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2021 FUNDING ROUND

The 2021 GHGIR funding round closed on 19 July 2021.

2021 priorities and suggested projects [PDF, 406 KB]

About greenhouse gas research funding

The Greenhouse Gas Industry Research (GHGIR) Fund aims to improve the reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, forestry, and other land use.

It supports the Agriculture Greenhouse Gas Inventory, which compiles and calculates greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture in New Zealand. This inventory reports to the New Zealand Greenhouse Gas Inventory and the United Nations under the Paris Climate Agreement.

Find out about greenhouse gas reporting

The fund also supports the development of land-use projections, including afforestation and deforestation. These projections show how carbon accounting rules lead to changes in land use.

The GHGIR Fund was established in the early 2000s and was independently reviewed in 2020. Some changes have been made as a result, with more changes to come.

Independent review of GHGIR Fund [PDF, 436 KB]

Aims of the GHGIR Fund

The GHGIR Fund supports research to improve:

  • the Agriculture Greenhouse Gas Inventory
  • reporting of emissions from agriculture, forestry, and other land use.

This research helps inform policy decisions. It also helps the agriculture and forestry sectors manage their greenhouse gas emissions.

The research includes work to:

  • review and update how emissions are calculated for items in the inventory
  • calculate emissions from items that aren't in the inventory
  • account for new forms of mitigation
  • support policymakers
  • help the agriculture and forestry sectors manage their greenhouse gas emissions.

The GHGIR Fund has over $900,000 of funding available for new projects in the 2021-2022 financial year. Over $1.4 million is available in following financial years.

Find out how to apply for GHGIR funding

Examples of GHGIR research

GHGIR has funded over 80 projects since the early 2000s. Most of these have been related to agriculture, although nearly 30 have focused on forestry.

List of reports from some previous GHGIR projects

Greenhouse Gas Inventory Research Fund 2020 priorities [PDF, 503 KB]

Table of projects approved in the 2020 funding round

Project Research organisation Funding Description
Purity of agricultural lime and dolomite On-Farm Research $57,200 Assessing the purity of agricultural lime and dolomite used across New Zealand.
Temporal and spatial trends in dairying on slopes across New Zealand AgResearch $119,735 Quantifying the total number and proportion of dairy cattle grazing on slope classes, from 1990 to present, using geospatial data at national and regional scales.
Dairy cattle monthly population model AgResearch $91,155 Improving the methods to determine monthly dairy cattle populations in New Zealand’s inventory model using national databases and expert knowledge.
A review and update of the nutrient transfer model AgResearch $200,000 Reviewing and improving the nutrient transfer (NT) model to capture new knowledge on topography and animal behaviour using national databases and expert knowledge.
Afforestation Economic Modelling University of Canterbury $100,000 Economic modelling on the impact of carbon price and ETS accounting rules on afforestation (in permanent and production forestry) by region and land class.
N2O emissions from nitrogen fertilisers AgResearch $37,500 Using a fully geospatial approach to provide maps and regional summaries of the current distribution of dairy cattle across slope classes. This provides a more accurate and robust assessment than using simplified farm typologies, and can also be extended to sheep and beef.
Lifestyle block analysis AbacusBio $100,000 Working with MPI to obtain and compile robust, authoritative data on the number and characteristics of lifestyle blocks and farmlets in New Zealand.
Quantifying sequestration by farm vegetation Scion $175,000 Determining the extent, carbon stock and carbon sequestration potential of farm vegetation.

Who to contact

If you have questions about the GHGIR Fund, email funding@mpi.govt.nz

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