Farm Forestry New Zealand

The Forestry Hub at Mystery Creek

Vaughan Kearns, New Zealand Tree Grower August 2024.

We have been taken seriously by politicians who have used the Forestry Hub as an opportunity to make speeches about the virtues of the forestry. Those who have visited and spoken in the Forestry Hub include three of the most recent Ministers of Forestry – Stuart Nash, Peeni Henare and Todd McClay. Those who visited were Rangatikei MP Ian McKelvie, Todd Muller and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

The forestry hub has also been taken seriously by the science providers for the forest industry and by organisations that support the forestry.This year Scion were back, and many others including Forest Growers Research, the NZ Forest Owners Association, Save the Kiwi,Ta-nes Tree Trust, Balanced Forestry, the various wood councils, the Forest Industry Contractors Association, Whenua Oho,Tamata Hauha, NZ Carbon Farming, Roger Dickie,Te Uru Rakau, Forest Enterprises and Timberlands.

Star of the show

The NZFFA has continued to be the star of the show with the ‘Kids grow a tree’ promotion and the alternative species cabin sitting directly outside of the entrance. Our own stand took up a large section of one quadrant this year.This normally consists of five separate stands which tell the stories of the benefits of cypress, redwoods, poplars, eucalypts and the NZFFA. This year we had an extra table where we displayed the equipment needed for pruning trees to produce clearwood. Special thanks should go to Denis Hocking here for most generously donating the pruning equipment. One of the sets of pruning gear was put in a draw made up of new recruits to the NZFFA, and was won by a new member from Taumaranui.

Kids grow a tree

This promotion gave away almost 4,000 tree seedlings this year. It is a big draw card for the general public. There is now feedback from some of those who were given trees in the first year of the promotion and who have been able to tell us how well their trees have established since they were first planted. George and Ben Shallcrass along with Dave Forsythe have again been instrumental in its success. Recognition should also go to those who have donated the seedlings – the Cypress Development Group, the Sequoia Action Group and Balanced Forestry.This generosity made it all work.

Alternative species cabin

This year, with help from Forest Growers Research the alternatives species cabin was moved from its current home on the front lawn of the Scion campus to a prime position beside the Forest Hub, then returned to Scion afterwards.There was constant involvement with interested visitors who were keen to know what various parts of the cabin were constructed from.

The blocks which were etched with QR codes proved to be a hit with the younger generation who knew what they were for.These give details to readers via an electronic link.There was good involvement with the Scion staff who were specialist in their field and Tamata Hauha made use of the cabin for some of their own customers.

Networking

One of the big benefits of having all the interested organisations involved in forestry in the same place is the opportunity for networking. Everyone who was there now knows who the NZFFA are, if they did not know beforehand. Rubbing shoulders with some of the bigger players in the industry has been beneficial.

This year NZ Carbon Forestry had a stand opposite ours. It was good to have their employees explain the workings of their business and the philosophy behind native regeneration under pines. I had conversations with the two representatives from Save the Kiwi. Craig Balsom is the forestry specialist for Save the Kiwi. His knowledge of trapping kiwi predators was fascinating across a whole range of pest species.

Feral deer sausages

This year the NZFFA were asked to supply and run the barbecue. Manulife Forest Management, formerly Hancock Forest Management, are one of the largest forest owners in the country.They did not have a stand, but they donated around 1,000 sausages to give away.  These were not just any sausages but ones made from feral deer which had been hunted from their forests. Along with these delicious morsels, made with a small portion of mutton to improve the texture and flavour, there was also salami made from wallaby meat.

These two items were a big hit with the public.

Those with well-functioning olfactory receptors flocked to the barbecue like moths to a flame.The barbecue had been strategically placed to catch the moving visitors and corral them into the tent in the direction of the NZFFA stand.

I took it upon myself to do most of the cooking as I do not trust many people to cook a venison sausage to the state of perfection that I was able to achieve.The last word on this must surely go to the customers, two of whom were butchers who made their own small edible items. Both were impressed.

Another customer who was also impressed was Prime Minister Chris Luxon. He was very happy with the two portions that he helped himself to and was also pleased to meet a kindred spirit who had an understanding of fiscal constraint during tough times. His staff had to prise him from my company. I am sure he was taking mental notes.

What now for the Forestry Hub?

When the Minister of Forestry,Todd McClay, spoke in his address to foresters he made the surprising challenge to the participants – ‘Forestry is a permanent part of the primary sector in New Zealand and as such, deserves to have a permanent structure at Mystery Creek for the Fielddays.’This took everyone by surprise.

A wooden structure with the values and versatility of timber is a worthwhile proposition. But who would run such a building project and who would pay for it? Until now the Forestry Hub has been funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries who sponsored the tent and the fittings. I cannot see the big players wanting to stump up the hundreds of thousands of dollars which a new wooden building would cost, but I would like to be wrong.With the current downturn in the economy, especially the way that the log market and the building industry are performing, the timing could hardly be worse.

However, good things take time and of course many hands make light work, or to put it another way, the more contributors, the smaller the financial hit for each participant. Perhaps the way forward is to discuss the idea, get some plans drawn and an agreement from those who run Mystery Creek and come up with a costing.

Then see who may want to be involved. Otherwise, I fear that the NZFFA may be on their own next year inside a very small tent.