Taitokerau Maori foresters combine
The chair of a new Tai Tokerau forestry collective says it’s a way to address some of the problems affecting the sector.
Pita Tipene says 10 trusts have so far signed up for Taitokerau Maori Forestry Incorporated, including the giant Ngati Hine Forests.
He says 30 or 40 years ago when many of the forests were planted the landowners were promised jobs and good returns, but instead they watched lessees ship raw logs overseas with little value extracted in the north.
Banding together will give the landowners more leverage.
"Any investors who want to come north into Te Taitokerau and invest in the forest industry through long term leases, which is a challenge in itself, or invest in mills and other indugtries, they are not going to invest unless they have certainty of supply, which is one of the things we have. We have the land," Mr Tipene says.
He says the collective will work together to replant 800 hectares this winter as part of a plan to ensure there continuing supply after existing forests are harvested over the next decade.