Election year: Where the parties stand on forestry [NZ]Friday 2 Oct 2026 The New Zealand Forest Owners Association (NZFOA) hosted an Election year forestry panel at the National Library in Wellington on Monday, 21 September 2026, bringing political parties together to discuss the issues that matter most to forest owners and the wider sector.Facilitated by Stuff political editor Jenna Lynch, the panel featured Hon Todd McClay (National), Hon Mark Patterson (NZ First), Hon Damien O’Connor (Labour), Simon Court (ACT) and Steve Abel (Green). Discussion covered the future of forestry in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), land use change, environmental responsibility, regional roading costs, high energy prices for domestic wood processors, facilitating woody biomass, a wood first policy and the role of science, research and innovation in supporting the future of our forests. With trees planted today taking 25 to 30 years to reach harvest, the policy settings made today influence investment decisions for decades. The panel provided an opportunity to hear where the parties align and where their approaches differ and what this could mean for forest owners following the election. A scorecard has been developed summarising each parties’ position on the key issues discussed. It provides a quick reference to the parties’ positions on how they would support forestry and where those positions differ, across the issues most relevant to forest owners. Source: The New Zealand Forest Owners Association (NZFOA) |
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