Forest Talk

After 145 factory workers were locked out for more than a fortnight by Kawerau’s Essity paper mill after taking limited strike action, union members have voted to accept an increased pay offer and will resume work on Monday.

Having rejected a pay increase of three percent over three years and a lump sum payment of $4,500, the Employment Relations Authority recommendation of a 5% pay increase this year and a $4000 lump sum; a 4.5% increase in 2023 and a $3000 lump ..... more

The southern Kaingaroa Forest, south of the Napier Taupo Highway is an area of extremes with annual snowfall, bitter frosts, blizzards, heavy fog, dangerously cold windchill and heavy rain as clouds step up off the lake, rutting out the pumice-based roads. Then the summers can be almost desert-like and turn the place into a dust bowl - sometimes the deep bulldust from ground-up pumice requires 4WD to get moving on the main arterial routes and passing doubles requires li..... more

Safetree CEO, Joe Akari

Joe Akari has been appointed as the new CEO/National Safety Director of FISC/Safetree. Mr Akari is a Kiwi with Samoan heritage and whakapapa. He began his working journey in forestry as a Ranger with the NZ Forest Service and with PF Olsen as a contractor. He went on to forge a successful senior executive career in HR at various organisations including the Rotorua Lakes Council, Bay of Plenty Health Board, Refining NZ and C..... more

The threat posed by COVID-19 to the primary sectors led to the formation of a new website, techenabledlearning.nz, providing technology-enabled learning resources and information to educators and providers in forestry, farming, horticulture and fishing, as well as other disciplines.

Developed from the experiences of teaching staff and learners in the food and fibre sector, the website is funded by the Tertiary Edu..... more

A partnership has been cemented with the signing of a Kawenata/Memorandum of Understanding between tangata whenua and Scion at Te Whare Nui o Tuteata in Rotorua recently.

Veronica Butterworth, a trustee representing the three hapū - Ngāti Hurungaterangi, Ngāti Taeotu and Ngāti Te Kahu (Ngā Hapū e Toru) signed the Kawenata with Scion board Chair Dr Helen Anderson.

Ngā Hapū e Toru are tangata whenua of the 114-hectare site where Scion is situated in the Te Pap..... more

After an immense amount of work by contractors, the last closed section of State Highway 6 between Blenheim and Nelson reopened to traffic last month.

The section over the Whangamoa Hill between Hira and Rai township was the worst damaged section of the highway.

Andrew James, System Manager Top of the South, says getting it open for road users required a massive effort: “Over the last five days, we’ve had over 70 people working in the section each day. The c..... more