Australasia's home for timber news and information

Investigation why NZ sawmill workers get $3 per hour

New Zealand’s Immigration Minister has ordered an urgent report into specific purpose work visas. Source: Newshub It was revealed that four Indonesian welders at Napier Pine sawmill were receiving around NZ$3 an hour. The Opposition says the workers have been exploited. The men, who w
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Pine clearing in Canberra

Almost 14 years on from the worst bushfires in the ACT’s history, pine clearing is under way in an effort to prevent such devastation ever happening again. Source: ABC News The inquiry into the 2003 fires found more should have been done to reduce fuel loads around Canberra, inc
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Bumper crop for Taranaki contractors

Taranaki’s logging contractors are gearing up to harvest a bumper crop over the next few years as trees planted more than two decades ago begin to mature. Source: Stuff NZ Many of the plots around Taranaki were planted in the ‘90s, with most taking between 25 and 30 years before
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A koala conundrum for Victoria

Timber plantation operators in Victoria will face strict new rules aimed at stopping koalas from being killed or injured during harvest. Source: ABC News Increasing numbers of koalas have sought refuge in blue gum plantations around Portland, in the state’s south-west, as their
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Ngawha mill not off the cards

Organisations involved with securing a large-scale timber-processing plant in Ngawha, New Zealand say it isn’t off the cards despite reports. Source: Stuff NZ Top Energy chief executive Russell Shaw says everyone has missed the point following the release of a pre-feasibility re
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VicForests’ new biodiversity conservation research manager

Tim McBride, wildlife conservation expert, has recently joined VicForests as the new Biodiversity Conservation Research Manager. Source: Timberbiz Mr McBride has been working in the forestry industry for more than 22 years with a strong focus in forest ecology and wildlife conservatio
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Midway looking good on ASX

Since listing on the ASX in early December the share price of Midway (ASX: MWY) has mainly traded at a slight discount to its IPO price of $2.50. However, analysts at Morgans CIMB see value in the group and it has initiated coverage with an added recommendation and price target of $3.
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VicForests donates timber to local community group

VicForests has donated Ash and Acacia timber to the Eildon and District Woodworkers Guild/Alexandra Community Shed to support their local woodcraft activities. Source: Timberbiz The Eildon and District Woodworkers Guild are a community group in Alexandra that are part of the Australia
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NZ sawmill advocate Joe Harawira dies

Tributes flow in New Zealand for QSM recipient Joseph Harawira who has died after years of fighting “corporate warriors”. The trade union movement is mourning the loss of a man who battled for 30 years on behalf of former sawmill workers who were exposed to dangerous chemi
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Come back Robin Hood your forest needs you

The latest battleground for the future of fracking in Britain looks set to be Sherwood Forest, the legendary home of folk hero Robin Hood and now the target of a seismic survey by Ineos. Source: The Guardian The chemical multinational, which relocated its headquarters back to the UK l
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