New Zealand Backs Forest-Sector Innovation With Mass Timber Project

New Zealand’s government announced support for greater land use flexibility and forestry-sector innovation as part of a push to improve productivity, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced on June 10.

McClay said more than 39,000 New Zealanders work in forestry, a sector that contributes NZ$6.2 billion (US$3.62 billion) in export revenue and supports regional economies and jobs.

The government is investing NZ$3.2 million (US$1.87 million) over three years in a NZ$8 million project with VoMo Limited, a Red Stag Investments company, to assess the feasibility of producing prefabricated, fully fitted mass timber modules for the New Zealand and potentially Australian markets.

The project will examine design, technical performance, seismic resilience, productivity gains, cost efficiency, and carbon savings. McClay said shifting more timber into domestic processing could create greater value, add jobs, and provide more stability for long-term investment in forestry and wood processing.

“Data and information from this and similar projects will be shared with farmers and growers to give them further confidence to innovate and grow their businesses—supporting a more productive and responsive sector that is better positioned to supply New Zealand and the world with high-quality produce.”