Te Uru Rākau has launched its afforestation programme, with the first task being engagement with native plant producers in order to build a business case.
NZPPI hosted a November 4 Zoom meeting with native nursery members and Te Uru Rākau consultant Michael Jamieson, one of our conference speakers, and has since hosted two follow-up meetings on the issues raised.
The meetings come during a Te Uru Rākau survey of native producers. We encourage all native nurseries to complete the survey by the deadline as it will provide valuable industry data to help to shape policy that works.
The summary of meeting notes are below.
Te Uru Rākau is developing a business case to release $160 million from Treasury to research how New Zealand will establish the native carbon forests needed to achieve Carbon Zero by 2050. The $160 million was announced in the last Budget to kickstart native afforestation through both establishing a market for investment through the ETS and building supply through investment in research and development and capacity.
Te Uru Rākau’s focus is on native tall trees. The Climate Change Commission estimates that in order to create large enough carbon sinks by 2050, 300,000 hectares of new tall tree native forest (ie podocarps not manuka) is needed by 2035 ie 12 years x 25,000 hectares per year. According to the 2019 survey, tall natives represent less than 5% of native nursery production.
The afforestation project will not involve government buying or planting trees or land. TUR wants to reset the market so there is the economic imperative – from within New Zealand and from overseas investors - to plant native trees to offset carbon. Government may partner with producers and others to boost production but it will not provide grants as under the $1 Billion Trees programme (which has been quietly shelved).
Options for building supply include establishing a centre or centres for native tall tree seedling production. A fully functional demonstration site could be developed with partner/s to showcase technologies and share best practice to produce commercial grade seedlings faster, cheaper, at scale and help build capacity in existing nurseries.
Obviously this programme has huge implications for our native nursery sector. Member issues and concerns raised in the Zoom meeting and subsequent meetings included:
- The sector could actually scale up now if it had confidence in multi-year large orders but the government can’t place those orders as it is relying on instead resetting the market
- The carbon look-up tables are very out-of-date and under report the carbon sequestering of natives – Michael said the charts will be updated but this might take two years
- Is the Government asking nurseries that are already automated and working at scale to reduce the cost of seedlings? Michael said no but the afforestation programme demands scale beyond that of the current sector.
- The sector is suffering from staff shortages already so how will this upscale be staffed?
- Will the seeds be eco-sourced?
- Will the government ensure that any afforestation seedlings are sold for this purpose only so they don’t disrupt the rest of the sector?
We are in close contact with Michael and TUR and will be holding a workshop on December 6 in Wellington on the issue along with fortnightly Zoom calls. In the meantime we ask native producers to:
- Complete the TUR survey – there is only one survey going to each native nursery so check who might have received it in your organisation
- Reach out to me if you have any concerns and issues or haven't received the survey
- Put December 6 in your diary for a full-day Wellington workshop – details to come
- Keep any eye on your emails about our programme of fortnightly Zoom calls – tentatively set down for 10am on Fridays but this is to be confirmed.
Regards
Matt
matthew@nzppi.co.nz 027 622 9255