Woolerton R Doug: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Woolerton R Doug: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:640;Page:10403] 
R DOUG WOOLERTON (NZ First) 
: 
 Unlike the National Party member David Carter I do not rise to criticise the Minister of Agriculture who is also the Minister of Forestry. 
Hon David Carter 
: He’s on your side. 
R DOUG WOOLERTON 
: Oh no. New Zealand First members can criticise whom we like and the member can attempt to say otherwise if he likes. This industry is far too important for us to play politics with in that manner. 
Firstly I want to say that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is basically a ministry for policy advice. That is where the bulk of its budget is spent and I think rightly so. 
It worries me—and I certainly would agree with the Opposition as far as this goes—that the dollar is at 79c against the US dollar. That is the most serious thing facing our farmers and exporters at this point. New Zealand First attempted this afternoon to introduce a bill that although no silver bullet would go some way we think to ameliorating those problems and we may try again in the future. The high dollar is a real problem and we want to see more than lip service being paid to getting it down. 
But these industries—agriculture and forestry—are right at the forefront of our exports. In particular New Zealand’s biggest company Fonterra which has turnover in excess of $13 billion makes up 20 percent of New Zealand’s exports. The dairy industry which is just one part of the agriculture sector is huge. I must say that when we look at other countries and at the things they do we see that they are in quite stark contrast to what we do. We spend the money on science. We spend the money on market penetration. We spend the money on advertising. And most of all the money goes back to the farmers for reinvestment on the farm to further those advances. 
I think it is here—if I can move slightly off Fonterra—that I can congratulate the Minister Mr Anderton because he has called for some encouragement to use wood in Government buildings in this country. For a long time now New Zealand First has said we should use what we grow in this country we should use what we have to hand rather than spending money on exports. So we support the Minister in that initiative. 
New Zealand First said at the last election—and was laughed at I might say particularly by the Greens—that we must plant more trees in this country. We said that the planting of trees is the greatest thing we can do to offset our carbon emissions in the form of methane which comes from our very important livestock sector. That is still a concern for us and although I will not go on and criticise anybody for the current situation we believe that any incentives should be through the taxation system. We have said that all along and we believe that people who plant trees should be given a financial incentive for doing that. They should have a financial reward for doing that because it will not happen otherwise. People in the farming sector in the agriculture sector do do things for the country and I do not know one farmer including Mr Ardern over there in the National Party who does not believe that farmers are doing God’s work; they are producing food and they are producing products that we export. But at the same time they cannot do that if they are not rewarded fully for it. We know that returns in the forestry sector even though they are coming up are still not sufficient for people off their own bat to go and plant more trees. New Zealand wants trees and New Zealand First says people should have a financial incentive to ensure they plant more. 
I think that when it comes to climate change which is also a concern in the agriculture and forestry sectors we should look at science to lead the way.