The area of forest plantation on Māori farms has increased from 66,000 hectares in 2006 to 126,000 hectares as of June 30, 2020.
In fact, one in four hectares of Māori land operated by Māori farms in 2020 was forest plantation, Stats NZ says.
For all New Zealand farms, one in eight hectares was forest plantation in 2020.
Stats NZ defines a farm as including forestry, livestock farming, horticulture, viticulture, nurseries, and grain and seed crops.
“More land on Māori farms is being used for forest plantation, which may provide an option for the protection of lands, as well as employment and economic benefits,” business statistics senior manager Darren Allan said.
In 2020, grassland made up 43 per cent of whenua on Māori farms, compared with 55 per cent for all New Zealand farms. In contrast, Māori farms had a higher proportion of bush and scrub, at 20 per cent compared with 8 per cent on the average New Zealand farm.
