Business View Oceania | Volume 3, Issue 11

51 52 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 3, ISSUE 11 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 3, ISSUE 11 often looks greener on the other side. We work hard to give our staff a positive environment to work in and foster loyalty values.” Mr Hemsworth also highlights the importance of public education on issues such as sustainability. “The forestry industry, when done right, is really quite a positive force in the sustainability sphere. However, our New Zealand farmers at the moment are worried about carbon planting. We have seen an uptake of buyers who acquire sheep and beef farms, shut them down and set them up again as plantations, then simply leave them without any form of production. Our meat industry is incredibly important to the economy, and as a small country, we need to use our land intelligently. So what we need to do is plan our land use, and make sure we are replanting properly after harvest. We also need to protect and utilise our native species.” CMH Contracting would like to thank forest CMH CONTRACT ING get a few really good years, and then it’s quiet for a while. During those down times, we work pretty leanly, and use the extra time to develop our business inward until production demand rises again,’ Mr. Hemsworth shares. “Skilled labour is always hard to come by. There’s a real shortage in staff, and not just for our industry at the moment, but for everyone across New Zealand. Part of that is a result of COVID-19 preventing our seasonal and migrant workers from accessing the country to work. We tend to have a pretty good retention of staff, but there’s also an issue with that for many forestry companies; there’s a sort of culture where workers will jump ship, but you know, the grass one another, and we definitely have a lot of trust in each other to do the right thing. I take my role very seriously, and my guys can come to me about anything with the knowledge that I’ll listen and take their perspective on board. At the end of the day CMH Contracting is nothing without those awesome staff who are on the ground getting the hard work done.” Significant challenges facing CMH Contracting include the changeability of the forestry market, fluctuating demand for services, and staff shortages. “Forestry is a really up and down business, and it’s greatly affected by what’s going on in other areas of the world. Usually for us, we Port Blakely is proud to partner with both Cable Logging Ltd & CMH Ltd. Port Blakelyʼs story is one of innovation, determination, & stewardship. Itʼs about cultivating a healthy world by caring for our forests to produce the sustainable forest products we grow & the communities we support. Founded in 1863, Port Blakely is a fifth generation family-owned company doing business in New Zealand since 1993, now owning and managing 38,000 Hectares in both the South and North Islands. www.portblakely.com | 03 338 6741