54 | New nursery strengthens supply chain The new Rerewhakaaitu nursery will be run by a permanent year-round core team, but during the peak winter production months, from June to September, it will employ 100 seasonal staff. T T from page 52 Kaingaroa Tipu “It is modern, efficient and sustainable, and it supports our aspirations for the forest.” FORESTRY PROJECT MANAGEMENT Commercial | Residential | Education Health and Aged Care | Heritage | Seismic Local and Central Government | Heritage Infrastructure | Industrial AUCKLAND | HAMILTON | | TAURANGA | NAPIER | NEW PLYMOUTH | NELSON WELLINGTON | CHRISTCHURCH | QUEENSTOWN | DUNEDIN Proud to be delivering with Kaingaroa Tipu 07 834 2497 hamilton@octa.co.nz octa.co.nz • R E S I D E N T I A L & COMME RC I A L • P LUMB I NG , DRA I NAG E & GA S F I T T I NG • MA I N T E NANC E & EME RG E NCY CA L L OUT S Proudly working alongside Kaingaroa Tipu SPECIALIST INDUSTRIAL FLOORING CONTRACTOR • Resin Flooring • Floor Toppings • Chemical Resistant • surefloors@xtra.co.nz • www.surefloors.co.nz CALL IAN TODAY 027 4488 217 The company’s wider operations are supported by a network of independent regional contractors who handle the harvesting, silviculture, planting, roading and transport. Kaingaroa Tipu is the owner and manager of what is the country’s largest forestry operation, working with contractors to harvest around 7000ha annually to produce more than four million radiata pine logs a year for domestic and export markets. The new Rerewhakaaitu nursery will be run by a permanent year-round core team, but during the peak winter production months, from June to September, it will employ 100 seasonal staff, offering a further economic boost to the Rotorua district and the central North Island. It was built by regional contractors who included Watts and Hughes, with design input from DCA Architects, and had 35 tradespeople working on-site at the peak of construction. Work to convert the land to nursery beds started in 2021, soon after the company bought the farm, and within four years it had been transformed with new buildings that included a dedicated packing shed. A key feature is the staff facility, designed to support the big seasonal workforce during peak nursery production. Designed with sustainability in mind, the facility is powered by rooftop solar panels whose renewable energy reduces the site’s carbon footprint. “Rerewhakaaitu Nursery represents the future of Kaingaroa Tipu,” Dean says. “It is modern, efficient and sustainable, and it supports our aspirations for the forest. “Our official opening was a moment we will look back on for years to come as the start of something truly significant.” He noted the valued partnerships the business has with iwi at both Te Ngae and Rerewhakaaitu, which saw the mana whenua of Rerewhakaaitu — Ngaati Rangitihi, Ngaati Manawa and Tuhourangi — involved in the nursery’s development, blessing the site before earthworks began and again after the buildings were completed. “The nursery stands as proof of what can be achieved when people, partnerships and purpose come together,” Dean said.
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