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An increase of 42% in exports of logs, wood, and wood articles for April 2025 when compared with April 2024 as reported by Stats NZ is welcomed by the Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association of NZ (WPMA). Source: Timberbiz “It is pleasing to see wood products and log exports contributing NZ$481 million towards the NZ$7.8 billion record surplus, an increase of NZ$141 million from a year ago, said WPMA Chief Executive, Mark Ross. “This increase is encouraging for an industry that is doing is tough, but we need this trend to continue as a means of reigniting and growing our domestic wood processing sector.” This rise comes on the back of a national trade surplus driven by primary product exports of NZ$1.4 billion, with New Zealand importing NZ$6.4 billion and exporting $7.8 billion of goods in April 2025. Besides wood products the main export contributors were milk products, red meat and fruit. Stats NZ highlighting that the top growth export markets in the last 12 months included ASEAN countries, such as Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia, along with Europe and China. When looking at the NZ$141 million increase in wood product exports in more depth the key articles contributing to this increase included wood in the rough, railway sleepers, sawn wood, veneer sheets, densified wood, along with particle board, oriented strand board and fibreboard. “Most of these exports are value-added wood products,” Mr Ross said. “To purposefully grow our industry we need to work together and invest in domestic processing of logs, which then allows for the creation of higher-value products like sawn timber, engineered wood, and other finished goods.” After all a thriving wood processing and forestry industry will create more jobs and economic opportunities in the regions, support our local communities and build economic resilience for New Zealand. More details on the Stats NZ report can be found here.  

Compared with most other countries, Australians consume a large quantity of tissue and tissue products. On some measures, second only to the USA. Source: IndustryEdge In 2023-24, IndustryEdge calculates Australia consumed 335.1 kt of tissue stock – for conversion into toilet paper, facial tissues, hand towels and other tissue products. The 33rd consecutive annual edition of the Pulp & Paper Strategic Reviews provides all the annualised details for the last decade, as well as the most recent year. In the same year, Australia also consumed 112.8 kt of imported ‘ready to sell’ toilet paper and facial tissues, along with hand towel, serviettes and similar products valued at AUD48.2 million, on a free-on-board basis. In total, IndustryEdge calculates total tissue and tissue product consumption was about 470.0 kt in 2023-24. Local production of tissue stock (almost all is converted and used in Australia) is dominated by ABC Tissue, Kimberly-Clark and The Sorbent Paper Company. At different times, all local producers will also import tissue stock and also finished tissue products. In New Zealand, the sole producer is the international business Essity. All the significant local producers have some sales both sides of the Tasman. The chart and table below show the consumption experience for tissue stock, for the last decade. Tissue stock imports dominated by China and Indonesia As the chart shows, tissue stock imports to Australia have long been dominated by mainland China, supported by consistent shipments from Indonesia. Tissue stock imports rose just 0.1% year-ended February Demonstrating stability, over the year-ended February 2025, tissue stock imports to Australia lifted just 0.1% to 108.0 kt. In February, imports totalled 6,801 tonnes, at a weighted average price of AUDFob1,603/tonne. Imports of tissue stock have been deteriorating over the last two years, with January import volumes the lowest in nearly nine years. Stock imports to NSW down 9.1% Tissue stock imports are dominated by three states: NSW, Victoria and WA. Over the year-ended February, imports to NSW fell 9.1%, while those to WA declined 7.5%. The suspicion is that some of these declines may be linked to increased imports of fully converted products. Manufacturing is centred in the most populous states – NSW, Victoria and Queensland. WA has converting capability to avoid excessive freight costs. It is notable that the weighted average price is operating toward the bottom of its medium-term range.   Pre-converted toilet paper imports at record levels – that is a sovereign manufacturing capacity issue! While the tissue stock consumption and trade data is important and useful, the really big story is the rapid growth in Australia’s imports of fully pre-converted tissue imports, especially toilet paper. When the nation thinks about sovereign capacity and security, we consider building products, a range of materials and of course defence. Perhaps its time to take a deeper understanding of sovereign manufacturing capability, because when we drill into details like toilet paper, we can observe that nearly ALL the additional consumption of toilet paper driven by a growing population, is being supplied by imports. Over the year-ended February 2025, Australia’s imports of pre-converted toilet paper totalled 72,900 tonnes, marginally below the record set the prior month. Imports have increased a very strong 31.8% over the year, with Indonesia tripling its imports to Australia, supported by market leader China and New Zealand, both of which recorded strong increases. Imports year-ended February 2025 were valued at AUD164.6 million on a free-on-board basis over the full year, just AUD0.2 million lower than the annualised record set the prior month. The value of converted toilet paper imports has risen 24.8% compared to the prior year and has tripled over the last five years. For more information visit: www.industryedge.com.au

Nominations for the Richard Stanton Memorial Leadership Award 2025 are open. Established in 2015, the Richard Stanton Memorial Leadership Award is a perpetual tribute to the enduring legacy of the late Richard Stanton, renowned for his pioneering contributions to Sustainable Forest Management in Australia and internationally. Source: Timberbiz This esteemed award recognises individuals who have made significant strides in Forest Management or Chain of Custody Certification within the Responsible Wood Certification Scheme. In 2024, with the support of the late Richard Stanton’s widow, Sonya Stanton, the award extended its eligibility to early-career professionals in forestry, environmental science, wood technologies, and design, as well as university students pursuing relevant studies, including those completing post-graduate degrees. The award recognises the multifaceted approach to sustainable forest management, emphasising environmental, social, cultural, and economic aspects, along with innovation in the use of forest products. Open to all individuals contributing to Sustainable Forest Management under AS/NZS 4708 or Chain of Custody under AS 4707 or PEFC ST 2002, the award welcomes participants from diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to: Certified Forest Owners and Managers Chain of Custody Certificate Holders Certification Bodies Forest Scientists and Researchers Builders and Designers advocating for sustainable timber utilisation. Responsible Wood encourages indigenous Australian nominations for this award as it strives to recognise and celebrate Australia’s diverse talents and contributions to forestry and land management. Candidates must be nominated, with nominations accepted from Responsible Wood members, certificate holders, stakeholders, lecturers, or senior leaders within academic institutions. Candidates should be nominated based on their exemplary achievements in the following areas: Significant and valuable contributions to sustainability. Innovation, improvement, or excellence in sustainable forest management or the fabrication, supply, or utilisation of certified forest products. Strong commitment to the principles of sustainable forest management. Innovation and improvement in promoting Responsible Wood and/or PEFC-certified products. A Judging Panel will evaluate nominations, and their decision will be final. Each nomination will be ranked from 1 to 5 based on the following criteria: Contributions to the Principles of Sustainable Forest Management Promotion of Responsible Wood and/or PEFC-certified Forests and Forest Products Focus on Innovation and Leadership in the candidate’s sector Impact on the Development of the Responsible Wood Scheme Social contributions to promoting forest products, forest health and productivity, biodiversity, and/or indigenous forest values. The Richard Stanton Memorial Leadership Award includes a bursary of $2,000 to support the recipient’s continued professional development. This fund can be utilised for conference fees, related travel expenses, training courses, or any other activities aimed at skill enhancement or professional experience enrichment. Nominations should be submitted in written form, not exceeding 800 words, outlining the candidate’s demonstrated excellence in the Areas of Excellence and providing any other pertinent information and emailed to info@responsiblewood.org.au Nominations close at 5:00 pm on June 30th, 2025. Judging will take place in July 2025 with the nominees and the winner notified by early August.

OneFortyOne and Nature Glenelg Trust announced the continuation of their successful partnership with a renewed commitment of $50,000 for the upcoming year. Source: Timberbiz This partnership, which began in 2013, has been instrumental in supporting various biodiversity and conservation projects in south western Victoria. OneFortyOne General Manager Forests Deon Kriek said that over the years, OneFortyOne and Nature Glenelg Trust have collaborated on numerous initiatives aimed at restoring and preserving natural habitats. “One of the flagship projects of this partnership is the Mt Burr Swamp Restoration Reserve,” Mr Kriek said. “With support including number of other contributors, this 300-hectare site has been transformed from drained agricultural land into a thriving ecosystem.” He also highlighted the importance of the collaboration. “We are proud to support Nature Glenelg Trust in their mission to restore the environment in our region,” he said. “Our partnership reflects our shared values and commitment to environmental stewardship.” The renewed funding will continue to support further restoration efforts at Mt Burr Swamp, education facilities, and contribute to the NGT Foundation. Partnership funding has also underpinned a number of small regional biodiversity projects to support the Southern Brown bandicoot, Eared worm lizard, and Silver Xenica butterfly as well as a native grassland assessment and burning program in collaboration with Burrandies. Managing Director/Founder of Nature Glenelg Trust Mark Bachmann expressed his enthusiasm for the continued partnership. “The support from OneFortyOne has been a great contribution to our efforts to restore and protect critical habitats,” Mr Kriek said. “This renewed commitment will allow us to build on the great work we’ve done so far.”

Home building should rebound with interest rate cuts but long-term challenges remain. The number of homes commencing construction in Australia is set to increase over the next few years, driven by strong population growth, low unemployment, and falling interest rates. Source: Timberbiz However, long-term structural issues continue to pose risks to housing affordability and national supply targets, according to the latest outlook from the Housing Industry Association. HIA Chief Economist Tim Reardon said the sector is showing signs of improved confidence following a period of weak activity, particularly in apartment construction. “We expect new home commencements to increase steadily through the second half of the decade,” said Mr Reardon. “Detached house building will lead this recovery, peaking in 2027, with apartment construction set to follow as market conditions and policy settings improve.” Recent interest rate cuts and historically strong migration are adding to demand for new housing. But ongoing constraints including land shortages, regulations and taxes are increasing the cost of construction and limiting supply. This will continue to drive up the cost of both renting and buying a home. “The only way to close the growing gap between supply and demand is through meaningful reform, particularly at the state level.” The HIA report forecasts that home building will fall 20% short of the Australian Government’s target of 1.2 million new homes over the five years. “We need to unlock land, streamline planning processes, and remove barriers to investment if we are to meet the housing needs of a growing population,” Mr Reardon said. “Australia has the capacity to deliver, but it will take a coordinated response from all three tiers of government to overcome these constraints.” While detached housing is showing strong growth in Western Australia, South Australia, and Queensland, activity remains subdued in New South Wales and Victoria. Apartment construction is yet to recover from a collapse in foreign capital caused by punitive state taxes and is expected to rebuild gradually towards the end of the decade. This growth will be boosted by ongoing demand from migration and Olympic focused building in Brisbane. “Housing demand is not going to decline with a rise in interest rates. It is continuing to grow along with the population. Structural reforms are needed now to shape affordability, economic opportunity and living standards for the next generation,” concluded Mr Reardon. Forecasts Detached houses: There were 26,880 detached houses that commenced construction in the December quarter 2024, which brought the 2024 calendar year to 107,240 detached starts, up by 7.0% compared to the previous year. This increase is expected to continue with a further 3.7% in 2025 to 111,240, and 6.7% increase 2026 to 118,660 and to a peak in 2027 of 120,910 starts. Detached starts are then expected to fall as the cost of land and rising borrowing and construction costs see households shift demand to unit construction, seeing starts fall to 108,240 in 2030. Multi-unit dwellings: There were 15,390 multi-unit dwellings that commenced construction in the December quarter 2024, which brought the 2024 calendar year to 60,940 multi-unit starts, the lowest in 13 years. This is expected to be the trough of this cycle with the number of multi-unit starts increasing to 68,850 in 2025. A further 9.6% increase in 2026 will still see multi-unit commencements remain anaemically low at 75,450. From this point, capacity constraints should ease, while demand continues to exceed supply, resulting in an additional 13.0% increase in starts in 2027 to 85,250. This expansion should continue and exceed 100,000 starts in 2029 for the first time since 2018. From this point, the increase in multi-unit starts will ease.

As at mid-May, export log prices have reached what looks to be the bottom of the cycle based on what we see happening in China and India. NZ domestic prices are holding level with a tick up in demand in some segments. We are currently experiencing elevated enquiry for more logs from our local sawmill owners. This is something we have not seen in a long time, long may it continue. The bottom of the export market is certainly not as severe as at the same time in 2024. Around NZ, many forest owners have pulled back production rather than lay logging crews off. This has resulted in reduced log volumes being delivered to Ports and that is exactly what is needed to allow the China and India markets to catch breath. Across the China eastern seaboard, daily sales have been ticking along well. These are not to levels we have seen in prior years, but at numbers hovering close to 60,000 m3 per day usage, it is clear demand is good but not great. As reported last month, the price falls in the market are the direct consequence of over production in NZ. Some of that is driven by some exporters taking big risks and trading losses, offering fixed prices over several months to gain market share. In some cases, the fixed prices are well above where they need to be for sustainability, thus the short-term gains stand to be eroded by longer term losses amplified by over-supply. Inevitably, my 30+ years of experience in forest products marketing tells me there will be casualties at the outer extremities of this behaviour. Within this jostling for position, prices for logs landed in China have remained remarkably stable. Compared to last month, about a US$2 per m3 drop. At the NZ wharf gate, a lift in the US$/KIWI$ exchange rate has helped to reduce price levels with the combination seeing log production being tempered. In China, inventory has remained around 4.1million m3 changing very little over the last 2 months. This is too high for a market with an ever-watching eye over Donald Trump’s tariff antics. A reduced vessel flow from NZ in May should see inventory reduce, and again that is exactly what is needed. I have stated many times how I believed tariffs will play out and the net impacts to US consumers and economy. The feedback I have been hearing is many US citizens believe China will pay the tariffs. This just proves propaganda and ignorance prevails. A recent report from FOREX NZ Ltd stated “Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, announced o/night that they would soon start raising prices later this month as a means to pass on the tariff costs onto consumers. This is likely to be the start of everyone doing this, as the reality that ultimately it is US consumers who will pay for them, starts to hit home”. In the increasingly important market of India, prices have remained unchanged with trade in May at the same levels as last month. There is a pervading commentary that suggests we are at the bottom of the market. I mentioned in a prior report an India Trader had been purchasing logs at well above market prices and selling at below market prices significantly oversupplying and upsetting the market, in the end, promulgating the recent downward slide. Turns out the Trader was able to do this by scamming banks with fraudulent documents including executing Letters of Credit for non-existent cargos. He now resides at Prime Minister Modi’s pleasure and is unlikely to see the light of day for a few years. His departure has been positive for the market but issues of labour shortages and over supply of log continue to dominate and temper any opportunity for price improvement. There were nine log vessels in April discharged at Kandla port and now one less than predicted earlier at eight in May. On the surface, this is still one more than the market needs but the volume of unsold logs held in bond is now at very low levels. Although daily usage is not monitored, this suggests a reasonable lift in demand. As always, please remember the thoroughly important message, “despite the challenges, it remains, as always, fundamentally important, the only way forward for climate, country and the planet, is to get out there and plant more trees”. Allan Laurie, Managing Director, Laurie Forestry. Laurie Forestry is a leading Australasian forestry company that provides consultancy, management and marketing services to forest owners, farmers, sawmills and manufacturers.