Source: New Zealand Government
Associate Minister for the Environment Andrew Hoggard today announced the Government’s approach to grow New Zealand’s voluntary nature and carbon markets – backed by a new assurance role to give buyers and landowners confidence in what they are investing in.
“Think of it like a warrant of fitness for the market,” says Mr Hoggard. “It’s light touch, but it gives people confidence the fundamentals are sound. That’s what unlocks investment.”
“The pressures on nature and climate are bigger than the public purse. We need private money flowing into restoration, and the appetite is there. What’s been missing is the shape around it – and that’s what Government is uniquely placed to provide.”
Voluntary nature and carbon markets allow private money to fund projects that restore nature or remove greenhouse gases – work like wetland restoration, native planting, habitat protection, or locking up carbon. A landowner partners with a project developer, the work is measured against a recognised scheme, and credits are issued and bought by organisations wanting to back environmental outcomes with evidence behind them.
The Government’s package introduces two pathways. High-quality schemes accredited by reputable international bodies will be recognised by the Government from the outset, so landowners and investors know what they can trust. Domestic schemes can opt in to a New Zealand endorsement pathway – assessed by an independent assurer against New Zealand’s internationally aligned market principles. That pathway will be open in the coming months.
“Endorsement is a quality signal, not a Crown guarantee. We’ll be clear about that from day one,” says Mr Hoggard. “But it gives investors, landowners, and developers a much faster way to identify high-quality operators -and it lowers their costs.”
“New Zealand organisations such as Trees That Count are already using internationally accredited schemes recognised by the Government. Trees That Count participated in the MfE pilot programme and has developed True Nature — its voluntary nature and carbon market offering — to generate internationally verified credits from restoration projects across New Zealand. The domestic pathway means more options suited to our context, at different price points.”
The package also opens public conservation land to privately funded nature and climate projects that deliver benefits over and above what the Crown is already funding. Normal Department of Conservation concession requirements still apply, and projects should use endorsed schemes – though innovative approaches can be considered where risk is managed properly. Applications open later this year.
The approach/or package? has been informed by ten pilot partnerships with market participants between June 2025 and March 2026, including Sanctuary Mountain, Pāmu and Trees That Count.