Timber training for a big future

The Waiariki Institute of Technology in Rotorua is the site for the new National Centre of Excellence in Wood Processing Education and Training, expected to cost up to $18 million.

Minister of Economic Development Jim Anderton, announcing the project, said the potential benefits to the national economy were billions of dollars.

The centre would counter an expected skill shortage in the wood-processing industry which was a barrier to forestry becoming a $20 billion industry by 2025, he said.

The centre will be run in partnership with Forest Industries Training and the University of Auckland.

Industry New Zealand is providing $2 million for the first stage of the project, the forestry industry has put aside $580,000 and $90,000 will come from training providers.

Stage two will include investment in buildings, equipment and software, which will cost between $10 million and $15 million.

The chief executive of Forest Industries Training, John Blakey, said the organisation would build a world-class training and education centre.

- NZPA