Media Release – 27 October 2021
Tupu Angitu Ltd, the commercial arm of the Lake Taupō Forest Trust, and NZ Bio Forestry Ltd have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding that they hope will increase the value of the forestry estate and create new regional jobs. And they plan to achieve this on a zero-carbon footprint.
“The Trust owns a sustainable forestry estate,” says Temuera Hall, the Chair of Tupu Angitu. “It controls over 33,700 hectares on behalf of its 14,000 Ngāti Tūwharetoa owners of which 28% is conserved in its natural state. Tupu Angitu is focused on diversifying our asset base and integrating throughout the forestry value chain.”
Hall also notes that Ngāti Tūwharetoa is a co-owner of the 170,000 hectares forestry estate in Kaingaroa, one of the largest production forests in the Southern Hemisphere.
NZ Bio Forestry has made it a priority to work with Māori in support of the forestry sector. “Forests are so much more than just structure and fibre,” says NZ Bio Forestry CEO Wayne Mulligan.
“We view forestry through its living essence, its biologics or ‘mauri’. We term this the Mauri-Molecular PlatformTM. We understand forests as a huge resource of standing biochemistry that can provide alternatives to fossil fuels like coal and petroleum.”
NZ Bio Forestry was founded by NZ Māori and their Singaporean and Taiwanese partners. It provides advanced technologies to convert softwood into biochemicals that can replace petroleum and fossil fuel products. And while most comparable companies around the world use food sources, such as corn, to create bio-plastics and other bio-materials, NZ Bio Forestry exclusively uses renewable non-food sources including forestry waste.
The company has plans to establish as many as 12 bio-facilities across New Zealand. The first site is planned for Marton in the Rangitikei region. However, the relationship announced today also provides an opportunity to move quickly to locations around Taupō, the Central North Island and Eastern Bay of Plenty.
“The resources are here, the market demand is growing, and the technology is available. It’s time to stop talking about transformation and start making it happen,” Mulligan says.
NZ Bio Forestry’s relationship with Tupu Angitu has identified six key areas of collaboration:
- Investments
- Development of a technically skilled workforce
- Forestry supply
- Growing forestry assets
- Building new technologies and intellectual property, and
- Carbon offsetting.
“NZ Bio Forestry has already partnered with leading global players that understand the huge market opportunity in lowering CO2 and creating new products and systems that are fossil and petroleum free”, comments Paul Morgan, Director of NZ Bio Forestry. “Our intention is to increase the value of the forestry estate, to create regional jobs, and to achieve a zero carbon footprint. And we’re keen to work with other likeminded Māori and New Zealanders who want to join us.”
NZ Bio Forestry –Three minute video
For more information contact: Tui MacDonald, FRANK Communications Ltd – 027 252 7017
Tui can arrange for you to speak with Wayne Mulligan, NZ Biodiversity and Mawae Morton, Tupu Angitu.
