The forestry and wood processing industries will soon benefit from improved facilities at the Waiariki Institute of Technology in Rotorua.
A new gasifier, quality control laboratory and mechanised harvesting simulators are the last projects financed by the previous Government’s Forest Industry Development Agenda which was jointly funded by Government and the forest industry.
Institute spokesperson Jonathon Hagger said the new facilities would boost vocational training, teaching and research resources at the institute’s School of Forestry, Wood Processing and Biotechnology.
The gasifier will be attached to the existing boiler at the Waipa campus and will be fed with sawmill wood waste.
Jointly funded by FIDA and EECA, it will enable new courses to be developed in gasification, bio-energy and boiler operation. It will also be made available for research by industry partners.
This winter, construction of a laboratory will begin at Waipa for teaching wood quality control. Initially it will focus on timber gluing and strength testing, but with provision for expansion as demand for new courses grows. These may include sonic log and timber testing, wood chip quality, structural timber strength and stiffness, as well as wood component manufacturing.
Two different types of simulation software are being purchased.
The USNR Mill Expert will enable the Waiariki sawmill to be optimised for production efficiency and teaching. The John Deere harvester/forwarder simulator, which simulates mobile mechanical harvesting, will be transportable – allowing it to be located at remote training sites, schools and events. It will provide hands-on training for both new and experienced operators.
Established in 1978, Waiariki has a student population of around 9000 full- and part-time students, making it one of the largest tertiary institutes outside the university centres.
Originally developed as a centre for adult and trades education, it has offered bachelor degree programs since the early 1990s.
The institute’s School of Forestry has strong links with Rotorua’s forest industry and its forest management, forest operations, solid wood processing and biotechnology programs are designed to provide the industry with job-ready graduates.
The Diploma in Forest Management and short courses are taught primarily at the institute’s Mokoia Campus, with timber machining and other wood processing courses taught at the Waipa Campus.
The Waiariki National Centre of Excellence for the Forest and Wood Industries is a partnership between Waiariki, FITEC and the University of Auckland. It supports all the forestry and wood manufacturing courses provided by Waiariki including the Diploma in Forest Management and the Diploma in Manufacturing.
The centre is being outfitted with a specialist computer suite used to run state-of-the-art computer simulation software relating to forest mapping, forest operations, saw doctoring, machining and related applications.
