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New Canadian research echoes themes explored by Australia’s System 600 while highlighting different approaches to industrialised housing. Source: Built Offsite When Perkins&Will recently released its research into a modular mass timber housing system for Canada, the immediate takeaway was straightforward: another country is exploring how prefabrication, standardisation and offsite manufacturing might help address housing supply. Look a little closer, however, and another story emerges. Although developed independently and for different purposes, the Canadian research and Australia’s System 600 initiative appear to be grappling with many of the same questions. How can housing become easier to manufacture? How can design, approvals and construction become more repeatable? And how can industrialised construction support domestic manufacturing rather than relying on isolated proprietary systems? The answers, however, are not identical. The Canadian project, developed by Perkins&Will in collaboration with industry and academic partners, is built around a rationalised structural grid, a concise kit of prefabricated components, coordinated building services and modular planning principles. The objective is to streamline design, manufacturing and assembly while supporting Canada’s housing and climate objectives. Many of those themes will sound familiar to Australians following Building 4.0 CRC’s System 600 research, which also explores standardised design rules, coordinated interfaces and component-based construction. Neither project simply asks how to manufacture buildings in a factory. Instead, both investigate whether greater coordination across design, manufacturing and construction can improve productivity, simplify delivery and create more repeatable outcomes. Where they diverge is in their starting point. The Canadian research is firmly rooted in mass timber. It examines how engineered timber, modular planning and prefabricated components can work together to produce adaptable, low-carbon housing while strengthening Canada’s timber manufacturing sector. System 600, by contrast, begins with a broader manufacturing platform. Rather than focusing on a particular material, it explores whether common dimensional rules and standardised interfaces can enable multiple manufacturers and building systems to operate within a shared framework. In that sense, the Canadian work starts with a construction system built around timber, while System 600 starts with the concept of interoperability across the construction supply chain. The distinction is important because it reflects different ways of approaching the same challenge. The value of comparing these initiatives is not to determine which approach is superior. Both remain research programs rather than established industry models, and both will continue to evolve through testing and industry engagement. System 600, in particular, has generated considerable discussion within Australia’s offsite sector. Some participants see value in developing common interfaces and greater interoperability, while others have questioned aspects of its framework, implementation and potential role within a diverse manufacturing ecosystem. Those differing perspectives are part of the ongoing conversation about how industrialised construction should develop in Australia. What is perhaps most noteworthy is that researchers in two different countries are increasingly asking similar questions. Rather than focusing solely on individual products, whether volumetric modules, panels or pods, both initiatives are examining how housing can be designed around coordinated systems, manufacturing logic and repeatable processes. That does not necessarily point towards a single international model. Instead, it suggests the conversation around industrialised construction is becoming more sophisticated. The focus is shifting beyond factory-built buildings towards the broader systems that enable them to be designed, manufactured and assembled more efficiently. Whether those ideas ultimately lead to common standards, multiple competing platforms or entirely different approaches remains to be seen. What is already evident, however, is that the discussion is no longer confined to individual building systems. Increasingly, it is about how entire manufacturing ecosystems can be organised to deliver housing at greater scale, while responding to the priorities and capabilities of each country. To find out more about System 600 visit https://www.prefabaus.org.au/news-events/rethinking-prefabrication-how-system-600-is-pioneering-a-new-kit-of-parts-approach-to-australias-housing-crisis Find the proposed Canadian mass timber modular housing system at https://www.modulartimberhousing.ca/

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The company behind Ikea’s flat-pack furniture has quietly become one of the biggest forest owners in New Zealand, and it wants to more than double the land it holds there. Source: Newswire Ingka Investments, the investment arm of the Ingka Group that owns most of the world’s Ikea stores, now controls about 43,000 hectares of New Zealand forest worth in the order of NZ$648 million. That makes New Zealand the group’s fifth-largest forestry holding by country, behind Latvia, the United States, Estonia and Romania, out of a global portfolio of more than 500,000 hectares. The company has told RNZ it plans to push its New Zealand estate towards 100,000 hectares. Ingka started buying New Zealand farmland in August 2021 and has since spread across Southland, Otago, Nelson, Hawke’s Bay, the Bay of Plenty and Northland. Of the current holding, about 17,175 hectares was already in forestry when the company bought it, while 23,838 hectares has been converted from farmland into trees. Roughly 31,500 hectares is in productive plantation, with the balance set aside for conservation. Central Hawke’s Bay is where the shift is most visible. Ingka has turned six farms into forest since 2021 and now says it is the largest forestry owner in the district. One of its most recent purchases was an 850-hectare block about 15 minutes from Waipukurau, bought in 2025, adding to plantations such as a 650-hectare stand near Wallingford Station. For a company that owns so much land, Ingka has kept a low profile, and its managers say that is deliberate rather than secretive. “We’ve got nothing to hide. We’re an open book,” Forestland country manager Kelvin Meredith told RNZ, adding that the company did not “need to wave the flag how great we are”. Operations manager Dylan Foster said the buying was not finished, telling the broadcaster that “if the right farm came up, we’d definitely look at” it. The operation is a real employer in a part of the country that needs the work. Ingka runs about 250 staff across its New Zealand forestry business, and that number swells to roughly 800 people during planting season, when crews move through the blocks planting, releasing and pruning young trees over the first 10 to 12 years of a rotation. About 60 percent of the timber is exported, chiefly to China, India and Korea, with the remaining 40%  sold into the domestic market. The expansion lands in the middle of one of rural New Zealand’s most heated arguments. More than 300,000 hectares of sheep and beef country has been converted to forestry since 2017, and the Climate Change Commission has projected that another 900,000 hectares could follow by 2050 on current settings. Farming groups have warned for several years that whole districts risk losing the families, schools and stock trucks that keep a rural economy turning when productive hill country is planted in pine. Successive governments have tried to slow the conversion of the most productive farmland into carbon forests without shutting the door on genuine timber investment. Ingka is at pains to separate itself from the carbon-farming operators that have drawn the sharpest criticism. The company says it has not planted any of its New Zealand trees purely to earn carbon credits under the Emissions Trading Scheme, and that its business is growing wood to cut, mill and sell. It has said it may look at carbon offsetting in future, but that harvesting timber, much of it destined for its own supply chains, is the point of the exercise. Fire risk is one area where the company has faced questions. A blaze on Ingka land near Porangahau in 2025 burned about 240 hectares, and New Zealand does not require forest owners to carry fire insurance. Meredith said the company took the responsibility seriously and would meet the cost of any damage it caused, telling RNZ it “will not shy away from paying”. Forest manager Blake Jones described using wetland setbacks and buffer zones as an environmental filter to protect waterways running through the estate. Because Ingka is a foreign investor, its purchases of forestry land need consent from the Overseas Investment Office, which weighs the benefits a buyer brings against the sensitivity of the land. Forestry has its own streamlined pathway under the overseas investment rules, a setting that has itself been contested by those who argue it makes it too easy for offshore money to buy New Zealand hill country and plant it out. For all the debate, the underlying driver is simple economics. Owners of marginal sheep and beef country have been offered prices for their land that pastoral farming cannot match, and a company the size of Ingka can take a very long view, waiting decades for a return that lines up with its need for a steady supply of timber. Whether doubling that footprint to 100,000 hectares is good for the districts involved depends on who you ask, and on whether the jobs and export earnings that come with a working forest outweigh what is lost when the last of the stock leaves the hills.

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Wesbeam has been named Big River Group’s Supplier of the Year for the second consecutive time, securing back-to-back wins in an award presented every two years. Source: Timberbiz The recognition reflects the strength of Wesbeam’s long-standing partnership with Big River Group and the consistent contribution of teams across both organisations. Winning the award again is a significant achievement and recognises the commitment required to deliver the fundamentals well, day after day. From manufacturing and distribution through to sales, engineering, customer service and marketing, the award reflects the collective efforts of the entire Wesbeam team. “Congratulations to Team Wesbeam on a well-deserved win,” said Helen Awali, Executive General Manager, Construction at Big River Group. “Thank you, Rachel, Peter, and the entire Wesbeam team for your kind words and for being such a valued part of our conference over the past few days. We sincerely appreciate your ongoing support, partnership, and commitment. It was fantastic to have you with us, and we look forward to continuing our strong relationship together.” Big River Group is one of Wesbeam’s most valued national customer partners, with the relationship built on collaboration, responsiveness and a shared commitment to supporting Australia’s building and construction industry. Wesbeam General Manager Sales & Marketing, Peter Board, said the award provided an important reminder of the value Wesbeam delivers to its customers every day. “While we know there are always opportunities to improve, this recognition reminds us not to lose sight of the many things our teams consistently do well,” Mr Board said. “Winning consecutive Supplier of the Year awards is an outstanding result. It takes a high level of commitment, consistency and execution across every part of our business. “Everyone who helps make, move, market, sell or support our products has played a part in achieving this result.” The award also reinforces Wesbeam’s commitment to being more than a product supplier. Through Australian manufacturing, national distribution, engineering expertise and close customer relationships, Wesbeam continues to work alongside Big River Group to help its branches and customers pursue new opportunities and achieve better project outcomes.  

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Efforts to decarbonise freight transport are being accelerated through a South Australian State Government supported project aimed at supporting South Australia’s forest industries to reach net zero targets. Source: Timberbiz The State Government is investing $200,000 towards the Decarbonising the Freight Task – Driving to Net Zero project, a joint South Australian Forest Products Association (SAFPA) and Tabeel Trading venture. The funding, provided under the South Australian Wood Fibre and Timber Industry Master Plan, supports the Government of South Australia’s vision of decarbonising forest freight to further reduce carbon emissions across one of the hardest-to-abate sectors – heavy freight transport. The State Government of South Australia is working side by side with industry to deliver solutions and drive success in this area by delivering low emission vehicles for the Green Triangle. Forestry is already the ultimate renewable and this is yet another step the industry is taking to decarbonise its footprints. The project will include new technologies aimed at reducing reliance on diesel, with the end goal to decarbonise forestry’s freight trucks through electrification, which will deliver substantial carbon savings. The project presents an opportunity to deliver real, measurable decarbonisation outcomes. Funding will support Stage 1 of the project by developing: an evidence-based decarbonisation roadmap for South Australia’s forest freight fleet detailed cost-benefit analysis of alternative freight technologies including the modelling of emission reductions a freight logistics and charging/refuelling infrastructure blueprint policy, regulatory and investment recommendations aligned to state and national climate targets and Master Plan priorities Subject to the findings from Stage 1 and the availability of vehicles and infrastructure, Stage 2 will see the project progress to a live demonstration phase to validate modelling results under operational forest freight conditions.   The Decarbonising the Freight Task project aligns with the Master Plan’s goal of developing a clean and green circular economy. The South Australian Wood Fibre and Timber Industry Master Plan, launched in February 2024, was developed by the Forest Industries Advisory Council of South Australia (FIAC-SA) as part of a State Government election commitment to provide a vision to further grow and develop South Australia’s $3 billion forest industry.

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As part of its broader strategic focus, Opal has undertaken a detailed review of its bag manufacturing operations in Thomastown, Victoria. Following this assessment Opal has made the decision to sell its bag business. Source: Timberbiz The sale will be to an Australian entity owned by Thomastown International, an affiliate of The Magan Group, a US family office exclusively focused on investing in corporate divestitures. Opal says this sale is consistent with its strategic focus on its core integrated recycling, paper and packaging products and services. The acquisition is expected to complete by 1 September 2026, subject to the fulfilment of the sale conditions. Opal and the buyer will work closely with bag customers and suppliers to support a seamless transition once the sale is complete. It’s not expected that there will be any interruptions to production during the transition period. “This decision was made following careful consideration and supports Opal’s continued focus on its core integrated recycling, paper and packaging products and services,” Simon Nozu, Chief Supply Chain and Procurement Officer Opal said.

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Some much better news this month across both China and India markets. Both are stable in sales prices with a reduction in shipping costs and a favourable US$/KIWI$ FOREX seeing prices at wharf NZ recovering back up to close to where they were in May. Both markets hold a ‘tread with caution’ warning, and it is certainly time to be happy with our lot and not push on price or volume. Weather events and the market generally, has seen a lower harvest rate in NZ and that is certainly needed to give both markets a breather. It is extremely disappointing to see one exporter pushing volume into India without sales contracts and LCs in place. Those logs are now sitting in bond in Kandla with more on the way. This may yet have a debilitating impact on log prices in what otherwise remains a fragile market at present. The India Free Trade Agreement is the hot topic at present with NZ Forestry said to be a big winner. I thought readers might be interested to learn more about this increasingly important market for NZ. There is the usual plethora of misinformation about the opportunities in India. I can assure readers realising any opportunities will not be a cake walk. One of the largest challenges lies in developing strategic long-term relationships with India companies. The strategic fundamentals include honesty, integrity and a strong desire to see everyone make a profit. In my view, these need to be the three guiding principles. If I look at the history of the NZ log trade with India to date, I see many examples where the 3 guiding principles on both sides have been sadly lacking. The one thing to know about dealing with the India trade is there are many who want a slice of the action. There are even more who give little or no regard for everyone being sustainably profitable. Thus, any trade with India, must be approached with great caution and a great deal of research and investigation to ensure the people you are dealing with hold tight to, and believe in, the 3 guiding principles. The majority of NZ Log trade to date has been via the Port of Kandla. At present and reflecting recent increases in the log trade, this port receives 9 – 10 vessels per month of softwood logs, each on average carrying about 40,000 cubic metres of logs. There are typically 3 from Australia, 3 from Uruguay and 3 – 4 from NZ. There is also some ongoing deliveries of logs in containers to other ports, but this comprises a very small volume by comparison. Kandla is at the top NW side of India about 130km from the Pakistan border. The city has a population of about 400,000, very close to the same size as Christchurch. The difference is, the population of Christchurch is a reliable number ascertained by Census. The lack of a reliable Census in India means any attempt at population numbers is pretty much a guess. The Port of Lyttleton can berth 6 to 7 large vessels at any one time. The Port of Kandla has 31 berths with 7 of those just dedicated to oil tankers. There is one berth where log vessels have priority with 3 other berths available depending on first at anchor, first unloaded basis. At the Port of Lyttleton, the average load rate is about 5,000 m3 per day (24 hours continuous). The discharge rate in Kandla is about 3000 m3 but is very much an average. Ships discharging small Australia or Uruguay logs can be much slower. Hence, if there is 360,000 m3 of logs in a month discharging at 3,000m3 per day, ships sitting at anchor waiting to discharge are common. The total 5 berths committed to breakbulk cargos include on-going discharge of the likes of Coal, grains and fertilizers. Sitting at anchor usually results in demurrage, which is a penalty charge on the charterer of the vessel imposed by the ship owner for unloading delays and therefore loss of earning potential. Some shipments have seen charterers pay in excess of US$1mil for demurrage. Herein lies one of the largest challenges facing Kiwi companies wanting to expand log sales to India. More about this market in future reports. As always, please remember the thoroughly important message. It remains 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.          

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