Peterson 527 Rebuild

From high-production logging and automated harvesting to paperless operations and AI-assisted transport planning, the HarvestTECH & Wood Transport Logistics 2026 programme covers a mix of new technology and practical experience from the field. The programme for the 10–11 November event ...

Years spent gaming may be giving some young New Zealanders an unexpected head start in the modern trades, as automation, robotics and digital technology transform traditional workplaces. Industry training organisation Competenz has coined the term Joystick Trades after hearing the ...

Australia’s energy transition is reshaping the economy. The latest Intergenerational Report 2026 and FWPA’s Building a Low-Carbon Future for Australia point in a similar direction, consistent with a transition beyond net zero. The Intergenerational Report’s projections point to a renewables-dominated ...

Perth-based logistics giant Centurion is backing plans to build the first electric heavy freight charging network in Western Australia, which would comprise an initial three 12-bay charging networks between Perth and Bunbury to the south. The freight network is the ...

The country’s supply of sustainable wood fuel is ramping up with work underway to capture previously unused forestry material and investigate new wood energy manufacturing plants.   “When businesses are looking at energy options, woody biomass could provide an economic alternative ...

Forestry operations are under pressure from all directions – rising costs, tighter margins, changing workforce requirements and growing demands for greater efficiency and safety. That makes the practical side of technology increasingly important. What is actually working in the forest? ...

Nearly every company that’s trying to deploy artificial intelligence runs into the same problem: it’s hard to integrate the tech into everyday operations. Industrial heavyweight Caterpillar has spent decades dealing with a version of that problem in the physical world, ...

The free eight-week online program, delivered by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, helps businesses turn early-stage ideas into actionable R&D plans while building connections with expert facilitators and researchers. Offered through the Queensland Government-funded Regional University Industry Collaboration (RUIC) program, ...

Tony Hill of Hill Logging picked me up at 6:00am for a visit to his steep country winch-assist (SWY) operation east of Mangatu Forest. Many readers will know Tony through his role as NZ Logger Magazine’s “Iron Tester”. Tony comes ...

Komatsu Forest presents a new generation of forestry machines, where both harvesters and forwarders have been comprehensively updated to meet the evolving demands of modern forestry. The new range combines improved productivity with reduced environmental impact, focusing on efficiency, operator ...

Strengthening organisational capability, planning, supervision and risk management remains one of the forestry sector’s biggest challenges, according to new enforcement data released by WorkSafe New Zealand. During the 2025/26 business year, WorkSafe conducted 526 assessments across the forestry industry. One ...

The Top of the South Wood Council, with support from Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service, has recently released  Learning Through the Storm, a report on the widespread windthrow caused by the severe storm events of 2025.  On July ...

A Volvo L120 Electric wheel loader is helping PermaPine test what sustainable equipment can really deliver in one of New Zealand’s most demanding timber processing environments. Set on a 100-acre site outside Taupō, PermaPine is New Zealand’s largest manufacturer of ...

When Skipps Logging became one of the first contractors to achieve Safetree’s new Canopy Class certification recently, they celebrated the win with a special presentation in Cambridge. The certification, which Skipps helped pilot, is designed to recognise contractors who demonstrate ...

New Zealand’s forestry sector has confirmed it will align its workplace vocational training with the new Engineering and Manufacturing Private Training Establishment (PTE), operating under Competenz. The decision follows extensive consultation with employers, contractors and training providers, led by the ...

Recent industry discussions and safety incident data have highlighted a concerning increase in log truck and trailer rollover events across New Zealand. Industry leaders, Forest Owners, Transport Operators, and the Log Transport Safety Council (LTSC) have acknowledged that this trend requires ...

The launch of Transporting New Zealand’s Fatigue Management: Road Freight Update at their recent 60th Anniversary Conference provides an opportunity to reflect on how our understanding of driver fatigue is evolving. AutoSense was proud to support the report because it brings together ...

The first of Andrew Forrest’s giant iron ore mines in the Pilbara is now operating with an entirely electric fleet of huge excavators, as testing continues nearby on the first of its in-house 6 MW fast chargers, likely the biggest ...

The programme has now been released for HarvestTECH & Wood Transport Logistics 2026, bringing together two days of presentations focused on the latest developments in forest harvesting, wood transport and supply chain logistics. Running in Rotorua, New Zealand on 10–11 ...

Australia’s biggest private logistics company is rolling out a fleet of 26 heavy-duty Volvo electric trucks across Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide on some of the country’s busiest urban freight routes. Linfox said it is putting the first of its battery-powered ...

Kesla has expanded its forestry equipment portfolio with the launch of a new F-Series range of forwarder cranes, designed for the most common forwarder size classes. The new family includes the 9F/FT, 10F/FT, 12F/FT and 14F/FT models and replaces a ...