The New Zealand Institute of Forestry offers six categories of membership, designed to match our members’ level of involvement in the industry. These categories are: Ordinary, Associate, Graduate, Retired, Students, Honorary.

All members are bound by the NZIF Articles of Association and Code of Ethics. Only Registered Members can officially call themselves a "Forestry consultant", "Registered Forester", "Registered Member" or a "Registered Forestry Consultant".

All fees include GST.

Ordinary Member – Annual fee: $363.00

An Ordinary Member must:

• Be proposed and seconded by two members each of whom must be an Honorary Member or Retired Registered Member, or Retired Member or Registered Member or Ordinary Member; and
• Have completed a formal course of standing recognised by Council in some branch of forestry or an allied discipline; and
• Have completed at least five years in the practice, administration or teaching of, or research in some branch of forestry.

An Ordinary Member has full voting and office-holding rights and is entitled to use the initials "MNZIF" after their name.

Associate Member – Annual fee: $255.20

An Associate Member must:

• Be proposed and seconded by two Members each of any membership class other than Student Member; and
• Have an interest in forestry; and
• Be a person who, in the opinion of the Council, will be able to contribute to the advancement of forestry and the objects of the Institute.
• has restricted voting and office-holding rights.

Retired Member – Annual fee: $134.20

An applicant who wishes to become a Retired Member must be a Registered, Ordinary or Associate Member who:

• They have been a financial member for at least ten years; and
• They have reached the age of entitlement to New Zealand Superannuation.

A Registered Member who has been a Registered Member for at least five years immediately before becoming a Retired Member will be known as a "Retired Registered Member". Retired Registered Members may not claim or lead people to believe that they are still a Registered Member.

• A Ordinary Member and a Registered Member who has been a Registered Member for less than five years before becoming a Retired Member will be known as a "Retired Ordinary Member"
• An Associate Member who advances to Retired Member will be known as a "Retired Associate Member"
• A Retired Ordinary Member is entitled to use the initials "MNZIF" after their name
• Retired Registered and Ordinary Retired Members have full voting and office-holding rights
• Retired Associate Members have restricted voting and office-holding rights.

Graduate Member – Annual fee: $235.40

The Graduate Member class is for those forestry professionals who have completed a relevant qualification and are working in a forestry-related area but have not yet achieved the experience necessary to advance to Ordinary or Registered membership.

A Graduate Member must:

• Be proposed and seconded by two Members each of any membership class other than Student Member; and
• Have completed a formal course of standing recognised by the Council in some branch of forestry or an allied discipline; and
• Be engaged in the practice, administration or teaching of or research in some branch of forestry.
• has restricted voting rights and may not hold office.

Student Member – no membership fee

A Student Member must be currently training or studying in a formal forestry course, or allied discipline, recognised by the NZIF Council.

A Student Member must:

• Must be proposed and seconded by two Members neither of whom shall be Student Members;
• Shall be a student receiving formal training of a standard recognised by the Council in forestry or in an allied discipline;
  Shall be: 
  • A resident of New Zealand; or
  • A New Zealand citizen who is studying at an overseas institution; or
  • An overseas student studying at a New Zealand institution; or
  • A person who can demonstrate an interest or connection with forestry in New Zealand or the Institute

Student Members remain as such only while they are in formal training or are looking for a job after finishing their training. Once they have a job they must apply to advance to Graduate or Associate Member, or the NZIF Council may terminate their membership.

The first year of NZIF membership is free if they are:

• taking a full-time course in an approved forestry-related qualification
• enrolled for at least one year
• studying at a New Zealand tertiary institute
• they are resident in New Zealand while studying.

Honorary Member – no membership fee

An Honorary Member is a person who (not being a member at the time) is elected as an Honorary Member at the NZIF AGM. Hononary members have full voting and office-holding rights.

Nominees must have been outstanding in:

• service to the NZIF
• contributing to or influencing the practice of forestry in New Zealand.

Registered Member – annual fee: $348.00

Ordinary members may apply to the NZIF Registration Board to advance to Registered Member. A $348.00 registration application fee is then charged when a person applies for Registration, the membership is notified and any NZIF member can object to the application in writing.

A Registered Member must:

• Be a member of the Institute at the time of application;
• Have passed a formal course of a standing recognised by the Board in some branch of forestry or an allied discipline unless otherwise agreed by the Board;
• Have completed at least five years’ experience in forestry since graduation or certification, of which at least two must have been in New Zealand, and have reached a level of expertise recognised by the Board, and such other conditions as Council from time to time determines;
• Display to the satisfaction of the Board an understanding of the basic principles underlying the forestry process involved in the applicant’s particular area of qualification and expertise, to an extent that allows interpretation and application to different situations that may reasonably be expected to be encountered in the course of the member’s endeavours;
• Have undertaken continuing professional development (CPD) prior to application to the standard prescribed by the Board.
• reaffirm by way of payment of their annual membership fee their intention to abide by the New Zealand Institute of Forestry’s Code of Ethics.

Once registration is granted, the Registered Member is only then entitled to use the words "Registered MNZIF" or "Reg. MNZIF" after their name, and call themselves a "Registered Forestry Consultant" and/or "Registered Forester". A Registered Member has full voting and office-holding rights.

Registered Members must apply before 30 December each year for their annual practicing certificate to be renewed or their registration will be cancelled. The application must include:

• a statement of CPD activities undertaken in the previous 12 months
• reaffirmation of compliance with the NZIF’s Code of Ethics
• the annual fee.

A Registered Member’s registration is subject to periodic review by the Board (usually every five years). Failure to complete the review can lead to their registration being cancelled.