NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Budget 2025
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

New Zealand tech turns pine into hardwood

APN / NZ HERALD
4 Mar, 2014 08:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Accoya treated pine is a sustainable alternative to hardwood. Photo / Supplied

Accoya treated pine is a sustainable alternative to hardwood. Photo / Supplied

Accoya - which uses a kind of natural alchemy to turn pine into sustainable hardwood - has humble origins in New Zealand.

Element Advertising Promotion: Accoya Wood, which uses New Zealand-grown, FSC-certified pine trees and technological know-how developed in our very own Scion research plant in Rotorua, is changing the future of timber.

British company Accsys Technology, which manufactures Accoya, is using a kind of natural alchemy called 'acetylation' to turn fast-growing, sustainably-managed softwoods like pinus radiata (pine) into wood with the properties of slow-growing, tropical hardwoods without the accompanying deforestation and habitat loss.

The proprietary revolutionary acetylation process essentially pickles the wood in vinegar (acetic anhydride). Water-loving hydroxyl compounds are sucked out and replaced with naturally occurring acetyl groups.

This makes the timber three times more stable than conventional timber and long lasting - the product claims the top durability rating of class-1 and the Timber Research and Development Association in the UK states that Accoya will have a minimal service life of 70 years above ground.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It has many uses, but, because it won't warp or crack, it is ideal for doors, windows, weatherboards and decking.

The process contrasts with that of conventional timbers - slathered in copper chromium and arsenic (CCA), a rot-preventing pesticide chock-full of heavy metals.

The use of CCA-treated timber has been restricted in Australia since 2005 and in 2003 the United States banned its usage in residential builds. CCA can be inhaled when treated timber is burnt.

Chris Wiffen, joint managing director of Timspec, who are the official distributors of Accoya in New Zealand, says the product's popularity is ramping up despite the upfront cost being up to three times more than conventional timbers.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In Europe, sales shot up by 80 per cent to €13.9m in the first half of the year, compared with the same period a year ago. In New Zealand, they have increased by over 50 per cent.

"The renewable nature, durability and stability of Accoya have huge benefits in multiple product sectors. The cost over the life of the structure is often cheaper when using Accoya, because it outperforms cedar, teak and many other treated softwoods and hardwoods," he says.

The pine opportunity

Given that the acetylation process works best with New Zealand-grown pine, New Zealand processing companies such as Tenon, which supplies a large proportion of pine to Accsys Technologies, are well placed to reap the benefits.

Wood is cut into lumber and then kiln-dried using renewable, geothermal energy and supplied as sawn timber, rather than logs, which adds value.

Tenon technical development manager Wayne Miller says that as demand grows for Accoya, both here and overseas, more opportunities for the country will be created - including the possibility of establishing an acetylation plant right here on New Zealand soil.

Chris Wiffen (left) and Rex Holmes, joint managing directors at Timspec, by the boardwalk made with Accoya timber at La Rosa Reserve in Green Bay. Photo / Supplied
Chris Wiffen (left) and Rex Holmes, joint managing directors at Timspec, by the boardwalk made with Accoya timber at La Rosa Reserve in Green Bay. Photo / Supplied

Closing the Accoya loop

Accoya Wood is the only wood product to have earned the top eco-certification, Cradle to Cradle Gold. This rigorous accreditation assesses a product's lifecycle while examining its impacts on environmental and human health, and evaluating its recyclability.

The eco-ethos is also present in Accoya's factory in the Netherlands. Here, the low-energy acetylation process has been streamlined so the main by-product (acetic acid) can be returned to chemical companies and reused. Eventually, the factory aims to transform acetic acid into acetic anhydride onsite, creating a system with no waste.

Accoya holds several other eco-distinctions including the prestigious Green Label of the Singapore Environment Council, which awards environmentally friendly products sold in South East Asia, and was deemed 'excellent' by green building materials portal The Futurebuild.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Additionally, it boasts a low carbon footprint (it is shipped to the Netherlands, has a low weight and a long lifespan, and Accoya window frames have been independently proven to be carbon negative) and meets Japanese food safety testing standards.

Accoya projects

Given its long lifespan and low maintenance requirements, Accoya was used instead of concrete and steel to build a four-lane traffic bridge in the Netherlands in 2008. The 30-metre-long, 12-metre-wide structure can support a load of 60 tonnes and was so successful that another bridge was promptly built upon completion. Tenon won the contract to supply 1200 cubic metres of lumber (around $1m worth of radiata pine) for both projects.

Accoya has also been used in Auckland Council's new boardwalk at La Rosa reserve and in a decking project at the University of Waikato, with both companies selecting Accoya for its longevity and environmentally friendly ethos.

For more information about Accoya, visit accoya.com or timspec.co.nz. For weekly Element news sign up to our newsletter. We're also on Facebook and Twitter.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Napier councillor Richard McGrath running for mayor, says city is prioritising 'nice-to-haves'

20 May 12:41 AM
New Zealand

Oyster farms to close after sewage overflows, Watercare fix years away

20 May 12:34 AM
Premium
Education

First XV rugby shake-up: South Island boys' schools plot breakaway competition

20 May 12:24 AM

The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Napier councillor Richard McGrath running for mayor, says city is prioritising 'nice-to-haves'

Napier councillor Richard McGrath running for mayor, says city is prioritising 'nice-to-haves'

20 May 12:41 AM

'We do need balance, but I don’t think we have that right now.'

Oyster farms to close after sewage overflows, Watercare fix years away

Oyster farms to close after sewage overflows, Watercare fix years away

20 May 12:34 AM
Premium
First XV rugby shake-up: South Island boys' schools plot breakaway competition

First XV rugby shake-up: South Island boys' schools plot breakaway competition

20 May 12:24 AM
House haka: Politicians plan for lengthy debate over Te Pāti Māori punishment

House haka: Politicians plan for lengthy debate over Te Pāti Māori punishment

20 May 12:13 AM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP