New rules to protect NZ’s most-productive farmland welcomed

Proponents are thrilled New Zealand’s highly productive food-growing land will finally be protected from “urban sprawl”, Stuff reports. Pukekohe market gardeners say the growing loss of land in the area to developers is affecting where they can grow crops. Environment Minister David Parker said, “We need to house our people and to feed them too. Our cities and towns need to grow but not at the expense of the land that’s best suited to grow our food.”