Ballots for Land Use Capability class 6 land permits

Restrictions on registering post-1989 land in the ETS

When you apply to register forest land in the ETS, you need to consider whether the land is restricted because of its LUC class. The restrictions mean that you can register exotic forest on up to 25% of LUC class 1 to 6 land in the ETS on each farm. (Note that some land is not affected by the restrictions).

Read more about restrictions on applying to register LUC class 1 to 6 land in the ETS

There will also be nationwide ballots for permits to register more forest on LUC class 6 land. This may be registered in addition to the 25% allowance for LUC class 1 to 6 restricted forest land.

How the ballot will work

Each year, an additional 15,000 hectares of LUC class 6 land will be made available nationally through the ballot system.

From 2026, we will run 2 ballots each calendar year to allocate the hectares. The ballot is drawn at random from the entries received.

If you enter the ballot, you’ll tell us how many hectares you’re applying for in your ballot entry.

If you are successful in a ballot, you’ll get a permit that lets you apply to register the number of hectares you asked for as LUC class 6 land in the ETS.

Getting a permit in the ballot does not guarantee you can register your land in the ETS. You will still need to apply to register your forest land, and the land still needs to meet ETS eligibility criteria. 

Find out more about the rules for forest land eligibility in the ETS

Hectares available in each ballot

There will be 7,500 hectares of LUC class 6 land available in the first ballot in 2026. Of this, 2,000 hectares will be reserved for small applications to register land in the ETS. A small application is up to 100 hectares of LUC class 6 land.

If the hectares in the first ballot are not all allocated, they will be transferred to the second ballot in 2026. The number of hectares available in future ballots may vary, depending on whether all the hectares in previous ballots are allocated.  

We will let you know how many hectares are available in each specific ballot. 

We cannot go over the hectare limit for each ballot. This means that if your ballot entry is the last one that gets drawn, you may get fewer hectares in your permit than you requested.

Ballot dates and timeframes

We will give prior notice before each ballot opens. The amount of notice we give will vary depending on whether it’s the first or the second ballot. Ballot dates may change each year.

• The first ballot of each year will close before 31 July. Before the first ballot opens, we’ll give you at least 20 working days’ notice. When it opens, you’ll then have at least a further 20 working days to apply.
• The second ballot will close before the end of the year. Before the second ballot opens, we’ll give you at least 10 working days’ notice. When it opens, you’ll then have at least a further 10 working days to apply.

Entering the ballot

If you enter the ballot, you need to tell us about your land and pay any relevant fees. The cost of entering a ballot is yet to be decided. There is no cost to enter the ballots in 2026.

Find out how to enter the ballot

Each person gets one opportunity per land title to enter the ballot. Other people can use the same land title to enter the ballot.

If multiple entries include the same land title, only one can get a permit through the ballot. When a ballot entry is drawn, all other entries that include the same land title will be cancelled.

A land title can only have one active permit at any given time. This means that once a permit has been approved for a land title, this title cannot be used for any other ballot entries (including in a separate ballot) until the active permit has been used, expired, or cancelled.

Registering in the ETS with a permit

If you enter the ballot and are successful, you will get a permit that lets you apply to register forest on your LUC class 6 land. In general, you can apply to register up to the number of hectares received in your permit. For example, if you received 300 hectares in your permit, you could apply to register forest on up to 300 hectares of LUC class 6 land in the ETS using your permit.

Permits are specific to the land and the person that gets the permit. This means you cannot transfer permits to:

• another land title, including if you subdivide the land
• someone else, except when a permit holder dies and their estate in the land is transferred to another person.

When you use your permit for an application to register forest land in the ETS, the permit will expire. This means  you cannot use a permit to register land in both the standard forest category and permanent forest category as these are separate applications, you will need two separate permits. Any hectares you do not include in that registration will also expire. You won’t be able to use them in another application later.

An unincorporated body can use a permit, as long as at least 60% of the members are the same as when we issued the permit.

How long permits last

Each permit is valid until 31 December of the third year after it was issued. For example, this means if you get a permit in October 2026, it is valid until 31 December 2029.

You may be able get an extension to use your permit for up to 6 years if a temporary adverse weather event or similar circumstances significantly disrupted your ability to register before the permit expires. We will need to be satisfied of this before accepting your application when you apply to register in the ETS.

If you decide you do not want to use your permit, you can cancel it.

Using a permit with the 25% LUC class 1 to 6 allowance

You can use a permit from a successful ballot bid to register forest on LUC class 6 land in addition to the 25% allowance for LUC class 1 to 6 land per farm. This means if successful you could:

• register forest on 25% of the LUC class 1 to 6 land on a farm as post-1989 forest land, then seek a permit through the ballot for the opportunity to register more forest on LUC class 6 land on the same farm, or
• register forest on LUC class 6 land using a ballot permit and apply to register forest land on an additional 25% of your LUC class 1 to 6 land on the same farm later.

Read about the 25% allowance for LUC class 1 to 6 land