New Zealand Journal of Forestry (2014) 59(1): 9–14
©New Zealand Institute of Forestry

Feature article
New Zealand engagement in international forestry policy

Alan Reid <sup>1

1</sup> Senior Analyst, International Policy Directorate, Ministry for Primary Industries, Wellington

This paper discusses the New Zealand government’s participation in forest and forestry-related international discussions. It focuses on the period from the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED or Rio conference) in Rio de Janeiro to the present. During this time the basis of this country’s international forest policy positioning, as set by domestic natural resources and forest-related policy changes in the 1980s, has not fundamentally changed. In essence the New Zealand engagement on forests is about: extracting and protecting the multiple values held by indigenous and planted forests; the need for a coherent and effective global governance system; the necessity to address contemporary issues such as illegal logging and illegal trade in timber; and the importance of, and New Zealand’s experience with, sustainable forest management.
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