44 | Rai Silviculture REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT The company carries out a broad range of services from planting, releasing, pruning,and thinning and, more recently, e-thinning. T T Rosa Watson “Every one of our crew is a key member; they all have something they bring to the crew that is crucial to its success. It’s about finding out what people enjoy, are interested in, and giving them opportunities.” 50+ years of forest and land management expertise. MacKenzie Management Limited provides end-to-end commercial forestry services, plus integrated land transition and biodiversity projects designed for resilient, lasting results. Clear advice. Practical solutions. Built for your land. Forest Management Company www.forestmanagement.co.nz Proudly Supporting Rai Silviculture With over 25 years experience in the industry, the Forest Management team o er services in: • Forest Harvesting • Carbon Advice & Management • Establishment of harvested or new sites • Forest projects • Forest valuation & consultancy Blenheim-based forestry management contractor Rai Silviculture is putting its people first as it grows its successful operations in the region. The company carries out a broad range of services from planting, releasing, pruning, thinning and, more recently, e-thinning. It was started in February 2006 when director Dave Koubek acquired the business, hitting the ground running with a team of three staff and operating out of his garage. Today the company operates from its Richardson Ave yard with a team of four crews of five. Dave is supported by three senior leaders: business coordinator Jade McDrury, operations and training coordinator Josaia Waqanivalu and health, safety and wellbeing advisor Mel Rhodes. Seventy per cent of staff are on Accredited Employer Work Visas, and Jade says it is their skills, passion and drive that make Rai what it is today. “Every one of our crew is a key member; they all have something they bring to the crew that is crucial to its success. It’s about finding out what people enjoy, are interested in, and giving them opportunities.” It was heartening to see more women join the industry, especially in leadership roles, she says. “Forestry has always been male dominated but we’re seeing a lot more women in the industry here in the top of the south. I think this is a look into the future of forestry, and it is exciting.” The company’s commitment to its working environment was recognised in 2021 when it won the Training Company of the Year award at the Top the South Forestry Awards. “That award meant a lot to us, and we hope it’s just the beginning,” Jade says. Going forward, the company is prioritising Level 4 qualifications for staff. “Having Josaia step into the operations and training coordinator role has been crucial for the in-forest support with training.” And Mel carrying out her role as health and safety manager through a non-forestry lens is a real asset, along with Dave as an experienced Competenz assessor, she adds. “The award was just recognition of what we do. Our productivity is not the main focus — this comes with focussing on people’s wellbeing first.” In 2025, Dave and Jade completed an integrating sustainability, risk and strategy programme, and are now incorporating this into how the company operates. “Working in a way where we consider the environment and our people as key stakeholders in decision-making,” Jade says. This includes things such as introducing an endangered species flashcard. “The purpose of this is to give our team the resources to more easily report endangered species sightings and so far we’ve seen great team engagement and more reporting.” Recently, the company started out in e-thinning — the drilling and application of a small dose of chemical in blocks with low hindrance instead of chainsaw thinning. “This reduces the risk from using a chainsaw and the physicality of chainsaw thinning. This was started out of necessity but now has been adopted by many more forestry companies as it’s been a success. “In doing this, we highlighted a big jump in the use of single use paint spray cans to mark trees which have been treated, (so) we’re looking into alternative options to this (such as) reusable spray cans and crayons instead. “This way of thinking about environmental impacts was due to the course we did.” Jade says a huge part of the company’s success is down to Dave’s 22 years of experience in Marlborough, starting out as a silviculture worker before joining Rai. “It’s due to the connections he’s made, hard work and reputation he’s built over this time that Rai is where it is now.” As with a lot of sectors, it is a challenging time at the moment, and the company is focussing on safety in the industry, she says. “We’d like to build on our momentum and continue to focus on more sustainable practices that benefit not only the forest ecosystems but also result in a productive forest and in turn support our team’s safety and wellbeing.” People first behind successful operator
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