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KAITAIA - Juken Nissho's Kaitaia triboard mill is planning expansion to deal with a near tripling of timber supply from Far North forests.
Mill manager Dennis Clarke said in a letter to the Far North District Council that the expansion was likely to include a new sawmill, veneer plant and associated service areas.
The company has asked the council to rezone land north of the mill from general rural to industrial.
Mr Clarke said the land-owners were agreeable to the plan in principle.
His letter is on the agenda for a council meeting today.
He said that if a plant was built in Kaitaia, veneer products would be part-processed there and sent to the Philippines for completion.
"JNL [Juken Nissho Ltd] is committed to expanding its investments in the Far North, provided that the community is supportive of its plans, and consents for the project can be obtained without unnecessary delay," said Mr Clarke.
Yields from the company's northern district forests were expected to rise from about 200,000 tonnes a year to about 550,000 tonnes in the next two to five years.
Lynley Newport, the council's projects coordinator, said the proposed zone could affect some adjoining lifestyle block owners and the council also needed to know that extra pressure on waste and water services could be accommodated.
- NZPA
New Zealand