appears to me that your average rural sheep and beef farmer will face a 27% to 41% increase in their rates. While the dairies will be probably 24% to 36%, rural lifestyle will remain largely unchanged but a little bit negative. Urban residential reduction between 5% and 8% based on the different options you're looking at. And commercial and gore, a 26% to 28% reduction. So there's a clear bias against the rural sector based on the percentage value. But, of course, it's the materiality that's the really big thing. So, you know, for a sheep and beef or dairy farmer, they're going to be looking at possibly a $ 10, 000 increase in their rates, where a commercial operation, commercial property in town might be looking for a $ 2, 400 reduction based on the average figures I've looked at. So the effect on the rural ratepayers is percentage-wise biased and clearly very material. So there's no way that they can propose that as being fair and equitable to all ratepayers. So I would urge all rural ratepayers, probably all ratepayers, to jump on that calculator and try and understand what the implications of their proposal are. Howie, you say governance over representation, but aren't those two things intertwined? No, not at all. If you're in a governance role, if you're in the role of the councillor, your responsibility is to all ratepayers. While you may represent the ratepayers that... that you canvassed or platform for, your role is entirely governance. And I think from my discussion with those councillors, clearly a number of those councillors do not understand their fiduciary responsibility in terms of what they're legally required to do in terms of delivering that fair and equitable result to all sectors.
00:05:24
Speaker 1: So who represents the constituents?
00:05:27
Speaker 2: Well, your governance, when you're a councillor, when you're a director on a company, Andy, your role as governance, yours is a responsibility to your entire company or to your entire community when it's in terms of a councillor. You're not there to represent only your particular ward.
00:05:48
Speaker 1: Well, all these proposals are on the basis of water not being included with water rates doesn't come under new modelling.
00:05:56
Speaker 2: Of course, you know, if you're a rural rate payer, Andy, you don't get any water delivered in terms of your rates anyway. And I guess this is the frustration for a lot of rural rate payers where the rates are based on a capital value. You bear a hugely disproportionate amount of that responsibility in terms of total rates and you receive far less services. So, you know, I'm prepared to pay for... You know, my use of the sports facilities, libraries. I love the awards, the events that the district council supports. But, you know, I don't get any lighting. I don't get any rubbish. I don't get any sewage. I certainly don't get any water, historically, from the Gord District Council. And you might argue all I get is some pretty crappily... carefully looked after rural roads. So once again, I'm saying, you know, you've got to understand your responsibilities and what you have to deliver.
00:06:49
Speaker 1: AB's over in Scotland. Does this get you excited as we're getting the countdown to World Cup here next year?
00:06:55
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think we've got four pretty good weeks of rugby coming up, Andy. So we're just talking about it at Smoko, what those games are going to be. So, yeah, I'm excited for a chance to develop a bit more talent.
00:07:06
Speaker 1: Rugby League World Cup, are you watching it at all?
00:07:07
Speaker 2: Yes or no?
00:07:08
Speaker 1: I'd say no.
00:07:09
Speaker 2: No, no, I've been definitely watching those games and enjoying the calibre. Best Kiwi team I think we've ever had.
00:07:17
Speaker 1: Yeah, not far away from that one in the mid-80s. Anyway, Howie, it sounds like chaos there. Lockie with the numbers wants you to go and do your job, so we'll let you carry on.
00:07:25
Speaker 2: Yeah, cheers, Andy. Look forward to next chance.
00:07:29
Speaker 1: Don Morrison of Willowbeck.
00:07:32
Speaker 2: You're listening to The Muster.
00:07:33
Speaker 1: Up next, we have the team from the Gopher in studio.
Speaker 1: Don Morrison Farms at Willowbank and joins us once again this afternoon on the muster for our regular chinwag.
00:00:15
Speaker 2: G'day Howie. Oh god Andy, another Swedish Supergroup lead in there, that's pretty good to hear.
00:00:21
Speaker 1: You're tailing today?
00:00:23
Speaker 2: Yeah, we've just started the hoggarts. So first day tailing the hoggarts and the lamb's looking really good and some really good paddock percentages. So, of course, the hoggarts lamb through the better spell in October. So, yeah, they're looking pretty good, Andy.
00:00:38
Speaker 1: Overall, though, how's the tailing looking?
00:00:42
Speaker 2: Look, we finished the tailing the ewes last week and my main statistician, Lockie, went away to a stag zoo for the weekend. So we haven't actually quite done all the percentages yet, but we'll get him to do those tonight. No, the tailing from the ewes actually looked really good. Andy, I think the lowest twin paddock was about 170% and up to 185%. So if seven to eight and a half out of every 10 ewes that had multiples was raising those twins, then I was pretty happy with that.
00:01:11
Speaker 1: I thought Statistician Lockie would have had those results on demand for you, Howie.
00:01:15
Speaker 2: He was organising the stags, so he had a fair bit of responsibility, so we let him away with that.
00:01:20
Speaker 1: Well, that's not too bad. Ground conditions, how are you looking out there? Have you found your happy medium place yet?
00:01:26
Speaker 2: The ground conditions are good. We're turning over. We've got a lot of ground turned over well ahead of the track to work. As I say, cereal's in. some of the turnips in, and getting the last bit turned over, ready to go on, and then get some potter beet planted, and a couple of paddocks we'll be spraying off in the next couple of days for potter beet and then swede. So no, really good ground conditions, still some paddocks looking a bit bare, so the big thing's been just equating that feed and getting the right number of sheep in each block to equate it, what it needs to be.
00:02:03
Speaker 1: Howard, you want to pass a bit of comment today around possible rates rises for Gore District farmers?
00:02:10
Speaker 2: Oh, well, look, I've examined the proposal, and I appreciate it as a proposal. I've spoken to every single councillor, bar one, who I will talk to, just expressing my, I guess, a little bit of absolute frustration that I believe they're negligent. in presenting such a proposal. I mean, it has huge implications for the commercial farming sector, for sheep and beef and for dairy. And I think they've absolutely been negligent in their role as councillors, even putting such a proposal forward. I mean, I spoke to everyone. I appreciate the chance to talk to all of them. I think there's a clear misunderstanding from a lot of them in their role, and they're there for governance, not representation. and they need to clearly understand that they have to deliver a fair and equitable outcome to all their ratepayers, and which this proposal clearly isn't. Look, I'll commend them that I was able to talk to them. I'll commend them with the rate calculator that they've got online where we can do the calculations. The council has a far greater time and ability to look at the results, but I've been averaging out some random results across the different sectors And it appears to me that your average rural sheep and beef farmer will face a 27% to 41% increase in their rates. While the dairies will be probably 24% to 36%, rural lifestyle will remain largely unchanged but a little bit negative. Urban residential reduction between 5% and 8% based on the different options you're looking at. And commercial and gore, a 26% to 28% reduction. So there's a clear bias against the rural sector based on the percentage value. But, of course, it's the materiality that's the really big thing. So, you know, for a sheep and beef or dairy farmer, they're going to be looking at possibly a $ 10, 000 increase in their rates, where a commercial operation, commercial property in town might be looking for a $ 2, 400 reduction based on the average figures I've looked at. So the effect on the rural ratepayers is percentage-wise biased and clearly very material. So there's no way that they can propose that as being fair and equitable to all ratepayers. So I would urge all rural ratepayers, probably all ratepayers, to jump on that calculator and try and understand what the implications of their proposal are. Howie, you say governance over representation, but aren't those two things intertwined? No, not at all. If you're in a governance role, if you're in the role of the councillor, your responsibility is to all ratepayers. While you may represent the ratepayers that... that you canvassed or platform for, your role is entirely governance. And I think from my discussion with those councillors, clearly a number of those councillors do not understand their fiduciary responsibility in terms of what they're legally required to do in terms of delivering that fair and equitable result to all sectors.
00:05:24
Speaker 1: So who represents the constituents?
00:05:27
Speaker 2: Well, your governance, when you're a councillor, when you're a director on a company, Andy, your role as governance, yours is a responsibility to your entire company or to your entire community when it's in terms of a councillor. You're not there to represent only your particular ward.
00:05:48
Speaker 1: Well, all these proposals are on the basis of water not being included with water rates doesn't come under new modelling.
00:05:56
Speaker 2: Of course, you know, if you're a rural rate payer, Andy, you don't get any water delivered in terms of your rates anyway. And I guess this is the frustration for a lot of rural rate payers where the rates are based on a capital value. You bear a hugely disproportionate amount of that responsibility in terms of total rates and you receive far less services. So, you know, I'm prepared to pay for... You know, my use of the sports facilities, libraries. I love the awards, the events that the district council supports. But, you know, I don't get any lighting. I don't get any rubbish. I don't get any sewage. I certainly don't get any water, historically, from the Gord District Council. And you might argue all I get is some pretty crappily... carefully looked after rural roads. So once again, I'm saying, you know, you've got to understand your responsibilities and what you have to deliver.
00:06:49
Speaker 1: AB's over in Scotland. Does this get you excited as we're getting the countdown to World Cup here next year?
00:06:55
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think we've got four pretty good weeks of rugby coming up, Andy. So we're just talking about it at Smoko, what those games are going to be. So, yeah, I'm excited for a chance to develop a bit more talent.
00:07:06
Speaker 1: Rugby League World Cup, are you watching it at all?
00:07:07
Speaker 2: Yes or no?
00:07:08
Speaker 1: I'd say no.
00:07:09
Speaker 2: No, no, I've been definitely watching those games and enjoying the calibre. Best Kiwi team I think we've ever had.
00:07:17
Speaker 1: Yeah, not far away from that one in the mid-80s. Anyway, Howie, it sounds like chaos there. Lockie with the numbers wants you to go and do your job, so we'll let you carry on.
00:07:25
Speaker 2: Yeah, cheers, Andy. Look forward to next chance.
00:07:29
Speaker 1: Don Morrison of Willowbeck.
00:07:32
Speaker 2: You're listening to The Muster.
00:07:33
Speaker 1: Up next, we have the team from the Gopher in studio.
