Case Study:
Making Carbon Real: Shifting from “What Have I Got?” to “What Could I Have?”
The Challenge
For many farmers in the Puketoi to the Pacific Catchment Collective (PPCC) area, carbon felt complicated. It seemed tied up with pine plantations, paperwork, and consultants - not something that applied to scattered native forest on hill country farms.
But the PPCC team knew there was real opportunity in those smaller, often overlooked areas of native bush. The challenge was helping farmers see that potential, and making the ETS feel practical, relevant, and worth exploring.
How the CarbonCrop platform was used
PPCC used the CarbonCrop platform in real-time sessions with farmers to explore what trees were already there and what could be there in the future.
The coordinator:
Sat down with farmers to map their properties using the CarbonCrop platform, identifying small native forest blocks with likely ETS potential
Used the platform’s terrain tools and historical imagery to show what could qualify, and where forest fragments could be connected to meet ETS rules
Helped shift the conversation from pine to native, and from risk to opportunity
Explored options for future planting, such as retiring low-productivity paddocks to link up forest areas and unlock more value
By working directly with farmers on their own land, the process helped make carbon feel real and realistic.
Outcome
Farmers who hadn’t considered the ETS began actively exploring their options
Scattered native forest was seen as an opportunity, not a barrier
Some farmers started planning to connect small blocks and restore marginal land
PPCC deepened engagement through live, farm-specific conversations
“Sitting at the table, seeing their own farm live in CarbonCrop made it real and really easy. What astonished me was how fast it shifted from ‘What have I got?’ to ‘What could I have?’” - June, PPCC Administrator
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