Farm Forestry New ZealandLooking into the cabal
Howard Moore, New Zealand Tree Grower May 2021.
I am pleased that the Councillors elected members of the strategic review group to the Executive. Fresh ideas are always welcome. The election might also help dampen concerns that a ‘Wellington cabal’ has been exerting too much dominance over the NZFFA. Well, really?
A number of us here in the capital live relatively close together and do not have day jobs, so we can meet whenever we like. Usually we meet on Tuesday afternoons at around 12:30 for sandwiches and coffee Then we shout at each other for two hours and at 3.00 pm we often go for a drink.
At our meetings we argue over the work of the Climate Change Commission, Te Uru Rakau, Scion, He Waka Eke Noa and Beef+Lamb. We talk about submissions which are coming up, and if we feel strongly we spend days preparing drafts for the Executive. We help plan the content of the Tree Grower, and if we can think of no-one willing and qualified, we write the articles ourselves. We share ideas with David Rhodes of the NZ Forest Owners Association and the Forest Growers Levy Trust. We think of useful projects the NZFFA might do with grant money, write applications for grants, or debate progress in work already funded.
We are all members of the Forest Investors Action Group. Many of us are on the Executive. Some of us spend time in the Small and Medium Enterprises Committee for the levy board, and some represent the NZFFA on other committees. Admittedly, our work does not attract new members, but being vocal, frank and available we keep the NZFFA profile high with politicians, officials, the levy board and other organisations.
They seek our views, sponsor our annual conference and happily attend and speak at our events. Given that a handful of us each put in up to 20 hours a week, it is not surprising that we ‘dominate’ the NZFFA. Apart from one or two Executive members no-one else looks close.
Perhaps the new Executive members will take active roles as well, but I expect they are as busy as you are. We will see how they are placed for time and what subjects interest them. Meanwhile, our group will carry on having lunch, shouting at one another and going for drinks because someone has to deal with officials, plan the Tree Grower and seek grants for cypress trials and as we are not paid to do this, we want it to be fun.
On top of this activity Graham West plans to lead the new Executive to rejuvenate the NZFFA. Because this is extra there will be a budget for someone else to do it, and as a handful of us put in long hours unpaid and bring money into the NZFFA, we are very keen to see that whoever is paid and takes money out, does some serious work and produces some serious value. Hence the steering group.
It is mostly for fun and games, but the so-called ‘cabal’ does have a real purpose. Like a wine glass. And my goodness, it is 3 o’clock already.
Howard Moore is a member of the Forest Investors Action Group.
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