Groundswell NZ says overseas carbon farmers need to be included in slash review

Groundswell NZ leaders say the Government’s ministerial inquiry into issues around forestry slash must look into the amount of land being bought up by international buyers for carbon farming.

The Government has ordered a ministerial review into forestry practice and the slash, the branches and offcuts from forestry work, which has filled beaches and destroyed roads in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle.

Former National Party minister Hekia Parata​, who lives in Gisborne​, will lead the inquiry, alongside former regional council chief executive Bill Bayfield​ and forestry engineer Matthew McCloy​.

Groundswell NZ spokesperson Bryce McKenzie said it was crucial that the investigation looked into the massive amount of land being bought up for pine forestry by international buyers looking to get easy 100% carbon offsets.

READ MORE:
* Government orders inquiry into forestry slash after Cyclone Gabrielle
* What is slash and why is it so dangerous in bad weather?
* Tairāwhiti locals launch petition seeking changes to stop forestry ‘carnage’
* Government proposes banning pine carbon farms from the ETS

“The 100% offsets mean these international companies don’t have to do a thing to address their own polluting behaviours. These pine forests don’t even contribute to our own carbon targets in New Zealand, but it’s our environment bearing the impact,’’ he said.

“Additionally, the land being scooped up by opportunistic offshore carbon-offsetters is often prime land for food production. This hurts our rural communities and the New Zealand economy.’’

But he said it would be a mistake to attribute all the destruction we’ve seen post-cyclone to slash.

“The Government needs to also investigate the impact of pine forestry being planted in cyclone-susceptible areas which results in trees being blown over and vegetation being swept downstream, contributing to flood devastation,’’ he said.

“When the Government becomes blinkered by ideological approaches to addressing environmental problems they can miss the unintended consequences which can wreck their own havoc on the environment. That is one of the unintended consequences of having mass pine plantations.”

Southland MP and National Party spokesperson for forestry Joseph Mooney has questioned why the Government failed to act on the back of earlier reviews.

He said a review of slash management which began in 2018 warned of increased incidents of extreme rain and the damage forestry slash could cause.

“In 2022, Forestry Minister Stuart Nash kicked off further consultation that included a review of the findings from 2018. While that was completed in November, Mr Nash confirmed this week that he is yet to take action as he awaits advice from the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry for Primary Industries,’’ Mooney said.

He said Nash and his colleagues have let down both communities on the East Coast and Hawke’s Bay, as well as the forestry industry through their failure to address the issue.

“Despite declaring a climate emergency and receiving warnings about the impact of forestry slash in extreme weather, the Labour Government has done nothing in response. Communities affected by forestry slash need action.’’

The ministerial enquiry was expected to take two months to complete, but the Forest Owners Association said that doesn’t give enough time or depth to find solutions.

Forest Owners Association president Grant Dodson said the two-month-long timescale for the Tairāwhiti inquiry is too brief to properly consider the intersection of all land uses impacted and the considerable science that needs to be reviewed.

“The region is unique. There is land which is some of the most erodable in the world. On the other hand, climate change is probably going to bring both more storms and droughts into the area, before anywhere else in New Zealand,” he said.

“The issues of agriculture, forestry, infrastructure and economic prosperity are complex and interlinked, and so a rush once-over look is not going to be thorough and long enough to get past a blame game,” Dodson said.