Forest Talk

Whakatāne residents had front row seats to a demonstration of heli-logging using a Black Hawk helicopter last month, as local operator Kāhu assisted logging crews on Valley Road.

Whakatāne District Council contracted the crews to carry out the tree felling on two blocks of pine trees growing on steep terrain overlooking the town.

The logging operation, which began in mid-January was necessary to prevent the risk of trees falling down and the hi..... more

When Bay Forest Harvesting’s Dan Mouatt first got into logging it was just supposed to be for a few weeks on his brother’s crew. He was given a pair of Canadian climbing spikes and sent up a bunch of old crop pines to rope them up so they could be pulled back. “I struggled to walk for a few days after that,” he says with a smile. 

That sort of all-in attitude has taken him far as he now runs two crews and his brother works for him. “Revenge is s..... more

Nearly every other developed country has less obstructive laws than New Zealand. They benefit from the flow of money and the ideas that come with overseas investment. If we are going to raise wages, we can’t afford to ignore the simple fact that our competitors gain money and know-how from outside their borders,” says Associate Finance Minister, David Seymour announcing Government’s plan to reform the Overseas Investment Act, making it easier for New Zeala..... more

Strong export demand and a rebound in imports have delivered a strong profit for the Port of Tauranga - the country's biggest port.

Company Chair, Julia Hoare, says the port is benefiting from emerging signs of economic recovery: "While the domestic economy remains sluggish, we are seeing what we hope are the early signs of a recovery, particularly in bulk imports and most export categories."

Cargo volumes rose 7 percent after last year's downt..... more

Not one, but three female regional champions are set to rumble onto the field for the Civil Contractors New Zealand CablePrice National Excavator Operator Competition, for the first time in its history.

The grand finale of 12 regional competitions is taking place at Manfeild Park in Feilding on 14-15 March during the Central Districts Field Days, putting finalists’ nerves of steel to the test as they go bucket-to-bucket for New Zealand’s ultimate exc..... more

A clear-fall operation is set to start in Armidale State Forest to remove dead and dying pine trees, which present a public safety risk. 

The northern section of the pine plantation in the Forest has been closed due to safety concerns over the instability of pine trees that died during the 2019-2020 drought.

Northern Regional Manager, Gary Pearson, says a previous harvest operation selectively removed dead and dying trees in the forest and..... more