NZIER report highlights value of forestry [NZ]

Friday 16 Oct 2026

 
A report by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER), commissioned by the New Zealand Forest Owners Association (NZFOA), reinforces the critical role plantation forestry plays in supporting regional economies, domestic manufacturing, and environmental stewardship.

The research notes that forestry contributes $5.4 billion to New Zealand's GDP, while providing an estimated $1.6 billion annually in carbon sequestration and $312 million in soil erosion reduction. Demonstrating this impact, central North Island estate manager Kaingaroa Tipu reported spending over $400 million across 1,065 businesses in the 2025–26 financial year, while supplying nearly 70 per cent of its harvested log volume directly to domestic wood processors.

NZFOA chief executive Elizabeth Heeg says investment decisions made today will have long-lasting consequences. “Forestry is a long-term industry and the choices we make now around planting, harvesting and replanting will shape our regional economies for decades.”

Colin Maunder, sustainability general manager for Kaingaroa Tipu, says forestry remains one of the region’s economic anchors, supporting contractors, transport operators, processors and rural service businesses across a vast area.

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Source: King Country News


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