Forestry Minister Shane Jones is rejecting criticism his billion-tree programme will do little to help fight climate change.
Climate scientist Jim Salinger says for the scheme to work it has to concentrate on planting natives, not pine trees - he says native trees are forty times better at storing carbon.
Forestry New Zealand figures show in the first year of the scheme, only 12 percent of the 91 million trees planted were natives.
Corin Dann speaks to Shane Jones. He says the grant scheme has dedicated two thirds of its funding to native trees.
