Friday, 03 July 2020 13:52

Resource consent to convert productive farmland

Written by  Staff Reporters
Labour Party Forestry spokesperson Stuart Nash. Labour Party Forestry spokesperson Stuart Nash.

If elected next term, Labour says it will require resource consent for any conversion of highly productive farmland into forestry.

Labour Party Forestry spokesperson Stuart Nash said food producing soil will take priority over planting trees to meet climate change challenges.

“Within the first six months of the next term of government, we will revise the National Environment Standards for Plantation Forestry to enable councils to once again determine what classes of land can be used for plantation and carbon forests.” 

“Resource consent would be required for plantation or carbon forests on Land Use Capability Classes 1-5 – often known as elite soils – above a threshold of 50 hectares per farm to allow farmers flexibility in creating small plantations to support environmental goals,” said Nash.

Labour Party rural communities spokesperson Kieran McAnulty says 90% of forestry planting for ETS purpose happens on less productive soils in classes 6-8.

McAnulty says Labour wants to ensure all planting happens away from valuable soils in classes 1-5.

“Forestry is not bad: we need the right tree in the right place, but we also need the right mechanism to ensure this,” said McAnulty.

New Zealand has approximately 12.1 million hectares in farmland and 1.7m in forestry.

Labour says 22,000 hectares of farmland was converted to forestry in 2019, a figure conflicting with Beef + Lamb New Zealand, who claim about 70,000 hectares of productive sheep and beef land has been converted to forestry since 2019.

More like this

Full steam ahead with clean energy from forestry waste

While the vehicle industry is addressing the future by developing engines that run on waste oil, hydrogen, or indeed electricity, one Christchurch-based company is looking at things in a different direction with the use of steam.

Govt updates ETS scheme settings

Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says updates to the New Zealand Emission Trading Scheme have been made to ensure New Zealand has a more credible market.

Featured

Expo set to wow again

Stellar speakers, top-notch trade sites, innovation, technology and connections are all on offer at the 2025 East Coast Farming Expo being once again hosted in Wairoa in February.

A year of global challenges

As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make an early November dash to Bologna to the 46th EIMA exhibition.

Editorial: NZ's great China move

OPINION: The New Zealand red meat sector, with support from the Government, has upped the ante to retain and expand its niche in the valuable Chinese market - and the signs are looking positive.

Wool-derived protein eyes $2b market

Keratin extracted from New Zealand wool could soon find its way into products used to minimise osteoporosis, promote gut health, and other anti-inflammatories, says Keraplast chief executive Howard Moore.

» Latest Print Issues Online

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter