New Log Traders and Forestry Advisors registration

From 6 August this year, log traders and forestry advisors operating in New Zealand will be required to register under a new regulatory system being developed by MPI, and as a result of the Forests (Regulation of Log Traders and Forestry Advisers) Amendment Act.

The registration system aims to ensure logs grown in New Zealand are bought and sold in a transparent and professional manner. Registration will be a legal requirement for any business acting as a log trader and individuals providing forestry adviser services. People operating in these areas should be aware of the benefits of being registered, as well as their obligations, and penalties for not being registered apply from 6 August 2023.

Those required to register under the Act will need to pass a fit and proper person test and comply with regulations and practice standards to support a more transparent and open market for log sales and professional advice. This also aims to provide investors and forest owners with greater confidence in the forestry sector, including in the advice they receive on the management and valuation of their forestry assets.

A log trader is a person, in trade, buying, or exporting logs grown in New Zealand, processing logs they have grown themselves, or a person acting as an agent for another person doing any of those things.

Forestry advisers are individuals who in the ordinary course of business provide advice on one or more of a range of forestry matters. They may also act on behalf of another person in relation to the sale and purchase of timber, or other forestry products, make inspections or prepare reports in connection with a forestry advisory service.

The range of forestry matters covered in the Act include advice on the establishment, management, or protection of a forest, management or protection of land used for forestry, appraisal, harvest, sale, or utilisation of timber or other forest produce, and the application of the emissions trading scheme to forestry activities.

Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service is currently working on developing the registration system including building the core IT infrastructure and portal for lodging and processing of registrations. We are developing the online public register, systems for payments and invoicing, customer contact, and information services.

The launch of the registration system will be a significant milestone for the forestry and wood processing sector and the businesses and people who work, invest, trade, and provide advice across the sector. It is step forward in strengthening the integrity of the forestry supply chain and enhancing transparent and openness for those in the sector.

From May 2022, you are able to register your details as an expression of interest and be emailed a registration link to as soon as the system becomes live in August.

More information on the portal and registration process will be provided in the coming weeks., and anyone trading logs or providing forestry advice can contact us for more information, or visit mpi.govt.nz

Source: MPI