Well I have to say the industry is starting to feel a bit like the All Blacks, despite knowing what the issues are, there does not seem to be any change in the behaviour and despite knowing this, are doing the same "S#*T and getting the same results!
Now while we go through the period of typical go slow in China due to the summer temperatures, another month flows by. There are plenty of trees out there or coming on to harvest. How do we get that natural balance to keep our crews working, trucks flowing and export product being shipped off shore? Then there is the demand for wood products locally and the cost of building and the reduction in house prices all adding to the complexity of the issues!
On a positive note the rain has stopped in Nelson and the temperatures have been pretty oustanding in the North Island. There have been some awesome results come out of the two Forestry Awards held in the last two weeks - the TOTS Forestry Awards in Nelson and the inaugrual CNIWC Forestry Awards in Rotorua last Friday night. FICA will be making the most of those positive profiles, the winners of whom many are members so big awhi to you all - expect to see some great exposure of our heroes to the general audience.
There is some exciting news happening with the launch of the Microinnovation Project that Brionny Hooper is right behind. To date she has received 29 IDEAS! And some of them are BRILLIANT! The registration of those innovations/ideas has been extended to 19 August. The plan is to put all the registered projects through a finalist selection to get down to the top eight by the end of August. A winner selection will then take place in September, to pick out the top three.
FICA are now currently involved with a Hauler Guard TAG group that has been set up to look at developing up a set of best practice guidelines. There has been much debate about what good looks like and the lines still remain blurred in some regions. With Worksafe on board with this project, we hope that between regulators, contractors and equipment providers that there are some clear industry standards we can all work to. We thank those who put their hand up to be involved and be part of this journey.
FICA is also part of a Certification Governance Group that FISC is establishing. This is to manage and maintain the positive work that was undertaken by the TAG from last year. The difficulty was the communication and roll out and so we see the collective of contractors and principles on this governance group will support a collective momentum to get this scheme working well and for the right outcomes.
One other initiaitve that is about to kick off is the Mates4Life Pilot and we have on board Manulife, Rayonier Matariki, Pan Pac and also input from FISC and FICA. Mates4Life Hawke’s Bay (M4LHB) is a suicide awareness and prevention training programme delivered to workplaces. While the programme is focused on preventing suicide, it can also help workplaces reduce harm and increase health and safety for their employees. An employee who is not focused on work is a risk to both themselves and others. By equipping staff with the skills to recognise someone who is not ok; employers can reduce the risk of a workplace incident.
Then I will be heading up to Gisborne Tairawhiti this week to meet up with contractors at a hui to discuss the state of the nation as they continue to go through significant pressures and challenges in that region.
Like the All Blacks do you think there should be some discussions around changing up the coaches at the top then success can filter down?
