Federated Farmers’ Cambridge and Te Awamutu presented electoral candidates with a gift pack that included the organisation’s priorities for incoming farmers.
Chris Lewis
Waipā dairy farmer Chris Lewis, who chaired the organisation’s candidates meeting in Te Awamutu last week, urged the three Waipā mayoral candidates and three regional council candidates who showed up to “please read the guide”.
“It’s like a bible to us at Federated Farmers,” Lewis said.
Waikato Regional Council Waipā-King Country candidates Stu Kneebone, Garry Reymer and Liz Stolwyk all received the pack alongside Waipā mayoral candidates Susan O’Regan, Mike Pettit and Clare St Pierre.
Regional council candidate Clyde Graf sent his apologies to the meeting.
Federated Farmers priorities for incoming councillors are keeping rates in check, controlling pests and weeds, giving ratepayers a say on big spending, a fairer funding system, rates relief for protected land, streamlining planning and environmental rules, not wasting ratepayer dollars by setting climate policies, having rural representation in emergency operations centres, using fuel excise and road user charges to cover 90 per cent of ‘local” roading costs, and a lower registration for for working dogs.
