As part of our employment philosophy we want our people to achieve their full potential, to love what they do and to succeed. Learning and professional growth are at the core of our great team. Rayonier Matariki Forests is a group of around 90 people with common values and working together towards a shared vision. We pride ourselves on looking for fresh perspectives and challenging the status quo as we strive to continually improve our business.
We have been supporting industry education and career pathways by providing scholarships and student vacation programmes for the University of Canterbury’s forestry students for more than 20 years.
We employ graduates with a range of tertiary qualifications from forestry and commerce to marketing and geography and provide them with the ongoing training and mentoring to learn on the job.
We offer a number of educational scholarships directly linked to our Iwi joint venture partners to support attracting people into forestry education and to advance careers of Maori already working in forestry.
We provide ongoing personal development – from Outward Bound programmes to foster leadership qualities to international conferences to share and learn how we can better our business.
And of course there are the perks – a ute with all operational roles, wellness allowance, flexible working conditions and the view from the ‘office window’ can be exhilarating!
Drew Woods
Graduate Harvest Forester, Canterbury
Drew talks about his first role in forestry and what excites him about working in the industry. With a love of the outdoors and wanting to have a positive environmental impact, Drew has found the perfect career for him.
Hamish McConnon
Production Manager, Canterbury
Hamish has worked in the forestry industry for 18 years and the last 14 years have been with RMF. In that time he has been excited to see the huge changes across health and safety, environmental and operational processes.
He shares what his role involves and the huge variety of people and jobs that make up his day.
Acacia Farmery
Forest Estate Manager, Southland
Acacia was drawn to the forestry industry initially because of the wealth of job opportunities but then she was hooked by the sustainable industry and the awesome people who work in it. Acacia gets out of bed in the morning because she feels like she’s making a real difference – both in terms of the environment and the benefits the industry brings to New Zealand.
Phoebe Milne
Forest Investment group, Auckland
Phoebe Milne has packed a lot into her short career, experiencing everything on offer and embracing opportunities as they present themselves.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Forestry Science with First Class Honours from Canterbury University in 2021 and joined Rayonier Matariki Forests as a graduate forester in Hawke’s Bay the following year.
“Being a part of RMF’s graduate programme has been a real bonus,” says Phoebe. “It’s been a varied and interesting role covering different operations, including forestry, roading and harvesting, allowing me to establish a holistic understanding of the business of forestry. I knew immediately I had made the right career choice,” says Phoebe.
Phoebe Milne has packed a lot into her short career, experiencing everything on offer and embracing opportunities as they present themselves.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Forestry Science with First Class Honours from Canterbury University in 2021 and joined Rayonier Matariki Forests as a graduate forester in Hawke’s Bay the following year.
“Being a part of RMF’s graduate programme has been a real bonus,” says Phoebe. “It’s been a varied and interesting role covering different operations, including forestry, roading and harvesting, allowing me to establish a holistic understanding of the business of forestry. I knew immediately I had made the right career choice,” says Phoebe.
When the Hawke’s Bay was devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle in February, Phoebe was on the ground and able to lend a hand to the immense cleanup efforts.
“The community really came together and the forestry industry rallied and collaborated to better understand the situation and put in action a woody debris response plan. Although extremely tough, this was quite unlike anything else I had ever experienced.”
Phoebe really enjoyed her graduate role spending a lot of time in the forests and meeting and working with a diverse group of people.
A few months later opportunity knocked and she was offered her current position of Forest Planner, based in Auckland. While it is completely different to her previous outdoor-based role, she is delighted to experience yet another side of forestry.
“This role sees me, more often than not, behind a desk with only the occasional forest visit. But it’s like having a bird’s eye view of the business. I interact with all the regions and get insights into how their operations differ.
“At this stage in my career it’s desirable to have as many different experiences as possible and RMF has provided me with the opportunity to do that,” says Phoebe.
In the Forest Planner role Phoebe has responsibility for understanding and reporting forest growth and how much wood will be available for harvest. In conjunction with regional staff, she then determines how much to harvest, from which forests and when to schedule this for. This requires an understanding of the drivers of forest productivity and profitability, like markets, environmental constraints and logging crew capacities. “It is fascinating learning what drives the business and being able to look at it from an estate level.”
The forestry sector has always been a part of Phoebe’s life. Her father is a forest consultant and her parents own and manage a forestry nursery in Canterbury. Growing up, she would often tag along on her father’s visits to clients and enjoyed seeing some beautiful countryside and meeting amazing people.
So when it came time to choose a career Phoebe already knew that the forestry industry was full of options. “I think there is a job in forestry to suit everyone. The possibilities are endless… and there’s nothing better than being in a forest on a good day.”
Katie Yallop
Graduate Forester, BOP
Loving the outdoors and all things nature related, Katie Yallop knew she wanted a career that followed those interests.
On a whim she signed up for University of Canterbury’s Bachelor of Forestry Science degree and just two months later, knew it was the right decision.
“Early on they taught us about the variety of forestry career pathways available and I realised how versatile the degree was,” says Katie. “We had a lot of field trips where we got to see different parts of the industry and I saw so much that I would love to do.”
Loving the outdoors and all things nature related, Katie Yallop knew she wanted a career that followed those interests.
On a whim she signed up for University of Canterbury’s Bachelor of Forestry Science degree and just two months later, knew it was the right decision.
“Early on they taught us about the variety of forestry career pathways available and I realised how versatile the degree was,” says Katie. “We had a lot of field trips where we got to see different parts of the industry and I saw so much that I would love to do.”
Katie graduated in 2021 and began working with Rayonier Matariki Forests in 2022 in Bay of Plenty. She had completed a summer internship with RMF in 2020 in her home town of Christchurch and heard from older graduates that RMF was a great employer so she knew she wanted to work for the company.
As a graduate forester, every day is different. “I get to go to the forest a couple of days a week where I manage contractors, carry out audits, resolve any issues, monitor forest health and provide overall support. They’re full on days but they’re fun and provide a change from my office based activities of planning blocks and rates for contractors,” says Katie.
This year Katie has had the opportunity to become involved with research and development project work which she enjoys and she is looking forward to growing that part of her role. “The forestry industry will be undergoing a lot of changes over the next few years and it would be great to be a part of that decision making and help the industry adjust to whatever comes next.”
Ask Katie what the best part of her job is and, like so many others, she’ll tell you it is the people. “The RMF staff and contractors have a shared purpose and we all seem to be equally passionate about the industry and our jobs. Everyone knows everyone and we have a great culture.
“You’re part of the bigger picture. Forestry is a long term game and it’s a cool feeling knowing the trees you’re putting in the ground today will be nurtured and maintained before being harvested in 25 years’ time.”
She says that opportunities to grow can always be found somewhere in the country. “Every region has their own twist on the way they do things so as well as dealing with different types of forests and terrain, you are also continually being exposed to different management techniques and styles.”
Katie is also a member of Future Foresters, a community of young foresters that provides connection and advocacy for newcomers to the industry. In her role as Central North Island Regional Leader, she coordinates events and creates opportunities for socialising, volunteering and joining the wider industry discussions.
“Not enough school leavers know the potential of the forestry industry and what it can offer. We try to be a voice to encourage exploration of the many opportunities that exist, no matter your interests or skills.”
Bevan Braithwaite
Harvest Planner, Northland
Bevan decided very early in life that forestry was for him.
Bevan’s father started working in forestry at the age of 14 and now, at 70, is still enjoying the job and the lifestyle.
So when it came time to find a school holiday job in his home region of Northland, the forestry door was wide open. Bevan worked as part of a silviculture crew and tree planting and just loved being outside in nature. He quickly realised that it not only paid a whole lot better than other school holiday jobs but there was a great professional career waiting for him.
Bevan decided very early in life that forestry was for him.
Bevan’s father started working in forestry at the age of 14 and now, at 70, is still enjoying the job and the lifestyle.
So when it came time to find a school holiday job in his home region of Northland, the forestry door was wide open. Bevan worked as part of a silviculture crew and tree planting and just loved being outside in nature. He quickly realised that it not only paid a whole lot better than other school holiday jobs but there was a great professional career waiting for him.
Bevan obtained a Bachelor of Forestry Science at Canterbury University and first went logging in North Canterbury while he saved for an extended European holiday. On his return to New Zealand he relocated to Hawke’s Bay and took up a role as graduate forester before moving into a harvest planning engineer role for three years.
Home turf started to call and Bevan returned to Northland and took up the Harvest Operations Coordinator role at Rayonier Matariki Forests. A year later, the Harvest Planner role became available and Bevan jumped at it but continued to transition out of his Coordinator role for a year, while a replacement was found.
“The people are just awesome to work with – both my immediate RMF team and contractors,” says Bevan. “Everyone is so connected and engaged – there is no conversation you can’t have. The focus is always on how to do things better. In Northland we deal with small catchments and challenging terrain, that requires specialist management. It makes for an inspiring and dynamic day, every day.”
In his spare time Bevan enjoys the glorious Northland beaches, the diving and the fishing.
“It’s great to be back on home soil and working for a progressive and caring company. Forestry is not an ‘on the tools job’ that it has previously been perceived as. It offers such diverse career paths, requiring a lot of different skills. It pays well and provides a great lifestyle choice,” says Bevan.
“There is a big future for forestry in New Zealand with a lot of new roles yet to be created as the sector changes and evolves..”
Please email nzrecruitment@rayonier.com for information on our current vacancies.
