Priority 1 - Protecting and nurturing the environment, building competitive and resilient farm businesses, and improving public perception

What does good look like?

By 2020

• Plan Change 5 of the Canterbury Land & Water Plan is successfully implemented and farmers are making the required changes to meet environmental limits while thriving through profitable and resilient businesses
• Farmers are confident in their options to meet future environmental challenges while continuing to thrive through profitable, resilient businesses

By 2030

• Farmers in Canterbury have a positive reputation for caring for their animals and the environment
• Farm businesses are thriving while meeting environmental limits
• Water quality is meeting community expectations
• Farm businesses are competitive and resilient through the application of innovative systems and technologies on farm, and alternative value chain opportunities.

Outcome areas

• Water quality and community expectation

  Short Term 1-2 Years

  • The current and future status of water quality in Canterbury sub-catchments under the Land and Water Regional Plan is understood
  • The Canterbury general community are aware of the efforts being made by dairy farmers to improve water quality in the region.

  Long Term 10 years

  • Farmers in Canterbury have a positive reputation for meeting their obligations and caring for their animals and the environment
  • Water quality expectations of the community are met

  Projects involved

  • Environmental Stewardship
  • Community Engagement
  • Systems that work - Selwyn Hinds Sustainable Future project

• Implementation of the Land and Water Regional Plan process

  Short Term 1-2 Years

  • Farmers are confident in applying the processes provided by ECan to meet their planning and recording requirements.
  • DairyNZ is confident that the regional council auditing processes will be effective in protecting the reputation of farmers.
  • The capability and capacity of rural professionals and other service providers is sufficient to provide farmers with support in development of farm plans, baseline analysis and system changes to meet nutrient limits.

  Medium Term 2-3 years

  • The Land and Water Regional Plan is successfully implemented

  Projects involved

  • Environmental Stewardship
  • Community Engagement
  • Systems that work - Selwyn Hinds Sustainable Future project

• Feasibility and practicality of catchment rules

  Short Term 1-2 Years

  • An efficient and effective model for representing farmers in policy development is established (e.g. role of DairyNZ and DEL on Zone Committees)
  • Farmer leaders in affected catchments are confident that the rules frameworks are feasible, practical for implementation, and scientifically sound

  Medium Term 2-3 years

  • Water quality, farm environmental and financial performance data is available and utilised for future policy decisions

  Projects involved

  • Environmental Stewardship
  • Water quality, farm environmental and financial performance data is available and utilised for future policy decisions
  • Systems that Work – Selwyn Hinds Sustainable Future Project

• Farmers making required changes to meet environmental regulations and maintain or improve their viability

  Short Term 1-2 Years

  • All Canterbury farmers have a baseline N loss (2009-2013) and a Farm Environment Plan
  • Farmers are meeting GMP by 2020
  • Farmers in Selwyn catchment are achieving 30% reduction in N loss (rolling average 2018-2022, against 2009-2013 baseline, after GMP)
  • The average financial performance of Canterbury farmers has shifted towards the top 20% to enable environmental changes.
  • Rural professionals have sufficient capacity and capability to assist farmers to make system change decisions

  Medium Term 2-3 years

  • Rural professionals have sufficient capacity and capability to assist farmers to make system change decisions
  • Farmers in Hinds are meeting 15% N loss reduction by 2025, and 30% by 2030 while maintaining viable businesses
  • Farmers in the Waimakariri and Orari Temuka Opihi Paereoa (OTOPs) zones are meeting further reductions (currently in draft form) beyond GMPF
  • Farmers in South Coastal Canterbury are meeting N loss caps while maintaining viable businesses
  • The average financial performance of Canterbury farmers has shifted towards the top 20% to enable environmental changes

  Projects involved

  • Meeting Environmental Obligations
  • Systems That Work
  • Farm Assessment and Planning
  • Systems for the Environment

• Identifying, testing, and providing confidence in systems and options

  Short Term 1-2 Years

  • Farmers, scientists and rural professionals are working together to develop new systems and options for resilient businesses that meet environmental limits.
  • The system's impacts, and the management requirements of existing and emerging options to manage nitrate leaching and GHG have been successfully demonstrated on Canterbury farms
  • Farmers, Extension and rural professionals have access to regionally relevant information on the principles and options for managing nitrate leaching.

  Medium Term 2-3 years

  • The potential impact of new and existing options and their interactions is clear when applied to a farm system
  • New systems and options developed through science are recognised/credited in regulatory frameworks.

  Long Term 10 years

  • Implementation of systems and options results in nitrate leaching targets being met while maintaining profitable, resilient businesses.
  • There is headroom for future growth of dairying in the region due to application of new technology on farm which is reducing nitrate leaching and using water efficiently.

  Projects involved

  • Systems for Environment
  • Systems That Work
  • Meeting Environmental Obligations

• Alternative value chains

  Long Term 10 Years

  • Alternative value chains add value to exports, increasing the competitiveness of the Canterbury dairy industry while meeting environmental limits.

• Emerging Issues

  Short Term 1-2 Years

  • The risks and potential impacts of future water quantity regulations are understood, and a DairyNZ response is constructed

  Medium Term 2-3 years

  • A regional response to greenhouse gas policy is constructed

Priority 2 - Attracting and maintaining a skilled workforce

What does good look like?

Short term

• The industry retains access to migrant labour for genuine skills gaps for a period of five years, and is on a pathway to reduce reliance on migrant labour.
• New systems are designed to increase the competitiveness of dairy farms as an attractive place to work, relative to other industries.
• 50% of farmers are getting to great in the Workplace Action Plan
• There are good professional development opportunities and a good career pathway to progress, either as a farm employee or as a business owner.
• The standard of leadership and management on farm is lifted through its recognition as a key driver of success

Long term

• There is widespread adoption of new systems to increase the competitiveness of dairy farms as an attractive place to work
• Statistics show significant improvement in working conditions e.g. hours of work, days off, health and safety, wages.
• The dairy industry is seen by everyone as a great place to work, to the extent that it is competitive enough in the labour market to reduce the reliance on migrant labour.
• The dairy industry works constructively with Government to implement incentive based policy which encourage better employment practices similar to the RSE scheme in horticulture.
• Career changers are shown the potential when working within the dairy industry.

Outcome areas

• Immigrant Labour

  Short Term 1-2 Years

  ANZSCO coding is redefined to allow farmers access to migrant farm assistants for more than one year and to ensure a clear pathway is available to avoid the stand down period.

  Medium Term 2-3 years

  • Immigration remains a tool available to the industry to address labour supply as a result of responsible approaches by the sector.
  • ImmigrationNZ has specific employees focused on the dairy industry, as is currently the case with tourism and international education.

  Long Term 10 years

  • Canterbury farmers labour market shortage and time roles are vacant decrease as measured by labour market data.
  • Canterbury farmers have a high quality workforce to recruit from. Where genuine skills gaps exist, they maintain the ability to recruit migrant staff.
  • Canterbury farmers can engage with an Immigration accreditation scheme which encourages employers to improve workplace conditions to ensure stable access to migrant staff.

  Projects involved

  • Credible Evidence
  • High Performing People
  • Competitiveness

• Employment conditions and practices

  Making the industry a desired place to work and competitive against other employment options.

  Short Term 1-2 Years

  • Regional employment competitiveness framework is agreed with farmers and regional MBIE staff to benchmark across industries and measure progress on WAP
  • The demand for professional advice and industry training (formal and informal) on leadership and management is increased through an effective referral and marketing programme.

  Medium Term 2-3 years

  • Competitiveness index improves relative to other industries
  • 90% farms at good practice levels on regional priorities from WAP
  • New farm systems are designed to increase the competitiveness of dairy farms as an attractive place to work, relative to other industries
  • On-farm leadership and management skills have improved.
  • The dairy industry works constructively with the Ministry of Social Development to show the value of dairy to career changers, especially where people are being made redundant in labour market shocks.

  Long Term 10 years

  • 90% of employers at great based on WAP
  • Employment standards supported by QA scheme
  • Implementation of new farm systems results in a more attractive value proposition for farm staff.

  Projects involved

  • Credible Evidence
  • High Performing People
  • Competitiveness
  • Workplace design