NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • Generate wealth weekly
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Ministers attempt to 'defang' claims that the one-billion-trees policy is bad for farmers

Jason Walls
By Jason Walls
Political Editor – Newstalk ZB·NZ Herald·
18 Jun, 2019 05:18 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Forestry Minister Shane Jones and Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor addressing media this morning to "defang" accusations that forestry is taking over farming in New Zealand. Photo / Jason Walls

Forestry Minister Shane Jones and Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor addressing media this morning to "defang" accusations that forestry is taking over farming in New Zealand. Photo / Jason Walls

The Ministers in charge of the Government's plan to plant one billion trees are attempting to "defang" accusations that forestry is taking over farming in New Zealand.

In fact, speaking at a media briefing this morning Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor was encouraging Kiwi farmers to plant more trees on their land.

"The facts are that just about every farm in New Zealand could and should have more trees.

"That applies across New Zealand," he said.

This follows lobby groups, such as 50 Shades of Green and Federated Farmers,
expressing concerns that the one-billion-trees policy would lead to the loss of farmland as the scheme develops.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The National Party has also made similar claims.

Forestry Minister Shane Jones called a media conference this morning to "defang the misapprehension that the one-billion-trees strategy is threatening the viability of rural New Zealand".

Over the last 10 years, roughly 7000ha per year transferred from forestry into farming, Jones said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Farming probably consumes about 12 million hectares of our land – the vast majority of that is hill and country farming. There is 1.7 million hectares of forestry [in New Zealand]."

"We are in a state of transition," Jones told media.

O'Connor said after spending three days at Fielddays, he became aware of a "perceived notion that forestry is coming to take over dry stock farming in New Zealand".

That, however, was "a long way from the truth".

Discover more

New Zealand

Billion trees snag? Contractors face 'drastic' shortage of planters

15 Jun 02:13 AM
New Zealand|politics

Beehive Diaries: best of the week

14 Jun 02:30 AM
New Zealand|politics

Shane Jones: Blocking highway sealing 'hillbilly thinking'

14 Jun 07:08 AM
Opinion

Audrey Young: Ardern's most valued minister revealed

14 Jun 05:00 PM

He said the one-billion-trees programme was not subsidising large-scale afforestation.

"What we are looking to do is to help farmers put the right trees in the right place."

The Government has set aside $240 million to incentivise farms to plant more trees
The Government would pay $1500 per hectare of pine forest planted, $1800 per hectare of Manuka trees and $4000 per hectare of mixed native trees.

Earlier this month, National Leader Simon Bridges said hill country farmers were concerned about the impact of the one-billion-trees programme on rural communities.

"The arbitrary target is overriding best land use, resulting in trees being planted in the wrong place.

"The Government needs to be cautious of subsidising forest plantings and skewing the overseas investment rules against pastoral farming."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We will not let rural New Zealand fade into a sea of trees."

But Jones disputes this.

He said today that if all of the new plantings of the trees was on unproductive farming land, it would equate to around 3 per cent of all farming.

Jones this morning also said the Government has committed to 68 million trees this year.
He said he "very much" feels like the policy is on track.

"Isn't it strange; if I'm too successful, I enrage the landowners who don't want more trees on the land.

"And if I'm not successful, I might be a botanical version of KiwiBuild – I can guarantee you that's not happening to me as an NZ First politician."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

'Rest easy, Jim': Community mourns man who knitted 1000 pairs of booties for newborns

New Zealand

'Unsustainable caseloads' in justice system: too few judges, not enough courts

New Zealand

'Positive news': Maternity services to be fully restored at Whakatāne Hospital in 2026


Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

'Rest easy, Jim': Community mourns man who knitted 1000 pairs of booties for newborns
New Zealand

'Rest easy, Jim': Community mourns man who knitted 1000 pairs of booties for newborns

Jim Trainor, 83, helped keep newborn babies warm in Ōtepoti Dunedin.

03 Sep 02:28 AM
'Unsustainable caseloads' in justice system: too few judges, not enough courts
New Zealand

'Unsustainable caseloads' in justice system: too few judges, not enough courts

03 Sep 02:00 AM
'Positive news': Maternity services to be fully restored at Whakatāne Hospital in 2026
New Zealand

'Positive news': Maternity services to be fully restored at Whakatāne Hospital in 2026

03 Sep 01:58 AM


NZ’s convenience icon turns 35
Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

02 Sep 09:23 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP