New Zealand: Forestry

Carbon credit deal to provide windfall for Maori landowners

Fri 21 Mar 2025

By Moana Ellis, Local Democracy Reporting | An isolated Maori Land Trust in the central North Island has sealed a groundbreaking carbon credit deal, securing millions for its 4000 owners and tens of thousands of beneficiaries.

Govt calls for tenders to improve remote sensing for carbon storage

Tue 18 Mar 2025

The government has issued a request for proposals to help it improve how carbon stored in forests can be measured by remote-sensing.

Govt publishes draft land-use classification framework

7 Mar 2025

The government has developed a draft land-use classification framework, which distinguishes carbon forestry from indigenous and exotic forestry plantations.

Invasive pines triple seed supply to spread across Aotearoa

21 Feb 2025

Lodgepole pines, a major weed in Aotearoa, have three times more seeds here than in their native North America, according to new research.

Foresters drop legal action over ETS fees

4 Feb 2025

Forestry minister Todd McClay has welcomed the sector's decision to drop legal action to fight new Emissions Trading Scheme fees.

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Govt to partner with private sector planting trees on Crown land

6 Dec 2024

Cabinet has agreed to look at public-private partnerships to plant trees on low value Crown land, in a move the government says will support New Zealand’s climate change targets and create more jobs.

Changes to limit ETS forestry will have 'dire consequences' - foresters

5 Dec 2024

Foresters say that new rules limiting farm to forestry conversions under the Emissions Trading Scheme are set to have dire consequences for forest growers as well as for the country’s ability to meet climate targets.

Environmental group slams new forestry regulations

5 Dec 2024

An environmental group advocating for sustainable land use in Tairāwhiti has lashed out at the government’s announcement it will restrict forestry to marginal land.

Gisborne councillors fear loss of control over forestry rules

2 Dec 2024

By Zita Campbell, Local Democracy Reporter | Gisborne district councillors fear a proposed nationwide environmental standard will prevent the council from creating and enforcing rules to safeguard Tairāwhiti's “unique terrain”.

New carbon market rules could lock out forestry

19 Nov 2024

By Liz Kivi | New carbon market rules negotiated at the United Nations climate summit could have negative consequences for carbon forestry in New Zealand, experts are warning.

Constraints on forestry set to slash unit supply

8 Nov 2024

COMMENT: Carbon unit supply from forestry looks set to be limited by multiple factors - and by 2040 NZUs from new forestry are likely to fulfill only a fraction of demand, writes Ollie Batelier-Belton.

Government consulting on ETS charges for forestry

23 Oct 2024

The government is proposing setting an annual per hectare charge for forestry in the ETS at $14.90 - about half the price set by the previous government, but still a significant increase on what foresters formerly paid.

Gisborne cross-sector group established to guide landowners of highly erodible land

7 Oct 2024

By Zita Campbell, Local Democracy Reporter | As the Government looks to take control of national forestry regulations from councils, questions linger on what it will mean for Gisborne.

OIO approves sale of West Coast forestry harvesting rights

3 Oct 2024

The Overseas Investment Office has approved Ngāi Tahu Forestry’s plan to sell harvesting rights to its 26,700ha forestry estate on the West Coast.

Environmental group challenges forestry claims

13 Sep 2024

By Zita Campbell, Local Democracy Reporter | Environmentalists are rejecting claims by a forestry umbrella group that Gisborne District Council does not have the expertise to support and regulate the industry.

Councils to lose ability to make tougher local rules for forestry

6 Sep 2024

Foresters have welcomed the government’s announcement that it will roll back councils’ ability to introduce their own tougher rules for forestry, but the move is likely to be controversial with some local authorities.

Foresters say govt planting forecasts are wrong

18 Jul 2024

Foresters say the government's planting forecasts in its new climate plan are wrong, with the actual planted areas likely to be about half the government’s projections in 2024, according to the New Zealand Institute of Forestry.

Scion report on short rotation forestry met with scepticism

27 May 2024

A new report from Scion that says short rotation forestry holds the key to lowering fossil fuel use has been criticised by sustainable land use campaigners as well as an oil industry expert.

Concern over job losses at Scion

17 May 2024

Foresters are “deeply apprehensive” over potential redundancies of scientists at Scion, with a proposed 30 jobs losses - about 10% the forestry crown research institute’s workforce.

New forestry fees unfairly impact Māori

4 Apr 2024

By Liz Kivi | Recently implemented fees for forestry in the Emissions Trading Scheme are having a disproportionate impact on Māori, and the government didn’t consult adequately on the changes, according to the National Māori Forestry Association.

Half of Tairāwhiti at risk of erosion - new data

28 Mar 2024

An estimated 182 million tonnes of eroded soil entered New Zealand's rivers in 2022, according to new research.

Foresters welcome ETS costs review

1 Mar 2024

The New Zealand Forest Owners Association says the review of Emissions Trading Scheme fees is a relief for foresters facing excessive costs, but experts say forestry still faces an uncertain future under the scheme.

Government announces review of forestry ETS costs

29 Feb 2024

Forestry minister Todd McClay has announced an independent review into the forestry component of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) register.

Forestry company loses sustainability certification

19 Feb 2024

Forestry company Ernslaw One’s Forest Stewardship Council certification has been suspended over damage from its forestry operations in Tolaga Bay in 2018.

Environment Commissioner suggests forestry levy to tackle wilding pines

24 Oct 2023

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has suggested a levy on forestry companies to fund efforts to combat wilding pines.

Foresters take legal action against new ETS fees

10 Oct 2023

Foresters have filed a judicial review aiming to stop the government’s new fee system for forestry in the Emissions Trading Scheme, which they say will increase costs by several thousand percent.

Govt releases Cabinet papers on ETS forestry charges

5 Oct 2023

The government has proactively released cabinet papers on controversial new charges for forestry in the Emissions Trading Scheme.

Foresters say new rules will lead to less planting

4 Oct 2023

A group that petitioned for a Ministerial inquiry into land use in Tairāwhiti has welcomed new rules for exotic tree planting, however foresters say that the regulations will lead to less forest planting and could compromise climate change targets.

Govt defends new charges for forestry in ETS

3 Oct 2023

The government is defending new charges in the Emissions Trading Scheme, which foresters say will discourage planting, and some say could be open to legal challenges.

Foresters say new ETS charges will discourage planting

22 Sep 2023

Foresters say that new charges for forestry in the ETS will penalise sustainable forestry and disincentivise planting when it is most needed.

Sealord investing $10 million in Māori-led carbon forestry offsetting

4 Sep 2023

Fishing giant Sealord is investing $10 million over the next ten years in a carbon offsetting programme that it says will develop underutilised Te Arawa land in the Rotorua region into permanent forest.

Foresters welcome ETS reset

27 Jul 2023

Foresters have welcomed the government’s reset of Emissions Trading Scheme auction settings, saying it should incentivise forestry and wood processing investors for the embattled industry.

Post-1989 forest ETS registrations skyrocket

3 Jun 2022

Applications to register post-1989 forest grew by more than 400% from 296 in the last quarter of 2021 to 1304 in the first quarter of 2022.

Forestry rule changes could jeopardise net zero target: Forest Owners Assoc

24 Feb 2022

CABINET has approved changes to the Overseas Investment Act that will make it harder for overseas buyers to convert farmland to forestry, a move the Forest Owners Association says could jeopardise the country’s Net Zero target.

Deadwood releasing 10.9 gigatons of carbon every year

21 Sep 2021

Decaying wood releases around 10.9 gigatons of carbon worldwide every year, according to a new study by an international team of scientists.

Proving that taking care of forest pays carbon dividends

18 Feb 2021

New Zealand’s vast native forests may yet help the country meet its emissions reduction commitments under the Paris Agreement.

WELLINGTON: Should we hold 'em?

8 Dec 2020

Greater Wellington Regional Council will debate today whether it should sell millions of dollars worth of carbon credits or hold them and wait for prices to go higher.

Norway hikes cash for rainforests, seeking corporate help to slow losses

26 Nov 2020

Norway is doubling the price it guarantees developing nations to keep their tropical forests standing, in a step to slow catastrophic losses and encourage big companies to invest far more in nature to combat climate change.

Carbon farming makes space for native forests

23 Nov 2020

One of New Zealand biggest carbon farmers say New Zealand can have its carbon cake and eat it too.

Climate crisis finds ample answers in world’s trees

18 Nov 2020

The great climate change challenge should consider the world’s trees.

Forestry’s climate impact ‘invisible’ under UN rules, experts say

23 Oct 2020

Forests are the planet’s biggest carbon “sink” – absorbing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than they emit – but their contribution to cooling the earth’s climate is currently not fully accounted for under UN rules, experts say.

Biorefinery boost to forestry

9 Oct 2020

A venture pushing to develop a $160 million biorefinery near Gisborne believes the project can help fill a long-standing gap in the country’s forestry research sector.

CARBON FORESTS: First, prove there's a problem, says Parker

18 Sep 2020

Details of the Government’s response to concerns about farmland being converted to carbon forests are starting to emerge.

Restoring forests can reduce greenhouse gases

24 Aug 2020

There is one straightforward way to reduce greenhouse gases: by taking better care of the world’s natural forests.

OPINION: NZ pellet industry is clean

16 Jul 2020

Bioenergy Association chief executive Brian Cox responds to claims that burning wood pellets is bad for the environment.

Phil Taylor

We'll need more building wood, say growers

7 Jul 2020

A push to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the construction sector will inevitably lead to more wood in buildings, forest owners say.

Grant Dodson

No carbon-zero without new forests

23 Jun 2020

Government suggestions that it will limit forestry conversions to 40,000 hectares a year could prevent the country being carbon-neutral by 2050, forest owners says.

Forest owners want tax on burning of coal

27 Feb 2020

Forest owners are calling for a $200-a-tonne tax on the burning of coal and the implementation of the Government’s promised “wood-first” policy.

AI to monitor deforestation

5 Feb 2020

Artificial intelligence is being used to measure forest – and carbon – loss in New Zealand.

Give us a choice, foresters tell Parliament

4 Feb 2020

The owners of forests already in the Emissions Trading Scheme should be able to choose whether to switch to a new form of carbon accounting, MPs have heard.

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