27th February 2023
I am writing this BLOG from Singapore as I again meet to keep potential investors, partners, and technology manufacturers informed about NZ Bio Forestry and why investing with us in NZ, Singapore, and Taiwan is a smart decision, as well as outlining the timing of our investment round commencing May 2023.
As I commented on BLOG #3 slash is a symptom of a much bigger problem. Weather extremes in Aotearoa-NZ will become more common and arguably compound more damage and costs. Ironically science has been telling us this was coming. Blaming slash and the foresters is the easy part, and so too setting up a Ministerial Enquiry. Creating real change and paying for this change is costly and complex. How this gets funded - well that is another story.
When at the NZ- China Free Trade Agreement signing, I was told in 2008 by a New Zealander who had done business in China and across the globe for 30 years - "Wayne, in the world, free is nothing and nothing is free". That resonated with me, and now, resonates more so than ever.
Forestry is a large business and is nowhere near its potential. It can be a bloody cool and smart business too. Its potential, at a minimum, could double its revenue for NZ from $6.7 billion to $13 billion in a relatively short horizon. That is, if we integrate three things, 1. utilise the current forestry asset fully by using the whole tree to optimise revenue generation; 2. commit to incentives to invest and plant for natives, bio-diversity, and long-term carbon value; and 3. move to higher value-add markets that seek components, energy, and chemicals that are non-fossil based. (see BLOG #2) It is a reality that the device you are reading this BLOG on contains materials and chemicals that can be formed from forestry and more importantly from forestry waste, including slash, (see BLOG #1).
This brings me to introduce you to some of our thinking in our next video, the Melodic Essence of Our Forests - Ngahere Korokoro. Our Treemendous video library is growing steadily and from this, we aim to help audiences understand the true beauty and potential of forests. #morethanlogs
Treemendous video #4; Ngahere Korokoro (Melodic Essence of Our Forests)
This 7-minute video was put together with the NZ Climate Commission in 2022. We presented an earlier version of this in November 2022 in Egypt whilst COP27 was on. We showed this with our Pacific and Māori kin to global environmental investors (ESG), global conservationist leaders, and non-government bodies (NGOs). You can also view our first three videos (each about 2 minutes in duration) on our website.
Invest Future Workforce
I wish to acknowledge Professor Siah Hwee Ang from SEA Cape (link SEA Cape) and his team, as well as my colleague Dr. Vivienne Hunt (NZ Bio Forestry), that saw 13 young professionals meet up in Singapore for a boot camp held at NZ Singapore Chamber of Commerce hosted by SEA Cape. Dr. Hunt is supervising four young Māori professionals who attended this boot camp to develop a report that will focus on how to attract and motivate young Māori. Written by young Māori and not driven by officials, sectors, or policy people. It is rangatahi/taiohi telling it how they see it, focusing on business and enterprises in sustainability, agri-tech, biotechnology, food tech, and e-commerce. It will also evaluate the opportunities for Māori organisations in Singapore and in the context of wider Southeast Asia.
(Picture above) - Dr. YF Kam, Director at NZ Bio Forestry (centre) discussing innovation and science in Asia and Singapore with the four young Māori professional members (left to right); Dr. Nikki Renall, from Taranaki, has a background in Nutritional Science; Lucy Manahi, (Kai Tahu) a graduate doing a 3-month internship in Singapore in food science; Dr. YF Kam, NZ Bio Forestry Director; Tane Purcell (Ngāitai/ Whakatōhea) graduate in forestry and engineering; and Summer Wright (Ngāti Maniapoto) undertaking Ph.D. in nutrition and matauranga.
Dr. Hunt will report on this and NZ Bio Forestry's thinking of how we are designing the NZ Bio Forestry employment model to meet the changing requirements for women through changes that occur throughout their life.
Cost of not investing in Talent - Sir Paul Callaghan
Aotearoa-NZ is a nation with one of the lowest incomes per capita in the developed world. How did we get to this situation? Policies, incentives, and lobbyists. We are kind, but our approach and thinking are too simple and as a result, have become collectively, “kind of poor”.
Best summarised in the following graph and by the late Sir Paul Callaghan once said, "We are poor because we choose to be". He further outlined, "It is absurd, in particular, because we have proven particularly dreadful at developing advanced knowledge-based industries or leading technologies in any of those areas". Our dairy industry exports milk powder, rather than developing new products. Our forestry industries send raw logs offshore and despite the past capacity to invest in processing, they have shown no inclination to do so. Our conservation story is hardly an example to the world too - we turned two-thirds of our forest into greenhouse gas and destroyed hundreds of species of fauna in the process. Source: Kiwis choose to be poor" NZ HERALD 23 May 2011
Ngā mihi
Wayne Mulligan
CEO, NZ Bio Forestry
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