Pan Pac expansion: Hawke's Bay's massive new lumber warehouse unveiled

Pan Pac Deputy MD Kazuya Shimma, Minister Stuart Nash and Pan Pac MD Tony Clifford in the new kiln-dried warehouse. Photo / Supplied

Pan Pac says its opening of a massive lumber warehouse at its Whirinaki plant shows it is confident it can weather the Covid-19 instigated export crisis.

The warehouse, the size of two rugby fields with a capacity to store 14,000m3 of kiln-dried lumber, was officially opened on Thursday.

Pan Pac managing director Tony Clifford said the warehouse represented a significant investment by its shareholder Oji Holdings in the future of Pan Pac and the Hawke's Bay region.

The company is approaching its fiftieth year of operations and is still growing in scale and capability with its products now being exported to most of the major continents around the globe, Clifford said.

"We are proud of our contribution to the Hawke's Bay community.

"A recent report by BERL found that $1 out of every $16 in Hawke's Bay is generated by Pan Pac."

The report noted Pan Pac provided work directly and indirectly for more than 3000 people in Hawke's Bay.

Minister for Forestry Stuart Nash said Oji Holdings had a long-term vision for the plant.

"Pan Pac has played an important part in the Hawke's Bay economy for as long as I can remember.

"This warehouse shows the value Oji places in the business and that it is here for the long term."

Nash said forestry would make an important contribution to the Government's emissions targets for 2030 and beyond.

"The only way we can achieve the promises we've made is to engage with the forestry sector."