ABSTRACT
In August 1991 the New Zealand Forest Accord (NZFA) was signed at a parliamentary reception. The signing was hailed as a landmark in New Zealand forest conservation. The largest forestry companies and conservation and recreation groups were parties to this environmental agreement (EA), with 14 organisations as signatories. At the heart of the accord was an agreement by the New Zealand Forest Owners’ Association to exclude ‘all areas of naturally occurring indigenous vegetation’ from clearance for plantation forestry. In return, conservation organisations agreed to acknowledge and promote plantation forestry as a sustainable product that did not conflict with the conservation of remaining natural forests. The purpose of the accord, as conservation organisations saw it, was to end the clearance of native forests for pine plantations. The objective for forest owners was to end years of acrimonious debate in the media and protect international markets, where they were claiming that theirs was an environmentally friendly product. Although the government was pleased to host the signing ceremony, it was not a party to the agreement. This has proved to be a significant factor in the implementation of the agreement.
