The AsureQuality Carbon Plus Biodiversity Standard
We think a Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) plays a critical role in Aotearoa New Zealand’s transition to a low emissions economy.
AsureQuality is exploring the creation of a Carbon Plus Biodiversity Standard as part of avoluntary carbon market built to enhance native ecosystems and support communities across Aotearoa.
The programme will meet growing demand for high-integrity carbon offsets that meet international standards. It will focus on indigenous biodiversity and provide a way for landowners to get compensated fairly for ecosystem restoration.
Why is this needed?
Reducing emissions is the goal for Aotearoa - but that won’t get us to where we need to be to meet our commitments under the Paris Agreement and our Zero Carbon Act. We need to increase our carbon sinks, but not at the expense of our cherished indigenous species or livelihoods. We see four key problems that this programme can address:
We aim to solve these connected problems, giving more options to both landowners and credit buyers, while scaling up planting of native vegetation across the motu.
The Plan
Our plan is to create and manage a voluntary carbon programme that will support a rapid scale-up of native biodiversity across Aotearoa New Zealand. Following international best practices, it will focus on native ecosystem restoration, starting with Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation (ARR). In the future we are open to expanding the programme to include other ecosystems and activities and exploring a standard for specific generation of biodiversity credits.
Timeframes
We’re at the start of this journey but moving fast. We’re currently preparing draft documents for targeted consultation throughout 2025. Our goal is to have pilot projects active in 2025-26, and begin the international accreditation application process in parallel with this. We anticipate the first credit issuance in late 2026. Our focus at present is to secure additional funding which would allow us to meet these timeframes.
How can I be involved?
If you’d like to support this work or be involved, please contact sustainabilityassurance@asurequality.com. If you’re interested in learning more and keeping up to date with our progress, subscribe to our mailing list(external link) .
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes AsureQuality the best placed organisation to deliver this?
AsureQuality has been supporting farmers, producers and landowners locally for over 150 years. We're uniquely positioned through:
- Reputation and experience: a strong track record in assurance and certification services, with established governance and systems.
- State-Owned Enterprise (SOE): As an SOE, we hold a position of integrity, trust, and longevity; essential for market confidence.
- Independence: separation from carbon project development and credit sales avoids conflicts of interest, enhancing credibility.
- Resources and stakeholder relationships: strong relationships with government, industry, and councils.
Aren’t there existing international voluntary carbon standards and programmes? Why not use one of them?
We don’t want to reinvent the wheel. But international programmes have been prohibitively expensive to use for New Zealand indigenous ecosystems to date. Instead, a local programme can be customised to local needs, improving accessibility and cost efficiency while meeting global criteria for high integrity:
- We aim to streamline programme participation to make it financially and practically accessible to a wider range of local landowners and communities.
- We can design explicitly to meet ICVCM requirements, and translate those requirements for our changing legal, economic and environmental context.
- We can design the programme for Aotearoa's unique ecosystems and communities.
Is there demand for this type of carbon credit?
New Zealand companies have been purchasing around 850,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) voluntarily each year. This is anticipated to grow as the Paris Agreement targets approach, carbon-related disclosures and trade access issues flow through economies, and companies increase their ambitions around net emission reductions for their supply chains. Estimates suggest demand of between 7-44 million tonnes of CO2e between 2023 and 2035. In our preliminary conversations to date, we’ve been overwhelmed with interest and positive feedback.
What will the programme involve?
The Programme will include governing rules, standard/s, and methodologies for carbon credit generation and issuance focusing on the enhancement of indigenous ecosystems and rural livelihoods.
Public consultation on the Programme Documents is anticipated to occur later in 2025 and will be advertised on the website. Sign up to the mailing list to stay informed.
How will you ensure the integrity of the credits produced?
AsureQuality, as the Programme Owner, will not act as a Project Developer nor be involved in the sale of carbon credits. The Programme mandates independent validation and verification of projects.
Landowners' carbon credits will not offset their own emissions (unless retired directly by the Landowner) but can be sold to Credit Buyers, transferring the carbon benefit to the Credit Buyer when where they then can retire the credits. Companies that track and report their emissions can purchase and retire (use) these credits to offset their unavoidable emissions.
Effective monitoring, reporting, and verification (MVR) is crucial for a high-integrity carbon programme. We will use modern technology to make MVR cost-efficient and accessible, ensuring transparency and building confidence among Credit Buyers, rural communities, and the NZ public.