Hon Jo Goodhew
Associate Minister for Primary Industries
11 March 2016
Media Statement
New wood products partnership launched
The formal launch today of the Specialty Wood Products Research Partnership, marks a new chapter for the forestry sector
in New Zealand, Associate Primary Industries Minister, Jo Goodhew says.
“I welcome the launch of this new partnership, and the ground-breaking research that will be undertaken. Forestry is a
key export earner for New Zealand that is worth around $5 billion annually, and employs nearly 20,000 people” Mrs
Goodhew says.
The research project, entitled “New Regional Value Chains for Specialty Wood Products Matching Species, Site,
Processing, Product and Market”, is part of a seven year partnership between central government and industry. It aims to
investigate the development of new wood products from specialty species.
“This research will help us to identify new processing options for Eucalypts, Douglas-Fir, and Cypresses, in order to
produce high-value specialty wood products,” says Mrs Goodhew.
“It will also help develop an improved breeding stock, ensure forest health is an ongoing priority, and assist in
growing export revenue by further diversifying the range of wood products exported
“This is a great example of high-quality science being applied to industry problems and opportunities, in order to
generate value for New Zealand,” says Mrs Goodhew.
The partnership expects the export value of products developed to reach $350 million per year by 2030, rising to $3.6
billion per year by 2050.
The programme is supported by the Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) partnership programme with
industry funding provided by the Forest Grower Levy Trust. The science partners for the research include Scion, the
University of Canterbury’s School of Forestry, and the Marlborough Research Centre.
ends