Gisborne twin-station farm carbon sink prospect sparks local protest action, petition launched

A Federated Farmers local president fears trees will inhabit the stations soon. Photo / Warren Buckland

A Gisborne farming leader has launched a petition to try to stop the as-yet unconfirmed prospect of two stations being sold as carbon sinks, planted in pine trees never to be harvested.

Gisborne-Wairoa Federated Farmers provincial president Toby Williams wants locals to sign his petition on change.org titled Help up save Huiarua and Matanui from offshore forestry interest.

The Overseas Investment Office is yet to announce any decision on applications, but Williams said he understood from local media an application had been made two weeks ago.

He also confirmed that with Parliament's petitions committee.

"We understand that this matter is currently being considered by the Overseas Investment Office, to whom the public can make submissions," a committee adviser wrote to Williams on March 17.

Views could also be made known to the Minister of Finance Grant Robertson, Associate Minister of Finance David Parker and the Minister for Land Information Damien O'Connor, the committee told Williams.

"The petitions process is not fast, and it is likely that the OIO will have finished its consideration of this matter before a select committee has heard submissions on your petition and reported back to the House," it told him.

So far, 3576 people have signed up on the petition Williams launched but the hopes are more than 5000 people will support it.

Supporters say productive farmland should not be converted to forestry. It should be preserved for food production.

"There is too much good land going into forestry and also to offshore interests," another supporter said.

Williams provided more information two days ago, saying fears Huiarua Station and neighbouring Matanui Station would be sold to foreigners for carbon credits through planting the entire 6000ha of land in trees.

The station sales have not been announced. Nor has it been announced that the farms are being bought by foreigners. Nor has it been revealed what any buyers might be planning for the land and whether that could be forestry.

But Williams says people in the area are talking about that and are concerned.

"We need to keep the crown jewels of the east coast out of the hands of offshore forestry interests. Help us let the Government and the Overseas Investment Office know that we do not want them sold and planted into forestry," Williams says.

The farms are the East Coast's equivalent of high-country South Island properties, Williams said.

In its heyday, Huiarua had more than 50 permanent staff and a school.

"They are now the host of the Mata School, which services the families on the surrounding farms. This saves the families travelling into Tokomaru bay daily on the treacherous Mata Rd," he said.

"If the farm goes, so does the school. The shearing gang that they use is already looking for alternate sheds due to many farms being planted in trees," he complained.

The stations are about four hours' drive from Gisborne and are in mainly rolling pasture with a cultivatable contour.

"Land quality such as this is rare in our country and if these farms were located anywhere else in New Zealand or closer to Gisborne city, they would most likely have been converted to dairy farms with a milk processing factory," Williams says on his petition.

The local district council has also expressed concern about carbon forestry in the area, questioning whether it's the best land use.

The Emissions Trading Scheme, set up to help New Zealand meet its carbon-neutral goal by 2050, means carbon has become a currency.

Trees earn credits for the carbon dioxide they soak up and those credits can be sold to companies needing to offset emissions from their own trading activities.

That creates carbon sinks, which are highly valuable globally.