National President of Farmers of New Zealand, Ian Walker urges the rural community to become involved in the upcoming local body elections. If you are not putting your hand up and standing for office then at least make sure you vote.

Local government have an increasing impact on farm practises and property rights. With the very nature of changing demographics, the urban majority is increasingly influencing political decision-making and policy development.

For instance, Auckland local government politicians are lobbying heavily to stop the government spending two billion dollars over a 10-year period to upgrade the Northern highway.

Despite this road being one of the most used highways in New Zealand and having an appalling safety record, urban Auckland would rather the money is spent elsewhere.

We also have a government who is happy to spend a billion dollars on upgrading Internet services to Aucklanders, but state blatantly that rural dwellers must expect their services to be second rate. It is clear where the political power lies these days.

Local government, through their district and regional plans, are increasingly locking up private land for public good amenity reasons, determining what landowners are able to actually do on their property, and showing little regard to farming productivity.

Farmers are a resilient lot. They take droughts, floods, and commodity price upheavals in their stride. They work the longest hours per week of any sector and generally for the poorest hourly rate.

While focus on the farm, rather than what is happening outside the farm gate, has delivered the best productivity rates of any industry, it has also allowed others to capture more of the economic cake at our expense.

While the urban rural divide is a reality, do not underestimate the power of the farming vote and lobby in Northland. Recently a councillor told Farmers of New Zealand that they were sick of farmers running Northland.

In some ways I wish we were but it does highlight that at least in provincial New Zealand, rural residents still have influence and this October you need to use it.

Research has shown that few males under 35 years of age actually bother to vote. Our rural ladies are little better but not by much. If the rural vote is to count we need much greater participation rates. So if you have not enrolled to vote, please make the effort to do so. If you were not planning to vote, change your mind and do it!

Better still think about standing for Council and having some direct input.

It can be frustrating. In some of the less competent councils it can be time consuming. However, if we wish to influence change it is better to be at the table rather than complaining in front of it.

Think about it. And … at least vote.