Applications have opened for the first ballot allowing landowners to register exotic forestry on marginal land under the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme.
The ballot follows updated ETS forestry rules that came into effect on October 31 last year, creating a new permit allocation system for exotic forestry on Land Use Capability Class 6 land.
Te Uru Rākau New Zealand Forest Service says Class 6 land is generally non-arable and less suitable for productive land uses than higher-quality land classes.
The Ministry for Primary Industries will run the ballot from June 19 to July 22, allocating permits for up to 7,500 hectares. A second annual ballot will be held later, with a total of up to 15,000 hectares available each year.
Of each ballot, 2,000 hectares will be reserved for smaller applications of up to 100 hectares, aiming to give a wider range of landowners the chance to participate.
Successful applicants will be able to register post-1989 exotic forests on Class 6 land in the ETS.
Under the wider 2025 reforms, landowners can also plant and register up to 25 percent of their Land Use Capability Class 1 to 6 land in exotic forestry within the ETS. Land approved through the ballot sits outside that allowance.
Forestry Minister Shane Jones says the changes are intended to provide clearer rules around where exotic forests can be registered, while supporting landowners to make use of marginal land.
Supporters say the system offers more certainty for landowners and investors, while critics are likely to continue watching how exotic forestry expansion affects rural communities, whenua use and long-term land management.
#ShaneJones #ETS #Forestry #ExoticForestry #TeUruRakau #MPI #EmissionsTradingScheme #LandUse #RuralNZ #CarbonForestry #ClimatePolicy #Aotearoa #NZPolitics #RadioWaatea #WaateaNews
