Greater Wellington — Plantation forests on Greater Wellington-owned land

We have plantation forest sites on land we own in:

Four Regional Parks (Akatarawa, Battle Hill, Kaitoke and Pākuratahi)
Three locations in southeast Wairarapa (Hiwinui Forest, Tauanui Forest and Stoney Creek forestry blocks).

We’ve sold the right to harvest trees in all of the plantation forest land we own.

We work closely with forestry operators to make sure they meet the rules when managing forests and harvesting trees on Greater Wellington-owned land. This includes carrying out quarterly compliance checks.

On GW land the harvesting rules are more stringent to help protect the local environment and, for publicly accessible areas like parks, help keep people safe.

Forest360 manages plantation forests located in Regional Parks and on land we own in southeast Wairarapa.

We have a Forest Ranger in place who leads the relationship with forest manager Forest360 for plantation forests in Regional Parks. They work with Forest360 to ensure practices meet National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry (NES-PF) regulations, as well as additional requirements outlined in the Toitū Te Whenua Parks Network Plan and the Forest Cutting Rights.

The history: Why there are forestry blocks in Regional Parks

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Here’s a timeline showing how we came to have forestry sites in Regional Parks.

When	What
1880s	High demand for timber led to forestry starting in Akatarawa Forest Block.
1927	In an effort to secure a permanent water supply for a growing Wellington, the Wellington City and Suburban Water Supply Board was formed. The State Forest Service gave Akatarawa Forest Block to the new Board so that the income from log sales could help pay for the future drinking water supply. Want to know more? See the Wellington City and Suburban Water-supply Act 1927.
Around 1933	The Water Supply Board started considering how the waterways in Akatarawa Forest Block could be used for water supply.
1960s and 1970s	Pākuratahi Forest: Plantation forests in Pākuratahi East were planted in 1960 and Pākuratahi West in 1970s.
1972	Areas in Pākuratahi Forest and Akatarawa Forest that are now plantation forests were designated as future water collection areas under the new Wellington Regional Water Board Act. This Act was put in place to protect sources of drinking water, provide employment opportunities, and help with soil conservation.
1984	The Water Board planted a 74-hectare forestry block on former farmland above Te Marua Water Treatment Plant at Kaitoke Regional Park, to be managed as part of the Pākuratahi West block.
1989	When the Wellington Regional Council came into existence, it took on the responsibilities of the Water Board. That made us responsible for supplying drinking water to homes and businesses in Wellington, Porirua, and Hutt Valley, and we own these various areas of land. Since then, the land in Akatarawa Forest Park has been maintained for water conservation, with some plantation forestry continuing.
Mid 1990s	We continued maintaining existing plantation forests in Akatarawa and Pākuratahi to help pay for future drinking water supply. Log prices remained high.
From the early 2000s	Log prices began to slump, and by the late 2000’s were about one-quarter to one-third of what they were in the mid-1990s. Forest debt grew to unsustainable levels.
2014	To reduce debt and give us certainty about the income we would receive from plantation forests on Greater Wellington land, we sold the right to grow and harvest trees on these sites for 60 years. This contract provides enough time to grow and harvest the forest twice. Forest360 now manages these plantation forests.
2014 onward	A Greater Wellington Forest Ranger was employed to: Maintain a close relationship with Forest360 Ensure Forest360 are meeting the rules under the National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry (NES-PF), the Parks Network Plan and the Plantation Forest Cutting Right.

The history: Why we own forestry blocks in Wairarapa

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During the 1980s and 1990s, the then Wairarapa Catchment Board and its successor the Wellington Regional Council acquired three blocks of land in southeast Wairarapa that were prone to erosion and creating flooding issues.

These were the:

Hiwinui Forest and Tauanui Forest blocks, which are both next to Aorangi Forest Park
Stoney Creek block, which is in the hill country near Tuturumuri.

These sites are generally very steep, slip-prone and located near waterways. They were purchased at the time as part of an initiative to rehabilitate land to:

Reduce the amount of land that was eroding into local rivers and streams
Minimise flood damage to local communities.

In 2014 we sold the right to grow and harvest trees on these sites for 60 years. This length of time enables the trees to be grown and harvested twice. We work closely with forestry manager Forest360 to ensure they meet all rules under meet National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry.

Updated June 23, 2023 at 12:24 PM

Get in touch

Phone:: 0800 496 734
Email:: info@gw.govt.nz