Cost recovery for the registration of log traders and forestry advisers

Background to this consultation

In 2020, Parliament passed the Forests (Regulation of Log Traders and Forestry Advisers) Amendment Act establishing a Forestry Authority and a registration system for log traders and forestry advisers.

Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service consulted on options for the regulations required to give effect to registration between 26 November 2021 and 17 January 2022. The consultation document stated proposals for fees, charges, and levies would be consulted on after the basic design requirements for the new system had been finalised.

The Government then made decisions on the initial requirements for the new system. We sought your feedback on options for cost recovery settings.

This consultation closed on 1 April 2022.

Find out more about the registration system for log traders and forestry advisers

Consultation documents

Cost recovery for the registration of log traders and forestry advisers [PDF, 1.1 MB]

What was proposed?

The key elements of the regulatory settings for the initial registration system were:

• matters for the Forestry Authority to take into account when determining if a person is fit and proper to be registered
• the information required to be submitted with an application for registration or renewal of registration
• record keeping obligations
• reporting obligations (for log traders)
• complaints and disputes resolution processes.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) identified 2 proposed options to fund the new registration system. These options applied to registration for both log traders and forestry advisers.

Option 1 (preferred)

Under this option, costs for services would be recovered in line with the Amendment Act and MPI's cost recovery principles through:

• a $444 registration fee for the first 5-year period, payable at the time of registration
• a fee for each criminal conviction check required to be undertaken by the Forestry Authority at the time of registration
• annual levies of $320 for the ongoing system administration and monitoring and compliance costs starting from the 2023-24 year.

To support efficient and fair administration of cost recovery, MPI also proposes regulations to provide for the Forestry Authority to grant an exemption from, or waive or refund, any fee or levy “in whole or in part, in any particular case or class of case”.

Option 2

Under this option, the Crown funds all services for the registration system.

Submissions are public information

Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens if we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.

People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.

If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.

Official Information Act 1982 – NZ Legislation