I remember a time when our rural sector was held in high regard. I remember a time when we called farmers the back bone of the country. 

Not only have those days gone, but we seem hell bent on thrashing the rural sector into some form of submission - to the extent that many in the rural sector are feeling more and more culpable for each and every environmental crime broadcast in the news. 

Without question, there are things that could - and should - be improved, to ensure the viability of our primary producers, the waterways, and the very land they cultivate to ensure that you have something to enjoy off your barbecue. 

But now it seems there is more for the rural sector to deal with. 

And that's the demise of rural services. 

"The internet is coming"... still a phrase that many rurally repeat, in the hope that this vita service that many of us take for granted gets to the farm gate sooner than later. 

Cheque books have gone. Many rurally operated their finances on the writing of cheques and then posting them with the rural delivery services for many. 

The word 'service' is now itself, under threat from those who look at the bottom line of everything, under the misapprehension that everything provided by general taxation in New Zealand needs to make money, or at least be viable in the short and long term. 

Does it though? What else will be strip away in order to attempt to get the country back on track from a fiscal point of view? This penny pinching attitude to the rural bus services seems mean spirited and entirely punitive. 

How much more can the rural sector take before many more throw in the towel and head to town? Are we at risk of punishing our rural community to the point where the appeal of the good life completely loses its lustre?

If we don't support the rural sector more, and give them greater reasons to stay on the land, who the hell do we think is going to milk the cows and give us sausages for tonight's barbecue?

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