Plantation forest leases: experiences of New Zealand Māori

Numerous scholars agree that to integrate stakeholder demands into forest management is the central challenge facing forestry science. A necessary step is to translate public views and expectations into forest management techniques. This study uses document analysis and in-depth interviews to understand the values and expectations of New Zealand’s indigenous people (Māori) who have exotic species forests planted on their ancestral land. The two case studies involve long-term forest lease arrangements where Māori families are the collective owners of the land but the forest is managed by third parties. The results suggest that the landowners’ overall view of forestry is more critically influenced by political frameworks than by forest management techniques. The structures of governance and tenure and the legislation affecting the land are viewed as complicated and constraining. However, after decades of experience, Māori have successfully incorporated plantation forests into their sense of people and place. Despite difficulties and disappointments, the land use of forestry and forest regimes are, overall, viewed favourably by the landowners, consistent with environmental considerations and their culture and values.