Forest Talk

Reprioritising the Government’s Transport Strategy to focus on productivity, freight movement and reconnecting communities will be good for business, says the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA).

Chief Executive, Brett O’Riley, says the lack of resilience in the country’s infrastructure during the Anniversary Weekend flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle brought this into even sharper focus.

"It’s highlighted how crucial it is to keep many c..... more

Ross Lockyer, now in his late 70s, spent his working life living and working in the forestry and logging industry in remote locations of South-East Asia and the Pacific, including Papua New Guinea, Irian Jaya/West Papua, Borneo, Sumatra, Burma, Thailand, The Philippines, Kiribati and others.

With a gung-ho approach to life, Ross threw himself into his work and immersed himself in the local cultures and communities wherever he went, learning the langu..... more

“We cannot stop cyclones from coming, but we can reduce our vulnerability to them. This will need to include sustainable land management in our erodible catchments so that we do not repeat past mistakes,” says environmental forestry consultant Dr Sean Weaver. 

“Extreme weather events like Cyclone Gabrielle are coming to stay and we absolutely need to get ready for them. This means the right land use for the land in question. In many erosion-pron..... more

While staff and contractors remain focussed on the immediate response to Cyclone Gabrielle, the Eastland Wood Council (EWC) is continuing to advocate for its members’ workforces.

Members of the Council met with Government Ministers to discuss the challenges facing the industry in Tairāwhiti, as well the priorities.  

EWC Chairperson, Neil Woods, says it was a productive meeting: “There was plenty of discussion about opportunities too, how ..... more

“If Government is serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions from heavy transport and getting better value from forestry then we need a collective task force supported by Government focused on creating sustainable business from Forestry, and producing sustainable biofuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Collective action has kick-started the replacement of coal by biomass as fuel for process heat. We could achieve similar from heavy transport deca..... more

The Environment Committee is calling for submissions on the Climate Change Response (Late Payment Penalties and Industrial Allocation) Amendment Bill.

This bill seeks to amend provisions in the Climate Change Response Act 2002 relating to the Emissions Trading Scheme. These amendments concern the settings of industrial allocation and the penalty that applies when small forestry participants fail to surrender or repay units by the due date.

The ..... more