Tairawhiti Maori Forestry Interests Seek Practical Pathways for Slash, Woody Debris and Land Use Transition
Tairawhiti Whenua joined other Tairawhiti-based Māori forestry interests, sector representatives, Gisborne District Council and central government agencies at a Wellington hui convened by the Environmental Defence Society to address one of the region’s most urgent land management challenges: woody debris, forestry slash and the transition of high-risk land into more resilient long-term cover.
The hui provided an opportunity to better understand the practical, regulatory and financial barriers preventing landowners from transitioning vulnerable whenua at scale. Discussion focused on how current policy settings, enforcement risks and emissions trading obligations can make it difficult for landowners to act quickly, even where there is broad agreement that change is urgently needed.
Three key barriers identified
Three priority issues were highlighted: the Emissions Trading Scheme implications for transition land where tree cover has been lost; the potential loss of New Zealand Units when land is transitioned into native cover; and the challenge of non-consented discharges into waterways, which has underpinned recent enforcement action and created further uncertainty for landowners and forestry interests.
Tairawhiti Whenua mapping shows site-specific risks
Matene Blandford presented an analysis drawn from Tairawhiti Whenua mapping data, showing how slope failure risk can be better understood at a site-specific level. The work identified the combination of factors that increase the likelihood of failure, particularly topsoil disturbance, water pooling and saturated soils.
The analysis also showed how land use transition could occur progressively and at scale. Some Tairawhiti Whenua members are already working through transition pathways, beginning with the least risky areas of the Infrastructure Transition Zone before moving towards more complex areas over time.
Call for coordinated action
“For whānau landowners, this feels like watching a house burn. Everyone knows the fire needs to be put out, but there is still uncertainty about who holds the hose, who pays for it, and whether the water can even be used,” Matene Blandford said. “The science and mapping have been completed for many of our members. It shows us where the risks are and where action is needed. What is required now is a practical transition framework that aligns regulation, funding, ETS settings and local knowledge so landowners can act with confidence. While others wait for answers, our members are already acting within the limits of their scarce resources.”
Tairawhiti Whenua says its focus is on working with willing partners to resolve practical on-the-ground issues while regulatory and policy barriers are addressed. The organisation’s priority is to protect whānau and whenua, and to support decisions that are practical, enduring and intergenerational.