Federated Farmers says the National Party's commitment to make small-scale solar projects a permitted activity is exactly the commonsense farmers need.

National says, if re-elected to Government in November, it will remove planning rules that make it hard for Kiwis to generate their own power.

The announcement delivers on a key recommendation in Federated Farmers' 2026 election platform, launched just a few weeks ago.

"At Fieldays we challenged political parties to back practical policies that reduce costs and cut unnecessary red tape for farmers,” Federated Farmers energy spokesperson Mark Hooper says.

"One of those asks was a national permitted activity standard for small- and medium-scale solar because the current consenting system is creating needless costs, delays and frustration.

"It's great to see National pick that up so quickly."

Hooper says farmers have been calling for simple, practical changes like this to cut the cost of farming.

"Solar technology has come a long way, but the planning system simply hasn't kept up.

"Too many farmers wanting to invest in on-farm solar have found themselves tangled in expensive, unnecessary and completely unjustified consenting processes.

"When councils are demanding resource consents for straightforward solar installations, something has clearly gone terribly wrong."

Hooper says a consistent national permitted activity standard would remove unnecessary costs and delays while giving farmers greater confidence to invest.

"This is exactly the sort of practical red tape reduction we've been asking for to cut the cost of farming.

"Every council currently has different rules, which creates huge uncertainty and frustration.

"A single national standard will make life much simpler for farmers wanting to generate their own electricity."

Hooper says on-farm solar has enormous potential to improve the resilience and profitability of New Zealand farms.

"Generating more power on-farm can reduce electricity costs, improve energy security during outages, reduce emissions and even create additional income opportunities.

"Rising fuel and electricity prices have seen what was once considered an environmental niche become a mainstream business decision.

"The economics of solar now stack up for many farming businesses, and removing unnecessary planning barriers will help unlock much more investment.”

In its announcement, National said it plans to make small-scale renewables largely permitted under the new resource management system.

It means Kiwis would be able install rooftop solar without a consent, put ground-mounted solar on farms as a permitted activity, with sensible safeguards, and add small-scale battery storage as of right.

Federated Farmers also supports National's proposed Home Energy Fund, which would offer low-interest, long-term loans to be repaid through rates.

“Lower-cost finance could help more households and rural property owners invest in renewable energy,” Hooper says.

“Strategic use of rooftops and small on-farm installations is an efficient, effective use of resources to help supplement NZ’s energy demands and support on-farm resilience.

“Making it easier and more affordable for people to invest in their own energy resilience is a positive step."

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