2025 Legislative Changes to Forestry in the ETS

A 2025 amendment to the Climate Change Response Act limits new exotic forestry on better farmland by land use capability class, while native forestry stays open on any class. Some land is exempt, including Māori land, unfarmed land, erosion-prone land and land where planting was already under way.

The guide explains the class-by-class limits, the allowance that lets a landowner still plant a share of better land in exotics, the six exemption categories, what the change means for different kinds of landowner, and what has not changed. It also notes the drop in the annual participation fee.