Is there a pivotal role for Maori in a forestry-based biofuel industry in New Zealand?

Authors: Tony Steer
Publication: New Zealand Journal of Forestry, Volume N.Z.J.For. 2015, Issue N.Z.J.For. 60(2) 2015, pp 33-37, Aug 2015
Publisher: New Zealand Institute of Forestry

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Abstract: To address climate change, reduce CO₂ emissions and provide future energy security, the need to develop alternatives to petroleum-based fossil fuels has become a priority for many developed countries. In particular, transportation is heavily dependent on petroleum. As technologies develop, increasing electrification will provide an alternative to liquid fuels. In the short term, second generation biofuels could provide a sustainable source to supplement liquid transport fuels at scale. The New Zealand Government's Ministry of Economic Development's Energy Strategy identifies alternative transport fuels, 'derived from a range of sources', as one mechanism to achieve a more energy efficient transport system with greater fuel diversity (MED, 2011). According to Scion, a New Zealand Government Crown Research Institute (CRI), 'It's theoretically possible for New Zealand to be self-sufficient in terms of liquid [bio] fuels by using sustainably managed forests, while having a low impact on domestic and export food production' (Hall & Gifford, 2007). Scion estimate that a large-scale sustainable biofuel industry in New Zealand will require an expansion of the current exotic plantation estate to include purpose-grown 'energy' forests across some 3.7 million ha of marginal and steep country land (Hall & Jack, 2008). Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, are recognised as a significant group within the forestry sector. Forecasts indicate that ownership will increase significantly as Treaty of Waitangi claim settlements take effect. There is an increasing recognition of the ecosystem services forestry provides over the long term, such as carbon sequestration, improved water quality and biodiversity. This paper supports the view that a forestry-based biofuel industry could provide intergenerational Maori landowners with a unique opportunity to secure a long-term financial, cultural and spiritual future for 20, 50 and 100 years hence.

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