Programme
Why a 2008 Forest Industry Strategic Summit?
New Zealand’s wood supply chain is a NZ$1 billion cost centre. Currently, it’s estimated that, as an industry, it's leaking around NZ$150m – neither the forest owners nor service enterprises are capturing this loss. This declining level of industry financial performance is not sustainable. New Zealand forestry’s international competitiveness is seriously at risk. Ignoring this problem puts the industry at risk of stagnation and significant retrenching as a result.
What was the Forest Industry Strategic Summit?
The Forest Industry Strategic Summit was a practical and strategic programme that was designed to address key issues affecting the international competitiveness of the New Zealand forestry sector. This Summit provided a key opportunity to move the industry forward with a common vision.
This event engaged New Zealand’s key forestry enterprises to consider options for applied & pure research coupled to technology transfer as a basis for real productivity growth. This requires a strategy of investment in forest engineering capability across the supply chain.
A key part of this strategy was the engagement of other key global players to create an international collaborative process and knowledge sources including the CRC for Forestry in Australia; FERIC in Canada and SKOGFORSK in Sweden.
The linkages to educational and training for New Zealand will also be vital to allied institutions, such as Oregon State University and the University of British Columbia, as targeted and well managed R&D investment linked to education & training is critical in sustaining real productivity growth and long term industry competitiveness.
What did the Summit cover?
Speakers at the July 2008 Summit profiled the case to establish R&D investment in the harvesting supply chain as a key input to economic growth and profitability. The Summit discussed in detail current practices, promoted opportunities and quantified performance gaps in the supply chain. Speakers presented examples of well executed outcomes in other leading forest products countries. They demonstrated clearly that a blend of applied and pure research is fundamental to sustained productivity growth.
Who attended?
Over 200 key harvesting contractors, forest managers, forest owners, forestry consultants, plantation forestry researchers and key product and service suppliers to the forestry industry attended the Summit on 22-23 July 2008.
Summit follow-up
Key presentations from the Summit have been uploaded to this site for use by the wider industry. The outcomes from the 2008 Summit are being discussed further by the major stakeholders.
Forest Industry Summit raises large sum for charity
As well as networking and socialising, forest managers and forestry contractors from throughout New Zealand were able to dip their hands into their pockets and demonstrate just how generous they are.
A charity auction in association with STIHL was part of the Forestry Summit dinner that was held in Rotorua on Tuesday 22 July. The money raised from the auction went to the first Ronald McDonald Family Retreat, which is being built in Rotorua. The new retreat will be providing families and their seriously-ill children with a free and comfortable holiday destination when they need it the most and often can least afford it. Families of sick children will be allowed one week to enjoy a holiday together.
And the result - a massive $20,000 was raised in just over 20 minutes. Well done to all those involved and to the principal sponsors who donated the majority of the auctioned items, STIHL.
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