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Health and Safety Amendment Bill 2026 - What Contractors Need to Know

The Government’s Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill proposes changes aimed at reducing compliance burden, improving clarity for businesses, and sharpening the focus on preventing death and serious harm through better critical risk management.FICA supports the overall intent of the Bill. Forestry contracting businesses already operate in one of New Zealand’s highest risk sectors and have long prioritised critical risks through mechanisation, system redesign, competency frameworks, stron...

Managing Slash on Steep Hill Country

Te Uru Rakau recently completed Harvesting Operations Handbook: Managing Slash on Steep Hill Country. This is an abbreviated version of the Slash Risk Management Handbook and is targeted more at contractors and forestry operational staff.FICA had some input into the handbook, particularly with regard to responsibilities on page 3. We believe the key to good slash management is understanding what is required and who is responsibility before a single tree is fallen.Some of the key lines ...

We all need to be advocates

We all need to be advocates for our industry when we get the opportunity.  "Kia ora koutou, Steven and I have been in forestry harvesting for 25 years. This year, we joined the Taupo Chamber of Commerce. Through this, I was offered a seat at a roundtable with Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour and MP Andrew Hoggard. We were told they were keen to hear directly from businesses about red tape issues local businesses are facing.To prepare, I contacted our Women in Forestry Board Chair Sarah D...

Otago Visit - Mike Hurring Training School

As part of the roll-out of the consultation on vocational training, we delivered a presentation in Balclutha for the Southland/Otago region. Of all the vocational training meetings we have had over the past two months the meeting in Balclutha was the most interesting. The real passion for training was apparent, driven by strong collaboration between contractors, forest owners and the local Competenz staff. Apparently, the training activity in Otago/Southland is second only to the CNI (and o...

Forestry Consultation Training Complete - Overwhelming Support

We completed our final forestry training consultation workshops in Balclutha and Nelson this month. The response from all consultation workshops was overwhelmingly positive, particularly with regard to a dedicated forestry business unit with stronger industry oversight, an advisory group and a governance role. As a reminder: Major changes are underway in New Zealand’s vocational education system. Competenz will move to a new PTE for engineering and manufacturing in 2026, but forestry...

Otago Visit - Southern Hospitality with Tony Gamble

Having had a good feed of steak and chips with an egg on top at Joe’s Garage in Dunedin,  I was looking forward to catching up with Tony Gamble (Gamble Forest Harvesting Ltd) for my tour of contractors located around Dunedin. He must have thought I was important because we took his town ute rather than the work ute. Tony runs a swing yarder/ ground-based combo for City Forests. Tony took the business over from his Dad, and all up, the business has worked for City Forests for close to...

A day in the field with Nathan Taylor

Unfortunately, the day I visited Nelson, harvesting operations had been curtailed due to constraints on the supply chain. However, we decided it was a beautiful day and we thought we would go for a drive. Nathan, Director of Mechanised Cable Harvesting (MCH) and FICA Board member, picked me up at 7:40. I had first met Nathan back in 2013 when Ken Holmes and I went to visit Ross Wood’s operations to decide how Hancock’s would respond to its last tree felling fatality. The visit was centr...

FICA E-newsletter - April 2026

In this update: Message from the CEO - Navigating pressure, staying connected Fuel Pressure, Smart Savings - and a clear safety line FICA Whangarei Fry Up - Tuesday 5 May - RSVP belowFICA Team Update - Sarah Davis, Events + Sponsorship Reminder - Update your info with FICA A day in the field with Nathan (Skins) Taylor Otago Visit - Southern Hospitality with Tony Gamble New agreement secures training pathway while upholding FSC Living Wage Standards Forestr...

Fuel Pressure, Smart Savings

There’s no escaping the fact that the fuel situation is putting serious pressure on contractors right now. Over recent weeks FICA has received a steady stream of calls from members who are feeling the impact daily – not just on margins, but on decisions about how work is carried out.What’s been encouraging is the number of practical, common sense steps contractors are already taking to reduce fuel burn wherever possible.One contractor in Tairāwhiti told me they have parked up two Toyota H...

New Agreement Secures Training Pathway While Upholding FSC Living Wage Standards

A new agreement between FICA and First Union will ensure forestry contractors can continue to bring new workers into the sector while fully meeting Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) wage requirements across New Zealand’s FSC‑certified forests.More than 70% of New Zealand’s plantation forest estate is FSC‑certified, requiring all workers to be paid at least the Living Wage—a standard widely recognised as lifting industry expectations.However, applying the full Living Wage immediately to ...

FICA Membership Renewals 2026

Last week, FICA Members received your annual FICA membership renewal invoices.We know many contractors are under real pressure right now. Costs are up, margins are tight and the next few months are looking uncertain. Paying a membership fee may not feel like a priority – and we understand that.Over the past year, FICA has been working hard on the issues that matter most to contractors, including:Speaking up for contractors with government, regulators and forest ownersSupporting members through...

Logger Mag - April 2026

Want to listen to our FICA Logger Mag updates instead of reading them? Here's how:1. Update your settings (phones / tablets) or install this free audio reader extension (desktop / laptop):a. iPhone: To use the built-in text-to-speech feature on your iPhone, go to:Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content and enable "Speak Selection" or "Speak Screen" to have the iPhone read selected text or the entire screen aloud, respectively.b. Samsung: To activate and customize the text-to-sp...

Radio New Zealand - Forestry manager discusses concerns over diesel prices

The logging industry's warning some companies could be on the brink as the conflict in Iran pushes up the cost of diesel. Forest Management Group Director, Glenn Moir spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss....

Letter to Government Ministers - Explicit Inclusion of Forestry as a Level 2 Critical Customer

We are writing on behalf of the New Zealand Forest Owners Association and Forest Industry Contractors Association to emphasise the importance of explicitly including forestry as a Level 2 critical customer in the National Fuel Plan, particularly to support both domestic sawmills and export continuity during periods of fuel, freight, or supply chain disruption.Forestry is one of New Zealand’s most logistics-intensive export sectors, with a high dependence on reliable access to fuel, land transp...

Submission on Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill

FICA supports the overall intent of the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill to:• reduce unnecessary compliance costs;• improve clarity for PCBUs about what is required; and• support further reductions in fatalities, serious harm and injuries.The Bill’s emphasis on critical risks aligns with established best practice in forestry contracting. However, without refinement, some proposed provisions may introduce ambiguity or unintentionally weaken safety outcomes for a lar...

Fuel Adjustment Factor Calculation

As you are well aware as a result of the conflict in the Middle East fuel prices have risen rapidly over the past two weeks. FICA has been talking with FOA and MPI regarding the situation and has been asked for the potential impact on Forestry Contractors. Our response has been it really depends on how long this goes on. Most Contractors have fuel adjustment factors (FAF) in their contracts, but this is only adjusted monthly or in some cases quarterly so contractors will have to wear i...

Micro Innovation Challenge

Got a solution to a forestry problem? There’s still time to get your idea in.Whether it’s a new tool, a smart upgrade, or an out‑of‑the‑box fix for an everyday frustration… you could win $10,000 to bring it to life.Enter your idea here: www.microinnovation.co.nz Takes minutes. No long forms. Unlimited entries....

Update your info with FICA

To enable FICA to better serve our members we are looking to update existing data in our database and collect new information. New information we want to collect includes:An email address for newsletters etc and a second for administration. I quite often get responses from your administrator telling me that the email should have gone to the owner/manager. We want the ability to direct communications in the right direction.The Region(s) you operate in and the Forest Manager(s) you work ...

FICA E-newsletter - March 2026

February was a significant month across the industry, marked by the sign off of FICA’s revised strategic plan, budget 2026 and a full events schedule for 2026.We have made major progress in vocational training consultation, strengthened collaboration with forest owners, and an increasing focus on health and safety leadership. Our engagement with FOA, FISC, Worksafe, and regional councils is deepening as we ensure contractors’ voices are strongly represented.The pan-sector H&S Charter dis...

Tairawhiti Employment Survey

The Eastland Wood Council with assistance from FICA and other stakeholders, recently carried out a survey.The survey identifies 1,155 workers across the forestry and wood processing sector in Tairāwhiti as at February 2026.This figure substantially exceeds previously referenced regional statistics and demonstrates the importance of direct industry engagement when measuring workforce composition. Thank you to the assistance we got from Contractors in Tairawhiti. ...

Logger Mag - March 2026

Want to listen to our FICA Logger Mag updates instead of reading them? Here's how:1. Update your settings (phones / tablets) or install this free audio reader extension (desktop / laptop):a. iPhone: To use the built-in text-to-speech feature on your iPhone, go to:Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content and enable "Speak Selection" or "Speak Screen" to have the iPhone read selected text or the entire screen aloud, respectively.b. Samsung: To activate and customize the text-to-sp...

Health and Safety Amendment Bill 2026

The Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill (Government Bill 244–1) has just been released. The Bill is yet to go through its first reading in parliament and if passed it goes to a select committee where it will be open for public submissions and then back to parliament, so a bit of water to go under the bridge yet and will have to opportunity to have our say. On the face of it what is being proposed should be of benefit to Forestry contractors.  The newly released Bill aims to streamlin...

Reduce costs with n3

FICA is committed to supporting its Members' success, including helping businesses keep their operating costs down. That’s why FICA has partnered with n3 to give Members access to great discounts at 45+ leading New Zealand Suppliers.As part of your FICA Membership, your n3 Membership fee is covered in full. That means it’s completely free for your business and your employees to join and start saving.As part of the member satisfaction survey late last year, we asked questions regarding N...

FICA Innovation Group - Calling for Nominations

To strengthen FICA’s role in industry innovation, a new Innovation Sub‑Committee is being formed.The goal is to submit up to five funding proposals annually to the FGLT/FGR process. Nominations are now open to members, associates, and sponsors. Please contact Rowan (0274) 712 789 to talk about this opportunity....

Forest Growers Levy Trust Annual Work Programme

The 2026 Work programme funded by the Forest Growers Levy Trust has been released. The Trust received nearly $11 million in funding requests, exceeding the $8.68 million levy budget available for the 2026 work programme....