Muller ToddTODD MULLER (National—Bay of Plenty): Thank you Mr Speaker. This afternoon I would like to talk on behalf of the National Party directly to the 23000 farming families in New Zealand who are right now on their farms calving assisting with lambing laying down the crops for their kiwifruit and wine and working incredibly hard and having a listen to that nonsense from the other side.Can I first acknowledge those families for the tremendous effort they do for producing food and fibre for this country that underpins this economy. Thank you very much for your effort. Can I also acknowledge the extraordinary efforts that you all have made to look at your farms and look at ways to minimise your environmental impact. There won't be a person on the other side of the House the Government of this country who will acknowledge you and will thank you for your efforts today despite the fact that last year the Land Air Water Aotearoa report said that across five of the six water-quality metrics that we test in this country over 500 sites five out of the six metrics there were more improving than deteriorating. That does never get mentioned because it doesn't fit their narrative. Instead what we have from the other side of the House is constant attack on you your lifestyle and your opportunity to see prosperity in the future. This side of the House rejects that and we will front for farmers for ever and in particular from next week when we look at the water-quality freshwater responses that come out.Despite the fact that we have solid prices a benign climate this winter and low interest rates the rural sector of this country have never been so pessimistic of their families' opportunity that sits in front of them. That's not me; that's the ANZ survey of a week or two ago—minus 80 percent outlook. It is appalling and the reason it is so negative is the policies of this Government. Let me just give you a sense: despite their appalling economic management which is slowing this economy down materially from 4 percent growth down to just over 2 percent for the primary industries of this country they have got a zero carbon bill coming which if James Shaw has his way has a minus 47 percent reduction in methane despite the fact there are no tools to do it despite the fact no other country has the food production system that we do. That's coming. New Zealand First has signed off and apparently is comfortable with agriculture going into the emissions trading scheme. That's coming and then next week we will have what we understand are extremely onerous water quality targets and extremely onerous national environment standards which are going to impact farmers' equity immediately.Do you know what? The other side don't understand that. They do not understand balance sheets. They do not understand that the banking sector is backing away from rural New Zealand. They don't understand that if they pass policies here that make water quality that onerous they take choices off farmers there's no opportunity for land use flexibility and farmers' equity goes backwards. That is the reality in primary industry today. They're all looking down because with the exception of Damien O'Connor who boasts of his farming record and has about four or five sheep hardly anyone else apart from perhaps driving past as they rush from Christchurch Central to the airport—Duncan Webb—has any idea of what actually goes on on a farm. They do not understand the relentlessness of the day-to-day challenges of farming which can be a joy when you see opportunity when you see a pathway to prosperity but can be immensely challenging—immensely challenging—when you don't see that when you get a sense of a country not understanding or valuing what you do.When I look across to the Government here I see a Government that is obsessed with ideology obsessed with the opportunity to drive a particular outcome regardless of what the data says—regardless of what the data says. I look forward to them acknowledging the farming sector but it's not going to happen. But rural New Zealand you can be assured that this party the National Party will never forget or will never stop acknowledging what you do day in day out on behalf of this economy on behalf of this country on behalf of this community and we will stand strong to ensure that your interests are protected.