Maori our natural partner: Fletcher

By PAM GRAHAM

Maori are the forest industry's "natural partner," Fletcher Challenge Forests' joint chief executive Ian Boyd said yesterday.

The statement in a speech to an industry conference came a week after Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Margaret Wilson met representatives of Ngati Tuwharetoa, Te Arawa, Tuhoe, Ngati Manawa and Ngati Whare at Wairakei to push progress on land claims in the central North Island which are still in a pre-negotiation phase.

"Maori interests are our natural partners ... For generations Maori people have been at the heart of the forest workforce; their communities and culture infuse large parts of the industry," Boyd said.

Cutting rights to forests in the central North Island that have been managed by Fletcher Forests are for sale, while the land in the area is subject to about 105 claims at the Waitangi Tribunal. The Government is using former Finance Minister David Caygill to facilitate discussions.

Wilson, who reported to the Cabinet in March, hoped a formal settlement could be reached in two years.

"I strongly believe we must address and settle all your claims at the same time and I acknowledge forest land will certainly be a central element of any settlement," she said.

Maori had to decide who would carry the process into negotiations for the iwi. Boyd said the settlement of claims would confirm Maori as a major industry partner. There would be limitless opportunity to expand participation beyond land ownership to forest ownership and processing.

Fletcher Forests is investigating ways of selling cutting rights to its own forests to focus on marketing, distribution and processing businesses and return capital to shareholders after its plan to buy cutting rights to neighbouring central North Island forests with Citic failed.

Fletcher Forests decided not to join Export Co, an initiative by the Central North Island Forest Partnership receiver Ferrier Hodgson and Carter Holt Harvey, to co-ordinate log and wood chip exports.

Boyd said medium-sized forest owners were now considering Export Co, or an equivalent. There has been speculation that Fletcher Forests has talked to forest companies about co-operation separately to Export Co.