http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.fica.org.nz en-us Sat, 25 Apr 2026 03:35:35 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/post/163406/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... Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:11:43 +1200 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/#post163406 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/post/163404/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 ... Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:10:21 +1200 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/#post163404 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/post/163402/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... Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:10:00 +1200 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/#post163402 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/post/163399/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... Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:05:27 +1200 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/#post163399 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/post/163398/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... Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:03:49 +1200 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/#post163398 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/post/163397/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... Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:02:29 +1200 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/#post163397 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/post/163396/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 first met Nathan back in 2013, when Ken Holmes and I made a deliberate visit to Ross Wood’s operation during a period of major reckoning for the industry. It was increasingly clear that t... Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:00:01 +1200 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/#post163396 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/post/163393/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... Tue, 14 Apr 2026 08:52:35 +1200 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/#post163393 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/post/163394/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... Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/#post163394 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/post/163350/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 ... Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:13:27 +1200 http://www.fica.org.nz/blog/#post163350