How the Whakatāne Mill expansion opened the door for Bay of Plenty industry. Photo / NZPA
How the Whakatāne Mill expansion opened the door for Bay of Plenty industry. Photo / NZPA
OPINION:
Wasn't it great news that Whakatāne Mill, which was set for closure a year ago, is now planning a major expansion?
Earlier this week, Whakatāne Mill executive chairman Ian Halliday announced the expansion would increase production of paperboard by about 40 per cent, or 60,000 tonnes a year. Setto kick off in July 2023, the construction phase is set to employ more than 300 people.
I don't know the ins and outs of the mill's operation but the fact they've managed to turn the ship around from troubled waters is pretty inspiring.
It got me thinking, why don't we strive to have more of our own mills and factories in the Bay of Plenty?
Plenty of the wood we cut down gets shipped off to China, and with that a upgraded Free Trade Agreement with it comes into force next month. It will make exporting easier and will reduce compliance costs by millions, Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O'Connor said.
Highlights of the upgrade include tariff-free access for 99 per cent of New Zealand's $4 billion wood and paper trade to China, once fully implemented.
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O'Connor. Photo / Mark Mitchell
I get the reasons why we ship everything off to China but wouldn't it be wiser to keep our valuable assets, such as wood, on New Zealand shores?
If the heartbeat of the Bay of Plenty is the Port of Tauranga, then what helps keep the heart pumping is all the wood we export. There's plenty of it around too - not just at the port itself.
Kaingaroa Forest spans 190,000 hectares between Lake Taupō and Kawerau and produces up to 4 million metres cubed of logs per annum.
Builders are often complaining about a lack of supplies and with our region facing a crippling lack of growth - or growth that's far too slow - we should do something about it ourselves.
Firing up a few mills might cost a hefty sum but it would create jobs and support local businesses too. Eventually, we may not need the support of China and the goods it creates.
I'm sure environmental advocates would like us not to ship logs away just to ship back wood and paper to use too.
To be fair, all the wood mills that were here closed and people may be hesitant - primary exporters probably won't be happy either - to start them up again, or even think about it.
However, Whakatāne Mill is a prime example that things we might write off as not viable can actually be golden opportunities.
