Timber Risk Score: 100 / 100 in 2017. The Timber Legality Risk Assessment contains an evaluation of the risk of illegality in New Zealand for five categories and 21 sub-categories of law. We found:
- Specified risk for 0 sub-categories.
- Low risk for 19 sub-categories.
- No legal requirements for 2 sub-categories.
This page provides an overview of the legality risks related to timber produced in New Zealand.
38% (10.1 million ha) of New Zealand is covered by forests of which:
- About 21% is primary forest
- About 58% is naturally-regenerated forest
- About 21% is planted forest.
Roundwood production totalled some 28.9 million m3 in 2015. The forestry sector (including wood processing and pulp and paper) contributed US$ 39.0 billion to the economy in 2011, which was nearly 0.7% of the GDP.
NEPCon has evaluated New Zealand as low risk for illegally harvested timber. If you are sourcing timber from New Zealand you should still take care to ensure that risks are not present in your supply chains.
Score: 88 / 100 in 2021
Rank: 1 out of 180 countries in 2021
Export ban on logs, woodchips and sawn timber from indigenous timber (native species from natural forests)
There are currently no armed conflicts in New Zealand according to the Council on Foreign Relations' Global Conflict Tracker
FSC Certified Forest Area: 1,304,001 hectares (4 December 2019)
PEFC Certified Forest Area: 626,508 hectares (31 December 2019).
Information gathering
- Find out the different sources of legal timber
- Determine which source type your timber comes from
Timber source |
Description of source type |
---|---|
Natural forest on private land |
Timber from natural forest on individual parcels of land, managed by private landowners or their contractors according to sustainable harvest principles. 84,000 ha of the land is subject to an approved Sustainable Forest Management Plan (SFMP). Species are Podocarps and beech (Nothofagus spp.). |
Natural forest on native land |
Timber from natural forest on native land, Maori or otherwise, managed by contractors on behalf of lwi. Species are Podocarps and beech (Nothofagus spp.). |
Plantation forest on central government or local council land | Timber from plantation forest on central government or local council land, managed by Crown Forestry through specific contracts, or by each council. Plantations are clearfelled and replanted. Species are radiata pine, Douglas fir, Eucalyptus spp. |
Plantation forest on Private or Tribal (ex-crown land) | Timber from plantation forest on private or tribal (ex-crown land), managed by Crown Forestry through specific contracts, or by each council. Plantations are clearfelled and replanted. Species are radiata pine, Douglas fir, Eucalyptus spp. |
Risk assessment
Low risk of illegality. We found that any breaches of applicable laws are temporary, unusual, limited in their impact, and effectively controlled by the relevant authorities.
Risk mitigation
We have not identified any specified risks and therefore have not suggested any mitigation actions.