Feilding Herald / Rangitikei Mail
Life in Parliament moves at great pace, and last week saw the presentation of the Budget, which was a very interesting process for a newbie to experience. The ceremony and protocol that go with it has been around for a long time and is something to experience. Although, nowadays the announcement of the budget, to a degree, gets somewhat pre-empted by some pre-budget announcements.
I have been around long enough to remember my father tucked up by the radio listening to budgets in the 1960s, and if there wasn’t a decent old whack in it for the farmers it was roundly criticised. Today’s circumstances are very different, and this budget is designed for the difficult financial times the world finds itself in. I am confident that under the careful financial management of Bill English, we will find ourselves in a much stronger position in the coming years.
This budget has seen increases in expenditure in health and education, which are keys to a better performing economy. But more interestingly for the Rangitikei electorate, and particularly Massey University and our science community, we have seen an increase in investment in the research and development sector. This is very important for our futures as we continue to increase productivity across all sectors.
This week Dr John Baker the principal of Baker No Tillage, who manufactures the ground breaking Cross Slot Drills in Feilding has been nominated for this year’s World Food Prize. This is awarded to outstanding individuals who have made vital contributions to improving the quality, quantity or availability of food throughout the world. This technology makes an outstanding contribution to our quest for environmental sustainability in agriculture, and is typical of the sorts of innovative ideas we need from our R&D spend
One last thing: great to see settlement of the AFFCO dispute.
I have been around long enough to remember my father tucked up by the radio listening to budgets in the 1960s, and if there wasn’t a decent old whack in it for the farmers it was roundly criticised. Today’s circumstances are very different, and this budget is designed for the difficult financial times the world finds itself in. I am confident that under the careful financial management of Bill English, we will find ourselves in a much stronger position in the coming years.
This budget has seen increases in expenditure in health and education, which are keys to a better performing economy. But more interestingly for the Rangitikei electorate, and particularly Massey University and our science community, we have seen an increase in investment in the research and development sector. This is very important for our futures as we continue to increase productivity across all sectors.
This week Dr John Baker the principal of Baker No Tillage, who manufactures the ground breaking Cross Slot Drills in Feilding has been nominated for this year’s World Food Prize. This is awarded to outstanding individuals who have made vital contributions to improving the quality, quantity or availability of food throughout the world. This technology makes an outstanding contribution to our quest for environmental sustainability in agriculture, and is typical of the sorts of innovative ideas we need from our R&D spend
One last thing: great to see settlement of the AFFCO dispute.
