Declaration of the Responsible Minister
New Zealanders' future prosperity continues to rely on the agriculture, horticulture, food and forestry components of the primary sector. This sector remains the backbone of the New Zealand economy contributing more than 60 percent of total merchandise exports in 2005 and 18 percent of New Zealand's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Over the past 10 years New Zealand's exports have grown by $10 billion, with primary exports continuing to contribute about 60 percent. This illustrates how strongly New Zealand's economy is dependent on the health of the primary sector.
In addition to its direct economic contribution, the primary sector provides the core around which other businesses cluster, including manufacturing, processing, biotechnology, research, transport, finance, tourism and a myriad of other services. For this reason urban and rural New Zealand are dependent on each other.
If we are to enhance New Zealanders' future prosperity, the primary sector needs to remain at the cutting edge of the global market, among increasing international competition. However, the primary sector faces a number of future challenges including:
- Keeping abreast of innovation and research to ensure our place at the cutting edge of the international market.
- Meeting consumer demands for high quality products which are environmentally sustainable, with high standards of ethics and animal welfare, free from pests and diseases, and safe and suitable for consumption.
- Trade barriers.
- Biosecurity risks that an increasingly global environment brings for New Zealanders' health, environment and economy.
- Ensuring the sustainability of our natural resources and protecting the environmental life-supporting systems on which we depend.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's (MAF's) role and mission is to protect and ensure our future prosperity by "enhancing New Zealand's natural advantage" created by the wealth of our natural resources. As a sustainable development agency MAF is tasked with leading and contributing to developments which aim to overcome many of the challenges facing the primary sector, while ensuring the sustainable use and development of our natural resources. Increasingly that contribution will require new solutions for existing and emerging issues. I expect MAF to be at the forefront of these endeavours.
This Statement of Intent (SOI) documents the Government's expectations of MAF for 2006/09. It also outlines the strategic context of the Ministry's role and the outcomes to which it is expected to contribute over the next three years. Relevant sections of this SOI have been agreed with the Ministers for Food Safety and Rural Affairs.
Hon Jim Anderton
Minister of Agriculture
Contact for Enquiries
Strategy and Performance Group
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526, Wellington
Tel: +64 4 894 0100
Fax: +64 4 894 0738
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