Training at Rotorua

Press, 17 December 1982, Page 16

Training at Rotorua

The transfer of expertise in milling and preservation techniques is an essential element of New Zealand’s contribution to the Zamboanga coconut-wood project — in a word, training. Since 1976 a total of 13 Filipino staff have been on courses at the New Zealand Forest Service's Timber In-, dustry Training Centre at Rotorua. The trainees have come mainly for 15-week sawmilling and . sawdoctoring courses. They return to Zamboanga. western . capital of Mindanao, southern Philip-

pines, to put their training into practice. New Zealand aid advisers, John Turner and Bob Ford, assigned to Zamboanga in 1980, have themselves provided on-the-job training in the course of their assignments. In addition there have been short visits to Zamboanga by New Zealand engineers and scientists, including New Zealand's foremost authority on the composition.' strengths and weaknesses of coconut timber. Dr A. J. McQuire, of Rotorua. The research centre is

well equipped to train staff. New Zealand has provided three mills, a preservation plant and other equipment, and the United Nations Development Programme, a supporter of the centre since 1976,. has also provided equipment. Under discussion at present is a U.N.D.P.-sponsored proposal to establish a proper training function at the Zamboanga centre. Instead of focusing mainly on research, the centre would offer training courses for staff from government and private-sector sawmills throughout the country.