56 | Four decades of timber production On a typical day, the mill processes between 90 and 120 tonnes of logs. TIMBER INDUSTRY Kaihu Valley Sawmills T T Kim Bowden “Our main focus at present is just cutting it green and sending it pretty much straight out the gate.” A small, family-owned sawmill near Dargaville has been turning Northland pine into fencing and building timber for more than four decades. The mill, now based near Kaihu, 25 minutes’ drive from Dargaville, is owned by 82-year-old farmer Bruce Morris. “He started up the mill on his farm more than 40 years ago because he needed timber himself, and for the locals,” says Linda Morine, Office Manager at Kaihu Valley Sawmill Ltd. “As it got busier, he decided to get a site closer to town, where he’d be able to get more staff.” Bruce was originally a sheep farmer, but in more recent years he has put roughly half his land into pine trees to earn carbon credits. Many of the logs for the mill now come off that land, with the rest trucked in from other pine plantations, generally within a 100-kilometre radius. On site, the operation is relatively small and traditional. There is the mill line itself, a timber yard and dispatch area, with some capacity to dry and machine-plane timber. At present, though, the focus is on volume rather than further processing. “Our main focus at present is just cutting it green and sending it pretty much straight out the gate,” mill manager Rhys Irving says. On a typical day, the mill processes between 90 and 120 tonnes of logs. “That’s three truck-and-trailer loads,” Rhys says. Inside the mill, a small crew keeps the line running. Rhys says staff operate the debarker and chipper, while two workers manage the “table”, where finished timber comes off the line to be stacked into packets ready for sale. Debarkers strip the bark from logs before milling, while chippers process offcuts and waste wood into chips. The mill produces square posts, rails and other fencing timber, as well as material for building. The bulk of the output heads outside the district, but close to five percent is put aside for local sales, with the yard open to members of the public looking to buy. The mill does not certify its own timber, as obtaining full certification would require a significant investment. “So, some of it goes to other processors — they process it and certify it,” Rhys says. Like much of the timber industry, the business has been affected by the economic downturn, with less construction work and weaker export demand. Staff numbers have fallen as a result. “Once upon a time we had 30-odd,” Linda says. “At the moment we’ve only got about 12 to 15 staff.” Finding workers is not easy in a remote location. “Staffing is an issue,” Linda says. “We are 25 kilometres from Dargaville, so that sort of narrows things down a little bit. Quite a few of them travel from that area.” Despite this, the current team is stable and experienced. “The staff we’ve got at the moment are actually a pretty good bunch,” she says. “Most of them have been here for a while now.” The work is physically demanding. “You’ve got to have a good attitude to work and be fairly strong,” Rhys says. “There’s quite heavy lifting, and there’s a technique to it.” Rhys has seen big changes in the industry since he started milling in 1986. “When I first started milling, there were probably about 20 mills around the area,” he says. “Now there’s only four of us — in the upper north.” Linda says the timber itself also seems to be changing. Northland pines were once known for slower growth and dense timber, but selective breeding for faster growth appears to be altering the wood. “Now we are starting to find that there’s a lot more core wood in the timber,” she says. Proud supply partner to Kaihu Valley Sawmills 0800 87 347 Craig & Jude Thompson www.surveysupplies.co.nz sales@surveysupplies.co.nz Proudly Supporting Kaihu Valley Sawmills Ltd
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