The Cabinet has agreed to explore public-private partnerships to plant trees on Crown land, supporting New Zealand’s climate change targets and creating more jobs.
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts said that nature-based solutions were a key part of the Government’s climate strategy and represented a significant step forward in achieving the climate targets, including Net Zero by 2050.
“New Zealand is well positioned to leverage its natural assets to drive progress in climate action and economic growth,” said Watts.
“Partnerships to plant native and exotic trees on Crown-owned land represent a cost-effective approach to reducing net emissions while delivering tangible benefits to local communities.”
Forestry Minister Todd McClay added forestry was critical to New Zealand’s economic future.
“These partnerships would drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, provide more wood for domestic processing and over time boost the value of exports,” said McClay.
“This policy strikes the right balance between planting more production and native forests and making better use of Crown assets without impacting productive farmland or compromising high-value conservation land.”
Conservation Minister Tama Potaka also said that potential partnerships could help improve biodiversity and water quality. Native forests store carbon and support a low-emissions future. They’re also important for biodiversity and can strengthen environmental resilience to floods, droughts, and storms.
“We will ensure commitments are upheld where land is subject to Treaty of Waitangi settlement obligations or being held for potential future Treaty settlement redress. We are also keen to explore potential Iwi collaboration through public-private partnerships,” said Potaka.
Land Information Minister Chris Penk mentioned that the Government was focused on getting good value from Crown land. The Crown has held significant land across New Zealand, and it was necessary to use it responsibly and productively.
Whether contributing to climate goals, generating returns, or improving environmental and conservation efforts, the government has been focused on delivering value to the public.
“We are excluding national parks, high-value farming land, and high-value conservation land and only focusing on land that is not otherwise in use. Making full use of your assets is good commonsense.”
The Government will soon release a request for information (RFI) to help clarify the conditions under which potential partners could work with the Crown. This would help the Government understand what land may be suitable to offer for partnership.
The RFI will be publicly released on the 18th of December on the MPI website, along with information on how people can participate.
