Log traders must be registered
If you meet the criteria of a log trader, you will need to register to continue operating. We urge any people operating or planning to operate as a log trader that are not yet registered to apply.
Find out what you need to do as a registered log trader, including paying annual levies, keeping records, and annual reporting.
If you meet the criteria of a log trader, you will need to register to continue operating. We urge any people operating or planning to operate as a log trader that are not yet registered to apply.
If you meet the criteria of a log trader, you will need to register to continue operating.
Log traders are businesses. Registered log traders have passed a background check, including a criminal record check for decision makers in the business.
Find out if you need to register as a log trader
How to register as a log trader
Once you register as a log trader, there are certain things you need to do. If you don’t, you may be subject to compliance action and your registration may be suspended or revoked. If this happens, you would be committing an offence if you continued to trade more than 2,000 cubic metres of logs per year.
Offences and penalties (sections 63ZK and 63ZL) - Forests Act 1949 – NZ Legislation
As a registered log trader, you must:
To tell us something has changed, email forestryregister@mpi.govt.nz
The fee to apply to register as a log trader must be paid through online banking when you apply.
Your registration as a log trader lasts for 5 years. If you apply to renew your registration, you will need to pay a renewal application fee.
You must pay an annual levy. You will be notified when this is due.
If you are applying to register as both a log trader and forestry adviser (dual registration), each fee and levy is reduced by 50% as below.
Fee type |
Fee (excl GST) |
Fee (incl GST) |
Fee for dual registration (incl GST) |
Registration fee |
$444.00 |
$510.60 |
$255.30 |
Annual levy (from 1 July 2023) |
$320.00 |
$368.00 |
$184.00 |
Renewal application fee |
$444.00 |
$510.60 |
$255.30 |
Registered log traders must provide information for a background check during registration. The background check for each person asks questions about the conduct of each decision maker in the business. This includes sole traders.
These things are done to confirm that the business and each decision maker meets the “fit and proper person requirements” in the regulations. Read more below.
For each decision maker in the business, you must provide a criminal record check from the Ministry of Justice that is less than 3 months old.
Request your criminal record online - Ministry of Justice
For a business entity, for example a company, you must also answer questions about whether the business has any criminal convictions.
Civil liabilities are penalties imposed by a court or regulator for various forms of conduct. You must answer questions about your conduct, including relevant civil liabilities for your business and each decision maker in the business.
For your business:
For sole traders and each decision maker in a business:
When you apply for registration, you must provide us with either:
Registered log traders must act professionally and competently. It is reasonable for log traders to follow existing industry guidelines unless there’s a good reason not to.
Registered log traders must keep certain records. You will need these to complete your annual report. You won’t need to provide these to us unless we ask for them.
As a registered log trader, you must keep records of all transactions involving logs you have:
Records must include these details:
As a registered log trader, you must keep records when:
When any of these things happen, you should keep records of:
Records must be kept in a way that makes them available for 7 years. They can be:
You must provide us with information in your log trader annual report, explained below.
We may ask you for information to get a better understanding of trends and behaviours in the forestry supply chain. We can request this information under section 63G of the Forests Act 1949.
MPI or a complaints' panel may also ask you for your records, to verify you are complying with your obligations as a log trader.
As a registered log trader, you need to provide us with certain information about your log trading activity for each financial year ending 30 June. These are called log trader annual reports. We use this information to check if you have done what registered log traders need to do. If you don’t give us this information every year, you may face compliance action.
By 1 December each year, as a registered log trader you must:
If you haven’t met your obligations, you must provide an explanation of:
For example, if a complaint was made against you during that year, you must tell us how you have dealt with the issues that led to the complaint.
You can submit your first log trader annual report any time between 1 July and 1 December 2024. The report is due by 1 December 2024. This report must include information on log trading activities from 6 August 2023 to 30 June 2024.
For every financial year after 2024 you will need to report on log trading activities in the previous financial year (1 July – 30 June). For example, in December 2025 your log trading annual report will cover 1 July 2024 to 31 June 2025.
Your registration as a log trader expires 5 years after your application to register was approved. To continue trading logs, you must apply to renew your registration as a log trader at least 3 months before your registration expires.
When renewing, you must:
When applying to renew your registration, you will need to confirm the business continues to pass the background check.
This includes:
When renewing, you must declare that you have met the obligations of a log trader during the 5 years since you registered or renewed your registration. If you haven’t met these obligations, you must explain:
As a registered log trader, you need to keep your information up to date. This means telling us about any changes to:
To update your information, email forestryregister@mpi.govt.nz
Get the latest news and updates on the registration system and what you need to do to register.
Subscribe to email updates about the registration of log traders and forestry advisers
For more information about the registration system for log traders and forestry advisers, email forestryregister@mpi.govt.nz
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