A Raetihi man and his business have been fined more than $20,000 for illegally milling and transporting native timber.
Sawmiller Max Cody and his business, Timber Stone Ltd, were involved in harvesting Tawa trees from Waimarino Forest near Raetihi.
Ministry for Primary Industries officers found Cody sawed Tawa on his property and sold some of it to a timber merchant in Auckland.
The timber is being held by the ministry and will be returned to the landowners.
The ministry said Cody was a registered sawmiller between 1995 - 2000 and knew he needed consent.
