New Zealand’s forestry legal harvest assurance system will come into force by 1 March 2028. Some businesses will need to register with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). Find out whether you are required to register.
Cabinet has agreed to replace the Forests (Legal Harvest Assurance) Amendment Act 2023 with a redesigned system.
Further information about the redesign
The content on this page is being reviewed following the proposed changes. We will update this page as soon as the review is finished.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is working to implement legislation to ensure timber is harvested legally. The new system will come into force by 1 August 2027.
Once the system has started, you must register before you carry out any of the activities explained on this page.
Some people may choose to voluntarily register. They might do this if their customers ask for evidence that timber was legally harvested. If they register, they will need to meet all the obligations that registered people need to meet.
Read more about forestry legal harvest assurance
A person in trade (usually known as a "business") can be:
Businesses will need to register for legal harvest assurance if they do any of these activities:
Employees that work for a business that is registered for legal harvest assurance do not need to register as an individual.
Regulated timber:
Read more about legal harvest rules for businesses trading in indigenous timber
A specified timber product is any timber, or any product made from or containing timber identified by Tariff Code in regulations. We will consult on which products these are before making regulations.
Some businesses have internal branches or divisions. In some cases, a business can apply to register a branch or division separately to the business’s registration. They can do this when the branch or division:
The business still needs to be registered for legal harvest assurance. It is responsible for the branch or division meeting their legal harvest obligations.
Businesses need to register before they carry out any of the activities below.
A business buys New Zealand logs when it enters a contract to buy them. This contract may be made:
For the purpose of legal harvest assurance, a business is buying logs from when they enter a contract to buy the logs and for the period the logs are supplied.
A business exports New Zealand logs when they send New Zealand logs out of New Zealand to another country.
A business processes logs they have grown themselves when they own the logs being processed without having to buy them.
It also applies if they modify the logs in some way. For example, they:
A person does not need to register if they are only doing these things during harvesting:
A business needs to register when it performs any first processing of regulated timber.
First processing of timber is the sawing, chipping, pulping, splitting, veneer peeling, or slicing of unprocessed timber (or applying any other process specified in regulations). It does not include:
Examples of first processing facilities may include:
Businesses who are importing or exporting specified timber products will need to register for legal harvest assurance.
A business needs to register when they act as an agent for another business to do any of the listed activities.
Businesses trading in indigenous timber do not need to register unless the regulations specify that the timber is regulated timber. We will consult on regulated timber before these regulations are made.
Businesses do not need to register when their only activity is shipping or transporting logs, or associated logistics. This includes:
Note: Someone who only ships or transports New Zealand logs or specified timber products is not considered to be an exporter.
Some activities may have an exemption. This means you do not need to meet the legal harvest requirements when you do those activities. You may still need to be registered if you carry out other activities.
Some people may also be exempt from registering.
There may be exceptions for some activities. Thresholds are one type of exception. Anyone trading below thresholds for those activities will not need to register.
We will consult on these exemptions and exceptions before making regulations.
Forests (Legal Harvest Assurance) Amendment Act 2023 – Section 84 – NZ Legislation
If you have questions, email info@mpi.govt.nz
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