Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service's story, structure, and people

Our story, our whakapapa

Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service has a history dating back over 100 years to 1919, before its most recent name change on 29 April 2021.

The latest name change is to better reflect the enhanced planning and strategic advice service provided to the forestry and wood processing sectors, to be fully in place by mid-2023.

It also reflects the vision for forestry reflected in the Future of Forestry booklet that was launched by Forestry Minister Stuart Nash.

Future of Forestry [PDF, 6.6 MB]

We’re working to sustainably expand, manage, and utilise New Zealand’s forest sources – exotic (non-native) and indigenous (native) – to benefit our environment, our regions, and our people.

To do this, we’re:

building strong and dedicated teams in the regions
working to provide a regulatory environment that supports a healthy environment, resilient communities, and a sustainable forestry sector
providing funding and grants to encourage planting and the restoration of native forest around the country, along with jobs for the regions
establishing joint ventures with iwi and other forestry sector partners to make sure the entire country benefits from a stronger forestry sector
using new spatial technologies to help our minister and our forestry partners better understand land to make better decisions around forestry.

Our structure

Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service has 7 main teams.

Forestry and land management

The forestry and land management team is responsible for managing the Emissions Trading Scheme work and activity.

Forestry system

The forestry system team develops and delivers initiatives, policies and regulations to support sustainable land management and climate change goals, and improve the use of forestry and wood processing resources, including:

development of operational and resource management policies
the Forest Market Assurance Programme (FMAP)
the National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry (NES-PF)
sustainable indigenous forestry under the Forests Act
development of a Forestry and wood processing industry transformation plan (ITP).

Crown Forestry

Crown Forestry manages the Crown’s commercial forestry assets, focusing on achieving the best return for the Government and meeting all the Crown’s legal and contractual obligations.

Crown Forestry looks after:

joint ventures with iwi and other forestry sector partners
the Crown's forestry leases on Māori land
Crown forest on Crown land
forestry leases by other companies on Crown forest land.

Forestry insights

The forestry insights team provide data and information to help Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service provide services to the forestry sector. This includes:

forestry system data
spatial intelligence
research and science, and
insights analysis.

Operational programme delivery

The operational programme delivery team provides services to the branch to help the successful delivery of projects, and provides assurance through monitoring and reporting on these projects.

Forestry engagement and advice

The forestry engagement and advice team engages with the forestry and wood processing sector to create value from forestry and trees. This includes:

partnering and engagement
initiatives and programmes
providing advice
delivering forestry field services to support forestry incentive schemes.

Strategy, enablement and Māori partnerships

The strategy, enablement and Māori partnerships team provides business unit management. This includes:

setting strategic intentions
business planning
leading transformational change, and
monitoring and managing progress against strategic plans.

The team acts as kaitiaki of the Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service Māori engagement strategy. They lead our relationships with whānau, hapū and iwi to ensure Māori-Crown relations and Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations are upheld.

Support from other MPI teams

Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service is also supported by other teams within MPI like the policy and trade branch, which helps us with:

data, insights, and forestry policy (including afforestation policy)
skills, capability, and regulations.

Our people

Find out about Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service's senior leadership team.

Jason Wilson

Deputy director-general Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service

Jason joined Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service's leadership team in March 2020, in the newly-established role of director sector investment. He was appointed to the deputy director-general role in August 2021.

Jason brings to Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service a wealth of experience in the commercial wood processing and manufacturing sectors in New Zealand as well as Australia, working at a senior level for a range of major Australasian wood processing companies.

Dr Elizabeth Heeg

Director forestry system

Dr Elizabeth Heeg has had a deep career in the structures and rules affecting natural resources. Most recently she was head of the Aquatic Unit at the Department of Conservation leading a team of science and technical advisors who deliver research and advice to support the conservation of marine and freshwater ecosystems and species.

She has worked previously at Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service and has a strong understanding of complex forestry systems and the regulatory and policy frameworks supporting them.

Elizabeth is a long-standing member of the Eastbourne Forest Rangers group and regularly volunteers on Matiu-Somes Island.

Oliver Hendrickson

Director forestry and land management

Oliver has been with MPI for 6 years.

He has experience in a number of policy programmes including the Resource Management Act reform and the National Policy Statement for Freshwater.

Oliver has a Masters of Law specialising in biodiversity, water, climate change, and resource management.

As the director of forestry and land management, Oliver has responsibility for the management of the Emissions Trading Scheme.

Sam Keenan

Crown Forestry general manager

Sam has been with MPI (and its predecessors) for 9 years, with experience in the commercial management of fisheries research and science, biosecurity, and more recently leading the Crown's forestry operations.

Sam has a Bachelor of Forestry Science and a Professional Diploma in Procurement and Supply, and is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement of Supply.

As the general manager of Crown Forestry, Sam is responsible for managing our portfolio of commercial forestry assets to achieve the best return for stakeholders while meeting the Crown's legal obligations.

Debbie Ward

Director forestry insights, acting director operational programme delivery

Debbie has a Bachelor of Business Studies (Hons), an Executive Masters in Public Administration, and more than 30 years' experience in business management across a range of sectors.

Her previous roles include MPI's director of security and privacy, and director of planning and business transformation. Debbie has been a director within Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service since late 2018 when it was established a branch within MPI. Previous to MPI, Debbie worked in a range of government agencies including IRD and LINZ.

As director of forestry insights, Debbie is responsible for managing insights development, data analysis, research and science and spatial intelligence.

Alex Wilson

Director forestry engagement and advice

Alex has over 15 years’ experience managing and developing high performing teams. She has held significant leadership positions in central government, a crown research institute, and local government, focused on strategic leadership, staff management and operational delivery.

Her technical experience includes community engagement, strategic partnerships, catchment management, forestry, environmental funding, and landfill aftercare. Recently, Alex contributed to the establishment of the One Billion Trees programme and supported the regional scale-up of Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service.

John Saunders

Acting director strategy, enablement and Māori partnerships

John has worked locally and internationally in both the public and private sector, focusing on long-term transformation programmes to help organisations realise their strategic vision.

As the acting director John is responsible for setting the strategy and supporting Te Uru Rākau through their continued growth, driving through planning and transformation.

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