Peter has been a member of the New Zealand Institute of Forestry since 1984. He spent 15 years in the Forestry Sector  up to 1996 where with a multi-disciplinary back ground of a Forestry degree, Chartered Accountant and a MBA he held a diverse range of roles. Peter has previously served on the NZIF Council in the 1990’s. 

Then up to 2017  Peter held senior roles in the public and private sector across the Transport, Infrastructure, Industrial Chemicals, Property and Fund Management sectors. Peter returned to the sector in 2017. Peter is currently the Chief Executive  of New Zealand Carbon Farming, the largest New Zealand owner of planted managed forests, and largest supplier of Carbon Credits in NZ.  Peter served on Council 1994-1996 and 2018-2020.

Peter is  New Zealand Institute of Forestry Registered Forestry Professional, Chairman of the Registration Board (since 2018) and hopes his range of experiences can contribute to growing community recognition of the positive and value add role of the professional forester.

Peter has been a member of the New Zealand Institute of Forestry since 1984. He spent 15 years in the Forestry Sector  up to 1996 where with a multi-disciplinary back ground of a Forestry degree, Chartered Accountant and a MBA he held a diverse range of roles. Peter has previously served on the NZIF Council in the 1990’s. 

Then up to 2017  Peter held senior roles in the public and private sector across the Transport, Infrastructure, Industrial Chemicals, Property and Fund Management sectors. Peter returned to the sector in 2017. Peter is currently the Chief Executive  of New Zealand Carbon Farming, the largest New Zealand owner of planted managed forests, and largest supplier of Carbon Credits in NZ.  Peter served on Council 1994-1996 and 2018-2020.

Peter is  New Zealand Institute of Forestry Registered Forestry Professional, Chairman of the Registration Board (since 2018) and hopes his range of experiences can contribute to growing community recognition of the positive and value add role of the professional forester.

Silvicultural Scientist and Portfolio Leader of Designing Forests - Mahi Tahi Whaihua at Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute).

Scion is a Crown research institute that specialises in research, science and technology development for the forestry, wood product, wood-derived materials, and other biomaterial sectors. 

The Designing Forests - Mahi Tahi Wahihua portfolio is focused on sustainable forest systems designed around the needs and values of communities, specifically the benefits from standing trees.  The portfolio includes research focused on sequestration of carbon in forests for climate change mitigation; forests for the protection of soil, water and biodiversity; wilding conifer control; integration of trees into agricultural systems; urban forests; and, complex forest systems with mixed-species or multiple-ages managed for multiple benefits.

My own research applies forest ecology principles to the sustainable management of our forests for a variety of benefits including carbon sequestration, climate change adaption, mitigating  hazardous wildfires, protection of soil and water, healthy forests, conservation and biodiversity, aesthetics and recreation, and wood production.  With over twenty years of experience working in forestry, science and academia, I have worked in a wide variety of forest ecosystems, including native forests and exotic forest plantations of New Zealand, mixed-hardwoods in eastern United States, and the conifer forests of the Southern Rockies.

Sarah Helleur is an experienced forestry professional with a strong background in compliance and sustainable land management. After graduating from the UC School of Forestry she began her career with the Selwyn Plantation Board before working for the Forestry Commission in the UK as a recreation ranger.  After raising a family she returned to forestry working for Environment Canterbury, focusing on forestry compliance, ensuring that forestry operations met regional environmental standards and contributed to sustainable land use.

Sarah later joined Forever Forests as a Forestry Land-Use and ETS Consultant, where she provided expert guidance on land-use planning, carbon forestry, and navigating the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Her work supports landowners and organizations in optimizing forestry practices while meeting regulatory and environmental goals.

Passionate about sustainable forestry and environmental stewardship, Sarah continues to advocate for practices that balance economic viability with ecological responsibility.

Andrew has been involved in New Zealand forestry since 1962. He is a NZIF Registered Forester and an NZIF Fellow. He served on the NZIF Council as a Councillor (2003-04), Vice President (2004-08) and President (2008-14). He was elected as a NZIF registered member representative to the Board in 2016.  He was part of the small NZIF team that pursued (for over 5 years) and eventually succeeded in obtaining an exemption under the Real Estate Agents Act for Registered Members of NZIF.  He chaired the NZIF Foundation from 2011 to early 2022.

The first half of his career was with the NZ Forest Service in general forestry and research. He was very involved in the corporatisation and then privatisation of the former State forests, along with Treaty of Waitangi issues and settlements involving forests and forest land in the 1980s and 90s. 

Andrew has received a number of awards, including the NZIF Thomas Kirk Award in 2014, a Commonwealth Forestry Association Award of Excellence in 2015 and was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to forestry in the 2016 New Year’s Honours.

Andrew strongly believes that registration is a way for a forestry professional to demonstrate they aspire to high professional standards. It follows the President Kennedy quote of “ask not what registration can do for you, ask what registration says about you as a professional”. Andrew is concerned that too many NZIF members still think of registration of interest only to consultants, rather than as a professional standard all should aspire to achieve.

Ellanese Mytton is a Registered Member of the New Zealand Institute of Forestry (NZIF) and has served on the Registration Board for five years. Since 2024, Ellanese has been the Chair of the Early Career Development Programme (ECDP) Committee. She holds a Bachelor of Forestry Science degree from the University of Canterbury (2000) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business from the University of Auckland (2017).

With extensive experience in the New Zealand forest industry, Ellanese has held various technical, forest management, and consulting roles. Currently, she specialises in financial and forestry modelling and analysis, focusing on asset management and acquisition in Australia and New Zealand and hopes to bring to the Board the perspective of a mid-career practicing registered consultant.

Sarah Helleur is an experienced forestry professional with a strong background in compliance and sustainable land management. After graduating from the UC School of Forestry she began her career with the Selwyn Plantation Board before working for the Forestry Commission in the UK as a recreation ranger.  After raising a family she returned to forestry working for Environment Canterbury, focusing on forestry compliance, ensuring that forestry operations met regional environmental standards and contributed to sustainable land use.

Sarah later joined Forever Forests as a Forestry Land-Use and ETS Consultant, where she provided expert guidance on land-use planning, carbon forestry, and navigating the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Her work supports landowners and organizations in optimizing forestry practices while meeting regulatory and environmental goals.

Passionate about sustainable forestry and environmental stewardship, Sarah continues to advocate for practices that balance economic viability with ecological responsibility.