N.Z. radiata coup in Aust.

Press, 27 May 1985, Page 8

N.Z. radiata coup in Aust.

NZPA staff correspondent Sydney New Zealand timber men, faced with a huge oversupply of radiata pine, are contemplating the huge success of the first stage of a bid to educate Australians to use more of the timber. Left to a do-it-yourself effort after Australian timber authorities pulled out of what was meant to be a joint promotion, the New Zealanders went it alone with a week of seminars in Sydney that astounded Australians. The twice-daily seminars, organised by the New Zealand Timber Industry Federation, had Australian timber suppliers, builders, engineers and architects sitting in the aisles of the small seminar room of a Sydney hotel. A senior executive, Mr John Kelly, said the seminars were a “raging success” and that more would be held. New Zealand’s timber industry faces something of a crisis. Present supplies of radiata pine are due to double within the next five years as new forests become ready for milling. By

the year 2000 the amount of pine available will be three times the present level. The new timber, the result of forests planted since the Second World War, is also regarded as super timber because of modern pruning techniques which produce timber up to six metres long with no knots or defects, making it too good to use for pulping or paper making. With a potentially embarrassing oversupply of timber on its horizon, the federation decided to start an education programme in its world markets to expand timber use.

The seminars in Sydney were the first of the series, and Mr Kelly said that the New Zealand industry might not have to look any further than Australia “because there’s a huge market here.” Australian timber producers, who a few years ago finished an expensive, bitter legal battle against imports of New Zealand pine, face a similar problem of post-war forests coming on to the market, and were meant to join the New Zealanders in the new education programme. The Australians withdrew from the deal and asked for

it to be postponed because, they said, of a poor response to invitations to the seminars.

However, after having invested three months and considerable money in preparing the seminar material, the New Zealand federation decided to go it alone, and set up its own invitation list.

Mr Kelly, who with the dean of the school of architecture at Victoria University, Dr John Webster, presented the hour-long multiscreen audio-visual show, said the result went beyond all expectations.

“We had a room that held a maximum of 30 people and we were expecting about 18 a time,” he said. "Instead we got up to 29 people as well as the New Zealand people. We had them sitting in the aisles. “People who saw the presentation and took part in the talks one day, went away and sent back two or three people the next day to see it as well. We didn't turn anyone away. “The Australian industry people came along as well and they were relieved that we didn’t turn it into a New Zealand advertisement, but rather one for radiata pine.

“That was the purpose of it all — we don’t want to stir up old resentments again.” What Mr Kelly and Dr Webster were showing the Australians was how New Zealand used timber for pole houses which are still in their infancy in Australia, for retaining walling, kitset farm buildings, large buildings such as warehouses, halls, hangars and indoor swimming pools with laminated beams and trusses, furniture, housing interiors in the manner of Lockwood houses, multi-storey buildings and even road bridges. “In bridges, for example, we are discovering in New Zealand that all over the country pre-stressed concrete bridges erected since the war are failing because the weather has got into the small cracks in the concrete caused by the stressing, causing it to break away and then getting at the reinforcing steel. “With timber bridges we are getting 80 years life compared with 40 years for so-called permanent concrete structures. “The reaction to all this from the Australians has been one of bewilderment at what is happening in New

Zealand and realisation of how far behind us they are.

“The common reaction has been, ‘Weve got a lot of work to do.’ ” One of the main obstacles to expanded use of timber in Australia is outdated building and standard codes. Mr Kelly said the Australian industry was already moving to change that and was importing a Canadian expert to show how it could be done.

“They realise that if they don’t do it they won’t have an industry in a few years; it will all have been taken over by steel and concrete,” Mr Kelly said.

“We have shown the industry what you can do with timber but we don’t expect any immediate return. We have budgeted for a threeyear plan. This is a longterm thing and we are preparing the ground for five years from now. “The local industry officials were relieved we pushed pine and not New Zealand, so we’ve kept good faith with them but at the same time made a New Zealand impact on the local industry. “I would have to say it was a raging success,” Mr Kelly said.