Our whanau
Land Owners
Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te whenua People come and go, but the land endures.
Ko te ngahere ko au, ko au, ko te ngahere
I am one with the forest.
There are large tracts of Māori owned land in Aotearoa currently undeveloped and therefore not delivering any benefit to the landowners, the local community, the country, nor the planet. Approximately 1.5M hectares in Aotearoa is in Communal Māori ownership, with approximately 79% described as “non arable” or worse, and more than 50% populated with scrub or “indigenous forest”. The vast majority of this land is returning little of commercial value to the landowners, nor is it delivering the potential national benefits including carbon sequestration, soil and water quality, employment, and economic value.
We, as Māori, have a spiritual connection with our lands and the forests, flora and fauna that flourish on them. We depend on forests for our survival, from the air we breathe to the limitless application of wood we use in everyday life. Besides providing habitats for animals and livelihoods for humans, forests also offer watershed protection, prevent soil erosion and mitigate climate change.
As Māori, we understand the connectivity between us and our choice of land use. Our drivers are not simply economic wealth, they include social outcomes incorporating employment and intergenerational wealth creation, protection of our environment and water resources over the long term, all alongside our sense of belonging to, and oneness with, our land and forests.
At a more detailed level, forests can be a source of economic and social value now and into the future. Commercial rotational forests can provide income streams on land that is unsuited to other land uses, and through the emissions trading scheme (ETS), provide income through the sequestration of carbon over time. Similarly, ongoing meaningful work can be sustained by the land in forestry which includes transferrable skills and business opportunities in the forestry industry ranging from working the land, through management and into governance.
Most certainly there are opportunities for us to leverage our land, to create intergenerational wealth and benefits for our people.
If not now, when? If not us, who? Hillel the Elder
a. Where our lands are
b. What condition they are in
c. If a governance structure exists
d. Why we need a governance structure and who can help.
Embarking on a journey of discovery and exploration about whenua Māori can be exciting and rewarding, notwithstanding the personal time and energy invested. Fortunately, at the out of this journey, there are several free resources that provide information about individual land blocks. Information such as where the whenua is located; data about the condition of the whenua; understanding governance structure, why we need governance and how to establish one if required.
Where are our lands and other useful information?
In terms of locating and finding information specifically about whenua Māori, a recommended free resource, if you know the name of your block, is the Whenua Viz site administered by Te Puni Kōkiri and Manaaki Whenua. Not only will this provide some information based on LUC Table, but also information regarding current land cover, climatic information, and soil property analysis. It also gives a direct link to the Māori Land Online information held on your block if you do not have this already (see highlight on screenshot).
Another similar resource is the Tupu.nz site administered by Te Puni Kōkiri, where a search can be carried out either by entering the name of the whenua, the name of the trust, or the block number. Whilst the information in Whenua Viz and Tupu.nz is very generic, it is the combination of many data sources in one space, and it should help to inform the direction taken with your whenua.
Whenua Oho can help by way of unpacking the data about your whenua and not only give expert advice about forestry applications but also give guidance around other land use applications.
Why Governance?
Another crucial part of this journey is the question of governance. In other words, does my whenua have a governance structure? If not, what do I need to do? Sadly, many Māori land blocks are currently ungoverned with one study referencing over 15%, hence the need to assist our people in this area to transition successfully into governance. In summary, governance is necessary if we want to unlock our lands’ potential. If our whenua is a vehicle, governance provides the driver.
Again the Tupu.nz site provides useful information to understand the role of governance and the processes around establishing a governance structure, these include what governance is; why we need governance; types of governance structures; what good governance looks like, and how to set up a governance structure. Government departments including Te Puni Kōkiri and the Māori Land Court provide regional support services for Māori landowners around governance.
Recognising the importance of governance, the scope of services Whenua Oho provides includes providing guidance to Māori landowners to assist in navigating this process.
a. Land use classifications and recommended land uses
b. Integrated farm and forestry options.
c. Commercial (rotational) forestry
d. Permanent forests
e. Native forests
f. Rongoā Māori and Horticulture
The exploration process can be in many forms. The information sources discussed here may be able to assist and we recognise there may be others. What other local land blocks in the area are doing may be especially useful given they are likely to have similar land characteristics in terms of soil and climate. Scale is generally also a positive opportunity to be considered where access to expertise and costs are concerned and therefore increased similar localised activity will benefit all in the area.
Our initial guidance when exploring opportunities is to have clarity regarding the aspirations the trust and landowners have for your whenua. Ensure the strategic pathway is generally defined in terms of the desired outcomes, the known constraints, and where flexibility exists. Whenua Oho can assist you with narrowing focus and provide some options for exploration based on understanding the unique aspirations of your whanau, and the characteristics of your whenua.
Land Use Classification:
The Land Use Classification (LUC) system found in this can provide some useful guidance for consideration.
| LUC#1 | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Suitable for crops. Most versatile multiple-use land. |
| 2 | Slight limitations for crops. Good versatile land. |
| 3 | Moderate limitations for crops. |
| 4 | Severe limitations for cropping or cultivation. More suited to specific crops, permanent pasture or forestry |
| 5 | Unsuitable for cropping. Negligible limitations to pasture, grapevines, tree crop, or forestry. |
| 6 | Productive pastoral hill country, slight to moderate limitations or hazards to pasture, tree crops, and/or forestry |
| 7 | Severe to very severe limitations or hazards for grazing with intensive soil conservation measures, more suited to forestry. |
| 8 | Very severe to extreme limitations, requiring permanent vegetative cover and protection, unsuitable for agriculture. |
This guidance is just that, guidance. Prior to executing any plans for land use a feasibility study by an expert in the field is highly recommended.
Whenua Oho will be able to assist you with this.
A recommended free source of information if you know the name of your block is the Whenua Viz site administered by Te Puni Kōkiri and Manaaki Whenua. Not only will this provide some information based on LUC, but will also provide information regarding current land cover, climatic information, and soil property analysis. It also provides a direct link to the Māori Land Online information held on your block if you don’t have this already. Whilst the information in Whenua Viz is very generic, it is the combination of many data sources in one space, and it should help to inform the direction taken with your whenua.
For additional water and catchment information, topographical implications, and additional soil detail, a less user-friendly site is S-MAP Online administered by Manaaki Whenua. An account needs to be set up (free of charge), and it is recommended you endure the “tour” to find what you are looking for and interpret it accurately. The waterway by catchment is a particularly useful feature to understand for any land use applications.
Afforestation Opportunities:
Afforestation is a land use opportunity with many potential alternatives in terms of scale, location, species, and purpose. Once again understanding your unique aspirations is advantageous prior to exploring afforestation options. The intent of this section is to provide an overview of options for further investigation.
Integrated Afforestation
Forests can be integrated with other land use particularly farming for overall benefit. Converting waterways into stock exclusion zones coupled with riparian afforestation is a common example. A less common example, but highly successful is permanent afforestation on marginal grazing and highly erodible areas of the farm. Between these two extremes are a mosaic of options including rotational forestry and use of alternate species. The key is to understand the objectives of afforestation, is this to minimise financial risk where commercial forestry will provide alternate revenue stream from carbon sequestration or harvesting? Are there environmental concerns around erosion or water quality where permanent forests will minimise these impacts and provide carbon income? Or are there social opportunities to engage with beneficial owners by way of employment or recreation through permanent native forests providing emotional connectivity, carbon income, Rongoā, or even recreational activity? As Māori, we understand that not one size fits all, hence the reference to creating a mosaic, where the most appropriate land use is applied, and can integrate good farming practice with the right tree in the right place, or any other iteration that works for the landowners.
Utilisation of LUC classes combined with practicality can form the foundation of this activity. For complex multi land use options, Whenua Oho can provide guidance for our Māori Landowners, as well as supporting the engagement of professional services to provide forms of feasibility studies or business cases for investment. In some instances, there is opportunity to have these “research” activities funded and Whenua Oho can assist navigating government departments to secure funding where possible.
Commercial Forestry
Commercial or rotational forestry (for the purpose of harvesting) is a land use option well suited to Māori owned land. As mentioned, our land tends to be LUC 6 – 8 which lends itself to forestry applications albeit class 8 and highly erodible land are likely to be better purposed as permanent afforestation.
It is not the intent of this section to describe all aspects of commercial forestry, more detail can be found in the Te Uru Rākau website alongside facts and figures from the industry. Rotational forestry can offer all the benefits that forests have to offer, coupled with both carbon and harvest income streams. Profitability varies for a multitude of reasons; however, the major driving factors are:
- Regime Applied – species selection, treestock selected (improved vs unimproved), stocking rate, and silviculture applied.
- Rotation Length – generally dictated by species and market conditions (prices for logs around harvest time).
- Harvest Method – generally dictated by topography where steeper and more difficult soils = increased costs.
- Distance to Market – generally indexed by distance to closest log capable port where the longer the distance, the higher the costs.
Given the variability of returns, it would be irresponsible to provide specific numbers without context nor conditionality. In order to provide a high-level indication of returns, it would be fair to say that returns for a framing regime of Pinus Radiata would normally be well upwards of $20,000 per hectare at time of harvest (age 25 – 30). Based on current carbon unit price ($40/ unit), carbon income for the same crop would be upwards of $10,000 per hectare achieved within 20 years of establishment.
Whenua Oho can provide guidance around this and may be able to provide improved estimates of potential returns after discussion.
Whenua Oho can also assist with sourcing professional forestry service providers who are aligned to tikanga Māori and will for a fee provide more detailed feasibility analysis coupled with operational execution if needed.
Permanent and Native Forestry
Substantively different to commercial forestry, permanent forests are established for the purpose of land conservation, often coupled with revenue from carbon sequestration. Permanent forestry is a land use option well suited to Māori owned land given the amount that is LUC 6 – 8. In several areas, commercial forestry can be established and legitimately harvested, however, fragile soils, erodible landscapes, and sensitive waterways suggest permanent forests would be a better land use despite reduced financial reward.
Once again it is not the intent of this section to describe all aspects of commercial forestry, more detail can be found in the Te Uru Rākau website including information on both native and exotic trees used for this purpose. Permanent forests provide substantial benefit to the land from an environmental perspective and can offer income in the form of carbon credits.
Once again, given the variability of returns, it would be irresponsible to provide specific numbers without context nor conditionality. To provide a high-level indication of returns, a permanent native forest would return upwards of $20,000 per hectare over 50 years based on the current carbon unit price ($40/ unit).
Whenua Oho can provide guidance around this and may be able to provide improved estimates of potential returns after discussion.
Whenua Oho can also assist with sourcing professional forestry service providers who are aligned to tikanga Māori and will for a fee provide more detailed feasibility analysis coupled with operational execution if needed.
It is noted that sometimes permanent forests including native forests will sometimes be able to provide some commercial harvest options. This can be discussed with Whenua Oho as necessary.
Rongoā
Rongoā is an opportunity aligned to native forests and requires specialist advice. There are service providers that specialise in providing this information and if this is a land use opportunity being considered, Whenua Oho recommends discussing directly with professionals specialising in this activity. Some generic resources include:
Horticulture
These land use options are not discussed in detail on our site simply because they are areas of specialist knowledge and too vast for us to cover. Whenua Oho has used and can assist with sourcing professional service providers who are aligned to tikanga Māori, and will for a fee provide wide ranging feasibility studies narrowing options based on generic factors including land, or business cases based on selection of specific horticultural options.
a. Government
b. Commercial (or rotational) established for the purpose of harvesting)
c. Permanent
d. Native
e. Riparian and water quality improvements
This section assumes well established governance, some knowledge of forestry opportunities, and a desire to explore what support might be available for these options.
Government
There is no funding support currently from government for general afforestation. Up until December 2020 there was access to direct grants for afforestation and we are hopeful this will be reinstated under the new government. When this detail becomes available, we will update and highlight.
There is however funding available from government for specific types of afforestation tending towards waterway riparian planting and wetland restoration through Te Mana o te Wai.
Another option is where jobs can be created in support of improving our environment through predator control, wetland restoration, and regenerative planting from Jobs for Nature funding.
Funding from Te Puni Kōkiri, Māori Agribusiness, and the Ministry for Business Innovation and Enterprise is also available and the links provided. These are not direct funding for afforestation but may be accessible under specific criteria to support activity that relates to improving the productivity of land. Whenua Oho understands the broad criteria, the process for securing funding, and contacts in these organisations. We are therefore well positioned to provide guidance where needed.
Ministry for Business Innovation and Enterprise
Private Funding
We understand funding is often a substantial hurdle for Māori Landowners to deliver our aspirations for our lands.
Whenua Oho has vetted and selected a modest suite of private investors who are both suited to, and willing to partner with Māori
Landowners in our journey. Where the limiting factor in progressing any afforestation option is investment finance, one or more of these investors may be a suitable long-term partner. The general construct is the landowner brings the land, the partner brings the funding and sometimes the specific operational expertise to operationalise the plans.
Part of our vetting process includes detailed discussion with the leaders of these investment partners. Ensuring that whilst they may not be Māori, they have sufficient knowledge of our tikanga, and that financial return is not always the primary driver for us. We also review the likely business structure of any Joint Venture, along with contract templates provided by these partners, such that we can provide some comfort that there is alignment between stated intentions and actual contract terms. This would not negate our requirement that both parties seek independent legal advice prior to entry into any JV.
Please contact us to discuss where appropriate.
"We, as Māori, have a spiritual connection with our lands and the forests, flora and fauna that flourish on them"
