How did you come to be involved with FICA?
I was appointed as FICA CEO in April 2018 having been CEO for the Eastland Wood Council for three-and-a-half years in Te Tairawhiti. My husband and I moved to Hawke’s Bay that year and the role with the wood council was no longer viable. I was approached about the FICA position and was very keen to pursue a more national role as my time in forestry had been so interesting, and I believed I could do the job and make a difference.
What is your background?
Officially I am a qualified food technologist, having worked in the food industry for over 18 years and my longest position was with a company in Gisborne, Cedenco Foods Limited. I moved through significant career changes with them from Laboratory Manager to Technical Manager then to Marketing & Sales Manager – travelling extensively around the globe with our paste products and taking the lead in our larger markets, Japan, New Zealand and Australia. When I started a family I left full-time work and established an event management and PR company, Public Impressions – and life on contract has never given me cause to look back. The diversity of this business was, and still is, extensive and it gave me the introduction to forestry through supporting the establishment of the regional forestry awards with Matt Wakelin at the time from Ernslaw One. We struck a magical formula and have managed to roll the awards out to most regions around New Zealand, as well as taking them across to Mount Gambier, Australia. This was how I stepped nicely into the CEO role with the Eastland Wood Council as I had worked six years with the forestry region and its people.
What have been the highs and lows for you over the years?
My highs were the first two years of my role. FICA was just picking up steam, then COVID hit with the downturn in markets at the same time – yes it was your ultimate “cluster”. We fought hard and worked even harder to keep our members’ heads above water, to support the industry, to offer support, but we lost some great soldiers over a long period of challenges. However, I did feel like FICA had a voice after the work of becoming more visible and more credible went into the organisation in those first two years. Small wins are often the ones you go home to celebrate with a cold beer and I did that a few times!
What do you feel are the important issues in forestry today and how can we address them?I believe forestry has a huge challenge with its social licence that needs addressing from across the sector – there are too many going it alone. We have come a significant way in that this year, with the establishment of the pan sector group, NZ Forest and Wood Sector Forum, and the opportunity to be honest and open in...
