"When you’re on that path of almost going to jail or, worse, in jail, you know you gotta make some radical changes. Life has changed for me for the better... I think, through growth, learning from past mistakes and trying to get ahead to better the future for myself and my family,” says Cruz Hobson of his job placement with FNR Forestry through the Department of Corrections. Starting there in silviculture and now cutting logs to length in an 875 Tigercat Machine for Mold Logging he adds, “It feels good being in the bush. Time goes quick in the fresh air.”
Just 29, Cruz is one of many ex-offenders who have found their way in forestry thanks to the Department of Corrections’ own recruitment service, titled This Way for Work. Along with helping people with an offending history find and maintain employment, This Way for Work supports the employers who hire them. Managing Director at FNR Forestry, the exclusive silviculture contractor to Summit Forests, operating in the Far North, Jeremy Parkinson says the arrangement has been win-win.
Get your copy of the May 2022 issue of NZ Logger, on sale 2 May to read more about the journey from lock-up to logging. Click the link on this page to subscribe to either a printed or digital copy (or both).
