SYDNEY & DUNEDIN, New Zealand & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 9, 2018--Forestry investment manager New Forests is pleased to announce its Australia New Zealand Forest Fund 2 (ANZFF2) has acquired a 38% shareholding in Wenita Forest Products Ltd (Wenita) and full ownership of the Otago Land Company, which holds 22,500 hectares of freehold land on which Wenita operates via forestry rights. New Forests is acquiring the assets from The Rohatyn Group (TRG), a specialised asset management firm with expertise in emerging markets and real assets, which first purchased the Wenita shareholding in 2005 in a joint venture with Chinese logistics company…

The New Zealand Institute of Forestry proposed the introduction of a new national policy for the industry at the sector’s annual conference in an effort to help the government “develop sound long-term strategies for forestry development."

Contractual obligations making it hard for forestry owners to pull out of the East Coast could leave farmers stuck with the hill plantations that have led to massive damage.

Concerns that there may not be enough wood fibre to supply a new $180 million particleboard plant proposed for Kawerau have been quashed by an industry study which concludes "there is more than enough wood available" although it notes the increased demand

Apr 05, 2018  - Te Hiku Iwi opposes bringing forestry rights into the Overseas Investment screening regime, arguing they will have a material impact on the value of their land and compromise their ability to attract overseas partners

Mar 07, 2018  -   The government is adding forestry rights to the Overseas Investment Act screening regime ahead of this week's signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership in Chile, preserving its right to legislate on the issue

Feb 12, 2018  -  Forestry and wood processing company, Juken New Zealand has today confirmed it is going ahead with changes to the products made at its East Coast Mill in Gisborne to return the plant to profitability and secure its long-term future. The company told staff on January 23 that it was considering stopping production of Plywood and Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) products and reducing the manufacture of Structural Laminated Veneer Lumber (SLVL) at its East Coast Mill because those parts of the business had been operating at significant losses for a number of years. The Mill will continue…

DEc 13, 2017  -  Forestry Minister Shane Jones has today welcomed the separation of portfolios within the Ministry of Primary Industries, saying it marks a new era for forestry in New Zealand.  The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) will reorganise its functions to create a stronger focus on core responsibilities. Four new, separately branded portfolio-based branches will be established within MPI – Fisheries New Zealand, Forestry New Zealand, Biosecurity New Zealand and New Zealand Food Safety. Mr Jones says the refocusing of the ministry’s functions will put greater emphasis on forestry, in line with the Government’s dedication to the sector.…

Scion is to investigate the feasibility of remediating treated timber with government funding of $163,000, Associate Environment Minister Scott Simpson announced today. Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) is a preservative for timber that has been commonly used in New Zealand since the 1950s. However, CCA-treated timber becomes a hazardous waste material when sent to landfill, that can leach arsenic into the ground. “To date, there have been no practical remediation options available to this problem, so I am delighted that Scion believes they may have one and that I am able to support them in testing its feasibility,” Mr Simpson says.…

A new nationwide set of environmental rules for managing New Zealand’s 1.7 million hectares of plantation forestry will better protect the environment and deliver significant savings in compliance costs, Minister for the Environment Dr Nick Smith and Associate Minister for Primary Industries Louise Upston say. “Forestry is New Zealand’s third largest primary industry but its efficiency is hampered by the confusing mix of planning rules across New Zealand’s 86 councils. The strength of this national approach is that it will better protect the environment while also improving the productivity of the forestry sector by applying consistent environmental standards to reduce…