Farm Forestry New Zealand

Partnership programme for long-term success

Julie Collins, New Zealand Tree Grower November 2019.

The vision for the One Billion Trees Programme is to transform New Zealand to improve the economic performance of our regions, the social and cultural outcomes for people and the quality of our environment. It is more than just reaching one billion trees by 2028.

It is about ensuring the right trees are in the right place for the right purpose. We want to see a broad range of exotic and native trees established for permanent and plantation forests and to see trees which are suitable for the land and are integrated into existing landscapes.

The right trees will grow into forests which can create wide benefits for New Zealand. Among other things, we will see improved land productivity, diversity of income for land owners, opportunities for Maori to maximise the potential of their land and resources, environmental concerns addressed, more native biodiversity, new innovative, high value wood products developed and our climate change commitments met.

Five priorities for a billion trees

The One Billion Trees Fund was launched in November 2018 to support an increase in tree planting in the immediate future. In my previous article I went into detail about the grants scheme which is one of two forms of funding available to help us achieve our targets. This article covers partnerships which offer an opportunity to lay the foundations for long-term success of the programme.

Government investment is focused on five priority areas -

• Forestry labour, workforce and skills
• Seedling and nursery production
• Science and innovation
• Information and advice
• Landscape and catchment restoration.

By prioritising these areas we are looking to support diversification, innovation and growth. We will also aim to create partnerships which can explore new areas for forestry including species diversification, which will help us to move away from the growing and harvesting cycles, and to look for new techniques and markets for extracts, technological innovation and the development of high value wood products for local and international markets.

This will involve regional councils, sector organisations, environmental non-governmental organisations, researchers, training organisations, Maori, community groups, and key government agencies. These partnerships will require co-funding. Where any of these projects include tree planting, applicants may also be eligible for a grant to complement the partnership agreement.

Forestry labour and workforce development

This includes projects and training programmes which will result in an increase in the number of skilled people who can grow, plant and maintain trees. It will improve employment conditions and see more young people enter the forestry sector.

One example is the Tane Mahuta NZ Ltd ‘Learn While You Earn’ programme in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. It supports rangatahi to study towards NZQA forestry qualifications within a kaupapa Maori framework. Practical training out in the field will allow the trainees to be ready for employment by the end of the course. The trainees whakapapa back to the land they are learning from and earn up to a living wage, with many rangatahi coming from backgrounds of hardship or unemployment.

Another example is the Ngati Hine Manuka Training project which is planting more than 400 hectares of manuka, and providing a two-year forestry training programme for 40 trainees. Trainees learn how to prepare planting sites, choosing seedlings, planting and maintaining them as they grow. This integrated project is also using a direct grant to help pay for the trees.

Advice and information for landowners

This is about supporting projects which improve information and technical advice for land owners. The projects will help build an understanding around using land for forest, different species options and how to plant and manage trees.

One partnership we have invested in involves a native forest restoration ambassador who is providing free, independent advice to farmers, community groups and iwi about how to conserve native biodiversity on their land.

Catchment-based planting and restoration projects

This includes projects to restore large areas to native forest, especially those that aim to help erosion control, freshwater quality and biodiversity. We are working on community led large-scale native restoration projects with the Department of Conservation in places such as Te Waihora /Lake Ellesmere, Waimea Inlet in the Tasman region and Punakaiki on the West Coast.

Science, research and innovation

These partnerships will improve knowledge, expertise, and technology around land use, trees, and forestry. We will partner with organisations which also use kaupapa Maori methods for more productive and sustainable forestry systems, scaling up indigenous species forestry and diversification of forestry – new species and mixed species

A pilot partnership in Northland is looking at the viability of creating a totara timber industry. In another partnership project, Scion is looking at a selection of trials completed in the 1980s focused on assisted reversion to provide information on optimal planting regimes.

Seedlings and nursery production

This includes projects which lead to more efficient seedling production to meet a growing demand. We need to scale-up the production of a diverse range of tree species seedlings.

Partnerships we have invested in within this project include Minginui Nursery. They are working to increase production of forestry grade native seedlings to an industrial scale using specialist propagation techniques. It will result in the production of around 1.8 million native seedlings. There has also been wider social development for the community including the creation of a number of full-time jobs. Another project is one led by Scion, working in partnership with other Bay of Plenty organisations, with research under way to identify more effective native seedling propagation techniques and technology.

The application process

Expressions of interest for partnerships are open all year round until 2021. If you think you have an idea or project which fits with what we are trying to achieve then we would like to hear from you However we recommend you first look at the criteria on our web page www.teururakau.govt.nz. From there we will work with you to see if you have a fundable project. The main points will be −

• How your application fits the criteria
• The amount of co-funding available
• The contribution to the One Billion Trees and Provincial Growth Fund
• Your ability to carry out your plan.

If the project meets the criteria we will work with you until there is a firm proposal, which we will take to our inter-agency panel. This panel will give us a steer on anything else that may be needed, then we seek a formal decision, either from within Te Uru Rakau if the project is under two million dollars, or from a group of forestry ministers if the amount is greater than this. Do not be put off by the steps. We are happy to discuss your idea or project with you by email 1bt@mpi.govt.nz or phone 0800 008333.

Toitu te whenua, toitu te tangata. If you look after the land, the land will look after you.

Julie Collins is the head of Te Uru Rakau.