Air New Zealand and New Zealand Government to work together on forestry scheme for CO2 benefits

Air New Zealand announced (21-Nov-2017) it will work with the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment and the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to explore the establishment of a private afforestation scheme, providing funding to landowners to plant trees in return for the carbon benefits this will create. Work will build on the MPI's existing Afforestation Grant Scheme. Air New Zealand is working with Government to scope a complementary private afforestation fund, with the airline to engage landowners to plant up to 15,000 hectares of new native and exotic trees. If the fund goes ahead, Air New Zealand intends to offset some of the emissions from its domestic operations with credits generated by the new forestry. It hopes planting will commence in winter 2018. [more - original PR]