O'Connor Damien: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
O'Connor Damien: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Volume:617;Page:13266] 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Associate Minister of Agriculture) 
: 
 I would like to take the opportunity to respond to a couple of matters that Mr Woolerton has raised. I accept the points the Primary Production Committee made in its report on AgriQuality and I am sure it will do its very best to improve its performance next year. 
I would like to raise an issue around Landcorp. It is as the member said an outstanding organisation which is very proudly owned by the Government. But I would like to note on the record that the National Party has indicated it will sell Landcorp along with some other key strategic assets if it ever becomes the Government. I think we can be grateful that it will not get there for a long time but it is important. Landcorp is an outstanding organisation. It has $585 million worth of shareholder assets and the National Party will sell it to pay for its low-tax promises. 
Clayton Cosgrove 
: It will do what it did to kiwifruit! 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: Absolutely. Landcorp as I say has $585 million of value. 
R Doug Woolerton 
: What are they saying about Kiwibank? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: They will sell Kiwibank. They will sell every asset they can get their greedy hands on. Landcorp is a strategic asset for the rural industry and economy of this country. It is developing marginal land and is doing so very successfully. When this Government came into power 4 years ago Landcorp did not know where it was going because the previous National Government had said it would sell it and Landcorp did not know what to do. We came into power and we told Landcorp: “We will not sell you. Get on with the job of farming.” That is indeed what it has done. It has a 5-year strategic plan. It is 3 years through that plan and has outstanding results. It has returned to the shareholder year-on-year tens of millions of dollars. 
Hon Pete Hodgson 
: With an excellent chief executive. 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: Chris Kelly is outstanding. He has assisted Landcorp to develop the dairy industry side. It has a mixed portfolio of dairy deer and sheep farming operations on marginal land that is now high-quality top producing land. Landcorp is also showing environmental leadership in the agricultural sector. It is setting aside land and protecting it—land that it considers is more valuable kept for biodiversity within its own farms. That is good leadership. In my own electorate of West Coast – Tasman Landcorp is showing farmers the value in setting aside bush—as my own father does and that will surprise some members—and it is showing that one can run a successful economic operation on marginal land and protect the environment. That is worthy of note. 
Hon Pete Hodgson 
: What will Don Brash do with it? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: Don Brash will sell it. He will sell Landcorp and knowing the National Party he will sell it for less than its $585 million. There are plenty of examples of where National fire-saled strategic assets. 
Craig McNair 
: To his mates! 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: Absolutely—to his mates no doubt. Another key role that Landcorp plays in the agricultural sector is that of career opportunities. It is providing opportunities for young people to get into agriculture work their way through the system and become outstanding managers. That is something worthy of note. As the average age of farmers in this country increases Landcorp provides an opportunity for keen young people to come in and we must praise them. 
Just before I finish I must point out that Landcorp has been farming Molesworth Station the largest farm in this country for many many years and doing so very successfully. There was some discussion and debate when we transferred that station back to the Department of Conservation. What will happen is that Landcorp will continue to manage that farm. It will have a management team—an oversight team—with the Department of Conservation to protect some of the marginal areas the landscape areas of important protection. We had to do this because the risk of a National Party ever coming into Government again meant that it would sell Landcorp and Molesworth Station as well. That is why we had to transfer it into well-protected public ownership through the Department of Conservation—if we had not acted the National Party would sell Landcorp andMolesworth Station. 
Report noted.