Editorial: New Treeland?
OPINION: Forestry is not all bad and planting pine trees on land that is prone to erosion or in soils which cannot support livestock farming makes sense.
The Government will provide up to $1.69 million through the One Billion Trees programme to Māori landowners.
Forestry Minister Shane Jones says the funding will make their whenua more productive through the planting of forests, both native and exotic, and improve economic and environmental outcomes.
“Around 1.5 million ha of land in New Zealand is in Māori ownership but large tracts are returning little direct commercial value to Māori landowners, nor much in the way of positive climate, soil, water or biodiversity outcomes,” said Jones.
“About 500,000ha of Māori-owned land are already in some form of forest cover and a further 200,000ha is potentially suitable for afforestation, but it does present unique challenges for owners who might be considering forestry ventures and for potential investors.
“This funding through One Billion Trees (1BT), will help provide support and advice to help Māori landowners build confidence, skills and knowledge about forestry, as well as increase investor confidence to partner with Māori,” said Jones.
A material aim of the work will be the conversion of 20,000ha of Māori-owned land to forestry ventures (commercial exotic, carbon or native).
“It is estimated that this will deliver between $25m and $40m in increased earnings, 120 direct and 200 indirect jobs, 7.6m tonnes of carbon sequestered and improvement in soil erosion rates and water quality,” said Jones.
The work will be led by Te Kapunga Dewes, a Māori leader in the forestry sector and recent chief executive of PF Olsen.
Meat co-operative, Alliance has met with a group of farmer shareholders, who oppose the sale of a controlling stake in the co-op to Irish company Dawn Meats.
Rollovers of quad bikes or ATVs towing calf milk trailers have typically prompted a Safety Alert from Safer Farms, the industry-led organisation dedicated to fostering a safer farming culture across New Zealand.
The Government has announced it has invested $8 million in lower methane dairy genetics research.
A group of Kiwi farmers are urging Alliance farmer-shareholders to vote against a deal that would see the red meat co-operative sell approximately $270 million in shares to Ireland's Dawn Meats.
In a few hundred words it's impossible to adequately describe the outstanding contribution that James Brendan Bolger made to New Zealand since he first entered politics in 1972.
Dawn Meats is set to increase its proposed investment in Alliance Group by up to $25 million following stronger than forecast year-end results by Alliance.
OPINION: Ageing lefty Chris Trotter reckons that the decision to delay recognition of Palestinian statehood is more than just a fit…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly recently met someone at a BBQ who works at a big consulting firm who spent…