48 | FORESTRY Simpson Logging 30 Domett Street, Waitara 4320 06 754 6565 office@waitaratyres.co.nz waitaratyres.co.nz YOUR LOCAL TYRE EXPERTS • Taranaki Local • CABLE HARVESTING AND GROUND BASED FORESTRY OPERATIONS • EARTHWORKS 5-30 TONNE EXCAVATIONS • TREE FELLING AND FIREWOOD CONTACT US 027 312 4070 PUP SIMPSON SIMPSONLOGGINGLTD@GMAIL.COM Tackling industry challenges The family-owned business has built a strong reputation across northern Taranaki for its ground-based and harvest line logging services. T T Kelly Deeks For Simpson Logging, staying competitive in a highly demanding, high-risk and capital-intensive industry means looking beyond traditional methods and investing in practical solutions that deliver long-term value for clients and the environment. Based in Waitara, the family-owned business has built a strong reputation across northern Taranaki for its ground-based and harvest line logging services. Directed by Papatukiteuru Simpson, alongside his wife Kayla, the company employs six staff and works alongside four specialist contractors, with a focus on safe, efficient forestry operations and steady growth. Kayla says one of the company’s recent investments has been a forestry shredder that is transforming the way slash is managed on harvesting sites. The idea came after seeing similar technology used in Gisborne following Cyclone Gabrielle, where large volumes of storm debris were processed rather than sent to landfill or burned. “We wanted to get a jump on where the industry is heading,” Kayla says. “Instead of burning slash, we shred it and use it as a roading product. It locks together well, reduces waste, and costs landowners about 50% less than relying solely on metal.” Before harvesting begins, an earthworks contractor prepares the roading network, before Simpson Logging processes off-cuts and slash into a shredded material that is spread over forestry roads. The approach creates a useful byproduct, while reducing disposal costs and environmental impact. Kayla says the investment carried some risk because burning forestry slash is still permitted in Taranaki, unlike in Gisborne, but the business believes sustainable alternatives will become increasingly important. “We wanted to be ready before those changes arrive. It is better to invest now than be forced to catch up later.” The forestry sector has faced sustained challenges in recent years, including fluctuating log prices, higher fuel costs, increased operating expenses, and changing export requirements. Despite those pressures, Simpson Logging has remained busy through longstanding relationships with Cam Eyre at New Zealand Forestry, and local landowners. “The forestry industry has always had its ups and downs, but since Covid it has never really returned to what it was,” Kayla says. “We have been fortunate to secure ongoing work, which gives us confidence for the future.” Outside large commercial forests, Simpson Logging undertakes smaller farm harvesting jobs, particularly during wetter months when the local clay-based papa soils make larger forestry sites more difficult to access safely. Unlike many regions that have moved almost entirely to mechanised harvesting, Taranaki’s challenging terrain still requires experienced manual tree fellers. Simpson Logging employs two certified tree fellers alongside its machine operators. Kayla says Papatukiteuru, known as Pup, is closely involved in daily operations and leads the team by example. “There is real passion behind this business. Pup represents us on-site every day and our whole team takes pride in the work we do.” Alongside its forestry operations, Simpson Logging is also supplying machinery and operators to the Mount Messenger road project, supporting earthworks and specialist tree removal. Kayla says the project has provided an opportunity to diversify the company’s workload while showcasing the value of using experienced local contractors, who understand Taranaki’s unique terrain and challenging soils. As the forestry sector continues to evolve, Kayla says Simpson Logging will keep looking for opportunities to diversify its services, while investing in practical innovations that benefit clients, improve sustainability, and strengthen the business for the future.
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