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On this page:
- Our story, our whakapapa
- Our structure
- Our 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.
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 the forestry and wood processing sector.
Read more about the development of the forestry and wood processing sector
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.
Read more about Crown Forestry
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.
- Sam Keenan – Deputy Director-General Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service
- Olivia Sullivan – Acting director forestry system
- Oliver Hendrickson – Director forestry and land management
- Debbie Ward – Director forestry insights
- Alex Wilson – Director forestry engagement and advice
- Paul Burridge – General manager Crown Forestry
- Marion Schrama – Acting director operational programme delivery
- John Saunders – Director strategy, enablement and Māori partnerships
Sam Keenan
Deputy Director-General Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service
Sam has a Bachelor of Forestry Science (Hons), a Professional Diploma in Procurement and Supply, and 20 years’ experience in forest operations and commercial management. He has worked across the private and public sector both here and in Australia.
As Deputy Director-General Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service, Sam is responsible for the delivery of the government’s forestry programme.
Olivia Sullivan
Acting director forestry system
As acting director of forestry system, Olivia is responsible for operational policy, Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service’s sector development and bioeconomy work and the indigenous forestry work under the Forests Act 1949.
Olivia is also the MPI director responsible for the Government work programme in response to the Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use in Tairāwhiti report.
Olivia has worked for MPI since 2019 in the policy and trade branch. She has worked in various managerial roles, most recently, as the manager of Emissions Trading Scheme forestry policy. Before this, she was the manager of water policy.
Olivia has extensive experience across public sector agencies. She started out as a policy graduate at the Ministry of Economic Development. She then went on to have policy roles at Treasury, Land Information New Zealand and Toka Tū Ake Earthquake Commission. Olivia also spent time as a senior consultant for well-established New Zealand consultancy firm, MartinJenkins.
Oliver Hendrickson
Director forestry and land management
Oliver has been with MPI for 10 years.
He has experience in several 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.
Debbie Ward
Director forestry insights
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. Before 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.
Paul Burridge
General manager Crown Forestry
Paul has a Bachelor of Forestry Science and 20 years’ experience spanning the primary sector, predominantly within forestry. Paul has worked across a mix of private, public and not-for-profit organisations, also holding several governance roles within the forestry sector throughout his experience.
Paul’s technical experience includes operations, biosecurity, certification, logistics, marketing, and corporate service management.
As the general manager of Crown Forestry, Paul leads the Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service team responsible for the management of a portfolio of the Crown’s commercial forest assets – covering about 30,000 hectares.
Marion Schrama
Acting director operational programme delivery
Marion has been with MPI since 2019 where she has held several roles including manager of workforce skills and sector partnerships.
As acting director of operational programme delivery, Marion oversees projects, grants and investment programmes across Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service.
Marion has 20 years' leadership experience in both the private and public sectors. Her technical experience includes operations, marketing communications, sales and service, franchising, and change management.
Marion has a Bachelor of Arts, as well as Diplomas in Marketing of Services and Direct Marketing.
John Saunders
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 director, John is responsible for setting the strategy and supporting Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service through its continued growth, driving through planning and transformation.