Jobs for Nature: Direct Employment Effects of Ecosystem Restoration in Aotearoa New Zealand

Ecosystem restoration is increasingly recognised as part of the global solution for building a resilient, low-emissions economy, with its associated employment opportunities helping to provide political legitimacy for government investment. In Aotearoa New Zealand, however, little is known about the employment effects of government-funded ecosystem restoration initiatives. This study addresses that gap by analysing project-level data from 359 “Jobs for Nature” projects to examine how funding levels and contextual factors influence direct employment outcomes. Multiple regression analyses build on one-way ANOVA tests to quantify the contribution of funding and contextual factors to employment outcomes and to assess their differential impacts across various settings (regions, agencies, project types, and durations). The analysis reveals that while funding is the primary driver of employment—with each additional NZD 100,000 creating approximately 0.7 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs—contextual factors call for a more dynamic, targeted policy approach to maximise marginal employment returns. Three key policy implications are accordingly drawn: (1) direct more funding to regions with higher socio-economic deprivation; (2) preferentially support projects of medium-term duration; and (3) evaluate and replicate the practices of high-performing funding agencies.