17/06/2026
- Connecting in Canterbury
When I got a call from CWCWC (Canterbury West Coast Wood Council) Chair Glen Moir, inviting me to present at the CWCWC members’ event, I didn’t need much convincing.
I had looked at the National Exotic Forest Description (NEFD) for the region, so I was aware that wood supply had peaked and is now contracting quite rapidly. For contractors, that means less certainty of work, more competition for what is available, and real challenges maintaining crews and utilisation.
At the same time, that reduction in supply flows through to processors, creating underutilised capacity and higher costs. Add to this cost inflation and the fuel crisis, and you potentially have a very challenging operating environment.
Simon Brand (Brand Logging) picked me up and we headed north to Hanmer to see Kerry Gavin (Gavin’s Logging) who run a couple of mechanised ground-based operations in the Hanmer region. In recent months, they’d been tidying up windblow in Hanmer Forest for Matariki, who Kerry says is a very good, professional company to work with, and that the relationship goes back many years. We discussed the declining cut, which is a concern. They are currently completing a long-term contract, and next year they will have to retender for their work with Matariki.
Read the full story 👉https://www.fica.org.nz/blog/post/166380/connecting-in-canterbury/
