Exploring global best practice for NZ’s erodible steeplands [NZ]Friday 23 Oct 2026
Myles is an experienced forestry and environmental management professional, currently working as Environmental and Land Use Business Manager at John Turkington Limited. With more than 20 years’ experience across resource management, sustainable land use, forestry, erosion and sediment control, climate change policy and environmental regulation, he brings both strategic knowledge and practical industry experience to the study tour. The tour will allow Myles to investigate how other countries manage forestry and land use in steep, erosion-prone landscapes, and how those learnings could support future practice in New Zealand. Responding to a Critical Industry Challenge New Zealand’s forestry sector is facing increasing pressure to adapt the way it manages highly erodible steepland environments. Recent severe weather events have highlighted the vulnerability of steep landscapes, particularly where forest harvesting, slash movement, slope failure and downstream impacts can affect infrastructure, waterways and communities. These challenges have increased public scrutiny, regulatory expectations and the need for practical, future-focused solutions. Myles’ study tour is designed to respond directly to these issues by exploring international examples of erosion risk management, land use adaptation, restorative forestry and alternative approaches to forestry in high-risk catchments. Learning from International Examples The study tour is planned across two international legs in 2027, allowing Myles to visit regions that share relevant terrain, climatic or environmental challenges with New Zealand. The first leg will focus on Japan and China. In Japan, Myles intends to explore steep-slope stabilisation, bioengineering, landslide prevention and systems designed to reduce slash mobilisation. In China, the focus will include large-scale erosion control, landscape restoration and the transition of vulnerable land into more stable long-term cover. The second leg will focus on Chile and British Columbia, Canada. These regions provide opportunities to study steep-slope harvesting, riparian buffer management, continuous cover forestry, watershed protection and governance models that prioritise environmental resilience. Together, these destinations will provide a broad international view of how forestry systems can be adapted to better protect soils, waterways, communities and long-term productive landscapes. From Global Insight to Local Application A key strength of the proposed study tour is its focus on applying international learning back in New Zealand. The tour will explore practical themes including:
Myles’ background positions him well to connect these learnings with real industry application. His career has included senior roles across private forestry, regional council delivery and central government policy, with experience spanning environmental codes of practice, erosion risk classification, catchment strategy, resource management and forestry regulation. More >> Source & image credit: WIDE Trust  | ||
Copyright 2004-2026 © Innovatek Ltd. All rights reserved. |
