by Tony Orman
Some organisations have quickly realised to achieve recognition and implementation of their beliefs and ideals is best done by infiltrating and influencing.
I read just today where in the coming election on November 7, 2026, former Federated Farmers NZ president Katie Milne is standing for National in the electorate of the West Coast.
This is no recent flash of inspiration and action.
Federated Farmers obviously realised the political reality several years ago.
Andrew Hoggard became a member of ACT New Zealand in 2019. On 9 May 2023, one day after stepping down as national president of Federated Farmers
He was named as the ACT candidate in the Rangitīkei electorate for the 2023 New Zealand general election. Hoggard was subsequently ranked fifth on ACT’s party list for the election and became a list Member of Parliament in 2023.
What’s more the Hon. Andrew Hoggard is the Minister for Biosecurity and Food Safety and the Associate Minister of Agriculture (Animal Welfare, Skills) and for the Environment.
Hon. Andrew Hoggard
Yes you read correctly, the former national president of Federated farmers is now Associate Minister for the Environment.
Well done to Federated Farmers and to Andrew Hoggard.
What they did and achieved was totally legal and democratic. They showed belief, zeal and political action.
However Federated Farmers NZ is not the first organisation in recent times to have realised the value of getting “feet under the table, inside the tent” so as to speak.
Deliberate Political Tactic
The Forest and Bird Society, an advocacy of well intent and of good ideals and ideas (but not immune from having a few “wacky” ideas e.g. 1080 poison) realised the political tactic a quarter of a century ago..
Forest and Bird quickly realised they had to be inside the tent influencing policy decisions.
Back then former F&B national manager the late Kevin Smith, became senior advisor in Parliament to Ministers of Conservation. In 2000 he was employed as an adviser to Minister of Conservation Sandra Lee.
He continued as an adviser to Minister of Conservation Chris Carter until he suddenly died aged just 52 in August 2005.
Minister of Conservation Chris Carter paid tribute “For the past six years, Kevin served as a advisor to me, and the previous Minister of Conservation Sandra Lee. He was outstanding in this role, and much of the progress that has been made in conservation in recent years is due in no small part to his efforts.”
With all due respect, Kevin Smith for almost a decade was promoting Forest and Bird ideals and ideology to Ministers of Conservation. A point to admire Kevin Smith – and Forest and Bird – could not be accused of apathy.
Forest and Bird have excelled in this infiltration.
They are a major influence on the Department of Conservation, Conservation Boards and in political parties, particularly the Green Party and where ever they see opportunity to influence. Even the media.
In contrast, organisations such as Fish and Game, national saltwater fishing, trout fishing and deer stalking organisations have generally been lax.
This year – November 7 – is the three yearly general election year. Policies are likely to be formed at conferences of parties. Groups should be encouraging key individuals to get involved in political parties, put forward remits and attend national conferences..
Get Up and Go
One has to admire Forest and Bird’s zeal and activism.
To reiterate, some 26 years ago, Forest and Bird’s the late Kevin Smith realised the value of attaining major influence by way of infiltration,
In contrast the rifle, rod and gun organisations, are lethargic, mostly absent.
Perhaps there may be one or two exceptions, if isolated examples.
For example, have Fish and Game regions promoted the idea to licence holders or sought to put up candidates for local body elections on a nation-wide scale? Or to join a political party?
Political parties are where often the seed of a policy is sown and promoted as a remit to a political party annual conference. If passed it sprouts to become party policy. If that party is in government it blooms and fruits as law.
Now here’s the reality. Kiwis tend to shun political parties. For example in one electorate of perhaps 68,000 the membership of a main party is about 200.
Probably at a party meeting, less than 50 attend. I’m only guessing but I would wager that’s fairly realistic.
So a majority of those 50 attendees make a decision that just might become party policy and eventually law.
Have deerstalking, trout fishing and recreational saltwater fishing organisations promoted the idea of “influence by infiltration” onto conservation boards, into political parties and any other areas of policy making, to member branches or clubs?
The crisis with the environment and with both water and rivers, freshwater and saltwater fish and game resources, is urgent.
The concept of infiltration and influence is far from new. In Ancient Greek a philosopher Plato (circa 427 – 347 BC) said “The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.”
Heavy Price for Apathy
There is a heavy price of apathy. Plato argued that when the most capable, moral and intelligent citizens refuse to engage in leadership or civic duty, they leave a dangerous vacuum.
Plato believed in the Rule of the Inferior – “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”
Without the participation of the wise, power is quickly claimed by the less aware, competent, the corrupt, or those motivated by personal gain rather than the common public good.
The public outdoor sports sector have much leeway to make up.
But “better late than never.”
To delay meaningful political involvement is not an option.
After reading this I’m reminded of a very good quote by US president Theodore Roosevelt:-
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those poor and timid souls who live in a grey twilight and neither know victory nor defeat.”
Some people, who in this case fish and hunt, find themselves becalmed by inertia when it’s time for action. Heavens if you don’t see it is time for action and in an election year.
Consider how important it actually is and then get stuck in with a renewed sense of the value of achieving it. Infiltrate, influence.
The riding rough shod over the public of the style of government that is so evident in politicians today and in the legislation and arrogance of Shane Jones and Chris Bishop with their appalling Fast Track Approvals Act, with Potaka and his plan to sell off public lands, the selling off of public assets, the “reform” of Meager’s Fish and Game bill that is designed to muzzle the fishermen and hunters, Shane Jones’ pro-commercial Fisheries Amendment Bill and other instances is plain to see.
Mind you the arrogance and deceit started in earnest in 1984’s 4th Labour government with Rogernomics flogging off the public’s assets without reference to the owners, i.e. the public, the misuse of ‘urgency’ to ram bad law through, Key, Ardern, Hipkins all guilty of deception. Oh I could go on.
But do not despair and turn away and ignore politics.
As the article says so well – get involved.
We have Nicole McKee as a Minister in Parliament and she is doing very well for firearms owners rights, especially after the disastrous Labour Government’s firearms legislation which made gun owners assumed criminals. We also have James Meagher as “Minister of Hunting and Fishing”; which is all very well but so far Mr Meagher has been all talk and no action (like most National MPs), especially on the 1080 issue.
Hard not to become cynical though, given that the one thing the politicians want is another turn at the trough and will do what has to be done to achieve this, they stopped listening to the hoi polloi decades ago, much easier to take the strings attached cheques from the lobbyists. Add in a few determined infiltrators and we end up where we are. I do like the Swiss system though – a 100,000 person signed petition can call for a vote to annul ANY legislation within 3 months of it being passed. Nice safety valve.
Yes the Swiss system would stop the likes of Chris Bishop, Shane Jones and seymour in their tracks. I’ve read about the Swiss system in Amy Brooke’s excellent book “100 Days”.
Google and get a copy to see how ideal the Swiss system is for any democracy.
But the Jones, Bishops and Seymours will fight tooth and nail to retain the current system which allows them to run rampant and get the campaign dollars donations from
the corporates who are smiking all the way to the bank.
Where is there a political party with an environmental conscience?
Go read Amy Brooke’s book.