Farmers should be congratulated not vilified, says Groundswell NZ.

In a livestream post while the convoy was on its way to Ashburton on Sunday morning, Groundswell NZ co-founder Bryce McKenzie said a lot of farmers were feeling disheartened at being labelled polluters and environmental bandits.

"We are the greatest farmers in the world. Science shows us that and we need to be sticking to the science."

McKenzie said rural New Zealand was really suffering with a combination of low farm gate prices and increased regulation and costs.

He said there was a generation of people growing up who will not want to be farmers because of the stress and stigma attached to it.

Groundswell's other co-founder, Laurie Paterson, said New Zealand farmers had made a lot of progress with fencing off waterways and riparian planting and should be congratulated rather than vilified.

The pair led Groundswell's convoy into Ashburton around midday on Sunday. The Drive for Change protest from Invercargill to Auckland hopes to raise awareness of the plight of farmers and encourage people to vote for change.

South Otago farmer Peter Wilson rolled into Ashburton on his John Deere tractor as part of the protest. He joined the convoy on Friday and planned to drive as far as Picton.

The sheep and beef farmer said the image of farmers as "dirty" or bad for the environment was not accurate.

Farmers were often blamed for things like E.coli pollution in rivers when forensic tests of the E.coli in New Zealand's rivers found that bird droppings were the dominant source of the bacteria in waterways.

Wilson said he was out to protest the unworkable regulations farmers faced for the future generations. He had children and grandchildren who wanted to farm and provide food and fibre for New Zealand.

In a chat with agricultural minister Damien O'Connor, Wilson was told he should halve production and double the price to meet the proposed emissions regulations. That did not sit well and left Wilson wondering how the average Kiwi household would afford to put meat on the table or enjoy the occasional roast.

"Farmers should be feeding New Zealand," he said.

Kiwi farmers tended to just get on with things rather than talk about issues. It was time farmers spoke up, he said.

Wilson said New Zealand farmers were ahead of the curve when it came to taking care of the environment. He's not opposed to a Labour government and would support any government with workable regulations, backed by science.

About 40 people braved the rain and cold weather to meet at the Ashburton Domain around midday on Sunday.

They chatted to Groundswell co-founders and shared a bite before the convoy, including three tractors and several utes and cars, continued on its trip to Auckland. Some peeled off to go home, while others joined in for the next leg of the journey.

They all had one concern in common. They believed farmers were being unfairly burdened with increasing costs and regulation and wanted change.

Mid Canterbury farmer and local Groundswell NZ protest organiser Chris Bell was pleased with the turnout in Ashburton.

He said it was important to raise awareness, particularly in urban New Zealand, of the struggles facing the agriculture sector with increased taxes and bureaucracy.

by Sharon Davis