OneFortyOne New Zealand’s integrated business model and balanced approach to providing wood fibre products to domestic
and export markets has proven its worth, says Executive General Manager – New Zealand, OneFortyOne, Lees Seymour.
“Not only has it been a cornerstone of the way we go about doing business for the past 70 years but it is proving to be
important for our ability to respond to COVID-19 in the short term and for the future proofing of our business recovery
post COVID-19,” says Seymour.
The company will begin replanting 2000 hectares of hill country in the top of the South Island from 25 May 2020,
signalling its ongoing confidence in the forestry industry, and its commitment to environmental stewardship while
delivering high quality wood products to the domestic market.
Approximately 60 percent of OneFortyOne New Zealand’s log harvest is delivered to the domestic market. In addition to
owning and operating almost 80,000 hectares of plantation forestry in the Nelson Tasman and Marlborough regions, the
company owns and operates Kaituna Sawmill in Marlborough.
OneFortyOne New Zealand’s timber customers are dominated by the domestic market (50 percent) followed by Australia,
which represents 35 percent of Kaituna Sawmill’s customers. Customers in South East Asia receive 15 percent of the
Kaituna’s processed wood.
“What this means for our business is strong integration with the domestic economy and other New Zealand businesses that
support this country’s recovery, resilience, and growth,” says Seymour.
“It also means we have an existing clear line of sight and deep, functional relationships between those who grow our
trees, those who harvest them, those who mill them, and those who market our wood fibre products.”
However, Seymour says that the export market has an important role to play in terms of spreading risk due to cyclical
downturns in the domestic market.
“It diversifies customer opportunities, offers alternative markets for products that are not in demand from our domestic
customers and provides a channel for salvage from fire or pests as well as securing ongoing job opportunities.”
The success of that balanced approach to domestic and export markets is evident in the longevity of the OneFortyOne New
Zealand business and its direct employment of almost 120 people in Nelson Tasman and Marlborough and the support of a
contractor and supplier network of 300 people, says Seymour.
Importantly, the business is founded on the principles of prioritising worker safety, environmental guardianship, and
community engagement.
“As an example, we protect the more than 9000 hectares of indigenous vegetation reserves within the plantation,
including wetlands, and other forest areas that provide habitat to New Zealand’s fauna and invest more than $200,000 in
community projects every year. That’s important to us and to our community because business success is as much to do
with the way a company goes about its business as it is about the results it achieves.”
Seymour believes that as the wider forestry industry approaches challenges posed by COVID-19 it can look to the lessons
businesses such as OneFortyOne New Zealand have learned over the years.
“There is a lot of experience and knowledge in our industry that can be constructively supported by work on domestic
market development. Now is the time to get alongside one another, share our expertise, and work together to make the
most of our industry as a key provider of economic recovery and growth.”