Vegetable sector applauds Government for action to restore confidence
20 August 2026
The NZ Vegetable Council (NZVeg) is applauding the Government for taking action to provide vegetable growers with certainty in the key growing areas of Pukekohe and Levin, where regional plan change changes could have seen growers walking off the land.
‘Growers in these areas have been living with uncertainty for more than a decade, due to tortuous and expensive regional plan change processes,’ says NZVeg CEO, Mike Brown.
‘In the middle of the Government’s resource management reforms - which will give growers much needed certainty - it was incredible to think that growers could have been forced to arbitrarily reduce vegetable production by as much as a third in some areas.
‘This would have immediately increased prices, at a time when New Zealanders are facing a cost-of-living crisis, and the Government wants to increase exports, to help bolster the New Zealand economy.
‘Vegetables are fundamental to good health. We are very pleased that the Government has listened and taken this action to restore confidence to the vegetable industry, and support growers to do what they do best: grow fresh healthy vegetables at reasonable prices, for the good of New Zealanders’ health.’
NZVeg would like to acknowledge the work that Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) has done in partnership with the vegetable sector and key growers over many years, to get the sector to the position it is in today in terms of the Government’s resource management reforms.
Grower point of view
Levin grower Jay Clarke says yesterday’s announcement is a win for all Kiwis, as it will help keep an abundant supply of reasonably priced, fresh and healthy vegetables on the table for all New Zealanders.
‘Growers in our region have never asked for a free pass. We too want to see improved practices and environmental outcomes. This announcement delivers a practical and workable consenting framework that will drive environmental improvements, while also ensuring that growers in the Horizons region can continue to supply the country with high quality, sustainably grown produce.’
Jay says for too long, the importance of reasonably priced healthy food has been pushed into the background.
‘Finally, we have a Government that has listened to growers on the ground, and worked collaboratively with us on how we can deliver environmental sustainability without driving growers out of business.
‘We do not need to live in a world where water quality and other environmental improvements mean banning growing and driving up the cost of healthy food in New Zealand. Workable, practice-based regulations, alongside physical mitigations - like the Arawhata Wetland project near Levin - can dramatically improve our environmental outcomes, while ensuring the production of beautiful, healthy vegetables.’
What HortNZ is saying