Everyone doesnt know a farmer, statistics show

“The cherished notion that every New Zealander knows a farmer is now an urban myth and the genesis behind Federated Farmers Farm Day being held this Sunday, 1 March,” says Frank Brenmuhl, Federated Farmers education spokesperson.

Since 1984, New Zealand’s population has increased by more than a million heavily driven by urbanisation. Up until 1976, rural New Zealand accounted for more than 1:4 of all New Zealanders (27 percent). By 2006, this ratio had fallen to 1:7 (14 percent). The population profile of New Zealand has radically changed too, with peoples from the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia increasingly the face of modern New Zealand.

“The simple fact is that 86 percent of New Zealanders are now urbanised. This makes the country the 32nd most urbanised on earth ahead of countries like South Korea, the United States, Spain and even Japan, according to a 2001 UN report,” Mr Brenmuhl continued.

“So when many adults think of their childhood, they probably assume their children enjoy the same childhood accessibility to the country they enjoyed. Yet over the last twenty to thirty years, urban drift has made this connection increasingly rare.

“Today, many urban schools no longer visit a farm as was a common occurrence in the 1970s. Timetabling, transport and health and safety rules have put this in a ‘too hard’ basket for many schools. Yet, for many adult urbanites even today, it remains a strong childhood memory.

“Federated Farmers wants to build mutual understanding to show that a farming career is as viable as becoming an engineer or a lawyer. Not just for Maori or Pakeha, but for New Zealanders of Asian or Pacific Island descent too. New Zealand’s farm workers are not just paid better on average than their urban cousins, they also better qualified too.

“That’s why we are so enthused about Federated Farmers Farm Day. It’s a positive step towards reconnecting our urban and rural communities that will hopefully bust a few mutual myths along the way. This is all about understanding.

“The Federated Farmers Farm Day website www.farmday.org.nz provides directions to each of the 27 farms hosting a Farm Day on Sunday 1 March using GoogleMaps, making it easier for people to find their way to a Federated Farmers Farm Day.

“We want to show that farmers care about what they do and the legacy they leave for generations to come. Federated Farmers calls this farming for generations and is a major priority for the Federation,” Mr Brenmuhl concluded.