Mark Ross

NEW ZEALAND — Wood Processors and Manufactures Association (WPMA) CEO Mark Ross, released the Association’s 2026 general election manifesto calling on the next government to back a decisive national shift from raw log exports to high-value wood manufacturing. Global softwood fibre is in short supply, and New Zealand must act before the window to capitalise closes. The 2026 election manifesto calls on all sides to pivot from raw log exports to high-value wood manufacturing across five interlocking fronts. …As it stands, up to 60% of New Zealand’s harvest currently leaves the country as raw logs. WPMA argues the sector is forfeiting billions in unrealised value and leaving regional communities exposed to commodity price cycles beyond their control. Its primary demand is a national commitment to shifting that equation, backed by regulatory settings that incentivise long-term investment, support innovation, and accelerate the development of emerging forest bio-products as commercial pillars alongside sawn timber and engineered wood.