niche markets
stating the case
Inspirational marketing ideas from Hort NZ’s recent confererence. page 36
Crown prosecutor Ben Vanderkolk gives his view on succession planning. page 10
RuralNEWS
no favours Feds’ at pains to point out that Transpower’s sponsorship will not affect its views.
page 27
to all farmers, for all farmers
september 4, 2012: Issue 522
Fight or flight? OUTGOING FONTERRA chairman Henry van der Heyden will this month decide whether to stay on as a director. Van der Heyden’s three-year term finishes at the end of next year. However, he’s stepping down from the chairman’s role at the annual general meeting. He told Rural News he will be making a decision “within a month”. “I am still discussing it with my family.” Van der Heyden has been Fonterra chairman since 2002. He will be replaced by John Wilson – provided he is re-elected to the board by farmer shareholders. Nominations for Fonterra board elections open next week. If van der Heyden steps down from the board this year, there will be two vacancies for farmer-elected directors. – Sudesh Kissun
www.ruralnews.co.nz
RUC off Minister! pete r bur ke
A CANTERBURY agricultural contractor, Robert McCarthy, is angry at Transport Minister Garry Brownlee’s claim (Rural News Aug 21) that every tractor has GPS and can attach a hubometer, enabling the owner to calculate road
user charges (RUCs) if the machine’s speed exceeds 40km/h on public roads. MoT has reviewed the RUC system and abolished time licences. The new law took effect on August 1. McCarthy, with 14 tractors and 25 staff, does not object to paying RUCs to use the roads but is annoyed at the
getting on
to pay an exorbitant amount to a commercial company with no interest in the maintenance of the roading system.” (McCarthy refers here to a company that operates the RUCs system.) He says it would cost him $1500 to fit a device to each of his 14 tractors plus $89/month to collect the data, let alone pay any RUCs. “It will cost our business $60,000 in the first year plus ongoing astronomical costs.” McCarthy refers to an electronic hubometer that measures road-distance plus details of off-road travel. “Problem is it doesn’t start until the tractor moves 50m from the road centre-line. “It’s not foolproof and causes problems by charging for every minute you are on the road even though the law states you don’t have to pay RUCs on a tractor traveling slower than 40km/h. Effectively you’re paying tax… and the time involved in claiming this back is another cost to our business.”
About the 40km/h rule ROBERT MCCARTHY disagrees with the new rule that a tractor no longer needs a warrant of fitness if it travels slower than 40km/h on open roads. He will continue to get WOFs and certificates of fitness regardless of the new regulations because he’s concerned about safety, he says. “It gives us the backing that we’ve had someone independent – at a cost of just $65 twice year – check our vehicles. “I’d sooner have that money spent than find one of our vehicles run into by the school bus with our kids in it because the lights are not working. We owe it to the public to be as safe as possible.” Also, the new regulations fail to reflect the value of newer, much safer tractors, he says. New Zealand should be endorsing the new technology fitted to modern tractors, including better ABS brakes, tyres, sprung axles, steering systems and other safety devices.
South Canterbury Rural Helicopters prepare to spin 125kg/ha of ammonium sulphate onto wheat at Nick Ward’s, Temuka. “We’ve done a wee bit like this in the past but never as much as this year,” Ward told Rural News. Nearly 300mm of rain in two weeks, early last month, left paddocks impassable and crops hungry for nutrients. Now weed control is the challenge. See page 42
DON’T WAIT AROUND FOR PEAK MILK YIELDS AFTER CALVING TRACTA39579-A
minister’s assumption he can easily calculate the RUCs using his GPS. McCarthy says the Transport Agency and MPI have told him they agree it’s dumb. “Mr Brownlee needs to get outside and get some country fresh air and realise that tractors have GPS units for guidance in the paddock; it has nothing to do with mapping of roads. There are only two GPS distance recorders approved by the NZTA and neither is fit for agricultural use.” McCarthy says a sensible solution would be to provide for RUCs in the registration of tractors – not hard to do as the new legislation has increased by $24.50 the registration fee for tractors travelling slower than 40km/h to cover the cost of road usage. Contractors will happily pay for the time they spend on the roads; such a system would be simpler and reduce compliance costs, he says. “National promised to take away the red tape, then they put this in place, forcing us
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