Land use consents
Prior to construction of roads and the clearing of vegetation from an area greater than a certain size, a land use consent may be required from the local regional council. Because continuous cover forestry only requires the felling of trees on very small areas, a clearing permit may not be needed.
When granting consent, regional councils must take notice of Section 17 of the Resource Management Act which states the duty to avoid, remedy or mitigate adverse effects on the environment.
Ownership
With the advent of the ETS, legislation in NZ as to the types and restrictions on forest ownership whether corporate, private, or trusts, may be subject to further change.
Because Maori land ownership is continuous it is an ideal vehicle for CCF.
Current Legislation
Many statutes have application to forestry in NZ, including the Climate Change Response Act (2002) amended in September 2008 and in November 2009.
Local Government is heavily involved through the Resource Management Act 1991 and regional & district schemes.
