EMBARGOED - FOR RELEASE Midnight 31 August 2016
Forester’s Award their Achievers
The New Zealand Institute of Forestry’s President James Treadwell announces two awards.
Forester of the Year is one of the highest accolades in the industry, recognizing contribution, leadership, excellence
and integrity.
This year Forester of the year was awarded to Sally Strang Environmental Manager, Hancock Forest Management (NZ) Ltd for
her tireless work in finding ways to reverse erosion in high priority areas.
In announcing the award President Treadwell stated “the awardee is an engineer, farmer, protector of the environment and
our sector, and has spent almost a decade debating the merits of one environmental standard. Sally is very deserving of
this recognition.”
The Thomas Kirk award is the most historically valuable award in all New Zealand science. The Thomas Kirk award is
awarded for eminence and recognizes outstanding contributions in the forest industry. The awardee has temporary
possession of a 139 year-old drinking horn plus a medal which they retain.
Awarded every second year, this year the recipient was John Groome.
In 1962 John formed J.G. Groome and Associates which grew into internationally operated Groome-Poyre Ltd of which John
was Executive Chairman. Company representatives became well known in Australia, USA, Fiji, PNG, Solomon Islands, Japan,
Malaysia, Brunei, China, Burma, South Africa, Chile and Argentina.
President Treadwell stated “John’s optimism has been an outstanding characteristic all his life, he has been responsible
for setting the standard of the professional forester within New Zealand and the sector owes a debt of gratitude to
John”
ENDS