August 27, 2025
"Don't tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value."
This quote, one Joe Biden has repeated over the years, really resonates with us as accountants. We believe that where we spend our money speaks to our values. So when it came time to offset our carbon emissions, we took the time to weigh up our options and ultimately chose to support native forest regeneration, even if it meant stepping back from claiming carbon neutrality.
The available verified offset options (in the voluntary market) weren’t based in Aotearoa, which sparked a lot of kōrero in our office. While we agreed that supporting carbon offsets (as a complement to, not a replacement for, real emissions reductions) is valuable, our clients are mostly based here. Therefore supporting a local regeneration project felt more aligned with Fairground.
Next we then found ourselves weighing up a mixed species native forest versus a monoculture pine forest. Cyclone Gabrielle came into that discussion, particularly for Antz, our Ōtautahi-based director, who supported the Civil Defence response in that area. His experience, alongside the articles and footage we reviewed, helped us understand the downstream impacts of pine plantations. That prompted a moment of pause, a step back to ask ourselves: why are we really offsetting? What impact are we hoping for?
Planting native trees supports biodiversity, strengthens ecosystems, and aligns with our emerging Native Regeneration strategy. While that strategy is still evolving, this decision is a tangible step towards it.
In the end, we decided that backing a diverse native forest mattered more to us than claiming carbon neutrality. A diverse forest reflects the richness of our team and our clients because not everyone thinks or works the same way, and that’s a good thing.
Forests also last far beyond any strategic plan Fairground will ever make. So we asked: are we assessing the pros and cons with the right timescale in mind? If we consider our obligations as good Te Tiriti partners, we really should be pushing out our timelines further.
Offsetting is complex. That’s why we partnered with My Native Forest’s Purau Woodland project, a native restoration initiative in Whakaraupō. When complete, it will span over 30 hectares, host more than 70,000 native trees, and sequester up to 10,000 tonnes of CO₂. It’s a project grounded in ecological restoration and community connection, and one we’re proud to support. Their guidance has also helped us deepen our understanding of carbon accounting and the Aotearoa landscape, empowering our team and our conversations with clients.
We hope that one day, regenerative projects like this will be business as usual, that being carbon positive won’t just be a goal, but a norm.
