Consultation draft National Māori Forestry Strategy from 1 Nov. (10 Oct 2023 press release)
Throughout its 120-year evolution the forestry industry has had Māori potential pouring into its roots – as land lessors, labourers, crew supervisors and trainers; as the people operating the plant and machinery of mills and processing lines; and in recent decades, as Crown Forest License land transfer and new plantation owners. From this relatively passive standpoint we have grown a $4.5 billion national Māori forestry asset with current earnings to trusts grossing on average $81 million gross, returning $56 million to provincial spending, and $27 million towards Māori household earnings per annum.
In May 2023, Māori leaders in forestry (Ngā Kōrero Rangatira mō Ngā Hua Ngahere 2023) told us the time had arrived for a high-powered Māori model of forests and forestry - we must work together nationally, and shift into a higher gear.
Their “Why?” - the need for mana motuhake to maintain the ecological and social balance of our forests, lands, and communities for future generations. To achieve this we must own the forests on our land, build up supply chain resilience, optimise the potential for new forestry value chains and nature positive Māori capital to restore natural resources and regional infrastructure. To mitigate risk to our assets we must also step forward to model, de-risk and financially back the high production parts in the chain of a diversified onshore forest-based circular bioeconomy.
What do we need to do now if our goals were to help transform forestry, to actively grow earnings in the Māori economy by more than 10% of the current (2023) value by 2035, to drive national decisions alongside industry and government that benefit our companies, to generate more than $1B in annual forest product sales from Māori forests by 2035? How do we move from passive participation to being proactive, to drive targeted forest and forestry-related activity through the sector, to grow carbon and biodiversity rich ecosystems alongside net primary productivity (biomass) stocks?
Between November 2023 and January 2024, we will re-engage with Ngā Rangatira Mō Ngā Hua Ngahere, industry and government to talk about the draft strategy and its potential for tangata whenua. Pre-consultation the added value to New Zealand from the strategy is estimated to be worth $10 billion per annum by 2035. We intend to test the pathways and the assumptions.
For more information you can email our Project Lead: ramona@ngapouatane.maori.nz