Low emissions farm systems for the Māori farming sector


Project Leaders: Dr Tanira Kingi (Scion) & Phil Journeaux (AgFirst)


This project, aligned with the Integrated Farm Systems programme, aims to assist the Māori pastoral sector to improve its collective capacity to increase resource
efficiency and farm productivity while lowering greenhouse gas emissions.


Working together and sharing knowledge


The approach is to develop a set of Māori farm typologies which represent the predominant pastoral arming systems, identify key factors that underpin arm productivity, resource and emission efficiency and sustainable profitability, and then identify and test a range of mitigation strategies. Farm typologies are important to avoid the problems of homogenizing a heterogeneous group that range from very small farms to large multi-enterprise corporates. These typologies will be compared against existing databases and help in the selection of in-depth representative case study farms where emissions from alternative farm system configurations will be evaluated.


Farm system mitigation scenarios will be based on the interaction and knowledge sharing that will occur between the farmers (including land entities), scientists and industry advisors that will take place in case study workshops around the country.


A key contribution to the literature will be an enhanced understanding of the Māori farm typologies with economic, environmental, social and cultural implications of low emission farming systems within the Māori sector, with wider implications across NZ.

 Maori GHG Project 2015 EoY Report.pdf (1.28MB)