The strong forestry sector of Hawke’s Bay came alive on Friday night at the Hawke’s Bay Forestry Awards held at the Napier War Memorial Centre, a gathering that celebrated resilience, innovation, and extraordinary contributions to the industry. With the event hosted by the talented Jeremy Corbett, renowned for his role on TV’s Seven Days, the evening witnessed a full house united in recognition of our industry’s heroes rising to tackle the challenges of the past two years.

This year’s awards emphasized the immense strength of the forestry community as it emerged from the profound difficulties wrought by Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023. A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Adversity and Rebuild – Recognition of Dedication and Industry Service Award, bestowed upon the Hawke’s Bay Forestry Group (HBFG) by Tania Kerr, Deputy Mayor of Hastings District Council. This accolade celebrates their extraordinary leadership and commitment to community recovery following the cyclone’s impact. HBFG represents 13 forestry companies and most of the forest area in Hawkes Bay, so the award also recognised the extraordinary efforts of those teams and of the many forest contractors and their staff who dug deep to support the community following Cyclone Gabrielle.

One of the evening’s standout winners was Amy Satherley of ATS Logging Limited, who was celebrated as the Woman in Forestry Excellence and awarded the Skilled Professional of the Year 2024 Trophy. Amy’s tireless commitment to both her team and community, alongside her impressive achievements in mentoring and health and safety advocacy, epitomizes the spirit of leadership in our industry. Her work not only prioritizes well-being but also promotes sustainable forestry practices that harmonize economic success with environmental responsibility. ATS Logging Limited also took away Harvesting Excellence Award and Outstanding Health & Safety Management trophy.

In addition, the newly introduced Outstanding Innovation Excellence Trophy was awarded to Kevin Gettins of Weighing and Measuring Solutions (NZ) Ltd. This trophy recognizes Kevin’s visionary leadership and relentless pursuit of innovation, significantly transforming New Zealand’s forestry supply chain since his company’s inception in 2003. His commitment to IT advancements has set new operational benchmarks, emphasizing efficiency and safety in log truck weighing procedures.

The awards also celebrated the incredible training efforts of D G Glenn Logging, which received recognition as the Training Company/Contractor of the Year. Their partnership with Competenz has led to the successful training of numerous apprentices and the enhancement of vital skills across the sector. Over the last two years, their initiatives resulted in seven apprentices completing their programmes and 24 trainees earning Level 3 and Level 4 national certificates.

The awards showcased a remarkable spread of talent and dedication across various companies within the Hawke’s Bay forestry sector. The evening was thoroughly judged by industry leaders Ed Saathof from Forestry Services Limited, Kere Elliot from Elliot Logging Limited, and Bruce Evans from BE Engineering, advisor to Pan Pac.

James Powrie, CE for the Hawke’s Bay Forestry Group spoke, “In the two years since our 2022 awards, Cyclone Gabrielle provided many challenges and changes for us all. The clean-up and the rebuilding effort has been massive.”

He also confirmed, “Forestry people opened roads, towed vehicles and gear through flooded rivers, delivered generators, conducted rescues and provided countless assistance to rural Hawke’s Bay alongside farmers, roading operators and others.”

Together, the forest sector celebrated the remarkable individuals and organizations that continue to elevate the forestry industry in Hawke’s Bay, showcasing a spirit of dedication and excellence.

Results

Hawkes Bay Forestry Skilled Professional of the Year: Amy Satherley, ATS Logging Limited
NZ Apprentice of the Year (sponsored by Competenz): Blake Bell, FMNZ
Trainee of the Year (sponsored by Rayonier Matariki): Luka Kyle, DG Glenn Logging
Training Company/Contractor of the Year (sponsored by M W Lissette Ltd): D G Glenn Logging Ltd
Forestry & Establishment Excellence (sponsored by Forest Management (NI) Ltd): Ron Middleton, Mid-Pine Contracting Ltd
Roading Civil Excellence (sponsored by ATS Logging): Damien McCarthy, M.W.Lissette
Harvesting Excellence (sponsored by Goodmans Contracting): Mark Giddens, ATS Logging Ltd
Wood Processing Excellence (sponsored by Lew Prince Logging Ltd): Chris London, Kat Logging Ltd 2014
Distribution Excellence (sponsored by Napier Port): Mark Pittar, Pan Pac
Tree Faller Excellence (sponsored by PF Olsen): Kumi Basher, KB Training
Log Truck Driver (sponsored by Patchells): Kyle Sykes, Pan Pac
Woman in Forestry Excellence (sponsored by Z Energy): Amy Satherley, ATS Logging Ltd
Runner Up: Hannah Ormond, Overhead Solutions.
Crew of the Year (sponsored by FGLT): Bay Forest Harvesting – Log 7
Outstanding H & S Management Award (sponsored by LTSC): ATS Logging Ltd
Outstanding Environmental Management Award (sponsored by Te Awahohono Trust): Kat 15 Crew, Kat Logging Ltd 2014
Outstanding Innovation Excellence Award (sponsored by QUBE): Kevin Gettins, Weighing & Measuring Solutions (NZ) Ltd
Special Award – Adversity & Rebuild: Hawke’s Bay Foresty Group

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