Update November 2023: Consultation has closed.
You can read B+LNZ’s consultation submission here.
The Government is asking for feedback on a biodiversity credits system. They have asked a range of questions about the need for a credit system to incentivise the protection and restoration of indigenous biodiversity, and how this could be implemented.
B+LNZ has been advocating for greater recognition of the work our farmers do in protecting and enhancing biodiversity and this provides an opportunity to further that case. B+LNZ will be providing a consultation submission on behalf of farmers and we need your views to feed into that.
This email sets out:
- how you can provide input into our feedback
- how you can make a consultation submission if you want to, and
- our concerns about the underlying biodiversity regulation.
Farmer input to our feedback – please complete our survey
- We want to make sure the views of our farmers are represented in our feedback, so we’re asking you to complete a short survey. We developed this with Deer Industry New Zealand.
- We’re interested in your thoughts on how the protection and restoration of biodiversity could be incentivised, whether through a biodiversity credits system or more broadly.
- The survey questions are broad because this is highly complex and we will likely provide the Government with high-level feedback, instead of talking about the detail of how a biodiversity credits system could work. The survey builds on one we did last year.
- Please read the introduction before answering the eight questions.
- The survey should only take around 10–15 minutes to complete.
- The survey closes at midnight on Thursday 19 October.
Making your own consultation submission
- We encourage interested farmers to also make their own submissions.
- You can find all the consultation info on the MfE website here.
- Submissions close midday Friday 3 November 2023.
Our concerns about the underlying biodiversity regulation
- We still have significant concerns about the Government’s National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (NPSIB), particularly the broad definition of Significant Natural Areas. See our recent story here.
- Sheep and beef farmers are already custodians of a significant amount of native biodiversity and should be recognised for and supported in what they do to protect and enhance it.
- The NPSIB may add significant costs and management restrictions, potentially turning biodiversity into a liability.
- While biodiversity credits could offset some impact we are concerned it is unlikely to compensate for the fundamentally flawed underlying regulation.
Our advocacy on biodiversity, including on support and incentives, is ongoing, and your input will remain important. We will be in touch with you again.
In the meantime, if you have any questions on the Government’s consultation or want to discuss biodiversity support and incentives directly, contact B+LNZ Environment Policy Analyst May Ponsonby on may.ponsonby@beeflambnz.com