Implementing change: barriers and opportunities

Severe flooding and slips in the Manawatu-Whanganui region in 2004 resulted in the implementation of the voluntary Sustainable Land Use Initiative (SLUI), to support recovery and increase resilience. This paper identifies the barriers, opportunities and lessons for the implementation of Whole Farm Plans (WFPs). The research, conducted in 2016, involved interviews with 40 farm households. The findings demonstrate that the values and priorities of both SLUI and non- SLUI households were similar, highlighting the need to increase profitability, productivity and environmental protection. Both adopters and non-adopters express similar concerns about SLUI, including perceptions about its bureaucratic nature, cost and complexity. They differed to an extent when believing the SLUI aligns with their own values and goals. Non-signatories highlight their resistance to government intervention. They also feared the SLUI would thwart productivity and profits. There remains a need to more explicitly integrate social values and goals in any strategy to implement Whole Farm Plans.