Kit Richards (B.For.Sci)
Recently retired, Kit is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Forestry and has been involved in the industry for 45 years starting out on his professional career on the West Coast. There as General Manager Planning for Timberlands West Coast Ltd, he was involved in the introduction of aerial selection systems for the region’s native forests as well as part of the team bringing on to production the West Coast’s exotic plantations. Through to this period, Kit was involved in the negotiation of the West Coast Forests Accord and the transitioning of the West Coast forest estates through the reforms of the 80’s from Government Department to SOE.
After a period consulting under his own arrangements, Kit took up the position of Environment Manager for PF Olsen Ltd in 2004 in Rotorua, with responsibilities for PF Olsen’s environmental and certification performance nationwide.
Concurrent with his tenure at PF Olsen, Kit had long term involvement in the progression of Forest Certification (FSC and PEFC) in New Zealand and been an active member of the NZ Forest Owner’s Association Environment Committee including in recent times, assisting in submissions to Government on matters of the National Environmental Standard for Plantation Forestry, water reform and indigenous biodiversity legislation. He had, while on the West Coast been on the FOA communications subcommittee and during the period of Future Forest Research, Kit was Theme Leader for the Environment Theme under that organisation.