Priority 1: Northland: an attractive business opportunity 

What does good look like?

By 2020 

• Good farming practice is achieved on most dairy farms

By 2030 

• Good management practice is achieved on all dairy farms (in line with targets of Good Farming Practice Action Plan)

Outcome areas

• Improving farm performance in Northland

  Short Term 1-2 Years

  • Identifying the issues which are critical to farming success 5 years from now and establishing research projects with NDDT to address these issues.

  Medium Term 2-3 years

  • Research projects underway and the search for future issues continues.

  Long Term 10 years

  • Solutions for issues are pre-emptively found to increase performance and sustainability of Northland dairying.

• Attracting young farmers to viable business opportunities

  Short Term 1-2 Years

  • Informing young people of the opportunities in dairying and identifying options for setting and achieving goals through this business. Technology change will be a significant factor.

  Medium Term 2-3 years

  • Young farmers are skilled and resourced to take on dairy farming.

  Long Term 10 years

  • Young farmers are ready to replace the generation of farmers wishing to "move on".

• Building relationships with Māori

  Short Term 1-2 Years

  • Consultation with Maori to understand values and Goals, and how they would like to engage with DairyNZ.

  Medium Term 2-3 years

  • Delivering Maori specific support.

  Long Term 10 years

  • Maori farming achieving the goals with DairyNZ support.

• Understanding and managing future climate challenges

  Short Term 1-2 Years

  • Connecting with other primary production sectors to establish collective understanding of challenges

  Medium Term 2-3 years

  • Collaborating with other primary production sectors to create appropriate responses to identified challenges

  Long Term 10 years

  • Delivering solutions collaboratively

Priority 2: Doing the right thing now

What does good look like?

By 2020

• The Northland Regional Council, farmers, and industry partners recognise the need for environmental improvement, have a strategy in place and are working together towards achieving 100% adoption of good management practice in Northland.

By 2030

• Northland dairy farmers are playing a role in bridging the city-country divide, telling their story of protecting and enhancing their rivers, estuaries, and local biodiversity.

Outcome areas

• Progression of current and future Plan changes reflect dairy industry input and its contribution to the region

  Short Term 1-2 Years

  • An efficient and effective model for representing farmers and the needs of the dairy industry in policy development is established
  • Farmers are active and supported in Freshwater Community groups (or equivalent fora)
  • Farmers and dairy industry supporters develop effective relationships across sectors and the wider community

  Medium Term 2-3 years

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

  Long Term 10 years

  • Policy meshes well with industry strategy objectives and has good buy in from farmers in Northland

  Projects involved

  • Environmental Stewardship

• Farmers' stories about their place in the landscape are well received by the public

  Short Term 1-2 Years

  Communities in Northland and Auckland are aware of the efforts being made by dairy farmers to improve water quality while contributing to their communities and the economy of the region

  Medium Term 2-3 years

  Dairy tourism is a viable option being taken up by farmers

  Long Term 10 years

  • Farmers in Northland have a firm social licence
  • Water quality and quantity expectations of the community are met

  Projects involved

  • Environmental Stewardship
  • Designing the Future
  • Community Engagement