Backroads to the Beehive: A tale of two Canterbury Plains

With just over a week until Election Day, RNZ's South Island Correspondent Tim Brown and camera operator Louis Dunham head out on the plains for the fourth journey from the Backroads to the Beehive.

The Canterbury Plains have long been associated with sheep and wool - the region's sports teams even feature lambs and rams as their mascots - but over the last 30 years farming on the vast pastures has changed.

Sheep numbers have more than halved since the flock reached more than 10 million in 1990, while dairy cows have grown ten-fold to more than 1.2 million over the same period.

The story of the region's dairy boom and the plains' conversion from dryland and crops to green, irrigated grass is also the story of why Canterbury's economy is pumping.

Don Galletly runs a dairy farm near Waiau, north of Christchurch, while his brother has sheep and beef on the neighbouring block.

They farm the same land their father took over after World War 2.

"We're going on not so badly. We've seen a big improvement in the prices of lamb and beef last year, which has helped to put a lot of energy back in the community. Generally we're in pretty good heart," he says.

Galletly is hopeful of another good year despite the possibility of drought.

He says the government has been too slow to cut red tape and fears a swing to the left.

"The Greens are the people that could scare me and scare farmers," he says.

"They don't seem to understand it. I don't think they're there to help and can make it very, very difficult with some of the rules they can bring in."

The farming boom is reverberating across the region's wider economy.

'Everybody's in a really good space'

Humdinger Gin owner Saskia Lewis says winter is normally tough but this year was the Geraldine distiller's best in seven years in business.

She attributes the region's prosperity to the success of Canterbury's primary industries, as well as Fonterra's sale of Mainland brands pumping money through the region.

"There are a few new cars, new utes driving around. People aren't stressed. It feels like everybody's in a really good space," she says.

Lewis originally moved to the area to work at Fonterra's Clandeboye dairy factory.

She says she is far from being a Greenie but believes something must be done to improve the area's water quality.

"We've got this beautiful river down behind Geraldine and you can swim in it through winter and as soon as it hits summer there's too much nutrients in there and you can't swim in it," Lewis says.

"I know that's so counter with the agriculture that's so strong around here and I'm not saying it's their fault, I'm just saying it's hundreds of years of legislation's fault to get to the point where we can't swim in our rivers in summer. That's pretty messed up."

Lewis did not think it would be a controversial view in the area.

"Farmers love their land. They're not here to ruin it. What's ruined it is bad development, bad consenting. It's not the farmer's fault, they're doing what they're allowed to do," she says.

"Nationally, it needs to be very clear how we are going to improve that. They want their kids swimming in the river too."

'I just don't see the point anymore'

The dairy and farming boom has not trickled down to everyone, with the rising cost of living hitting some people hard.

Christine Lallu, who grows berries and fruit about 15 minutes' drive from Hinds, says small businesses are struggling, some have folded and others are on the brink of collapse.

"Politicians don't care about the little guy. They're too busy running after the big guys all the time. I don't think they're helping any little business at all," she says.

"Power prices keep going up, that's another killer. The billions of dollars that power companies make is just outrageous. They should be providing a service, not there to rake in all this money. It's not right."

Lewis MacLeod has spent 17 years working in forestry and two years in a caravan on the outskirts of Geraldine.

He does not want to bust a gut for someone else when he is not getting ahead and has decided to return home to Dunedin.

"Rather than just working for someone that at the end of the day, as soon as I leave, they don't care," he says.

"I can go and help my father and stepmother and the mother of my kid and my child and the local community of friends and family that I have, even if I don't make any money, I don't really care.

"I can't see a forward going benefit to keep just working 10 hours a day, five days a week. The plan is to go and just enjoy my life."

MacLeod has lost faith and trust in politicians.

"I would say it is somewhat checking out of the system. I just don't see the point in it anymore," he says.

'Just about lost the house'

Contractor Shane Williams spent years on ACC after injuring his shoulder.

He is now waiting for surgery on his other shoulder but there is no guarantee the operation will go ahead.

"Two weeks before Christmas, ACC just cut everything. This arm was in a sling. No rehab, no physio, nothing. I had to do it all myself," he says.

"Just about lost the house because I couldn't pay the mortgage."

Williams now has casual work but is in pain and waiting to hear if he has cancer.

He believes the government is divorced from the impact of its decisions and wonders how politicians would cope in his circumstances.

"What do they actually do? Put them on a benefit or something and they'll scream hard up. Put them on minimum wage, see how they go," he says.