Two Southland farmers are gearing up to drive their tractors from Invercargill to Auckland, as part of a Groundswell NZ campaign to stop the "unworkable regulations imposed on food producers".
Groundswell co-founders Bryce McKenzie and Laurie Paterson planned to start their Drive 4 Change rally on September 22 and aim to arrive in Auckland’s Ellerslie Racecourse on October 1 for a speaking event.
They hoped other farmers and food producers would join them as they moved up the country.
Mr McKenzie said farmers and food producers had been "overloaded with crippling regulations, red tape, and layers of bureaucracy", resulting in an unsustainable financial situation for the agriculture sector.
"We work hard every day to adapt, protect, and improve our practices to look after our environment — the land we love
... We are not against regulations or measures to look after the environment, but they must be practical and result in actual outcomes," he said.
