New ETS exemption for Māori land restores balance for owners previously locked out of full land use options, according to head of advocacy group Whenua Oho.
What is at stake? Access to carbon income for collectively owned Māori land, and the chance to stabilise erosion-prone country while funding long-term native forest.
Background: Sector estimates Māori collectively own about 2.4 million hectares of land, with roughly 1.4 million in primary production and about 700,000ha already in forestry. The new law limits exotic carbon forests on high-quality farmland but exempts specified categories of Māori-owned land.
Main players:Te Kapunga Dewes (Whenua Oho, Ngā Pou a Tāne), Māori landowners, and the ministers overseeing ETS and primary sector policy.
Māori forestry is moving back into focus. Last month, Parliament tightened the rules on new exotic carbon forests but carved out an exemption for specified categories of Māori land. For collectively owned Māori blocks that already face structural hurdles, that exemption has restored a viable
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Key points
What is at stake? Access to carbon income for collectively owned Māori land, and the chance to stabilise erosion-prone country while funding long-term native forest.
Background: Sector estimates Māori collectively own about 2.4 million hectares of land, with roughly 1.4 million in primary production and about 700,000ha already in forestry. The new law limits exotic carbon forests on high-quality farmland but exempts specified categories of Māori-owned land.
Main players:Te Kapunga Dewes (Whenua Oho, Ngā Pou a Tāne), Māori landowners, and the ministers overseeing ETS and primary sector policy.
