Events
You are welcome to attend events the Farm Forestry Association runs every year around the country. Field trips and the annual Conference are open to everyone, members and non-members alike. If you make a habit of coming along we’d like you to sign up, but otherwise enjoy the day, meet new people and learn from their experiences. Please register so that we can keep in touch.
Click here for: Events and Registration
Here's what's coming up
Tairawhiti - two day field trip 31 January - 1 February
The Gisborne/East Coast Branch of NZFFA is hosting a two-day field trip at the end of January. The first day includes stops to study Poplars, 90- year old Redwoods and biodiversity restoration projects. The second day includes Poroporo Forest with a 45-year-old radiata stand underplanted with Acacia melanoxylon, natural Kahikatea regeneration and Eucalyptus trials.
Cambridge: NZFFA 2026 Conference - 20th - 24th April 2026
Sponsorship
The NZFFA 2026 conference will be hosted by the Waikato branch and held in Cambridge. Monday 20 to Friday 24 April 2026.
The annual conference will be based at the historic Cambridge Town Hall with 2 days of meetings, followed by 3 days of field trips. Now is the time to mark your diaries, we look forward to seeing you there.
Registration: For both Full conference ticket and Pick and choose option: $50
Full conference registration as per itinerary: $660
Daily options, please refer to programme details for each day’s itinerary:
Pre-Conference - AMIGO field trip: $Free
Day 1- Action Group meetings: $75
Day 1 – Opening Dinner & Quiz: $75
Day 1 - Alternative to Day 1 Hamilton Gardens visit: $Free
Day 2 – Council meeting, AGM & Afternoon speakers: $70
Our speakers on Tuesday –
Jarred Mair is the Chief Insight Officer at MPI. He leads MPI’s Insights team taking a systems view to track and analyse the impacts from: geopolitics, trade, market shifts, new technologies, value chain enhancements, emerging business models, farming systems and inputs – and maps the implications back onto New Zealand’s economy. Expect a different slant on farm forestry.
Kees Weytmans is a well-known NZFFA member from Gisborne. He will be entertaining us with some of his experiences in forestry in many parts of the world, ranging from logging in the Netherlands through various forest-related work in Surinam, Zambia, Somalia and Nepal.
Jon Sherlock is a local Waikato hill country farmer. He will be speaking on his recent conversion to using virtual electronic fencing, how it has improved the farm’s productivity and how it could be used to protect forestry blocks integrated into a livestock farm.
Diego Elustondo is with the Bioeconomy Science Institute - Maianga Taiao, as their Portfolio Leader for the Trees to High Value Wood Products section. His topic will be “Adding Value to New Zealand’s Alternative Forests”, with a focus on redwood, eucalyptus and poplar.
We will have a panel of 3 speakers on safety in small scale forestry – Paul Solomon from Worksafe, Rowan Struthers from FICA (Forest Industry Contractors Association) and Joe Akari from FISC (Forest Industry Safety Council) will cover “Understanding Your Obligations under the 2025 Forestry ACOP (Approved Code of Practice)”. Overcome your fear of acronyms, and maybe save a life!
Day 2 – Awards Dinner: $150
Day 3 – Native Forestry Focus Field Day: $95
Day 4 – Classic Forestry Field Day: $130
Day 5 - Farm Forestry Focus Field Day and closing Dinner: $130
Post Conference Visit - Te Awamutu area: $Free
Register here or contact admin at admin@nzffa.org.nz