{"id":8268,"date":"2023-07-07T09:15:16","date_gmt":"2023-07-06T23:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/?p=8268"},"modified":"2024-10-21T20:30:55","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T10:30:55","slug":"top-nz-architect-pushes-to-boost-wood-processing-for-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/top-nz-architect-pushes-to-boost-wood-processing-for-housing\/","title":{"rendered":"Top NZ Architect Pushes to Boost Wood Processing for Housing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A world-renowned architect has called for greater investment in wood processing as the country grapples with a shortage of materials for housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his inaugural lecture at the University of Auckland<\/a>, Dr Anthony H\u014dete – a past NZ Institute of Architecture winner – called for greater investment in the country’s wood supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Processing more timber onshore will impact housing supply while creating new jobs to support regional communities and would reinforce our commitment to a net-zero carbon future,” said Dr H\u014dete, the Architecture and Urban Planning Professor at the University of Auckland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr H\u014dete’s design and research have played a key role in advancing New Zealand and M\u0101ori architecture worldwide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2002, Dr H\u014dete established WHAT_Architecture<\/a> and has been awarded 40 national and international awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is registered as an architect in Aotearoa, New Zealand, Australia, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom, where he was awarded the most prestigious prize in NZ and UK architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Dr H\u014dete, Aotearoa, New Zealand, enjoys one of the world’s most extensive and productive man-forests but falls short in adding value to the resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“These days, the problem isn’t that we have a shortage of logs, Dr H\u014dete says. “It’s that we’re not turning them into lumber.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Lumber is a log with the added value from primary processing, while logs are a raw product with no added value.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“By March 2022, 61% of our logs (22 million m\u00b3) left Aotearoa, New Zealand. We are now the world’s biggest log exporter, supplying 20% of the global market. Eighty per cent of our logs are bound for China, where state intervention subsidises transport.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China’s slowdown creates a big problem for NZ exporters<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Wood Central has extensively reported on New Zealand’s reliance on China as an export market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week<\/a>, the ANZ Commodity Price Index published data for June 2023 pointing to a 21% reduction in log prices over the past 12 months owing to the Chinese construction slowdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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View the full ANZ Research Report here<\/a>. (Image Credit: ANZ Research)
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In April, data from Chinese ports identified that inventories were 8% lower than in past months<\/a>, while a recent PF Olsen report identified that Chinese importers were late on payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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According to data supplied by the World Resources Institute<\/a>, New Zealand\u2019s market share of China\u2019s total log imports was 58%, followed by Germany (14%), Poland (5%), the US (5%), Canada (4%), and Japan (4%).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent months, the industry has called for NZ to broaden its export markets <\/a>to include India, the European Union and Australia.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, Dr H\u014dete has called for the government to boost support for local manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Why can China offer higher prices for New Zealand logs than local companies? In two words: wood processing.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Chinese wood industry consists of 100,000 individual companies, most of them small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“China adds value to New Zealand logs by processing the wood into plywood, which is then turned into furniture and exported back around the Pacific.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr H\u014dete taught at TU Delft and The Bartlett UCL – among the top two architecture schools in the world and has called on the government to support local processing through investment in innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Since 2000, forest harvest volume in New Zealand has doubled from 17 million to 36 million m\u00b3, while processing has remained constant at 13 million m\u00b3,” he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Value-added wood products comprise just 15 per cent of our forestry export volumes yet generate over 40 per cent of export revenue.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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