'A great victory for people power' - Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti

New rules for exotic tree plantations released yesterday, have been welcomed by Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti, the group responsible for the Government commissioning a Ministerial inquiry into land use in Tairāwhiti.

Changes to the National Environmental Standard -—Commercial Forestry (previously Plantation Forestry) address a number of issues Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti and other stakeholders including Gisborne District Council and Federated Farmers have been trying to have changed for many years.

“Requiring harvesters to remove slash on erosion-prone land is what we have been asking for,” said Mana Taiao spokesperson Manu Caddie.

“This is a great victory for people power, and shows that when the people lead, the leaders will follow. I’ve previously expressed my disappointment in the Government’s initial response to the Ministerial Land Use Inquiry, but this is what we were looking for and full credit must go to ministers David Parker and Peeni Henare for making these tangible improvements to the regulations.

“It is also good to see more controls over the risk of sediment leaving harvest sites. Now we need to see similar rules applied to pasture on erosion-prone slopes.

“Since 2010 Gisborne District Council has been asking for the ability to determine what kinds of trees can be planted where, so it is good to see the Government finally provide for this” said Mr Caddie.

“It is also pleasing to see much more protection for waterways and wetlands, and control over the risk of wilding pines, which is an issue for pinus radiata in regions like Tairāwhiti.”

Mr Caddie said he expected many forestry investors and plantation owners would need to review the viability of operations in regions like Tairāwhiti.

“It’s really critical that we also see support for a just transition for both farming and forestry workers and landowners in regions where exotic plantations and pasture are no longer permitted on erosion-prone land”.

Mana Taiao Tairā whiti representatives have been working on a national initiative that would release billions in funding for permanent indigenous forest restoration as an alternative to the Government purchasing carbon credits with questionable integrity offshore.

The programme proposal — Recloaking Papatūānuku — would see more than two million hectares of low productivity farmland planted and existing native forest better protected from pests and predators. The initiative has been developed by Pure Advantage and Tāne’s Tree Trust with support from Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti and was presented to a group of iwi and Māori landowner representatives in Auckland last week.

“Recloaking Papatūānuku is one of the most promising opportunities we have to transition large tracts of land in Tairāwhiti into permanent indigenous forest and create more sustainable employment opportunities in the process.”