20th September 2021 Newsletter

PRESIDENTS COLUMN

It was good to see a large number of people attend MPI’s workshops on log traders and forest advisors and I was encouraged by the engagement from the sector. Whilst we have no clear guidance on weather we may get the delegated authority for forest advisors, it is obviously something we are going to chase. However even if we were offered the authority, we would still need to put it to members vote (probably at a Special General Meeting). As such it would be good to start a discussion now around any concerns you may have in regards to this.

I would also encourage all members who provide advice of any sort to consider applying for NZIF registration. I am sure having registration will set you up well for ‘registration’ as a forest advisor, no matter who the authority is. As you will have heard the aim is to have the scheme in place by August 2022 (less than 12 months away) and while I am sure there will be a period for advisors to get registered, there will also be a rush, and hence likely a delay, to getting registered as the authority works through applications. It may well be the authority agrees to consider NZIF registered members as registered under the forest advisors scheme at least for the first few years. Apart from anything else NZIF registration shows you are on the top of your game and have been judged by your peers. All members should be aiming for this.

Regardless of any outcomes regarding who the authority is, registration will prove our professionalism and anything which raises the professionalism of our sector I am supportive of. Too often foresters are viewed as cowboys or rouges and not professional and trained. Many times poorly informed members of the public are surprised you can achieve a degree in forestry and there is more to forestry than holding a chainsaw. To have this view changed will benefit us all.

I look forward to ongoing discussion regarding the merits of NZIF seeking delegation. To do so will take many hours of volunteer work, and I would hate for this work to be undertaken only for members to vote delegation down at the end. So please let us know your views. Is this something we should chase, if so what are your concerns, and finally what would you like to to see in any registration scheme.

I would like to thank MPI for their work on this to date. Starting a scheme to register forest advisors and log traders will never be easy; however the team working on this is committed and have been working through the issues one by one. This was reflected in the excellent workshops they put on this week. There is a lot of work to do between now and August, but it is work which should raise our professionalism, and for this reason it is work I am prepared to volunteer for.

Thanks

James

James  Treadwell (FNZIF, MInstD)

President

Registered Forester

INSTITUTE UPDATE

From the Registrar

Any member of the NZIF has the right to object to an application. Any objection should be lodged with the Registrar registrar@nzif.org.nz within 20 working days of the first appearance (20 September 2021) of the notice in this newsletter, specifying the grounds for the objection.

SUCCESSFUL 5 YEAR REGISTRATION REVIEW

Continuing Registration:

• Hamish Marshall of Auckland

APPLICATION FOR REGISTERED MEMBER STATUS

The following Members have applied to become a Registered Members:

• Nigel Chandler of Auckland
• Andre Neumann of Auckland

REGISTRATION REVIEWS 2021

The following members are due for 5-year review of their status as Registered Members during 2021 and have not yet applied;

• John Galbraith
• David Crawley

Alan Bell, Registrar 
NZIF Registration Board

registrar@nzif.org.nz

+64 27 444 7779

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Salary Survey 

The 2021 salary survey is completed and on the NZIF website

Read more

EVENTS

Forest Grower Levy Trust Board (FGLT) Elections 2021

Four positions on the FGLT Board are available.
 

Nominations: Close Friday 1 October 2021, at 5pm

 
 
Make a Nomination

Voting: Opens Thursday 11 October 2021
 
             Closes Friday 22 October 2021
 

Reason for Election

Under 4.4 of the Forest Growers Levy Trust Inc Rules, an election is to be held in 2021 and one half of  the elected board members shall retire.

One board member representing owners of fewer than 1000 hectares, and two board members representing owners of more than 1,000 hectares, shall come up for re-election.

The three Board members due to retire and who can offer  themselves for re-election are:

•      Ian Jackson (fewer than 1,000ha category)

•      Robert Green (more than 1,000ha category)

•      Peter Clark (more than 1,000ha category)

In addition:

•      Steve Wilton (fewer than 1,000ha category) has resigned from the Board.

Therefore, this Election is for:

•      two more than 1,000ha representatives, and

•      two fewer than 1,000ha representatives.

The FGLT Board
The Board consists of four representatives of forests more than 1,000ha, and two representatives of forests smaller than 1,000ha, and an independent chosen by the Board.

Information on the current FGLT Board:  Read more

Nomination process

Nominations for the Board Election will close at 5pm on 1 October.

Under Rule 4.7 nominations for election to the Board shall be called by public notice and through industry communications at least three weeks before the date determined for the commencement of the election and the names of candidates and voting arrangements shall be announced by public notice and through industry communications at least two weeks before the conclusion of the election.

The criteria for nominating candidates to stand in the Board Election are:

•      A person eligible to nominate a Board member can be the owner of a qualifying forest or a person who represents the owner of a qualifying forest.

•      For the purposes of the nomination and election process, a qualifying forest is a stand or stands of trees of 10 years or older (or, for the purposes of this election, planted before 1 October 2011) totalling at least four hectares.

•      A nominator can make nominations only in the category they own or represent a qualifying forest – i.e., up to two nominations.

There are no restrictions as to who can be nominated.  The person does not need to be a forest owner or potential levy payer.

Nominators are able to nominate candidates through an online registration process Make a Nomination or by email admin@fglt.org.nz

Nominators must specify the category in which the nominee will stand, and confirm that they are eligible to nominate the person under the election rules as detailed.

https://fglt.org.nz/images/contentimages/FGLTRegisteredRulesclean_221014.PDF

The nominator is responsible for confirming that the person(s) they nominate are willing to stand for election.

Further information on the implementation of the levy can be found at https://fglt.org.nz/

The FGLT Board have appointed Research New Zealand to run the nomination and voting process. They are independent of the FGLT and will verify and confirm nominations and voting results.