12 | Red Stag Timber T T Russell Fredric Reshaping commercial construction “Red Stag’s evolution from sawmilling through to forestry, advanced engineered wood products, volumetric construction systems and beyond reflects the growing opportunity for fully integrated, low-carbon construction solutions in New Zealand.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Boasting the world’s largest CNC timber-processing machines, Red Stag TimberLab is helping reshape commercial construction through precision-engineered mass timber systems and lower-carbon building solutions. Red Stag Investments’ managing director, Jason Cordes, says the Rotorua-based business has evolved far beyond its origins as a traditional sawmill, with the wider group now spanning forestry, structural timber manufacturing and advanced engineered wood products. Originally established under state ownership in the 1930s as plantation forestry expanded, the Waipa mill site was purchased by the Verry family in 2003. Since then, Red Stag Timber has grown into the Southern hemisphere’s largest structural sawmill. “Red Stag’s evolution from sawmilling through to forestry, advanced engineered wood products, volumetric construction systems and beyond reflects the growing opportunity for fully integrated, low-carbon construction solutions in New Zealand,” says Jason. Red Stag has invested heavily in advanced manufacturing capability. In 2018, the company began developing New Zealand’s largest cross-laminated timber-manufacturing facility before continuing to expand its market reach. The Red Stag group now employs about 500 staff, including about 400 within Red Stag Timber itself. Alongside primary timber processing, the company has expanded heavily into engineered timber through Red Stag TimberLab, producing cross-laminated timber (CLT), glulam, and reprocessing laminated veneer lumber (LVL) products for large-scale commercial projects. Red Stag Timber’s mobile plant workshop is an engineered timber industrial building project developed using products and systems from Red Stag TimberLab. It is also one of the company’s finalist projects in the 2026 New Zealand Timber Design Awards. “It’s great to see [the awards] return [after a hiatus] and exciting to see so many inspirational timber buildings out there,” says Jason. “There’s been a volume of projects competing to become finalists, with the awards showcasing the tip of the iceberg.” Several years ago, Red Stag partnered with the Ministry for Primary Industries through a Primary Growth Partnership programme focused on expanding timber use in mid-rise buildings. “As soon as you go above three storeys, it’s dominated by concrete and steel. What we wanted to do was provide a lighter, faster, more seismic-resilient solution, which is far more environmentally friendly to construct.” That work has helped drive increased uptake of mass timber construction nationwide, with developers increasingly recognising the benefits of timber buildings. Construction contributes significantly to global carbon emissions, while timber stores carbon absorbed during tree growth and reduces the amount of high-emitting materials required throughout a project. “The great thing about timber is it is much lighter than concrete and steel, allowing the foundations to be lighter, heavily reducing the amount of high-carbon emitting building materials from the foundation all the way up through the structure,” Jason says. Timber is also creating new architectural possibilities, particularly for complex geometry and curved building forms. “We love the aesthetics of what we can do in timber. Curves and complex geometries can be pressed and manufactured, and our CNC technology gives us the ability to machine near anything to millimetre precision.” Red Stag operates five large-scale five-axis CNC timber-processing machines between Rotorua and Auckland. It processes the world’s largest CLT panels and large glulam beams, allowing complex components to be manufactured with precision. The company is now pushing further into volumetric modular construction through its VoMo business, using German technology to manufacture prefabricated mass timber modules for hotels, student accommodation, office developments, and beyond. “We can complete complex large-scale projects that might traditionally take 18 months in closer to nine months with our volumetric solution.” Red Stag operates five large-scale five-axis CNC timber-processing machines between Rotorua and Auckland, processing the world’s largest CLT panels and large glulam beams.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=