Pan Pac Forest Products NZ Farm Forestry Association Conference 2024

New Zealand Farm Forestry Association Conference 2024

RESILIENT LANDSCAPES

Hosted by Hawke’s Bay Farm Forestry Association

Tuesday 9 - Saturday 13 April 2024, Hawke’s Bay

Hawke’s Bay Farm Forestry Association

NAMING RIGHTS CONFERENCE SPONSOR

STRATEGIC SPONSORS

HAWKE’S BAY BRANCH NEW ZEALAND FARM FORESTRY ASSOCIATION

MAJOR SPONSORS

Never has the resilience of our people been so crucial.

CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME TIM FORDE ORGANISING COMMITTTEE

The resilience of Hawke’s Bay, it’s communities, businesses and the landscape has certainly been sorely tested over the past 13 months. The adverse weather of February 2023 left an indelible mark on the region but step by step, the area is recovering and rebuilding.

Hawke’s Bay is well known as a leading fruit, horticultural and viticultural growing area of New Zealand. It is also one of the major log export ports and its climate makes it a very desirable destination for tourists  and holiday makers.

Forestry is a large contributor to the region’s economy and the region is home to several large processing plants with a number of portable milling operators who work within the domestic markets.

It takes a small village to put together this very special annual conference and I would like to thank our conference sponsors for their ongoing support and contribution.

Thank you to Pan Pac Forest Products Limited, our naming rights sponsor. Their incredible support has been heartening, especially as they also focus on their own rebuild after the cyclone.

Strategic sponsors Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Napier Port and Plant Hawke’s Bay understand how important it is to connect with you all. As do our other major sponsors Forest Industry Contractors Association; Beef + Lamb NZ; Balanced Forestry NZ, Morice Limited; Kauri Park and Waipa Forest Management.

Thank you for your help to deliver the conference in Hawke’s Bay / Te Matau-a-Māui.

Thanks also to Eskdale & Elsthorpe Schools and Heretaunga Pony Club who are providing the catering during the field days. It’s a good feeling to give back to rural communities – especially groups supporting our next generation!

On behalf of the committee and our sponsors, I extend to you all the warmest of welcomes to Hawke’s Bay and the 66th New Zealand  Farm Forestry conference. I invite  you all to enjoy a slice of Hawke’s Bay magic and encourage you to make the most of the networking and learning that comes with such a gathering.

Tim Forde Hawke’s Bay Farm Forestry Association Chair

Chairman Tim Forde

027 858 4222

Secretary Heather Holdsworth

Treasurer Michael Cashmore

Event Sue Wilson

Manager 027 446 7261

Field Day Coordinators

Thursday Malcolm O’Dwyer 027 221 1192

Russell Collins 021 790 234

Friday Hamish Humphries

027 857 3807

Saturday Warwick Hesketh 027 496 6289

Saturday Mark Harris 027 577 9991

Committee Cathie Forde 027 319 5866

Graeme Fountaine

Bryan Holdsworth

Russell Schaare

Michael Davidson

DAY 1 | TUESDAY 9 APRIL

Napier War Memorial Centre

8am      Registration Desk Opens

Action Group Meetings in Large Exhibition Hall

8.30am      Eucalypt Action Group

9.15am      Cypress Action Group

10am          Morning Tea

10.30am   Indigenous Forestry Section

11.15am   Sequoia Action Group *

12 noon          Lunch

1pm            Acacia Melanoxylon Interest Group *

1.45pm      Oak Action Group

2.30pm     Afternoon Tea

3pm            Farm Forestry Timbers

3.45pm      Poplar / Willow Group *

4.30pm       Executive Meeting

* Zoom available for meeting

Talk to the Catchment Management team at the Regional Council about the best solutions for your land

Our team has many years’ experience across a wide range of sustainable land and water management issues

Erosion control advice and funding

Riparian and wetland management

Managing soil

Actions to improve water quality

Catchment group and field day support

Farm plan actions and planting advice

Contact the catchments team at your nearest Regional Council office in Napier, Wairoa or Waipawa. 06 835 9200 or 0800 108 838 email info@hbrc.govt.nz

Napier War Memorial Centre

8am Registration desk open in foyer

Meetings in Natusch Ball Room

8.30am Councillors’ Meeting

10am Morning Tea

DAY 2 | WEDNESDAY 10 APRIL

Sponsored by

10.30am New Zealand Farm Forestry Annual General Meeting

11.40am Forest Growers Levy Trust

12 noon Lunch

Keynote Speakers in Natusch Ball Room

12.50pm           Welcome

1pm                    Mark Mitchell Holistic Approach to Farming and Forestry

1.30pm             James Powrie Pakuratahi Landuse Study and Woody Debris post Cyclone Gabrielle

2pm Keith Woodford Farm Forestry Options - Making Sense out of Imponderables in a Crazy World

2.30pm Mark Belton Permanent & Resilient Carbon Forests – A Big Opportunity for NZ Inc & Farming

3pm               Afternoon Tea

Breakout

Natusch Ball Room

3.30pm            Graham West

Tree Farmer and Updates

4pm          Damon Wise

4.30pm

5pm

Forest Operation – Innovations

Claire Stewart

Making Every Tree Count – Innovations

Large Exhibition Hall

Peter Davies Colley

Innovations in Small Forest Harvesting

Paul Millen

Dryland Forestry

Nathan Burkepile

Wood Waste Utilisation from the Precision Silviculture Programme

Hon Todd McClay via zoom

Minister of Agriculture; Minister of Forestry

Minister of Trade; Minister of Hunting and Fishing

Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs

5.20pm Seminar Programme Concludes

Pan Pac Welcome Dinner

6pm Pre-dinner networking sponsored by Napier Port in the Small Exhibition Hall

6.45pm Pan Pac Welcome Dinner in Natusch Ball Room

Key Note Speaker: Julia Jones Leaning Into Progress

DAY 3

THURSDAY 11 APRIL

Group A

7.30 – 8am Collect Delegates from Marine Parade Bus stops and head to Perfume Point

8.30am Board from Perfume Point

9am Travel to Plant Hawke’s Bay

10.30am Morning Tea at Plant Hawke’s Bay

11am Depart Plant Hawke’s Bay to Napier Port

11.30am Napier Port Bus Tour

12.30pm Depart Napier Port to Petane Domain

1pm Lunch at Petane Domain

2pm Travel to Pan Pac Forest Products, Whirinaki

2.30pm Pan Pac Forest Products bus tour

3.30pm Depart Pan Pac Forest Products

3.40pm Afternoon Tea

4.10pm Travel back to Napier City

4.30pm Disembark buses at meeting points

Group B

7.30 – 8am Collect Delegates from Marine Parade Bus stops and head to Perfume Point

8.30am Board from Perfume Point

9am Travel to Pan Pac Forest Products, Whirinaki

9.30am Pan Pac Forest Products bus tour

10.30am Depart Pan Pac Forest Products

10.45am Morning Tea at Petane Domain

11.30am Travel to Plant Hawke’s Bay

12.15pm Plant Hawke’s Bay visit

1pm Lunch at Plant Hawke’s Bay 2.10pm Depart Plant Hawke’s Bay to Napier Port

Napier Port Bus Tour

Depart Napier Port

Afternoon Tea 4.30pm Disembark buses at meeting points

NZFFA AWARDS DINNER |

THURSDAY 11 APRIL

6pm Pre-dinner networking in Small Exhibition Hall / Gallery, Napier War Memorial Centre

6.45pm Dinner in Natusch Ball Room, Napier War Memorial Centre

7pm Welcome

7.05pm New Zealand Farm Forestry Awards

9.30pm Evening concludes

CONNECTING NEW ZEALAND FORESTRY WITH THE PEOPLE AND MARKETS OF THE WORLD

The forestry sector is an integral part of Napier Port operations and we value our association with forestry exporters and the wider industry. 2023 saw our forestry customers export 2.5 million tonnes of logs and over 30,000 TEUs (twentyfoot equivalent unit) of processed timber and wood pulp through Napier Port.

napierport.co.nz Napier Port Napier Port

DAY 4

FRIDAY 12 APRIL

7.30 – 8am Collect delegates from Marine Parade bus stops and head to Perfume Point

8.30am Buses depart Perfume Point, Napier

9.30am Arrive at Robert Flanders’ Property,

9.45am Rober t Flanders

A Brief History of the Area

10am David Cranwell

The Himalayan Oak

10.25am Morning Tea

11am Depart Flanders Road to Elsthorpe

12 noon Arrive at Elsthorpe Hall

12.15pm Lunch at Elsthorpe Hall

1pm Evan and Linda Potter Farming Operation, Farm Forest Integration, Biodiversity Preservation

1.40 G arth Eyles

Geology of the Region

2.pm Simeon Smaill

Resilient Forests – Now and in the Future

2.30 Buses depart Elsthorpe to Otane

Sponsored by

3.15 Arrive at Robin Langslow’s property, Otane

3.30pm Afternoon Tea

4pm Robin Langslow and Tim Forde

Poplar Agro Forestry Concept and the ETS Compliance

4.30pm Leave Otane to Cheval Rooms

Dinner at Cheval Rooms, Hastings

5.30pm Arrive at Cheval Rooms

6pm Buffet Dinner served

6.50pm Ralph Lattimore & Jared Wayman

Added Value Timber Businesses

7.15pm Dessert / Coffee

8 pm Buses travel back to Napier

You had the vision to plant your forest. We have the expertise to maximise the value for you.

DO YOU WANT TO …

Maximise your returns from your forest harvest?

Learn more about the current log market?

For an assessment of your forest or current industry information

CONTACT ROB ANGUS

P: 027 289 8810 E: rob@waipaforest.nz

www.waipaforest.nz

DAY 5 | SATURDAY 13 APRIL

7.30 – 8am Collect Delegates from Marine Parade Bus stops and head to Perfume Point

8.30am Buses depart Perfume Point, Napier for Ocean Beach

9.30am Arrive at Ocean Beach

Group 1 & 2

10am Collect Morning Tea

Board 4WD Vehicles for drive to sanctuary

11.30am Leave sea bird site

12.30pm Lunch at Woolshed

1.30pm Presentations

Rachel Ward General Manager Cape Sanctuary

Michael Bassett-Foss

Land for Life Project Director, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Land for Life: Supporting Farmers’ Vision for Their Land

2.30pm Tour of nursery and nearby native planting

3pm Afternoon Tea in Woolshed

4.15 pm Depart Ocean Beach for Te Awanga

5.30 Arrive at Te Awanga

Dinner at Te Awanga Woolshed

5.50pm Dinner with Black Betty Food Truck Tucker Lane Band Line Dancing

8.30pm Evening Concludes – Buses depart for Napier

9pm Disembark in Napier

Group 3 & 4

10am Morning Tea in Woolshed Presentations

Rachel Ward General Manager Cape Sanctuary

Michael Bassett-Foss

Land for Life Project Director, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Land for Life: Supporting Farmers’ Vision for Their Land

11am Tour of nursery and nearby native planting

12.30pm Lunch at Woolshed

Collect Afternoon Tea

Board 4WD Vehicles for drive to sanctuary

3pm Leave sea bird site

4pm Arrive back at base

4.15 pm Depart Ocean Beach for Te Awanga

5.30 Arrive at Te Awanga

Sponsored by

We are Kauri Park - seedling providers for New Zealand forestry lots with a significant point of difference - we deliver on our promise. Literally. We promise the perfect balance of product and passion - potted, wind-hardened, ready-to-plant seedlings produced to scale and delivered to your planting site - and a genuine passion to see those seedlings thrive to maturity. We are a family-owned business that lives and breathes plants, people and communities.

We grow Pinus radiata and attenuata, Sequoia, Eucalyptus, Chamaecyparis, Cryptomeria, Cupressus and a huge range of natives.

+64

SPEAKER PROFILE

WEDNESDAY 10 APRIL

Holistic Approach to Farming and Forestry

• Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s principal advisor biodiversity

Mark is the fifth generation of his family to farm in the Esk Valley. They’ve lived through the big floods of the last century – 1938, 1963, Bola, 2018 and then 2023 which didn’t just deliver Cyclone Gabrielle, but several other notable weather events.

In his day job he works with other landowners to manage key pests that threaten the region’s economy and environment and helps fence and protect high value indigenous bush remnants. He would love to see a biodiversity credit system introduced to help facilitate activities like fencing and protecting native remnants which he says would benefit the whole country.

MARK BELTON

Permanent and Resilient Carbon Forests – A Big Opportunity for NZ Inc and Farming

• Permanent Forests NZ director

Pakuratahi Land Use Study and Woody Debris post Cyclone Gabrielle

MARK MITCHELL KEITH WOODFORD JAMES POWRIE

Farm Forestry Options - Making Sense out of Imponderables in a Crazy World

• RedAxe Forestry Intelligence project manager, leads Urban Kākābeak Project and Hawke’s Bay Forestry Group chief executive James spearheaded Hawke’s Bay’s woody debris survey post Cyclone Gabrielle which was conducted by Interpine Innovation. He’ll be drilling down into that survey but one of the most interesting things to come out of it was that the woody debris across beaches and rivers in the Hawke’s Bay region does not, in most instances, contain high level of harvests residue. He’s adamant more closedcanopy forest would help prevent record flood peaks, sedimentation and landslides in future. The survey dovetails with the 1990s Pakuratahi Land Use Study which is now being done again using today’s technology to create more useful data.

James’ far reaching involvement in conservation and growing make him a fascinating presenter.

• Meat the Need chair

• AgriFood Systems

Since the 1970s Keith has worked on all the continents – including Antarctica – on land use issues, including both biology and economics, and how they come together in a political world. The retired Lincoln Uni professor of farm and agribusiness, who is also an honorary professor of agrifood systems at the uni, says he is still trying to understand the big picture of keeping rural land uses both profitable and sustainable. It’s a topic dear to his heart as he says farmers lie at the heart of trying to keep all Aotearoa New Zealand lifestyles from going down the gurgler. In his mind it is simple –without a primary sector, the whole economy crashes so it is very much front of mind.

JULIA JONES

Mark has 40-plus years’ experience in forestry and land use planning. In the 1990s he headed the Ministry of Forestry’s Forestry Development Group. In 2004 he founded Permanent Forests NZ in anticipation of emerging carbon markets, focused on growing long-lived forests that are profitable and ecologically sustainable, and maximise carbon sequestration. Over 65% of registered permanent forest sink initiative (PFSI) carbon forests in NZ are clients, both indigenous and exotic species. Mark has undertaken forest carbon advisory work offshore and recently led an international peer review of Asian Pulp and Paper’s emission reductions programme, Indonesia’s largest forest land-use carbon-conservation program. Onshore Mark champions the vision of integrated carbon-conservation forestry programmes on marginal/ high erosion risk land within farms, not wholesale replacement of farms with planted forests.

Leaning into Progress

Julia walks her talk. This inspiring and invigorating speaker believes her most transformative growth springs from her challenges and setbacks which have shaped her into the dynamic force she is today. By her own admission, she doesn’t just ‘live the moment’, she is perpetually electrified by the future’s potential. Change is a playground where she empowers others to stride forwards with confidence. Her zeal lies in decoding global macro trends, especially their influence on the food and fibre sector, to arm business leaders with strategic insights. From consumer markets to sustainable finance, she is considered a guiding star, crafting strategies and stakeholder connections that ensure enduring relevance in a fluctuating world.

Her star-studded career includes an emerging leader scholarship at Stanford University (2017), keynote speaker in China, Australia and Singapore (20192023) and more.

GRAHAM WEST

SPEAKER PROFILE

WEDNESDAY 10 APRIL

Tree Farmer and Updates PETER DAVIESCOLLEY

• Scion principal technologist

Graham’s 48 year career with Scion has seen a strong focus on forest systems, economic modelling, decision support tools and science delivery. He is an active consultant and forestry advocate. For the past two years he has been on the Forest Growers Levy Trust board and represents the small-scale grower constituency. He is the immediate past president of the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association and a committee member of the CNI Wood Council.

Innovations in Small Forest Harvesting

Peter has a background in farming, forest management and harvesting, having developed strategies and technology to minimise infrastructure costs when logging small and scattered forests. He owns and operates a harvesting operation that aims to deliver value for small Northland forests by using 4WD offroad trucks and tethered harvesting systems to achieve minimum earth works, soil disturbance and cost. The operation is fully mechanised and harvests around 40,000 tonne from small forests annually. He encourages farm foresters to be prepared to innovate if they want to get value from their small forests.

PAUL MILLEN

Dryland Forestry

• New Zealand Dryland Forests Innovation research manager

Paul has held this role since 2008 when he and the NZDFI’s fellow founding partners established a tree breeding and forestry research programme to improve drought tolerant eucalypts that produce naturally durable hardwood. He puts the success of the programme down to the collaboration with an extensive forest grower/ farmer/industry/regional council network. He has also worked in the Marlborough region as a consultant specialising in native forest restoration and landscape development, and as a local government manager. He grows and harvest his own trees from a 25ha mixed species forest in the Marlborough Sounds.

CLAIRE STEWART

Making Every Tree Count –Innovations from the Precision Silviculture Programme

• Forest Growers Research Precision Silviculture programme manager

Claire has garnered 18-plus years of experience in technology, innovation, marketing, business strategy and management from roles across Australasia and the United Kingdom. Her last five years have been spent focusing on technology and innovation in forestry. The programme she currently leads is set to transform silviculture from seedling production in nurseries to forest management techniques through the integration of mechanisation, automation, and digitisation. She is dedicated to forging strong partnerships within the industry and co-designing pathways that advance innovative thinking. Critical to her approach is fostering collaboration with growers of all sizes.

DAMON WISE

Forest Operation – Innovations

• Pan Pac Forest Products operations manager – forests

Damon has spent 30-plus years in commercial forestry, starting out initially in forest harvesting operations covering both ground based and cable hauler extraction, and the last 24 years at Pan Pac across a variety of roles. He will highlight the importance of creating value, improving profitability and enhancing sustainability across the forestry value chain through innovation and technology.

He’s adamant that it is the ultimate challenge to work safer, faster and easier with less people, cashflow and margin but the time is right to think differently, test the status quo and utilise technology to ensure the sustainability of the industry.

NATHAN BURKEPILE

Wood Waste Utilisation

• New Zealand Landcare Trust regional coordinator

Over the past few years Nathan has been working with farm forestry, investigating wood waste utilisation, exploring the use of biochar and wood chip, and incorporating wood waste into improving water quality while reducing sediment erosion. He is working with catchment groups to create debris dams to slow water flow and reduce sedimentation. Nathan is also working with landowners in utilising biochar to improve water quality and pasture quality.

FIELD DAY PROFILE

THURSDAY 11 APRIL

For 50 years, Pan Pac Forest Products has been growing, processing, and delivering quality radiata products to international markets. No other forest products company in New Zealand does what we do.

Farm foresters can be proud of the role they play as valued contributors to our industry. Forest products provide significant economic and social benefits to our communities. In a typical year, Pan Pac contributes $1 in every $16 to Hawke’s Bay’s GDP, converting $150million of wood fibre into $450million of products. Every year we donate around $250,000 to environmental and cultural initiatives in the region.

Forest products also create excellent employment prospects. Pan Pac is a major employer in Hawke’s Bay, directly and indirectly employing over 3000 people. Our workers span generations, and it is important to us that we provide security and a sustainable future for our children and grandchildren to come.

Last year, Cyclone Gabrielle caused $300million in damage to our plant and business continuity. Through the support of our shareholder, we retained our workforce throughout the extensive rebuild period, and rapidly deployed our forestry contractors into repairing roads, clearing debris and restarting operations. Thanks to their hard work, our lumber and pulp operations are now back up and running and we are supplying domestic and international customers again. At Pan Pac, we strive for excellence. We are committed to maintaining high safety, environmental and quality standards across our operations. Our lumber and pulp mills feature state-of-the-art technology and we are proactive in seeking out the best environmentally and socially responsible production methods. Our operations meet internationally recognised standards. Through processing pulp as well as lumber, we maximise the use of woody debris in our biomass boilers to dry our pulp and lumber, as well as produce 12% of our energy requirements.

As New Zealand’s largest integrated forest products company, we understand the value of diversification and maximising the value of the land. We encourage farmers to plant pine on land classes that are better suited to production forestry. It’s about planting for the next generation and ensuring the way we use land is sustainable.

Small woodlot owners are vital to Pan Pac’s growth strategy and our long-term future.  Our goal is to become the largest integrated forest products company in Australasia. To do this, we need a long-term reliable supply of pruned wood resource. We look forward to another 50 years of profitable and sustainable growth together.

MARIE TAYLOR

Building Back Better

• Plant Hawke’s Bay founder and managing director

Conservation in Hawke’s Bay, nursery production and surviving cyclones have become speciality subjects for Marie. It has taken her a year to work through the damage that three-to-four metres of water did as it swept through her property during Cyclone Gabrielle. The nursery is now re-established, growing more plants than ever and adding poplars to its range of locally sourced native plants while introducing more new technology and automation, including drones for spraying and conveyor belts in the packing shed.

Marie founded Plant Hawke’s Bay in 2005 and it is now a joint venture with Rob and Carol Buddo. She’s previously been a rural journalist and QEII National Trust regional representative, is the chair of the New Zealand Plant Producers and helps look after Puahanui Bush in Central Hawke’s Bay.

Marie is also a huge advocate for biodiversity credits for landowners, getting more of the right trees back into the Hawke’s Bay landscape and using ecosourced plants in projects.

FIELD DAY PROFILE

THURSDAY 11 APRIL

Napier Port is passionate about connecting primary producers to global customers, helping make sure their produce receives the attention it deserves. We’re ambitious for Hawke’s Bay – we know that the world wants more of our exports, and we’re working hard to make that happen.

We’re really proud to sponsor the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association Conference 2024. The forestry sector is an integral part of Napier Port operations and we value our association with forestry exporters and the wider industry.

We recently took the opportunity to review our Sponsorship Programme with the aim of aligning the initiatives we choose to support to the four foundational pillars of our sustainability strategy – people, planet, prosperity and partnerships.

We see these four pillars as our guiding principles, with each providing a key focus area in which we want to influence and achieve a positive impact. Just as we are implementing initiatives that make our business economically, environmentally and socially sustainable, we are committed to partnering with and supporting organisations that are doing the same for our region, alongside our communities and people.

Napier Port has a long association with our region’s growers, farmers and farm foresters. The Port and its primary sector customers have been working together for more than 150 years exporting locally-grown goods to markets across the world.

The local agriculture, forestry and horticulture sectors are very much the backbone of Hawke’s Bay and continues to support the local economy after a very challenging few years of droughts, a pandemic and Cyclone Gabrielle.

Napier Port’s purpose is to build a thriving region by connecting its customers across the globe, and the primary sector is integral to its core purpose with the Port firmly committed to continuing to develop strong customer relationships.

FIELD DAY PROFILE

FRIDAY 12 APRIL

FLANDERS ROAD

The first stop for the day is the property of Robert Flanders, a long-time orchardist growing apples and kiwifruit. Most of the orchard’s shelter belts consist of Himalayan oaks which have turned out to have very successful attributes. They are fast growing, the root systems grow straight down with very little spread and they also take trimming back well. Robert has also used oaks for stream bank erosion control, and this too has been very successful.

The property has been in the Flanders family for five generations and originally owned by Thomas Tanner who was one of the first settlers in the Hastings area. The elaborate stables still on the property were constructed at least 150 years ago and are now one of only a few original buildings around the region from that era.

Robert will give a brief history of the area followed by David Cranwell who is an authority on Himalayan oaks. Many years ago when David was working in India he heard about the plight of the Himalayan oak in its country of origin so an agreement was made that he would bring some acorns back to New Zealand. If successful in growing and propagating these acorns he would set up a trust to aid the financing of this species back in its country of origin.

The finance is derived from the sales of oaks out of the nurseries. Plant Hawke’s Bay now grows the seedlings with guidance from David who will give more details on the oaks and other species on the field trip and will also speak on unusual alternative species.

DAVID CRANWELL

The Himalayan Oak

• A lifetime lover of trees

David is the fourth generation in his family to be involved in the apple and pear industry.. Over many decades, he has worked for MAF, initiated the New Zealand Garlic Certification Scheme, worked for the New Zealand Apple and Pear Marketing Board in many capacities, worked in India and China, and was part of the team that saw New Zealand become the first country in the world to be granted market access to India for apples.

His love of the Himalayan oak has seen him create a trust to ensure money is raised to help reforest the species in north west India while establishing it here in New Zealand.

He believes the Himalayan oak could do wonders for the erosion prone New Zealand land. He’ll be delving into other species that he thinks have great potential for planting on riparian strips.

KAIKORA FARM

The 39-hectare Kaikora Farm can be found beside SH2, on the outskirts of the village of Otane, in Central Hawke’s Bay. It is owned by Robin Langslow and his wife Alison.

Two-and-a-half years ago Robin decided deer farming was not economic any more so made the call to change land use. Originally pinus radiata was discussed but instead opted for poplar for both timber and carbon benefits.

While waiting for carbon acceptance into the ETS and finance to kick in, it was decided to harvest the pasture beneath the trees to generate an income stream.

The orchard style of planting with 12-metre spacing between the veronese and kawa trees (70 per hectare) was for the aesthetics but it also made harvesting the hay easier.

Soil types vary a lot on this property from rotten rock (ardulite) to sandy, loamy topsoil.

Some say that poplar should be planted at 200 stems per hectare thus destroying the idea of true agro forestry. Livestock and pasture will not survive under a dense canopy cover. Robin will discuss the concept, its challenges and the economic viability. Unfortunately he may have to plant another 130 trees per hectare to qualify for carbon. Any option of hay making between the rows would then cease.

ROBERT FLANDERS

DAVID CRANWELL

EVAN & LINDA POTTER

Farming Operation, Farm Forest Integration, Biodiversity Preservation

• Sheep, beef, venison and forestry producers

Linda and Evan Potter have a huge passion for sustainable agriculture. The couple farm 726ha at Waipapa that reflects their commitment to integrating forestry and biodiversity preservation within livestock systems. In 2021 their efforts were rewarded when they were named national ambassadors for sustainable farming and growing and won the Gordon Stephenson Trophy. They will share their love of forestry, the use of alternate species and the role it plays in strengthening their business and preserving the land for future generations.

SIMEON SMAILL

SPEAKER PROFILE

FRIDAY 12 APRIL

GARTH EYLES

Resilient Forests –Now and in the Future

• Scion portfolio leader

Simeon has been conducting research in planted and natural forest systems since 2000, starting with soil and soil microbial activity before branching into nutrient modelling, nursery management and bio stimulant development. He is an active climate change researcher and works on a range of national and international projects testing opportunities to maintain plant health and productivity in a challenging future. His presentation will focus on protecting what is grown, using wind as a case study. The impact of climate change on the primary sector is already substantial and Simeon says it will only continue to escalate. Now is the time to implement new strategies to ensure the forests being planted today will be healthy and growing in an uncertain future.

RALPH LATTIMORE

Geology of the Region

Garth spent 25 years with Water and Soil Division of MWD, based mostly at the Aokoutere Science Centre in Palmerston North. A highlight of his career was coordinating the 1:250,000 scale Potential Erosion Map of New Zealand and managing the North Island portion of the 1:63,360 scale New Zealand Land Resource Inventory which is still operational.

He later shifted to Hawke’s Bay Regional Council where he spent 15 years overseeing the soil conservation and biodiversity programmes. He enjoyed developing the team to work with farmers to minimise erosion, significantly increasing the grants available to farmers and the establishment of the Tangoio Soil Conservation Reserve.

Since his retirement in 2008 he has been consulting and writing histories of the region’s regional parks.

JARED WAYMAN

• Keynote speakers, Friday Evening - Cheval Rooms, Hastings

Added Value Timber Businesses

• Jared – Heritage Timbercraft director

• Ralph - Mohaka River Timber founder

Jared and Ralph share a love of growing trees and crating attractive timber buildings that will last for centuries. Both have been involved with farm forestry since the mid 1990s. Jared has also spent more than 20 years involved in residential and commercial construction, while Ralph has used his engineering background to work through the technical engineering details for traditional timber structural connections and timber durability alternative solutions that are now used for their products throughout New Zealand.

Both feel the only way forward for small growers of trees is to get involved in value-added businesses in order to get a return on their efforts, given many struggle to be economic to harvest.

BRANCH PROFILE

HAWKE’S BAY FARM FORESTRY ASSOC

Hawke’s Bay  Farm Forestry, a branch of the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association, has a very proud history in the region since it was established in 1957. The branch is a relatively strong and active group, and whilst today at approximately 135 members we are diminished in size, we are still one of the association’s larger branches.

HBFFA run a very active branch, hosting approximately eight field days a year as well as publishing an interesting and informative newsletter five or six times over the year.

In 2005 the HBFFA published a ‘Guide to Successful Farm Forestry – a Hawke’s Bay Perspective’. It is a comprehensive reference guide for tree enthusiasts. Many of the Bay’s experienced farm foresters contributed and helped with the compiling of the book which is recognised throughout New Zealand and available through the NZFFA website.

The association comprises individuals, farmers and rural landowners, who have a passion for trees, and promotes the planting of trees for profit and pleasure, as an integral part of their long-term commitment to sustainable land management.

The Hawke’s Bay Farm Forestry Association has been running the Farm Forester of the Year competition since 1979. The Pan Pac Hawke’s Bay Farm Forester of the Year competition is open to both members and non-members.

Judging is based on the following criteria:

Commitment to farm forestry

Planting for conservation

Farm and tree management

Planting for Bio Diversity

Planting for shade/shelter

Planting for amenity

Production Forestry

Planting for sustainable forestry

The boundaries for the competition are the wider Hawke’s Bay region, with no limit to the property size (small or large). The manager/s or owners who are nominated for the award do not need to be current members of the Farm Forestry Association. Properties that have won in the past can be re-nominated if there has been a change of management or ownership. Nominations are accepted until October 31.

Pan Pac Operations Manager Damon Wise explaining the fully mechanised swing yarder operation during a Hawke’s Bay Farm Forestry Field Day at Hapua Forest, 2018

Andy Lowe talking to members of the Hawke’s Bay Farm Forestry Association during a field day to Cape Sanctuary in 2014

SPEAKER PROFILE

SATURDAY 13 APRIL

MICHAEL BASSETT-FOSS RACHEL WARD

General Manager, Cape Sanctuary

Before stepping into the general manager’s role in 2020, Rachel had been a contractor and volunteer at the Cape Sanctuary. She comes from a conservation, captive management and avian specialty background, having completed a PGDipSC and BSc in zoology and ecology at Massey University. She has operated a parrot behaviour consultancy on both sides of the Tasman and worked in a variety of conservation focused roles. She thrives on the multi layers of her position at the Cape which includes working with the community, iwi and hapū, businesses, landowners, multi-land use, direct species management and larger scale habitat and population management.

CAPE SANCTUARY - ANDY & LIZ LOWE

Cape Sanctuary is New Zealand’s largest privately owned and funded conservation and restoration project. Established in 2006, it aims to restore indigenous bird, reptile and invertebrate communities to the Cape Kidnappers Peninsula.

Andy and Liz Lowe have turned their dream into a reality, with world leading projects in ecological restoration and endangered species reintroduction. Part of the vision was for production and conservation to exist co-operatively and cohesively.

The Cape’s wide diversity of landscapes includes dramatic coastal cliffs and headlands, rare coastal forest remnants and nationally significant sand dunes. However, many are surprised that approximately 50% of the sanctuary remains in productive land. This includes around 400ha of radiata pine which is the preferred habitat for the sanctuary’s kiwi.

The reintroduction of endangered native wildlife is made possible by a 10.6km predator-proof fence that extends from Ocean Beach to Clifton, encompassing 2500ha of the Peninsula. An intensive predator control programme includes around 2,500 bait stations and 1,200 permanently set traps to control rabbits, cats and mustelids.

Predator management and habitat restoration has enabled the successful translocation of 19 endemic species and the self-reintroduction of many more. These include endangered terrestrial and sea bird species such as kiwi, kaka, takahe and petrel, as well as giant weta, tuatara and rare species of endemic lizard.

Land for Life project director for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Land for Life: Supporting Farmers’ Vision for their Land

The Land for Life Project is an initiative lead by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and with support from MPI. It aims to support farmers to plant the right trees in the right places to slow erosion, improve freshwater quality and biodiversity, and build resilient farms. The initiative will help farmers achieve their vision for their land, assist in meeting regulatory requirements, increase business performance and ultimately support the wider community to thrive. The project has been piloted on 15 farms in Hawke’s Bay and a wider scale-up is being planned.

The first Kiwi reintroductions began in 2007 with the release of 78 eastern brown kiwi. The sanctuary now boasts a population of around 600 birds.

While the national kiwi population is declining by 2-3% annually, Cape Sanctuary’s average chick survival of 87.5% has resulted in speedy population growth. A yearly production surpassing 100 chicks, allows 20 birds per year to be ‘donated’ to other conservation projects.

Cape Sanctuary are also world leaders in the conservation and reintroduction of endangered seabirds. Burrowing seabirds are particularly vulnerable to predation, so a 2ha pest-free enclosure is maintained above the Ocean Beach cliffs. Last year hopes of establishing a breeding colony of grey faced petrel were given a major lift with a record 47 chicks hatched.

Restoration of coastal forest and dune habitat is an ongoing and long-term project. Cape Sanctuary’s nursery produces 50,00070,0000 native trees for planting across the sanctuary and wider surrounds. Nearly one million trees have been planted across Ocean Beach and recently established native corridors will support the dispersal of birdlife into the wider area over time.

Andy and Liz believe that to achieve conservation at scale it must be sustainable. With the national goal of a predator free 2050 it is crucial for all habitat to be included in the conservation discussion.

With 50% of the sanctuary existing as either farmland or forestry, Cape Sanctuary can serve as a miniature model of the predator-free dream accounting for New Zealand’s diverse range of modified landscapes.

DELEGATE REGISTER

Barnard Cynthia Waikato 027 332 6541 araroa.trees@yahoo.com

Bateson Julian Wairarapa 021 670 672 bateson.publish@xtra.co.nz

Berg

Cairns Eric Wellington 027 784 6658 cairnse178@gmail.com

Callaghan Simon 027 204 5453 simon.callaghan@redstagtimber.co.nz

Cameron William Neil Barr Foundation Sponsored 027 428 0270 wc793835@gmail.com

Campbell Alex & Megan Gisborne 027 291 9656 awapapa@farmside.co.nz

Cashmore Michael Hawke’s Bay 027 275 1112 cashmore@activesoils.co.nz Castle Danielle Gisborne 022 014 2608 danielle.castle@mpi.govt.nz

Cathcart Brad 02143 2991 brad.cathcart@stihl.co.nz

Collins Russell Hawke’s Bay 021 790 234 hbfarmforestry@gmail.com

Collyns Jeremy & Inday Wellington 021 504 495 collynsforest@xtra.co.nz

Coulston Ethan 021 539 316 ethan.coulston@gw.govt.nz

Coyle Alan Taupo 027 276 4252 coylesawmilling@gmail.com

Craig Bruce Nor th Canterbury 021 027 68961 barbandbruce@xtra.co.nz

Cranwell David Hawke’s Bay 021 503 000 david@temataconsultants.com

Cullen Neil & Pam South Otago 027 415 8416 cullen@farmside.co.nz

Davidson Michael Hawke’s Bay 06 855 5252 m.j.tetohe@inspire.net.nz

LOOKING FOR A FORESTRY CONTRACTOR? LOOK FOR FICA.

Davies-Colley Peter Nor thland 027 270 2061 treepepl@xtra.co.nz

Dawkins Chris & Julia Marlborough 027 229 2503 dawkins.pyramid@gmail.com

Dewes Te Kapunga Bay of Plenty 021 952 443 tekapunga@whenuaoho.maori.nz

Dixon Brian & Elizabeth Central Canterbury 027 283 3481 bwefdixon@gmail.com

Downs Murray Waikato 028 431 2700 murray@dtea.co.nz

Evans Peter & Jane South Canterbury 027 686 4800 alpine@x tra.co.nz

Eyles Garth Hawke’s Bay eyles_home@slingshot.co.nz

Forde Tim & Cathie Hawke’s Bay 027 319 5866 seeforde@xtra.co.nz

Forsythe David Waikato 027 230 5454 forsytheview@gmail.com

Forsythe Sue Waikato 027 648 2574 susanmargaretfors@gmail.com

Foster Barry Gisborne 027 449

Fountaine

Frazer Allan Wellington 0274 503 861 allan.frazer@gmail.com

Gaukrodger Phil Gisborne/East Coast 027 453 5673 philag@slingshot.co.nz

Gray Barry South Otago 027 441 5889 barrygray2610@gmail.com

Greenslade John Ashburton 027 685 9667 somersett@x tra.co.nz

Gustafson Zach Bushmills Forestry 021 281 2640 zagustafson@gmail.com

Guttke Egon Wellington 027 527 2626 egon.guttke@outlook .co.nz

Halliday Mike & Helen Hawke’s Bay 027 480 6536 mm.hr@x tra.co.nz

Harding Kevin Nor thland 61 41 047 1957 malanda579kev@gmail.com

Hart Richard Bay of Plenty 027 572 2929 richard@richardhart.co.nz

Hart Sarah Hawke’s Bay 021 0278 4048 sarahhart324@gmail.com

Hart Greg Hawke’s Bay 027

DELEGATE REGISTER

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For nearly 50 years, Pan Pac has grown, managed and purchased forests in the Hawke’s Bay

We are experts at optimising every aspect of your harvesting and marketing needs. Let us help you maximise your woodlot or forest investment.

Neil Blunden 021 900 164 Russell Schaare 0204 194 1373 email woodlots@panpac.co.nz panpac.co.nz