Text offers farmers more freedom to give feedback

12 June 2009
Media Release

Text offers farmers more freedom to give feedback

Meat & Wool New Zealand is using text messaging to try and encourage wider feedback from farmers on how and where it should direct future levy investment.

Chief Executive Officer, Dr Scott Champion says not all farmers have been able to attend the farmer meetings underway at present and reaching for their cell phone to give feedback might be a practical step to take to get more farmer’s views on key issues.

“New Zealand has a high penetration of cell phones per head of population, and while coverage in the regions can be patchy, there are increasing numbers of farmers using cell phones. For many farmers it’s a better and more accepted means of communication than email. For this reason it made a lot of sense to use this medium to encourage greater participation in the consultation period before it closes on 3 July.

“It’s another opportunity for farmers to have input and for us to get a clearer view of what they are looking for from Meat & Wool New Zealand over the next five years. That helps us shape a referendum proposal that farmers can support when they vote in August.”

Farmers who have provided cell phone numbers as a contact for the referendum will be sent a text message today, Friday 12 June, to start the ball rolling. A series of press ads over the next three weeks will invite all farmers who have not yet provided their cell phone number to get involved as well.

Dr Champion says the text messages ask farmers where they stand on four important discussion points coming out of the farmer meetings.

“We selected four questions we want to seek further thoughts on to help us prepare a final proposition for the referendum, but it’s not meant as a definitive survey. At this stage it’s about engaging in a new way to encourage more feedback to come in.”

The text campaign and ads also point farmers to www.consultation09.co.nz where they can provide feedback online, or download a feedback form to mail in.

Dr Champion said if farmers don’t have reception on the farm they will receive the texts when they go to town or enter phone reception areas.

“It’s a flexible means of communicating and it comes direct to you. We are hoping it will lead to more farmers wanting to engage with us on the issues.

“If it’s a success, it could lead to other opportunities using text as an efficient means of communicating with farmers.”

ENDS

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