Kevin Reardon of FORME and Ross Davis, former President of FICA recently caught up at FICA’s spotlight on safety event in Palmerston North. A powerful reminder surfaced: FICA was born not just from necessity, but from vision, grit, and collaboration.
Ross credited John Dey of FORME as instrumental in the association’s founding—a legacy that continues to shape our sector today.
Kevin’s deep dive into FORME’s archives unearthed a compelling timeline that traces FICA’s roots to a pivotal moment in forestry history. By 1998, the Forest Contractors Association of NZ (FCANZ) had ceased to operate effectively due to a major restructuring of forest silviculture and harvesting operations largely as a result of the Asian financial crisis. In early 2001, industry leaders began discussing its resurrection. Jon Dey prepared a funding proposal to the NZFOA in August 2001, which was accepted—setting the wheels in motion.
A nationwide contractor survey followed, clearly showing contractors wanted representation, advocacy, and a stronger collective voice.
A meeting was convened on 14 March 2002 to present the feasibility work and survey findings.
The outcome? Strong support to move forward and form a steering group to oversee the creation of a new organisation.The original steering group included:
Nelson Ede (Harvest Systems)
Ross Davis (RF Davis Logging)
Paul Olsen (Olsen Logging & Tokoroa Loggers Assn)
Dean Urquhart (CNI Forest Management)
Mike Havard (Havard Logging Team)
Ken Holmes (Holmes Group)
Stephen Dewes (Dewes Contractors)
Jacob Kajavala (Kajavala Forestry)
Their mandate: assess the feasibility of reactivating FCANZ and build a business case for a new contractor-led organisation.Jon Dey led the work, reporting to the group through multiple meetings. On 5 June 2002, a business plan was presented to NZFOA, who agreed to fund 50% of the startup costs for the first two years.
Some of the key areas of focus included representation/advocacy, technology transfer, Co-op R&D, Contractor registration/Certification. Shortly after, John Stulen was appointed as FICA’s first CEO—and the Forest Industry Contractors Association was officially born.
Fast forward to November 2025, and what’s uncanny is how closely today’s contractor priorities mirror those from 2001. The chart below is from the survey in 2001, a ranking of 1 indicates extremely important and a ranking of 5 indicates not important.
Lobbying key issues, representation, and communication remain top priorities—just as they were when FICA was first envisioned. This continuity speaks volumes about the enduring needs of our sector and the relevance of FICA’s mission.
