About 210 people have attended a Maori forestry forum in Rotorua, the first step towards the development of a national strategy for Maori land and forest owners.
The Mai i te ngahere oranga - Maori Forestry Forum was held at Waiariki Institute of Technology yesterday, with speakers discussing the global forestry scene, opportunities in innovation and research and their own experiences and challenges in forestry.
Victor Goldsmith, a member of the Federation of Maori Authorities and the forum organising committee, said all the presentations showed the huge variety of possible uses for forestry land.
He said most iwi were represented at yesterday's event, with parties present from 160 different land blocks. It had been about a decade since a similar forum was last held, he said.
"It's been a long time for us to get in the room... it's timely," he said.