RESTORATIVE FORESTRY
New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme Projects

Carbon Project Development for Landowners, Communities, and Corporates

Carbon financed conservation and sustainable land management

Carbon Financed Restoration

Taxpayers and philanthropists can only fund a fraction of the conservation and restoration urgently needed to combat the climate crisis and biodiversity crisis.

With finance from the private sector we can meet the scale of this challenge. This is why Ekos works with carbon markets to build biodiverse, climate-resilient landscapes.

Our NZ Projects

How It Works

Eligibility

Calculator with check mark icon inside a circular design.

Is your project eligible to be registered as a carbon project?

Business Case

Icon of a checklist with a magnifying glass over it, enclosed in a circular design.

Detailed proposal to inform a decision to invest & proceed.

Business Plan

Green bar chart and line graph icon inside a green circular border.

Detailed business plan and management plan fully costed.

Implement

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The project becomes operational.

Step 1: Eligibility

Carbon credit programmes like the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) have rules dictating what land is eligible to register as a carbon project.

Aerial map with colored sections showing land parcels and vegetation types, including high and low producing grasslands, natural forest, post-1989 forest, pre-1990 forest, and grassland with woody biomass. A legend and measurement scale are included. Produced by ekos using LUCAS NZ Land Use Map.

Carbon Credit Projects in the NZ ETS

Individual Landowners:

For Individual Landowners and Large Organisations:

  • The VCM operates through international carbon standards like Plan Vivo, the Gold Standard, and the Verified Carbon Standard.

    VCM projects certified to international standards involve an international validation and verification process that is much more strenuous than undertaking a project in the NZ ETS.

    Learn more

Step 2: Business Case

A project business case is a detailed proposal that includes an initial project design and key financial indicators such as projected carbon credit yield, capital expenditure, internal rate of return (IRR), and net present value (NPV). This information can inform a decision on whether to proceed with investing in a project.

Cumulative Carbon Credit Yield

A graph with a blue background featuring a yellow-green S-shaped curve increasing diagonally from left to right, against horizontal grid lines.

IRR Analysis

Bar chart with three vertical bars of varying heights

Step 3: Project Business Plan

A Project Business Plan contains all of the detail for everything that needs to happen in the project. For reforestation projects this will include:

  • Land preparation plan

  • Planting plan

  • Post-planting management plan

  • Pest & weed control plan

  • Measurement, reporting and verification plan

Dense tropical rainforest with lush green foliage and sunlight filtering through the canopy.
Lush forest with tall trees and ferns

Step 4: Implementation

We work closely with operational partners to get the project established in compliance with the Project Business Plan, and monitor the Project through time.

Man standing next to a tall red carved wooden sculpture in a grassy outdoor setting.
Person in an orange jacket holding a container in a forest with ferns and tall trees.
Man in a plaid shirt and blue cap standing in a greenhouse with plant seedlings

Working with Ekos is a straightforward way to help maintain our integrity in climate change issues, with a company that we respect and enjoy interacting with.”

Get started by contacting our team