Steve Bell and Rory Bennison – FMNZ

Steve and Rory will be giving a presentation on how harvest happens, how big the task is, what happens in the planning process, when you get paid, who we sell your logs to and provide an insight into how your investment is managed through harvest to ensure maximum return. They will cover off points including:

·         the size of the task at hand

·         managing the wall of wood

·         challenges within the forestry industry – retaining crews, health and safety, environmental factors

·         economies of scale benefit

·         use of technology

·         managing log prices through your 2-3 year harvest

·         social and environmental licence to harvest

·         replanting

Paul Burridge – Summit Forestry

Paul Burridge is Head of Export and Regional Operations for Summit Forestry, one of the exporting companies that we currently supply your logs to. He has a great insight to the export sector, the effects of China in the market, and where Sumitomo corporation sees the future of forestry.

Discussion includes the development of automated timber processing in China, the burgeoning middle class and their movement away from MDF or ‘fake wood’ to real timber furniture. The complete stop of harvesting their own native timber has meant new ports have been specifically developed to import and process timber. 

Tom Boon – Taranakipine

Tom is the CEO of Taranakipine, a progressive sawmill based in New Plymouth. Taranakipine produce and supply a comprehensive range of structural finger jointed and whole timber products around the world.

They use leading technology and automation to develop a range of engineered and traditional timber products. Tom is passionate about the uses and development of engineered timber products and the opportunities that are being presented for the use of logs as customers move towards cheaper, quicker and environmentally sustainable methods of construction.

Roger Dickie – The Next Rotation

For a long time partners have been considering what happens after the trees are harvested. This is something that we have been considering and discussing with partners over the last few years. This discussion led by Roger will talk about options post harvest. We’ll discuss all the options including:

·         why we replant

·         what are best species, are there any new Radiata pine varieties

·         what happens with any liability free NZUs

·         how the next rotation can be prefunded

·         expected returns

·         pruning vs. unpruning regime.

·         what happens if you want to exit the investment

We will have a working example of a forest that has done the due diligence on the next rotation and will be able to share some of those workings and discussions with you.

This is certainly not a new topic, but something that is of interest to our partners as they gear up to harvest and address how that can leave an asset for the next generation. Questions and answers will follow.

Minister of Forestry

To be confirmed. The minister of Forestry has agreed to speak at the conference, however they cannot commit until after the general election.

Matthew Hooton – After Dinner Speaker

Matthew has over 25 years’ experience in corporate and public-sector communications, including for the New Zealand Government and the country’s most influential companies.

He began his career as a press secretary to the New Zealand trade, agriculture and deputy finance minister before consulting to PricewaterhouseCoopers business continuity team working on Y2K related projects, including the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, ANZ, Westpac, National Australia Bank and the New Zealand Treasury.

At 28, he played a lead role in the government relations and communications programmes that led to the creation of Fonterra, becoming the company’s first head of communications, managing the announcements of all senior executives, the first election to the Board of Directors and announcements of new ventures with partners in Europe, North and South America and India.

Matthew has also led a wide range of government relations programmes including ones where government/industry partnerships were sought, such as with ZESPRI International, or where legislative change was sought as with the Kyoto Forestry Association.

Matthew is well known in political circles and by the public for his role as a political commentator on Radio New Zealand and as a columnist for the National Business Review and Metro magazine. He maintains strong relations with senior figures across the political spectrum.

Matthew worked closely with the Kyoto Forestry Association and in particular Roger Dickie from 2006 to 2009 as he (Matthew) provided all the strategic planning for the KFA campaign to retain ownership of carbon credits in the name of forest owners.  As you know, we were 100% successful with that campaign.