Forest Talk

Taumarunui engineer, Ron Cooke, accepted an invitation by Gough Gough & Hamer in 1972 to accompany one of their servicemen, Jeff Haskell, to Horokino for “a day in the sun” at the bush workings of Valley Logging Co. The 33-year-old fitter and turner was an enthusiastic hobby photographer who enjoyed recording events on film but was not experienced enough in those early years to put pen to paper to describe his observations and name those involved, but Ron ..... more

The Bay of Plenty region now joins several others in New Zealand to have full LiDAR coverage, following the completion of a project to map the area in 3D using LiDAR (light detection and ranging) elevation data, which is now available through Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand.

Made possible by the Provincial Growth Fund, the project has improved Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s ability to model natural hazards and climate change,..... more

“With the shifting climate, the risk of new pests and diseases increases. Investment in a new Plant Health and Environment Laboratory is critical to safeguarding New Zealand’s export potential and protecting the country from future biosecurity threats,” says Deputy Director General of Biosecurity New Zealand, Stuart Anderson.

With this in mind, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and the new Crown infrastructure delivery company, Rau Paenga, ha..... more

The founder and sole director of the Forestlands group of companies, Rowan Kearns was sentenced to four months’ community detention and 100 hours’ community work with a 9pm – 7am curfew last month. 

This follows a prosecution brought by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) – Te Mana Tātai Hokohoko – filed in the Nelson District Court in September 2020.

In February 2023, Mr Kearns pleaded guilty to:

– one representative charge of mak..... more

Applications are still open for the Southern North Island Wood Council scholarship of $8000 ($2000 a year for four years), for:

 - people enrolling in full time relevant industry tertiary study, or

 - an employee within the industry who aspires to further training; to improve their skills, knowledge and value to the employer.

In terms of award criteria, consideration will be given to:

 - the qualification and ind..... more

The first thing our Iron Test team notices about Mangoihe Logging’s operation is lots of big new gear moving around good stockpiles of logs. The second thing is the lack of soil disturbance and soil exposure in the cutover. It’s a good advertisement for the industry, particularly being right beside State Highway One north of Hunterville with thousands of travellers passing by every day. 

The block has ponds and power lines running through it too..... more