28th June 2021 Newsletter

PRESIDENTS COLUMN

It was with sadness we've had to postpone the conference for 6 weeks; the committee and Jay put in many hours building up to the conference start and this was the second time we have had to postpone it. Fingers crossed the third time is a dream.

We did consider continuing the conference with social distancing, but felt a major part of our annual conference is the ability to network, catch up with old friends and be in the same room when someone asks a question of a presenter. I hope all attendees are able to attend on the new date. If any members who had not registered finds the new date easier to attend, please let Raewyn or Jay know and we will try to fit you in if anyone cancels.

Some of you may have seen an article over the weekend about a small woodlot whose owners are very unsatisfied with the result. These stories harm our industry and I feel we should be calling out poor behaviour when we see it. I was interviewed for the article and I made the point woodlot owners should look to use registered members. It is a message I consistently push as we receive more and more complaints about poorly (or non) qualified people putting themselves out as professionals. I encourage all of you to become registered and if you run a forest company I hope you are encouraging your staff to become registered. Registration (or accreditation) is about to become compulsory by law; so getting in early will be to your advantage.

During the prior week, I attended the opening of a new Optimised Engineered Lumber plant in Gisborne. It was great to see a mill investing in technology and R&D. The model is a partnership between private investors; local iwi and some Government investment. The Minister had the honour of turning the first turf and spoke strongly of the need for investment in domestic processing.

Once again, I would like to apologise to members for the inconvenience of having to postpone the conference. However I look forward to seeing many of you at the conference, field trips, CPD and awards dinner 15-17 August.

Thanks

James

NZIF 2021 CONFERENCE UPDATE

Conference update!

Good Covid Monday to you all…

Well we were very disappointed to have to postpone our Conference last week due to the Aussie threat.  It was the only realistic option in the circumstances and we are still watching the news to see where the chips will fall for the future.  Believe me this has been the longest organising committee in history!

All the venues, speakers and stalls have been more than happy to accommodate our rapid change in plan and we still hope to see you all in the Wairarapa in August.  The buses are booked, the food ready and waiting….we’ll see you for a mid-Winter Conference yet!

Erica Kinder

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NZIF 2021 Conference 

27th to 29th June 2021 has been Postponed due to Covid 19, the new conference dates are 15th/16th and 17th August. Same venue, programme etc.

Copthorne Hotel & Resort Solway Park  
High Street
Masterton 

Read more

MEMBERS VOICE

“I’m opening the discussion on domestic processing vs. export logs.  I’ve not read either the Stuff article or the NZFOA response our President referred to in Newsletter 14 June 2021 but am aware of the issues.  First point: NZ forest growers need a vibrant and profitable domestic processing industry.  Without that we are far too exposed to biosecurity, political, market diversification, shipping and supply chain risks.  Second point: Domestic processors need to be internationally competitive, regardless of what domestic subsidies our overseas wood processors receive.  Unless they are imports will displace locally produced wood products. If that happens local processors die. Point 3:  Attempting to level the playing field by taking cases to the WTO or asking MFAT to use their clout to influence subsidies in other supply countries is a pipe dream.  We might be right but we are a little country and simply don’t have the clout.  So let’s keep up that effort but don’t rely on it to solve the problem. Point 4:  If wood processors persist with the idea that private owners of forests should have log exports controlled to reduce log prices to local processors they will score an “own goal”.  Forest growing investment will dry up – very quickly.

So how do we solve this?  To be internationally competitive our domestic processors need to invest in either best-of-breed technology and scale, or niche smaller scale processing that has high IP, high margins and excellence in execution at every step.  Most wood products are international commodities so for the bulk of our forest harvest the former becomes the ONLY way forward.  We should of course also support new entrants and entrepreneurs wanting to trial niche products at smaller scale.

Investment in best-of-breed technology and scale is not a small decision.  We are talking $50 - $200 mill.  Key factors are:  Industrial land, energy supply, wood supply, skilled labour supply, transport infrastructure, domestic demand.  Get all those sorted and the investment will come!

Domestic demand matters because without it the investor becomes highly exposed to exchange rates.  A $100 million capital investment has a 50-year+ life.  We are a small economy with a floating exchange rate dominated by speculation rather than trade fundamentals. Look at the chart of FX rates vs US over the past 50 years!  At NZ$0.50 to the US$ we win.  At NZ$0.80 we die.  Domestic demand mitigates the risk.

Our best chance to expand domestic demand is in the high-value, high volume solid wood products.  That means Engineered Wood Products (EWP).  Biofuels, bio-chemicals and anything made of residues actually relies on the success of the solid wood processing industry.

We are on the right track with the recently released MBIE Guide on Procurement for Building and Construction and the MPI/Red Stag Mid Rise Wood Construction Programme helping to promote domestic demand for EWP.

But where in NZ can we tick all those boxes?  Tell me. Wood supply is a big issue.  We need more forests in most regions to support international scale processing.  That is our collective challenge.  Industry + Govt.”

Regards

Peter Clark

INSTITUTE UPDATE

NZIF Foundation Awards

Dear Applicants for NZIF Foundation Awards,

You will be aware that the Wellington region, which includes the Wairarapa, was shifted to Covid-19 Level 2 on Wednesday.  This led to the NZ Institute of Forestry reluctantly having to postpone its annual conference which was scheduled to take place in Masterton on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday (27-29 June).  Those events have been rescheduled for 15^th to 17^th August, still in Masterton.  The NZIF Awards dinner is now expected to take place on the evening of Monday 16^th August.  This means that announcement of the 2021 NZIF Foundation awards has also been postponed till 16^th August.

The Foundation regrets the delay and hopes that all applicants will accept the situation.  You may recall that last year, Covid resulted in complete cancellation of the NZIF conference.  Our sympathy goes to the 2020 organising committee that had to regroup from last year and now is organising this year’s postponement.

The Foundation has however awarded the 2021 Mary Sutherland scholarship.  An event to celebrate the publication of a biography of Mary Sutherland was arranged recently to celebrate the recent publication of a biography of Mary Sutherland.  This took place on Thursday 3^rd June, only three days after applications for the scholarship closed.  The Foundation managed to assess applications for the scholarship and to also agree to award a second scholarship in recognition of the event.  The announcement of the successful applicants was then made at the event.  A number of students from Rotorua’s Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology were present at the event, including the two who were announced as the recipients.  The Foundation had asked the forestry staff at Toi Ohomai to encourage all their students to attend the function because of the significance of Mary Sutherland to NZ forestry.  Students were not told the announcement of the scholarship might take place, because we were not sure if we could have everything in place before the event.

Below is a report of the announcement, the names of the successful applicants and other aspects of the event.  We thank all applicants for the Mary Sutherland Scholarships, we congratulate the two recipients, Lily and Pamela, and we regret that we could not offer even more scholarships.

MARY SUTHERLAND SCHOLARSHIP

The NZIF Foundation announced the awarding of two Mary Sutherland Scholarships at an event on 3^rd June 2021, celebrating the recent publication of the biography of Mary Sutherland, the first woman in the world to graduate with a forestry degree (A Path Through the Trees:  Mary Sutherland – forester, botanist & women’s advocate by Vivien Edwards, published by Writes Hill Press).  Mary Sutherland graduated from the University College of North Wales, Bangor in 1916.  She emigrated to NZ in 1923 and was employed by the newly established State Forest Service.  In 1927 she was a founding member of the NZ Institute of Forestry and designed the official seal, which still forms the basis for the Institute’s logo.

The Mary Sutherland Scholarship was initiated by the NZ Institute of Forestry following receipt of a bequest from Mary Sutherland.  Initially awarded to the top student from the Forest Service ranger school, the Scholarship has, since 2012 been awarded by the NZIF Foundation and is available to a student enrolled in a forestry related course at a NZ polytechnic.  Normally only one scholarship, worth $1,000 is available each year and the recipient is usually announced at the annual NZIF Conference dinner.  To recognise the significance of the biography, the Foundation this year decided to award two scholarships (each of $1,000) at the celebration of the publication.

The 2021 recipients are both enrolled for the first year of a Diploma in Forest Management at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology in Rotorua.  They are:

• Lily Marshall, attended Taupo-nui-a-tia college in Taupo before completing a Bachelor of Biomedical Science at Victoria University of Wellington.  She spent several years overseas before returning home to pursue a career in forestry. She particularly enjoys the practical aspects the Diploma has to offer and is looking forward to the part forestry will play in a sustainable future for New Zealand.
• Pamela Purdie from Rotorua attended Rotorua Girl’s High School and subsequently worked as a silviculture technician before commencing her diploma.  Her ambition is to lead and teach others to uphold NZ’s environmental and health and safety regulations.

The celebration was held in the new building, Te Whare Nui o Tuteata, at the Crown Research Institute Scion, only a short distance from a memorial plaque to Mary Sutherland in the Redwood Grove in Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa Forest.  It was coming across the plaque that led to Vivien Edwards embarking on a lengthy mission to research and write a biography of Mary.  It was attended by over 100 people including descendants of Mary Sutherland’s oldest sister, the President of the Rotorua and District historical society, Chriss Taylor, who was responsible for installing the plaque, in the Redwood Grove, historians, Zonta Club members, Heather McKenzie, the first woman to graduate with a forestry degree in New Zealand (1974), former recipients of the Mary Sutherland scholarship, including Tina Drummond, the first woman to receive it (1997), Her Worship, the Mayor of Rotorua, Steve Chadwick, students from Toi Ohomai, former students of Bangor University and a wide range of historians, members of the NZIF and other forestry people.

2021 recipients of the Mary Sutherland Scholarship, Lily Marshall (left) and Pamela Purdie with NZIF Foundation trustees James Treadwell and Andrew McEwen 

Former and 2021 recipients of the Mary Sutherland Scholarship at the celebration of the publication of the biography of Mary Sutherland.  Left to right Georgia Paulson (2018), Simon Honour (2010), Tina Drummond (1997), Chas Hutton (1980), Dave Lumley (1975), Lily Marshall (2021) Pamela Purdie (2021)

Best wishes 

Andrew McEwen ONZM, FNZIF

Chair, NZIF Foundation

am.mcewen@xtra.co.nz

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From the Registrar

APPLICATION FOR REGISTERED MEMBER STATUS

The following Members have applied to become Registered Members:

• Iain McInnes of Gisborne
• Nigel Chandler of Auckland
• Daniel Robertson of Waikouaiti
• Les Dowling of Rotorua

Any member of the NZIF has the right to object to an application. Any objection should be lodged with the Registrar registrar@nzif.org.nz within 20 working days of the first appearance (28 June 2021) of the notice in this newsletter, specifying the grounds for the objection.

REGISTRATION REVIEWS 2021

The following members are due for 5-year review of their status as Registered Members during 2021 and have not yet applied;

• John Galbraith
• Paul Bradbury
• David Crawley
• Ross Wade

Alan Bell, Registrar 
NZIF Registration Board

registrar@nzif.org.nz

+64 27 444 7779

FORESTRY NEWS

Global Network for Forestry Young Professionals (ForYP)

The Global Network for Forestry Young Professionals (ForYP) is currently under development and the Inaugural Board, formed in April 2021, is working hard towards an official launch at the World Forestry Congress in Seoul, Korea in May 2022. The ForYP Board is seeking input on what would benefit potential members most with regards to services, structure, and intent. For a more detailed background you can read about the concept of the ForYP here.

The survey should take less than 10minutes to complete and all responses received will be held confidential by the Board and used exclusively to inform decisions as we build the network. We will only contact you if you indicate you want us to do so. The survey will be accessible until July 31, 2021.

As we progress in developing this international network we welcome any thoughts or offers of assistance. We will be seeking initial partners to progress our launch and build a community that is beneficial to all foresters no matter their ethnicity, gender or location in the world.

Thank you for your time and if you have any queries, thoughts, or advice then please contact: forestryyp@gmail.com

We look forward to collating the responses.

Kind regards,

Alfred Duval
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Ngā Karahipi Uru Rākau – Forestry Scholarships

Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service is pleased to announce that applications for Ngā Karahipi Uru Rākau – Forestry Scholarships are now open for study beginning 2022. Applications opened 1 June and close 15 August 2021. There may be people within your networks/database who’d be interested in applying.

What do recipients receive?

The scholarships are valued at $8,000 per year for degree study, or $6,500 per year for diploma study and also include paid summer internship(s) in Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service or the forestry sector.

Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service is committed to creating greater diversity across forestry and wood processing.

There are nine scholarships available and we especially want to hear from applicants who are Māori or identify as female enrolling in a:

• Bachelor of Forestry Science at University of Canterbury or
• Diploma in Forest Management at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology (New)

Scholarships are also available for all applicants enrolling in a:

• Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) specialising in Forest Engineering at the University of Canterbury.

There will be three scholarships awarded per qualification.  All applicants must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents.

Further information about the scholarships and an application form can be found at:

www.mpi.govt.nz/forestryscholarships or by emailing MPIForestryScholarships@mpi.govt.nz

FORESTRY EVENTS

Where to for Aotearoa’s forests? - Indigenous and plantation forests can help us become net greenhouse gas neutral

Presentation outline: You've probably heard the chatter on social media and read hyped-up articles from advocates for different kinds of forest on particular sites. Clearly most of us love native forest, some of us hate radiata pine, others would like to see more alternative exotic species, and yet others advocate no forest sequestration in case it stops us from reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is a red-hot topic right now. This talk outlines what the gap in our accounts is if we wish to reach greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050 and what the proper role of forestry is in addressing the issue. Euan will examine a range of alternatives, including the areas required to fill carbon deficits using different sets of species and silvicultural regimes, the likely costs, the benefits, and the implications of alternative strategies.

When: Tuesday 6th July – meet at 6pm for drinks and nibbles, talk starts at 7pm.

Where: Room F1 at School of Forestry, Canterbury University

Please RSVP to Patrick Milne  patrick@cypress.co.nz