Heavy fine for illegal harvest of rimu

The conviction of a Bay of Plenty man handed a record fine for the over-logging of rimu has been welcomed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Wayne Mark Ford was fined a total of $56,000 in the Tauranga District Court for logging almost 100cu m more rimu than allowed.

Ford and his company, Helilogging, were also found guilty of transporting timber in contravention of the Forests Act.

Robert Miller, manager of the ministry's Indigenous Forestry Unit, said the case sent a clear message that there were severe consequences for breaking the rules around harvesting native forests.

The ministry brought the case in 2003 after being alerted to excessive removal of rimu from a block of privately owned land known as Pembroke Station, near Wharekopae in the Bay of Plenty.

- NZPA