The Indonesia Human Rights Committee has staged a protest against the sale of furniture made from Papuan rainforest kwila at a leading New Zealand retail chain outlet.
The New Zealand-based committee has long campaigned against the sale of illegally-sourced hardwood from Indonesia.
At the weekend, the committee protested outside the Harvey Norman furniture store in Manukau.
While some retailers have turned away from kwila to other woods with independent certification of legality, Harvey Norman keeps selling kwila products.
The Committee's spokesperson Maire Leadbetter says the protest aimed to highlight the impact of rainforest destruction and illegal logging on communities in Papua.
"There is no such thing as kwila in New Zealand with any kind of independent certification as to its legality or how it's been logged. So we know when we see something that's made from kwila that there's no guarantee that it's been logged in any way that's legal or sustainable."
Maire Leadbetter
