Options for Rural Investment

Novel financing solutions for supporting land use change

Uladzimir Haikou

Project Details Ngā taipitopito

Project Status:

Completed

Challenge funding:

$200,000

Research duration:

October 2022 – June 2023

Collaborators Ngā haumi

GHA Chartered Accountants and Management Consultants | Perrin Ag

What are we doing?E aha ana mātou?

Farmers in Aotearoa are being prompted to diversify their farm systems to make sure their businesses are resilient to the changing climate and extreme weather events, to meet environmental expectations and regulations, and to diversify their income streams.

Farmers need new and innovative financing solutions to help them overcome barriers to diversification by funding land use and capital-intensive land management changes. This project will investigate new solutions to help make this happen.

Diverse ideas will be captured in workshops with participants from a wide range of backgrounds. These ideas will then be screened against case studies and evaluation criteria to identify novel options that could benefit from further research and development.

The research aims to provide a line of sight between the obstacles to land-use change and financing solutions that could overcome them. Two case studies will demonstrate how financing options may be utilised, and their potential impacts. One of the case studies will consider challenges, opportunities, and potential financing solutions from the perspective of whenua Māori landowners and managers.

How can the research be used? Ka pēhea e whai take ai te rangahau?

The goal of this project is to help farmers and other land stewards identify and pursue innovative financing options to support informed land-use change decisions, with a view to improving environmental and economic outcomes on New Zealand’s whenua.
The investment sector can draw on this research when developing new models of investment in land use change, to include greater flexibility, identify risk factors, and ensure that potential financing options are suitable for whenua Māori owners and land management entities.
This research will support planners within regional councils and in central government to consider how financing may support or hinder regulatory responses.

Research team Te hunga i whai wāhi mai

Science Lead

Carla Muller

Perrin Ag

Te Ao Māori Lead

Parehau Richards

Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Waikato

GHA

Rob Brazendale

Perrin Ag

Kiriwaitingi Rei

Te Arawa, Ngāti Awa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Toa Rangatira

GHA

Tools & resources Ngā utauta me ngā rauemi

Infographic

Novel financing solutions for land use change (infographic)

This 2-page, A3 infographic gives an overview of findings, outlined in greater detail in the report, Novel financing solutions for land use change. The second…

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Technical Report

Novel financing solutions for land use change

New financing options may help support land-use and land management changes. Environmentally beneficial changes that are also financially beneficial will likely secure funding through traditional…

View Technical Report

In the media Mai i te ao pāpaho

Looking beyond the banks to fund change on-farm

Farmers Weekly, 8 February 2023

“One of the barriers to accessing non-bank finance is you lose control of your land when you bring in an equity partner, as they will want a bit of control – a bit of say – as well,” says Muller. “We need to look at a safe way to do that for farmers, as well as investors, which might open up that space a bit more.”

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Sourcing the funds

NZ Dairy Exporter, March 2023

View Article