Forestry sector set sights on high value bioproducts

Note: Dates changed to: 21-22 October 2025.

“Recent pulp and paper mill closure announcements are set to be replaced by more positive news of exciting moves for using our logs and other forest resources for higher value export products from across forestry and wood products sector”, says Rotorua-based forest technology specialist, John Stulen.

“Industry leaders from across the forestry supply chain are getting behind a new initiative to support new technologies and processes for extracting high value chemicals from logs and other forestry byproducts from sawmills”, he added.

Local entrepreneurs are already developing new products from sustainable resources:

1. Another success story is AgriSea. They are creating the world’s first commercial seaweed nanocellulose facility. Nanocellulose is a high-value material with exceptional properties, boasting a tensile strength stronger than steel and a coefficient of thermal expansion lower than glass, making it highly suitable for numerous applications, including electronics, aerospace, and medicine.
2. Port Blakely New Zealand Essential Oils (PBNZEO), is now a global leader in sustainable essential oil production, is among the first essential oil producers worldwide
3. NZ Bio Forestry is a multinational company that focuses on transforming plantation forestry biomass into biofuels, bio-chemicals and innovative materials.

Now in collaboration Scion, the New Zealand Product Accelerator, chair Steve Wilson is initiating a new forestry biofactory to foster new developments for making new bioproducts from forest resources to deliver much higher value export products to fruition.

“To bring our industry innovators together, we are pleased to announce a new conference called Forest Bioeconomy Innovations. It will run on 20-21 May 2025 in Rotorua. We are bringing international startup leaders together with forest and wood technology innovators to supercharge new processes to complement and eventually replace pulp and paper mills to a large degree,” says Stulen. “We are also working closely with officials and the Minister at MPI/Te Uru Rakau and key industry leaders to showcase sustainable and potential bioeconomy export products from New Zealand’s vast forest resources.”

In May 2025, hundreds of business innovation and primary industry leaders will gather at this new circular economy event – our NEW Forest Bioeconomy Conference.

 About Innovatek

“Everything we do for industry is for growing and improving our industry. For over 25 years, we have partnered with industry to bring innovators to the podium to share their successes with peers. This formula continues to works well and has huge support from industry leaders and innovation specialists. Our innovative technology sessions stimulate others to learn and make their own breakthrough innovations in turn. Our local forest and wood products industry continues to foster many young innovators who are bringing technology breakthroughs in their work in the forests up and down our country and want to grow our exports.”

Media contact: John Stulen, Innovatek Ltd, Email: john.stulen@innovatek.co.nz Mob: 027 275 8011