Slash for Cash: Transforming Waste into Opportunity

Project Story

Slash for Cash is an initiative of the Tolaga Bay Heritage Charitable Trust (TBHCT) that transforms wood debris (slash) waste, untreated wood waste, and maize harvest waste into biochar, which is used to make organic biochar fertilizer and smokeless charcoal briquettes, while also creating training and employment opportunities for the local East Coast (Tairawhiti) and Wairoa communities of New Zealand.

Our Mission

We are a scalable land-restoration and carbon-management platform on a mission to heal the land and heal communities through carbon sequestration, training opportunities, and full-time employment.

Background & Problem Statement

The Tairawhiti and Wairoa communities are undergoing recovery from the effects of Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle. Both regions require an immediate community-led intervention to clean up wood debris, stabilize eroded land, and mitigate against flooding, which present risks to life, infrastructure, property, and agricultural practices.

Gisborne District spends tens of millions removing forestry slash each year. Storms continue to push woody debris into rivers and beaches. Slash for Cash provides a local, long-term solution to this persistent waste issue.

Our Solution

We have developed innovative mobile carbonization kilns that transform wood debris (slash) waste or any dead carbon matter into biochar, which is used to make organic biochar fertilizer and smokeless charcoal briquettes, while creating training and employment opportunities for local East Coast (Tairawhiti) and Wairoa communities.

Our intellectual property protected 1.5m by 3.5m steel mobile carbonization kilns can carbonize 3 tonnes of wood debris per burn and 30 tonnes weekly (5 days), performing two 4-hour burns daily. Our initiative is fully supported and endorsed by local iwi (tribes) and hapū (sub-tribes) in the East Coast (Tairawhiti) and Wairoa regions.

Our kilns hold 15-year Global Air Discharge and Resource Consent Permits and A-Grade Compliance Certificates from Gisborne District Council and Hawkes Bay Regional Council. They were designed and manufactured in accordance with New Zealand Engineering Standards and comply with New Zealand Transport Authority regulations.

Our plain biochar was tested for heavy metals and carbon content by Scion Research. It has exceptionally high carbon content (88%), very low Hydrogen/Carbon ratios ( 0.23–0.24 ) indicating excellent long-term stability, low bulk density consistent with porous woody biochar, and beneficial nutrient concentrations. It is a high-quality biochar product with very strong potential for carbon sequestration, soil enhancement, and premium market applications.

Our biochar fertilizer is charged with organic sheep manure (an abundant natural warm fertilizer).

Our smokeless briquettes comply with BS EN 1860-2: 2005 international standard, with each briquette providing clean 6-hour heat or cooking energy.

Our Experience

We are a New Zealand Sustainable Business Awards 2025 Transformational Leadership Award-winning hybrid and sustainable social enterprise owned by Tolaga Bay Heritage Charitable Trust (TBHCT), which was established at Start Up Weekend Tairawhiti 2023 in response to Cyclone Gabrielle's devastation and to advance the Trust's Socio-Economic and Environmental Conservation Mission.

Between August 2023 and August 2024, we partnered with Eastern Institute of Technology to develop and deliver an adult community education training programme, empowering 54 people across Tolaga Bay, Ruatoria, Wairoa, and Gisborne with practical biochar production knowledge and expertise focused on climate change mitigation, soil health, and agriculture.

In November and December 2024, we received a $220,000 grant and a $100,000 grant from the Department of Internal Affairs and the Eastern & Central Community Trust respectively to deliver the 2025 One-Year Job Readiness Training Programme to upskill 18 local residents on Ministry of Social Development (MSD) benefits across Tolaga Bay (6), Ruatoria (6), and Wairoa (6) into employable individuals.

In March 2025, we completed manufacturing our first Mobile Carbonization Kiln (AK1). In August 2025, we were awarded two 15-year Global Discharge to Air and Land Use Resource Consent Permits. In November and December 2025, we began operating AK1, which passed compliance tests and was awarded two A-Grade Compliance Certificates.

In March 2026, we completed manufacturing our second and third Mobile Carbonization Kilns (AK2 and AK3) and began operating them in April 2026.

Our Recent Milestones

Between January and June 2026, we achieved the following:

• Received a 6-month Go To Market Support Grant totaling $203,680 from Trust Tairawhiti ($103,680 for top-up wages for 18 staff members and $100,000 for operations)

• Removed and cleaned up 135 tonnes of slash from 45 unpaid burns

• Produced 67.5 tonnes of biochar for repurposing into useful biochar products

• Repurposed 10.97 tonnes of biochar into useful products, with 10 tonnes to be used as organic compost fertilizer to restore soil health at the EC & LA Hindmarsh Partnership's Fruit Farm in Gisborne

• Sequestered between 446.94 and 670.41 tonnes of potential CO₂ emissions

• Launched our online store on 18 March 2026

• Secured retail partnerships with Johns Superette & Lotto Shop in Tolaga Bay (from March 2026), The Tairawhiti Environment Centre in Gisborne (from April 2026), and Bay Trade in Gisborne (from June 2026)

• Produced, packaged, and distributed 69 product units worth $4,796.50

• Generated $1,991.90 in revenue from 19 product unit sales

• Secured our first potential paid burn contract of an estimated 360 tonnes of slash in Mangatuna

• Secured a potential buyer for a mobile kiln in Wairarapa

• Secured a repeat bulk order client for Organic Biochar Fertilizer with EC & LA Hindmarsh Partnership's Fruit Farm

• Presented to the Tairawhiti Forestry Action Group with positive feedback

• Were invited to apply for the invite-only Ministry of Primary Industries Primary Sector Growth Fund

• Became a member of the Biochar Network of New Zealand and exhibited at Fieldays 2026

• Secured a collaborative partnership with the Aurora Education Trust to run climate change & biochar focused training sessions for young student leaders in the Tairawhiti and Wairoa regional lands starting in Term 4 this year.

Our Ask

We are seeking a $250,000 grant to support full-time wages for 18 employees ($207,400) and Project Coordinator wages ($17,600) for 3 months, plus $25,000 towards operational costs to accelerate our regeneration and go-to-market efforts.

We have already secured a $20,000 donation from Anne Wignall and we are exploring these other funding opportunities to meet our $1.5 million (NZD) budget required for 1 year of full operations:

1. Ministry of Primary Industries - $250,000 from their Primary Sector Growth Fund (to buy three 4x4 Trucks to help move the kilns ($190,000), three portable sawmills ($30,000), and to contribute towards operational costs ($30,000) - (EOI accepted, pending grant application process and decision)

2. Trust Tairawhiti - $250,000 from their Taiao Focus Fund (for full-time wages for 18 employees ($207,400) and Project Coordinator Wages ($17,600) for 3 months; and a $25,000 contribution towards operational costs - (past EOI stage, pending 2 more stages and decision)

3. Eastern & Central Community Trust - $100 000 for a community-led air emissions initiative - (pending grant process and decision)

4. Impact Investors (Soul Capital etc.): $630,000 (to cover 6 months wages post grant phase for 19 team members and operations for 6 months post the grant phase)-(ongoing discussions)

5. In-kind (Slash for Cash): $776,556 in existing assets, trained labour, permits, licenses, materials and initial go-to-market efforts.

This funding will enable us to scale from approximately 8 burns per month per site to 30 burns monthly, producing up to 40 tonnes of bulk organic biochar per month per site by year's end. It will help us achieve cash-flow positive operations by year-end 2027, break-even by 2028, and profitability by 2030.

The grant will create full-time employment for 19 people, scale annual slash clean-up capacity from 1,080 tonnes to 4,320 tonnes, and achieve annual CO₂ sequestration potential of 8,640 to 12,960 tonnes. It will enable faster commercialization of biochar products and establish a replicable circular bioeconomy model for Aotearoa New Zealand.

This funding support will allow us to do the following per site in the first 3 months:

• 160 hours per month per staff member

• 20 burns per month

• 30 boxes of Smokeless Briquettes per month

• 30 bags of Plain Biochar per month

• 30 bags of Organic Biochar per month

• 20 tonnes of Bulk Organic Biochar per month

This funding support will allow us to do the following per site in the last 3 months onwards:

• 160 hours per month per staff member

• 30 burns per month

• 60 boxes of Smokeless Briquettes per month

• 60 bags of Plain Biochar per month

• 60 bags of Organic Biochar per month

• 40 tonnes of Bulk Organic Biochar per month

The value of the grant will extend well beyond us as the applicant organization.

1. For the forestry sector, the project creates a scalable and commercially viable solution to the recurring slash waste issue that has caused major environmental and infrastructure damage following Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle. Instead of treating slash as a disposal cost, our project transforms it into marketable products that create value within the regional economy. This supports the wider forestry and farming sectors by reducing clean-up burdens, lowering environmental risks, and improving social license for forestry operations.

2. For the agriculture and horticulture sectors, our project improves access to regenerative soil products that enhance soil biology, water retention, erosion control, and climate resilience. Biochar-based fertilizers can reduce dependence on synthetic fertilizers while improving long-term soil productivity for orchards, farms, vineyards, and Māori land blocks. This directly supports more resilient and productive food and fibre systems.

3. For rural communities, the grant will enable a community-led circular bioeconomy model that keeps economic value within the region. Our project combines environmental restoration with employment, Māori participation, skills development, and local enterprise creation. Our model is intentionally designed for replication across other regions facing forestry waste, erosion, and climate adaptation challenges.

Our project will also grow new market opportunities earlier than would otherwise occur.

MA Earth funding will enable Slash for Cash to accelerate:

• market entry for certified biochar products,

• retail distribution partnerships,

• large-scale agricultural supply agreements,

• licensing opportunities for the mobile carbonization kiln technology, and

• national expansion into other forestry regions.

This early market access will have significant economic value because it will allow New Zealand to develop a domestic biochar and circular forestry waste industry sooner, rather than continuing to absorb escalating clean-up costs and environmental damage from unmanaged slash. It will also position New Zealand as a leader in low-cost, community-based biochar production systems that can be replicated internationally.

In short, MA Earth Collective Fund for Regeneration will not just be simply funding a hybrid and sustainable social enterprise. It would be catalyzing a scalable regional transformation initiative that converts an expensive environmental liability into enduring economic, environmental, and social value for New Zealand.

Our production of locally produced bulk organic fertilizer and our early repeat sales to local farmers is testament to the self-reliance of the East Coast community as global fertilizer supply chains face further degradation.

It's a definitive example of turning a vulnerability (supply chain instability) into a local strength.

By shortening the supply chain and utilizing local organic resources, we are not just bypassing global logistics headaches; we are contributing to building long-term soil health and regional food security.