What are the wood industries about?

The wood industry is important to New Zealand - as an export earner and as an employer.

There's a lot more to the wood industry than simply growing trees, chopping them down and cutting them up. Opportunities include careers in specialised fields like forestry science, forestry and outdoor trades, manufacturing and production, engineering and technical trades, business administration and management, global marketing...

Facts about the wood industry (2008/2009 figures)

• In New Zealand, the wood industries sector accounts for 3.8% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
• It is the country’s second largest primary export earner with international sales in excess of $3.2 billion
• More than 20,000 people are directly employed by wood industries with more than 100,000 employed indirectly
• The sector is based on a sustainable, managed, planted production wood resource of 1.79 million hectares