A safety council has been set up to help make forests safer workplaces.
The council - formed earlier this year and launched at Parliament last night - has been set up in response to a recommendation from a panel that reviewed forestry safety last year.
It will be chaired by Dame Alison Paterson and its board will include representatives of forest owners, contractors, workers, unions and Worksafe. The council's funding will come from ACC, Worksafe and a forest grower levy.
Forest Owners Association president Paul Nicholls said there had been a dramatic turn-round in safety performance since 2013 but it was vital to maintain and reinforce a culture of safety.
