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Insurance Update - Forestry High Risk

The insurance industry is currently undergoing a number of changes with a many insurers moving away from occupations they consider to be high risk, particularly when it comes to liability policies.  You may be experiencing issues where an insurer which has provided cover for your business over many years has decided they no longer have an appetite for forestry risks, leaving you high and dry.  As our Strategic Partner, Sweeney Townsend Insurance Brokers can offer you peace of mind, exp...

FICA Enews June 2022

Firstly congrats to the Queen, her 70th Jubilee what a milestone and I hope you all have come off the back of a good long weekend.Next, thanks to all the contractors that signed up to FICA for 2022, we really appreciated the opportunity to be able to offer this 15% discount to members this year. In light of the challenging year we have had, we wanted to recognise this and give something back....

Dedicated Damon

As Woodlot Harvestings newest apprentice, Damon Zillwood is already becoming a hugely valuable member of his crew. Previously working as a diesel mechanic assistant, Woodlot Harvestings Managers were able to employ Damon via the FICA MSD Harvesting Subsidy and its already paying great dividends. As a lover of the outdoors, working in forestry seemed like a natural fit for apprentice Damon Zillwood. “I love hunting and the outdoors, so forestry is the ideal place for me to be,” says Damon. ...

Outdoor opportunities for Callum

Working as a machine operator for Roxburgh Contracting under the FICA MSD Harvesting Subsidy, school-leaver Callum Maze is loving working in logging and working outdoors. While participating in the Gateway programme as a senior in secondary school, Callum Maze enjoyed working on the processor simulator and expressed an interest in working in forestry. His existing forestry connections made it easy for him to pathway from school to work, taking up a role with his contact Lawson Roxburgh who owns...

Repost - How NZ could become a world leader in decarbonisation using forestry and geothermal technology

Energy is the double-edged sword at the root of the climate crisis. Cheap energy has improved lives and underpinned massive economic growth. But because most of it comes from burning hydrocarbon fuels, we’re now left with a legacy of high atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and an emissions-intensive economy.But what if we could flip the energy-emissions relationship on its head? We would need a technology that both generates electricity and removes CO2 from the atmosphere.The good news is this t...

Right or Wrong – That is the Question?

Access to workers by unions has not always generated the best of relationships between employers and the agency. There have been underlying perceptions that by letting the union come into their business premises the priority of the visit is to recruit new members. There is truth to this and nevertheless, union representatives have the right to access the employer’s workplace so long as certain conditions are met. Consideration of rights In our industry we need to consider the contractor’s ri...

Expert QC Jessie-Lee

After finishing school and doing a stint at a local apple packhouse in the Hawkes Bay, Jessie-Lee Bush was approached by her Mum’s boss at DG Glenn Logging (DGL) to work there as a QC (Quality Controller) under the FICA MSD Harvesting Subsidy. Eligible for the FICA MSD Harvesting Subsidy as a new “Kiwi local” recruit to forestry, Jessie-Lee was offered a job and thought she’d give it a try, joining the team in September 2021. DGL employs more than 150 staff around the Hawkes Bay area, w...

MyACC for Business – view Work Related Claims Reports Online

If you have any employees that have a work-related injury, you can view and download the claims report online now in MyACC for Business If you’re not registered yet, visit MyACC for Business and sign up using your ACC number or IR number, and email address - it’s quick and easy!With MyACC for Business you can also:Go paperless – set preferences to receive your invoice by email. Update your liable earnings to ensure you get the most accurate invoice possibleUse live...

Understanding Risk

This month I approached Safetree contributors about the up-and-coming Risk Workshops that are going to start up again around the country and asked for an overview on what one might expect going along to them. So, this what they told me (relax, I promise you this isn’t another Health & Safety article). Risk, Health, Safety have become three words almost guaranteed to turn off an audience and stop people from reading any further. So, over the last five years we have been trying to get peopl...

Fuel Prices - Information from Z Energy

Over recent weeks we have seen significant movements in the global price of refined fuels driven by international events such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  You will have seen these global price movements flowing through to New Zealand and the impact of these increases at the pump.Given the sensitivity of these price movements, we wanted to provide some additional context as to the contributing factors given the swings in diesel and petrol pricing is higher than what may normally be seen...

Press Release: ​State of the Industry Update

This is a joint press release between FICA, Safetree and NZFOA.  As we have all seen in the media and through our industry communication platforms in last 10 days, there is a multitude of factors all compounding the export market now perfect storm has arisen and this is putting considerable pressure on the domestic market and, particularly, harvest contracts.  We would traditionally have seen a downturn at the end of February each year with the impact of the Chinese New Year. What is h...

Press Release: The Trough Is Dropping Fast

We are all aware of how forestry rises and falls and that the trends of export log prices are cyclical, but this next hump is one out of the norm which about now we know we are working up to a well-deserved festive break, a busy year and working to script and then expecting a drop in the market traditionally into the Chinese New Year.Last year we had a 5 week lead up to COVID where our industry was well down on production with pricing and supply pressures before COVID hit the rest of the primary...

Press Release: Immigration New Zealand is letting down the Silviculture Industry

FICA is calling on Immigration New Zealand to reassess its position on silviculture migrant worker policy, following a series of recent rejections that have been brought to light.Forest Industry Contractors Association CEO Prue Younger says she has been fielding calls and emails from several frustrated Silviculture Contractors, who feel let down by Immigration New Zealand.“I’ve been hearing multiple stories of Immigration New Zealand wasting valuable time and shifting the goal posts on ...

Press Release: Pressure mounting across entire forestry supply chain as port build ups highlight issues

FICA is calling for an all of forestry strategy to deal with the mounting pressure on the entire forestry supply chain, currently being highlighted by build-ups at major New Zealand ports. FICA say the situation is far from over and the sector needs to work together to find solutions.Export market demand for New Zealand logs has been strong in recent months, putting extra pressure on our infrastructure, particularly at ports. FICA spokesperson Prue Younger, who represents contractors as the CEO ...

Press Release: Government Funding Packages Need to be Flexible

FICA is appealing to Government to offer some flexibility in the funding packages announced last week as the industry remains in an unstable and complex environment.It has been well over 6 weeks since emergency meetings were held by forest owners with their contractors to advise some of them that their work would be stopped immediately, within a month or that their work schedules would be reduced ongoing. That followed a 27 January announcement from Zhejiang Province that returning to ...

Press Release: NZ Forestry Contractors Reaching Breaking Point in Forestry Crisis

FICA says forestry crisis is dire and contractors are reaching breaking point in an ever-worsening situation. Rapid impacts have been felt over the past month by the forestry industry with the effects of the outbreak of the Coronavirus, with many out of work and in serious financial crisis. FICA CEO Prue Younger says people outside the industry are largely unaware of the seriousness of the crisis.“We need to have politicians, government officials and the public outside of forestry fu...