58 | Havendale Logging T Tto page 60 Move north proves a game changer T T Richard Loader Havendale Logging harvests 85,000 tonnes of logs a year throughout the Wairarapa. FORESTRY Seriously in debt and without a logging contract, experienced forester Chris Wise really didn’t know what to do. Sometimes though, if you have courage, ambition and bit of luck you just have to run with it and see how it plays out. A chance meeting with Glen Moir from Forest Management Ltd (FML) in 2010 resulted in Chris taking the opportunity to move his family and Havendale Logging from the familiar Nelson area, across the Strait to Wellington to take up a logging contract. Twelve years on, now based in the sunny Wairarapa, and still enjoying a working remote controlled equipment and robotics.” You are still out in the wide open spaces, the pay is still very good, but it’s a very safety conscious work environment.” There is also a very tight-knit team mentality within logging crews, where everyone looks out for each other and Chris says when things got really tough a few years ago, one of the things that kept him and the business going was his team. “I’m personally invested in each individual person I have working for us. I wanted a team culture where everyone felt safe, people came to work to achieve something, and if the individuals are doing well personally the company will do well.” relationship with FML, Chris has never looked back. “Not only did we migrate from Nelson to Wellington, we revolutionised our own company to where it is now with eleven bits of hitech logging kit and thirteen staff across two logging crews. I look at the company now and I feel humbled by what I see, what we’ve built, the gear we have and the quality of our staff.” Harvesting 85,000 tonnes of logs each year for FML throughout the Wairarapa, Havendale Logging operates a fully mechanised swing yarder crew and a small ground based crew. Like so many in the industry, forestry has been Chris’ life, it’s certainly his passion. After leaving school and completing a forestry course at Nelson Polytech in 1999, he joined a logging crew before establishing Havendale Logging in 2008 as a one-man contractor, experiencing a number of highs and lows. “When I first started in forestry there were the elements of good hard work to get good rewards. At a young age you were being rewarded quite well, but in those days the rewards also came with risk, which was a little bit addictive. “I think that people liked that, living on the edge. You were out in the field, working with big gear and things can change all the time. “But now, the key things that attract people to forestry are the high level of mechanisation, Napier /Wairarapa / Christchurch Transport New Zealand wide Storage available Class 1 & 2 Pilots Proudly Transporting Havendale Logging Ph. 027 557 7720 hbheavyhaul@gmail.com officehbhh@gmail.com
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