Source: New Zealand Government
The former Tairāwhiti Forestry Action Group has been refocused as the Tairāwhiti Transition Advisory Group (TTAG), with a wider mandate to support long-term land-use transition and regional resilience, Forestry Minister Todd McClay says.
“No one organisation can fix the challenges facing Tairāwhiti on its own. The group’s wider role will help join up the work across the region and keep it focused on the long term,” Mr McClay says.
The Government is also directing the remaining $16.4 million in woody debris funding to clean up the hills, protect vital infrastructure and support land-use change. It will be used for:
• cleaning up legacy woody debris in the hills, some of which has been there for many years
• pilots on sustainable logging on hillsides
• land-use change pilots
• slash and woody debris mitigation, including slash traps in waterways to stop debris at or near the source.
“Some of this debris has been sitting in the hills for a very long time. Clearing it, and catching what does come loose before it gets into the rivers, protects vital infrastructure. It’s also work for local contractors over the coming season.”
The first pilots will focus on some of the region’s highest-risk areas, working with landowners to tackle barriers to land-use change such as harvesting risk, consent requirements and establishment costs. What is learned will help shape future policy and funding decisions.
“We’ll keep working closely with council, landowners and the sector so the region has certainty, a working forestry industry and better protection when the next big storm hits.”
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/11/13/refocused-group-to-support-tairawhiti-land-use-transition/