Forestry company fined $112,500 for evironmental breaches near Waihi
Convictions and fines totalling $112,500 have been imposed on a logging company for repeated environmental damage on a farm near Wahi between August 2022 and October 2023.
Rationalisation of the sawmill industry will continue, says Marty Verry, chief executive of Red Stag Timber, which is building a $60m 'supermill' at Rotorua.
Verry told the ForestWood conference that data analysis showed another 16 mills will close in the next six years – 12 small mills, four medium and one or two larger mills. He was not sure how that played into the 2022 sector strategy of doubling forest and wood production exports (to $12 billion). The trend line of a declining number of mills was well established, but they could still produce more timber and be profitable.
"It is just the story of automation and consolidation happening around the world," he said.
"Some of the risk areas include a drop in building consents – from 2018 they are predicting a big drop off." Some struggling sawmills could get supported if they were part of a forest or bigger operation.
Rapid technology change and rapid uptake of information and technology will be the trend.
"You will see fewer mills.... Those that are surviving would have invested heavily; they will be very competitive and highly automated and productive."
It is not unique to New Zealand: Australian data shows the same consolidation story – sawmills getting larger and more automated.
Since 2006-07 there has been a significant fall in the number of sawmills in Australia, hardwood sawmills falling by 60% and softwood by 25%. Over the past decade their domestic softwood industry has become much more capital intensive and larger in scale.
Two butcheries have claimed victory at the 100% New Zealand Bacon & Ham Awards for 2025.
A Taupiri farming company has been convicted and fined $52,500 in the Hamilton District Court for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent into the environment.
The Climate Change Commission’s 2025 emissions reduction monitoring report reveals steady progress on the reduction of New Zealand’s climate pollution.
Another milestone has been reached in the fight against Mycoplasma bovis with the compensation assistance service being wound up after helping more than 1300 farmers.
The Government’s directive for state farmer Landcorp Farming (trading as Pamu) to lifts its performance is yielding results.
The move to bring bovine TB testing in-house at Ospri officially started this month, as a team of 37 skilled and experienced technicians begin work with the disease eradication agency.
OPINION: Spare a thought for the arable farmer, squeezed on one side by soft global prices and on the other…
OPINION: Labour leader Chris 'Chippy' Hipkins is carrying on the world-class gaslighting of the nation that he and his cohorts…