A professional forester has had a chip at the primary industries and education ministers for ignoring forestry in a program to promote careers in primary industries. Sources: Radio New Zealand, Scoop
Nathan Guy and Hekia Parata launched the Enterprising Primary Industries Career Challenge – a competition for year 10 students to identify and promote different careers in the primary sector.
The range of careers quoted includes farming, fishing, horticulture, marketing, remote sensing, robotics, chemical engineering, genetics, nutrition, policy, communications, product design, science and IT.
But Andrew McEwen, who has spent 50 years in the forestry sector, complained in an open letter to the ministers that his industry did not get a mention.
“It may have been a slip, I don’t know, but we get the impression that forestry is not always very high in the minds of politicians and officials,” McEwen said.
“I have been privileged to have spent the last 50 years as a forestry professional, the last six as President of the professional body, the NZ Institute of Forestry, an association that has been active since its founding in 1927 and does much to promote the wide range of activities that make up forestry.
“It is disappointing, in the month that I step down from that position, to find that we have still not persuaded Ministers and officials of the significance of forests and forestry to New Zealand and of the breadth of opportunities they offer to school leavers.
“My plea to you as Ministers and to your officials is to appreciate and promote the importance of forests and forestry to the New Zealand environment, economy and society and to encourage school pupils and leavers to understand the diverse, exciting and challenging career opportunities that they provide.
“I have certainly never regretted the career choice I made more than 50 years ago, but I am disappointed that you have chosen to ignore the many thousands of New Zealanders who have dedicated their careers to the management and use of forests for the benefit of their fellow New Zealanders.”
Mr McEwen conceded that the forest industry’s poor safety record and high accident rate had not helped its image. But the Government said forestry was not intentionally left out of the list of primary industry career opportunities that school students could aspire to.
Nathan Guy’s office said in fact the forestry sector is part of the EPIC challenge school careers program. It said the fact that it was not mentioned was down to a matter of space.
