Land For Life

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global, science-based conservation organisation founded in 1951 and dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends.

In New Zealand, one of TNC’s goals is to achieve measurable reductions in the intensity of freshwater use and in the contamination of priority catchments.

MPI have been involved in the project since 2018, first by co-funding the Right Tree Right Place programme through One Billion Trees and securing further funding ($98K) from Fit for a better world to contract a draft business plan assessing a more sustainable model for funding restoration. In June 2023, TUR-NZFS reviewed the draft business case for Land for Life Impact investment. MPI continue to act in an advisory capacity for the project.

In order for the Council to achieve its strategic goal of all highly erodible land under tree cover by 2050, we need to plant trees at scale. TNC has significant international experience in structuring investment projects at scale with significant environmental benefits.

TNC brings considerable credibility, expertise and networks from similar environmental projects, and can introduce private and institutional investors to Land For Life who share a common interest in investing in sustainability and ecosystem protection.

Land For Life needs to integrate economics, environmental outcomes, supply chain constraints, landowner personal preferences and iwi and hapu values in the development of the programme — and TNC can help with this.

Yes. Investing in Land For Life is not exclusive to TNC and its investment networks. The aim is to develop an investment framework that delivers investment returns, environmental outcomes and landowners’ vision for their land.

The Council has invested $2.5 million over the last three years to support pilots across the region. In the next 2 years it will commit $1.1 million through staffing.

This programme aims to leverage around $95 million of green finance over 6-7 years.

The region’s largest water quality issue is sediment from erosion of soils. One of our key strategic goals is that by 2050, all highly erodible land is under tree cover.

We support farmers to develop more resilient and sustainable farming operations, and have solid partnerships with the farming community. Our catchment advisors will introduce the Land For Life project to farmers, support them to take part in the project, and help in the development of a Land For Life project, by bringing in regenerative farming specialists and other experts.

TNC sources its funds from a range of commercial companies, funds and philanthropic investors, including investors in New Zealand.

About 252,000 hectares of Hawke’s Bay hill country has been identified as being at high risk of erosion and around 6.8 million tonnes of sediment enters our waterways every year, with a detrimental impact on freshwater and marine quality, and aquatic life.

The soil being lost from our hill country cannot be replaced, is the basis of hill country farming and is having a significant economic and environmental effect on farmers and the land.

No. The aim is to only plant trees on land which is erodible and suitable for trees. It is estimated about 5 - 20% of any farm will be planted in trees.

Land For Life is a way for farmers to get a good return from erosion prone land and potentially support a diversified farm system, keeping the farm in the family across generations. It can provide revenue to develop and improve the balance of the pastoral farm and support environmental stewardship. In turn, it will also help support the communities that support local farming. It is also an economically viable alternative to whole farm afforestation.

Through the initial pilot, we realised that the whole farm system needed to be considered, especially when some less-profitable land was being retired or put into forestry. Regenerative agriculture practices seemed to be the best way to accommodate these changes in land use, whilst improving resilience and profitability. Right Tree Right Place (RTRP) had also taken on a life of its own that did not always reflect the initial intent of the RTRP programme.