Rayonier Matariki Forests

What Rayonier Matariki Forests does

Rayonier Matariki Forests (RMF) is a New Zealand forestry management company that oversees 116,000 hectares of plantation forest across six regional operating hubs (Northland, Bay of Plenty/Coromandel, Hawke's Bay, Canterbury, and Southland/Otago). Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Auckland, the company runs a full production cycle — planting approximately 4 million trees annually, silviculture, harvesting, and log marketing — primarily in Pinus radiata. It serves three core customer groups: forest-owning investors seeking professional estate management, domestic NZ timber processors (plywood, construction timber, furniture), and international buyers in India, China, and Korea reached via three export ports (Marsden Point, Tauranga, Bluff/South Port).

The operating model blends commercial plantation forestry with environmental and social stewardship that functions as both licence-to-operate and a marketing differentiator. RMF holds FSC certification, runs long-tenure iwi partnerships (including a 20-year kiwi conservation programme at Omataroa Forest that grew the Eastern brown kiwi population from 30 to 120+ birds), and has built proprietary operational innovations: a decade-refined e-thinning chemical application method (now ~25% sector adoption), thermal-drone pest control deployed in Hawke's Bay, and a VR thinning-operations training tool customised from a Scion-developed platform. Revenue is generated through direct log sales to domestic and export buyers and through professional forest management services for investor-owned estates.

Ownership is privately held following The Rohatyn Group's June 2025 acquisition of the 77% stake previously held by Rayonier Inc. The company employs approximately 100 full-time staff, draws on a 600-strong contractor base, and has co-founded the AVA Timber export joint venture with Manulife Forest Management. Leadership positions in the Forest Owners Association, Forest Safety Council, and Future Foresters, together with the Supreme Award at the inaugural MPI Good Employer Awards (2021) and ICFPA sustainability recognition (2023), underpin its standing in NZ's forestry sector.

Name

Rayonier Matariki Forests

Legal name

Matariki Forestry Group

Website

https://matarikiforests.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rayonier Matariki Forests manages 116,000 hectares of New Zealand plantation forest, providing silviculture, harvesting, and log export services to forest-owning investors, domestic timber processors, and buyers in India, China, and Korea.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Timber Tract Operations (113110), Forestry and Logging (113)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Timber Tract Operations & Forest Ownership (Timberland) (IMAMAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Timberland & Forest Asset Management (IMAMAJAA), Timberland Asset Management (Institutional/Private) (AFAMAKAA), Timberland Asset Management & Consulting (AFAMAAAI)

Keywords

• Plantation forestry management
• Woodlot harvesting services
• Log export sales
• Sustainable forest management
• Timber harvesting operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Timber and Log Sales: Core revenue from harvesting and selling timber and logs. Domestic customers process logs into plywood, construction timber, furniture, and interior applications. Surplus exported to international markets including India, China, and Korea. Logs processed into a wide range of products including plywood, construction timber, furniture, and interior applications.
2. Forest Management Services: Professional forest management and woodlot harvesting services for investors and landowners, leveraging decades of experience and a highly qualified team.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rayonier Matariki Forests is a New Zealand forestry management company that manages 116,000 hectares of plantation and indigenous forests across multiple regions. It provides end-to-end forest management and woodlot harvesting services, harvests and sells timber and logs to domestic processors and international export markets (India, China, Korea), and integrates conservation, biodiversity, and community access programmes alongside its commercial production forestry operations.

Product overview

Rayonier Matariki Forests operates as a comprehensive forestry management company overseeing 116,000 hectares of forests throughout New Zealand. The company offers a portfolio of services centered on forest management and woodlot harvesting, log export to international markets (Korea, India, China), public forest access and recreation, pest control using innovative thermal drone technology, and environmental conservation programs. With 100 full-time staff and 600 contractors, the company manages the complete forestry lifecycle from planting (4 million trees per annum) through harvesting operations to log export.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Kiwi population in Omataroa Forest increased from 30 (2008) to 120+ birds over 20 years of predator control programme
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Ōmataroa Rangitaiki No2 TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner20-year partnership on kiwi conservation in Omataroa Forest. Matariki provides critical expertise, resource, and funding for predator control programmes. Kiwi population increased from 30 to 120+ birds, with 80 eggs collected and 60 chicks released. Over 1,500 traps across 8,000 hectares maintained. Also supports outdoor education programmes for local school children.
• Ngā Maunga Whakahii o KaiparacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-management partnership for Woodhill Forest operations. Ngā Maunga Whakahii o Kaipara retain ownership of the land following 2013 Treaty of Waitangi settlement. Matariki manages the forestry operations in partnership, balancing responsible forest management with public access and community use. Land was returned to the iwi after being established to stabilise drifting sand dunes in the 1930s-1980s.
• Tāne MahutamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing forestry employment and training for local rangatahi (Māori youth) on Māori-owned land in Bay of Plenty. Over 7 years, approximately 100 rangatahi given opportunity to experience forestry, with at least a dozen now trained forest workers meeting industry standards. Tāne Mahuta's goal is building Māori workforce capability on their own whenua.
• Save the KiwimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration through the Save the Kiwi exhibit at Fieldays. RMF's work with Ōmataroa Kiwi Project showcased as example of how forestry companies create kiwi-safe habitat. Supports Kōhanga Kiwi programme providing safe forests for juvenile kiwi.
• Wairere Mahi / Ngāti HinerangimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLifetime partnership focused on pest control and native tree planting around Killarney Lakes in the Kaimai Mamaku. First investment of its kind under the Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Project, managed by Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust. Wairere Mahi kaimahi (workers) conduct pest control and biodiversity monitoring on Matariki-leased land.
• Christchurch City Council / Smart ChristchurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on trial of Australian fire detection technology in Waitākiri/Bottle Lake Forest. High-speed sensor network with cameras collects and delivers fire detection data to key stakeholders. Also involves Fire and Emergency NZ and Police. Trial may extend to other high-recreational-use forests.
• Zealandia HorticultureminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMatariki supplies pulp logs and offcuts from Greenridge Forest to Zealandia's glasshouse operation in Clevedon for biomass energy production. Logs are chipped and fed into an onsite furnace to heat 9.5 hectares of glasshouses. Zealandia invested $1.3 million in own chipping machinery. Reduces greenhouse gas emissions by displacing fossil fuels.
• Department of Conservation (DOC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple conservation partnerships including sea lion protection in Hina Hina Forest, kākā translocation at Boundary Stream, kiwi conservation at Glenbervie Forest, and rare plant protection. DOC provides regulatory oversight and access coordination; RMF provides land access, funding, and operational support.
• Forest Owners AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRMF is a member and active participant in industry leadership. Supports Forestry Hub at Fieldays in collaboration with Forest Growers Levy Trust, Scion, Forest Owners Association, and other industry bodies.
• Forest Safety CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive member and industry leader in health and safety. RMF's Director of Health & Safety participates in Safe Start national roadshow, sharing Critical Risk Management and Human and Organisational Performance principles industry-wide.
• Hanmer Heritage Forest TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting the Forest Amble Walk in Hanmer Forest. RMF plants coastal redwoods to enhance the area and supplies recovered redwood logs for sculpture carvings. The Trust manages the sculpture trail which attracts ~83,000 visitors annually.
• NZ Council of Cargo OwnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as 'Working Alongside' partner, supporting log transportation and export logistics for the forestry sector.
• Log Transportation Safety CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on the 'Share the Road' campaign - a national forestry and log transport programme for primary schools. RMF regional teams visit schools with logging contractors and trucks to teach children about safety around logging trucks.
• Burwood Pegasus Community WatchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to include Bottle Lake Forest in community patrol routes following rise in arson reports. Community Watch has been patrolling for 27 years; expanded to include forest with ~450 patrols annually. RMF provides financial support for vehicle.
• Maungaharuru-Tangitū TrustmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on kākā translocation at Boundary Stream Mainland Island Reserve in Hawke's Bay. Also joint venture partner in Esk Forest (Esk Forest Joint Venture). Trust and RMF collaborate on bird translocation, predator control, and biodiversity programmes.
• Kiwi CoastminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative conservation initiative linking over 200 community-led projects, iwi, schools, forestry companies, and government agencies. RMF contributes to kiwi predator control in Glenbervie Forest. Kiwi Coast coordinates predator control across 205,000+ hectares.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Port Blakely Companies: US-family-owned forestry group owning and managing plantation timberland in NZ (including Tairua forests adjacent to Matariki's), plus the US Pacific Northwest and Chile. Direct comparability on plantation forestry, harvesting, log export, and conservation integration.
• Rayonier Inc. Former 77% shareholder of Matariki and one of the largest US timberland REITs. Operates a global timberland portfolio with plantation management and log marketing capabilities structurally identical to Matariki's, including in NZ through its previous ownership.
• Ernslaw One: Privately owned major NZ radiata plantation owner and forest manager with ~120,000+ ha across NZ (one of MFG's key domestic competitors) operating under OneFortyOne. Direct competitor for log supply, export markets, and forest management mandates.
• OneFortyOne Plantations: ASX-listed softwood plantation timberland company managing large NZ and Australian radiata pine estates, exporting logs to Asia. Closest listed peer in species, geography, scale, and export-market exposure.
• Hancock Natural Resource Group: Manulife-owned global institutional timberland investment manager with portfolios across the US, Australia, NZ, Canada, and Chile. Strong overlap with Matariki on institutional timberland mandates, plantation active management, and ESG/conservation framing.
• Manulife Investment Management (Timberland): Global institutional timberland investment manager and Matariki's joint venture partner in AVA Timber export venture. Highly comparable business model: managing large timberland portfolios globally for institutional investors with active harvesting programmes.
• PF Olsen & Co: NZ-headquartered forest management and harvesting services provider managing large plantation estates for institutional and iwi owners. Comparable service offering, contractor model, and NZ-only geographic footprint.

Broad incumbents

• PotlatchDeltic Corporation: US-listed timberland REIT owning ~2.2 million acres of timberland. Directly comparable institutional timberland ownership and harvest business model, though focused on US South/Mountain West rather than NZ radiata.
• Weyerhaeuser Company: One of the world's largest timberland owners and a publicly listed timberland REIT. Compares on institutional timberland ownership, plantation management, and log marketing at scale, though Matariki is NZ-only and far smaller.

Regional players

• City Forests Limited: NZ Dunedin-based council-owned plantation forestry company (~13,000 ha in Southland/Otago). Overlaps with Matariki on radiata plantation management and Southland log supply, but materially smaller and council-owned rather than PE-owned.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/matariki-forests-limited

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rayonier Matariki Forests