Listen
Photo: https://www.facebook.com/SaveOurPlains
There are urgent calls to prevent our increasingly scarce and prized growing land going forever, under concrete and asphalt. Just 15% of New Zealand's land is highly productive premium food production land.
Most of it is on the fringes of our cities.
Over the past 20 years, 54% of premium food production land has been lost to urban sprawl, with a almost third of all new developments being built on land potentially available for agriculture during this period.
Our horticulture sector is awaiting the imminent National Policy Statement to provide more certainty to fruit and vegetable growers who are being increasingly hemmed in and crowded out.
Kathryn is joined by Horticulture NZ Environment Manager Michelle Sands and Richard Gaddum, who heads lobby group Save Our Plains.