Gisborne Mayor, Rehette Stoltz and Councillor Meredith Akuhata-Brown got an up-close look at the forestry industry when they spent a day in Mangatu Forest recently.

Hosted by Ernslaw One’s Gisborne Regional Manager, Bill Wheeler, CEO, Darren Mann and Jill Macaulay, the visitors not only had the opportunity to see forestry operations in progress but were treated to a ride in a brand new Kenworth truck.

Proud truck owner/driver, Errol Tuhi, of Pacific Haulage Limited (PHL) took both Rehette and Meredith for a spin so they could experience navigating rural roads from a truck driver’s viewpoint.

“The rural road network is of critical importance to our industry, our people and all communities in Tairawhiti,” says Errol.“It is the crucial link between the forest and the customer so we need to make sure that country roads are safe for trucks.”

A visit to a harvesting operation provided the opportunity to demonstrate a fully mechanised crew who were operating a tethered forwarder off the winch.

“This really showcased the benefits of utilising mechanical harvesting and it could be clearly seen how this can positively impact the health and safety of our workforce,” says Bill.

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