Te Uru
Räkau
Forestry New Zealand
ONE BILLION TREES FUND ADVISORY PANEL
TERMS OF REFERENCE
BACKGROUND
ACT 1982
1. The purpose of the One Billion Trees Fund (the Fund) is to establish trees in
partnership with others to achieve a wide range of social, cultural, environmental
and economic benefits.
2. The Director-General of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is responsible
for the commitment of Crown funding to the Fund.
3. The Investment policy statement at Appendix A sets out the principles underpinning
the Fund design, the risk management approach, and the outcomes Te Uru Räkau
is seeking to deliver through the Fund. It is intended to guide investment priorities.
4. A cross-agency advisory panel (the Panel) fits into the Fund application
INFORMATION
process (see Appendix B), and has an important role in its success.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PANEL
5. The roles and responsibilities of the Panel are set out below.
Strateqic oversight
5.1 Prior to each meeting, the Panel will be provided with an overview of the approved
Fund applications year-to-date, including the grant applications which do not
meet the threshold for panel consideration.
5.2 The Panel should take this overview into account when considering the
applications presented to them, for instance, whether there is over- or
underrepresentation in a sector or region.
5.3 Panel members are expected to contribute information at a whole-
ofgovernment level, for instance, how the Crown is supporting Mäori to
achieve their aspirations.
Recommendations
5.4 The Panel will assess and make recommendations, with or without conditions,
on applications which are presented to them by the Forestry Grants and
Partnership Team in Te Uru Räkau. The application type will be either:
a. applications for partnership funding; or
b. grant applications that are high value (greater than $500,000 or 300
hectares), particularly complex or are seeking flexibility outside of the
standard grant eligibility parameters.
5.5 RELEASED UNDER THE OFFICIAL
In making its recommendations, the Panel will ensure that funding decisions are
aligned with government priorities, the Fund's objectives, and investment
decisions from their respective agencies.
l of6
5.6 Recommendations by the Panel may be reached by a simple majority, and will
be submitted to the relevant delegated financial authority within MPI or Te Uru
Räkau, who has absolute discretion to accept or decline in whole or part, the
recommendations of the Panel.
1982
5.7 Al final decisions wil be reported back to the Panel.
5.8 The Panel may recommend any areas where Te Uru Räkau could take a
proactive approach to seeking applications which strongly align with the Fund's
ACT
objectives, for instance, in regions or sectors which are under-represented.
Reputing
5.9 The Panel wil :
a. submit via the Secretariat, within five working days of each meeting, the
recommendations made; and
b. provide advice, as and when required but at least biannually, on:
i. areas where Te Uru Räkau could take a pro-active approach, as per
5.8, above; and
ii. programmes and initiatives being led by their respective agencies
INFORMATION
which could be relevant to the One Billion Trees Fund and/or to the
Provincial Growth Fund.
PANEL MAKE-UP
Chair
6. The position of Chair is ex officio, and will be held by the Forestry Grants and
Partnership Manager, Te Uru Räkau. OFFICIAL
Members
7. The Panel will consist of representatives from the following organisations:
•
THE
Department of Conservation
• Ministry for the Environment
• Provincial Development Unit, Ministry of Business, Innovation and
Employment
• Te Puni Kökiri
UNDER
• Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
8. From time to time, subject matter experts from the forestry sector or from other
agencies (for example, the Ministry of Social Development, the Tertiary
Education Commission) may be asked by the Chair to join a meeting to support the
Panel with its consideration of a specific application.
9. Where a member is unable to attend a panel meeting, upon receipt of the papers
they must provide to the Secretariat their apologies and the name of the delegate
who will attend in
RELEASED their place.
2 0f6
Secretariat
10. The role of the Secretariat will be filled by a member of the Forestry Grants and
1982
Partnership Team.
1 1 . The responsibilities of the Secretariat are as follows:
a. Prepare a paper with an overview of the Fund to date.
ACT
b. Collate the papers for each application to be considered.
c. Provide the necessary papers to panel members at least one week before
the meeting.
d. Where necessary, pass on apologies and names of delegates to the
Chair.
e. Take minutes.
f. Make a record of the final decisions (using the template in Appendix C), to
be signed by the Chair, which will go with a recommendation memo to the
relevant delegated financial authority. INFORMATION
g. Notify panel members of the final decisions.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION ACT 1982
12. The Official Information Act applies to the records of the Panel.
EXECUTION
Agreed and Signed by:
OFFICIAL
THE
Damian Diack
ry Ogilvie
Programme Director
Chair
One Bil ion Trees
UNDER
One Bil ion Trees Fund Advisory Panel
Te Uru Räkau
M 2 /2019
(7 / 2_/2019
RELEASED
3 0f6
1982
ACT
INFORMATION
OFFICIAL
THE
UNDER
RELEASED
APPENDIX A: INVESTMENT POLICY STATEMENT
Purpose statement
To establish one bil ion trees in partnership with others to achieve a broad range of social, cultural,
environmental and economic benefits.
1982
Principles underpinning the One Bil ion Trees Fund
Land-manager focus - for fund design and support to enable land-managers to make improved
decisions about the integration of trees into the landscape.
ACT
Support integrated land management and greater resilience in landscapes and communities the right
species planted in the right place and for the right purpose to enhance land management outcomes
and build resilience, particularly to environmental shocks and a changing climate.
Facilitate a significant increase in indigenous forest cover to restore our natural forest
heritage the target of two-thirds of trees established as a result of grant funding are
indigenous species helps to turn the tide on biodiversity loss.
Effective and flexible fund management - flexibility for funds to be targeted to projects that wil
accelerate planting to deliver wider outcomes, and avoid competition with private investors.
Take a strategic investment approach - target investment to projects that establish the foundations
for the 10-year programme e.g. building a skil ed workforce, taking a catchment-level view, and
including projects that become self-sustaining beyond the short-term funding cycle.
Leverage partnerships and co-investment- work with partners with existing relationships, expertise,
INFORMATION
resources, and funding in order to deliver more efficient and effective outcomes that are aligned
with local priorities.
Build on successful models - support and build on existing successful models and projects that are
aligned with broader government priorities and initiatives, such as Hil Country Erosion programme,
Biodiversity Strategy, Freshwater Improvement Fund.
Deliver the core objectives of the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) - align with the PGF criteria and
projects spanning both the One Bil ion Trees programme and the wider PGF to deliver regional
development.
OFFICIAL
Risk management approach: There are natural environmental risks, project delivery and governance risks, and wider
systemic risks, such as labour and seedling supply, to successful programme delivery. We wil seek to manage these risks
through sound fund management, a diverse project portfolio and the strategic use of funding to address barriers to success.
THE
Our partners: regional councils, non-government organisations, researchers, training organisations, businesses, Mäori
entities, community groups, key government agencies, landowners and organisations with a right to plant trees on the land.
Increased employment, training or work
Te Uru Räkau wil prioritise projects that contribute
readiness for the sector's workforce for forestry
to at least three of these outcomes: Increased
and land management.
sustainable regional development through forestry
UNDER
and tree planting activities. Increased productivity
We wil also consider a project's contribution to:
and innovation in forestry and related sectors.
New Zealand's ability to meet its climate
Improved support of Mäori aspirations to
change obligations through the establishment
utilise their land and resources through trees
of trees.
and forestry.
• Better-informed tree planting decisions, through
Enhanced environmental sustainability
improved information, advice and suppolt for
through the establishment of trees and forests,
landowners.
in panicular:
Diversification of productive land uses, including
o Reduced erosion and improved water quality,
indigenous forestry and continuous canopy
particularly in at-risk catchments.
RELEASED
forestry.
o Enhanced indigenous biodiversity through
restoration of natural forest.
APPENDIX B:
4 of 6
ONE BILLION TREES FUND APPLICATION PROCESS
The key steps of the process are:
1982
a) Step 1: Investment advisers in the Forestry Grants and Partnership Team assess
applications, calling upon subject matter experts as required, and complete an
assessment memo and a recommendation memo for each application.
ACT
b) Step 2: Prior to each meeting, panel members will receive:
i. an overview of the One Billion Trees Fund, year-to-date; ii.
an overview of the applications to be considered; and
iii. copies of the application, the assessment memo, and the recommendation
memo for each project being considered.
c) Step 3: The Panel considers each application and decides whether it supports an
application, with or without conditions. The Panel must provide reasons if they
decide not to support an application, and where appropriate any advice as to
what steps Te Uru Räkau may take to secure a positive recommendation from
the Panel.
INFORMATION
d) Step 4: The Panel must ensure that their decisions align with Government
priorities, the objectives of the One Billion Trees programme, and with
investment decisions made by their respective agencies.
e) Step 5: All final decisions on applications will be made by the relevant delegated
financial authority in MPI or Te Uru Räkau, and reported back to the Panel.
f) Step 6: From time-to-time, but at least biannually, the Panel is to provide advice
on where Te Uru Räkau could take a proactive ap
OFFICIAL proach to seeking applications
which strongly align with the Fund's objectives, for instance, in regions or sectors
which are under-represented.
THE
UNDER
RELEASED
APPENDIX C:
5 0f6
TEMPLATE FOR DECISIONS
1982
Date:
At its meeting held on dd/mm/yyyy, the One Billion Trees Fund Advisory Panel made
ACT
the following recommendations:
Project reference Project name
Recommendation
Comments
(support; support with
conditions; not su ort
IBT-OOxxx
Barry Ogilvie
INFORMATION
Chair
One Bil ion Trees Fund Advisory Panel
OFFICIAL
THE
UNDER
RELEASED
APPENDIX D:
6 of 6
1982
ACT
INFORMATION
OFFICIAL
THE
UNDER
RELEASED
Document Outline
