Listen Now: 
A Māori asset manager is disappointed this week’s Carbon Forestry Conference sems to have overlooked Māori input into the sector.
Te Aupouri commerical development manager Penetaui Klescovic says he’s headed to Rotorua because the iwi and Maori land trusts in the far north are heavily invested in forestry.
He says it’s the first major industry conference since Climate Change Minister James Shaw proposed taking permanent exotic forestry out of the emissions trading scheme, which was vigorously resisted by Maori.
“So obviously the process will not lead to statutory changes until after the election, but one way of another Maori will be front and centre in terms of influencing any changes to carbon forestry, so I would say if the organisers of that event don’t send out another panui I’ll need to call on Elon Musk and his satellites to find the kaikorero Maori at this event,” Mr Klescovic says.
He intends to give a message to Minister Shaw, who is speaking at the conference, that Maori economic rights and conservation are not mutually exclusive.
RELATED NEWS
