Page 30 - NZ Hereford Magazine 2023

tractors and caught the imagination of farmers throughout
the country. Groundswell gathered momentum over the next
two years, with two petitions to Parliament, public meetings
with farmers throughout the South Island, and protest rallies.
In July 2021 their ‘Howl of a Protest’ rallies hit headlines when
thousands of farmers, along with their tractors, utes and dogs
descended en masse on rural towns and cities. “The protest
went nuts,” Laurie recalls. “It was just tremendous because the
protests were in 70 towns up and down the country.”
These days Groundswell has a Facebook presence and
website, and its number of social media followers has swollen
quickly to more than 60,000.
Groundswell of support “We represent the grassroots of farming and want to take
for farmers their message to government because we think somehow that
message is getting lost in transit.”
At a time when most people would be thinking about retirement, Laurie says Groundswell is an apolitical organisation, but
Laurie has discovered a whole new calling for a well-proven believes farmers are sceptical about politicians in general
farming industry leader – as a protester and political lobbyist. because history suggests once regulations are introduced,
The trigger for his new career was a Facebook post by Bryce incoming governments rarely do anything other than tinker
McKenzie, pictured with Laurie above. He’s a dairy farmer just around the fringes.
across the border in West Otago who sowed the seeds when “We believe our job is to keep the pressure on the next
he expressed his frustration with government regulations, incoming government.”
particularly in relation to the National Policy Statement for While the national support for Groundswell has been
Freshwater Management. pleasing, nothing has really changed yet. But Laurie says
Bryce’s comments struck a chord with Laurie; the pair put they’ve made some people sit up and take some notice.
their heads together and co-founded Groundswell NZ in October “Farmers are not demonstrators. They don’t like
2020 with the aim of organising a tractor protest of farmers to demonstrating. It gives you an idea that people have to be
demonstrate their frustration on the main street of Gore. pretty bloody desperate before they take time out of a busy
That first rally flooded the main street of the town with life [to protest].”

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28 HEREFORD MAGAZINE Year 2023