From lobbyist to legislator: Andrew Hoggard's vision for reform

Andrew Hoggard might be new to Parliament, but he's certainly not new to New Zealand's screens and airwaves. The Manawatū dairy farmer was president of Federated Farmers from 2020 to 2023, and one of the more prominent critics of the previous government's agricultural policies. In this week's Focus on Politics, RNZ Political Reporter Giles Dexter sits down with new MP - and new minister - Andrew Hoggard, to discuss the suite of reviews and replacements he's been tasked with."This is a government that's going to try and remove that regulatory burden. But it's not an excuse for everyone to think they can just button off and do nothing" - Andrew HoggardAndrew Hoggard might be new to Parliament, but he's certainly not new to New Zealand's screens and airwaves.The Manawatū dairy farmer was president of Federated Farmers from 2020 to 2023, and one of the more prominent critics of the previous government's agricultural policies. Listen to the full podcast The summary of a recent Federated Farmers confidence survey concluded confidence was no longer going backwards, but is still in the gutter.Now, Hoggard is one of a group of ministers tasked with getting farmers back onside.The ACT MP has been assigned the Biosecurity, Food Safety, and Associate Environment portfolios, and is one of three Associate Agriculture ministers.It's a lot of hats for a brand new MP, which can perhaps excuse why one of the first significant announcements he made as a minister went wrong.Last month, with his Associate Environment hat on, Hoggard announced the government was suspending requirements for councils to comply with Significant Natural Areas rules, telling councils it would be "unwise to bother."Except the law hadn't changed, causing outcry from environmental groups, and a legal headache.He walked it back, and learned his lesson. He says he was intending to give helpful advice, but pushed it close to the line.Read more: Federated Farmers president contests electionThe new ministers for the primary industry sectorsFresh water farm plans to be reviewedPanel to review 2050 methane targets"We're going to be rebuilding the foundation. We don't want all of this work happening on the roof and the first storey and the second storey that may not fit on that foundation. It's like, everyone just calm down for a minute, let's get the foundation right, and let's build up the common sense, practical thing on top of that."So far, much of Hoggard's work is reviews and windbacks…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details