Forest Talk

Safety-conscious organisations from New Zealand and Australia have been recognised for working hard to reduce incidents involving at-work drivers and vehicles during the ninth annual Australasian Fleet Champions Awards. 

The awards, run by Brake, the road safety charity and supported by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, acknowledge companies and individuals who have implemented successful initiatives, products or services to tackle fleet safety. ..... more

The latest numbers released by Stats NZ this month show that unemployment increased from 3.6% to 3.9% in the September quarter. This brings the total number of unemployed New Zealanders to 118,000.

The Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) says the fact that unemployment continues to rise comes as no surprise given the conversations it has been having with its members, who are feeling the impact of a slowing economy.

EMA Head of Advocac..... more

Businesses involved in forestry, wood processing and log transport are being invited to take part in an ACC Recovery at Work trial.

The trial will identify and evaluate initiatives that make a difference to how well people working in these industries recover and return to work after an injury.

It will run for six months, from February to August 2024, and if successful, could be rolled out across the wider forestry, wood processing and log trans..... more

While New Zealand’s trade and tourism border security is among the strictest in the world to protect against unwanted pests and diseases, aerial invaders (insect and pathogen pests arriving by wind) are harder to control.  

Examples of such pests include myrtle rust and fall army worm.

Scion researchers are aiming to fix the aerial invader hole in the biosecurity net and have received investment funding of $10.85 million over five years th..... more

The forestry sector has been shaken by the untimely death of Jason Wynyard (14 November 1973 – 4 October 2023). A New Zealand champion woodchopper from Kawakawa, Jason won over 200 world titles in the sport.

In May this year, it was announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 Burkitt lymphoma, and after undergoing aggressive treatment he was advised by doctors on 18 August that he had only weeks to live. He died on 4 October 2023, at the age of..... more

The Forest Owners Association (FOA) says the cost recovery scheme for the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) announced last month is another government disincentive to plant forests, just when they are most needed. 

FOA President, Grant Dodson, says the huge jump to a more than $14 million a year cost recovery formula to be imposed by the government is neither reasonable nor equitable. 

“It’s important to realise that this is a $14m admin..... more