New Zealand Imported Tropical Timber Group

NZ Imported Timber Trade Group - NZITTG

Proposed Charter - 2016

1. Membership and Attendance of Meetings:

(a) The New Zealand Imported Timber Trade Group (NZITTG) was established in 1992 and comprises representatives of New Zealand's timber importers, timber retailers, and environmental and conservation organisations. The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI - New Zealand Government) is represented as an observer.
(b) There is a Task Force of the NZITTG comprising one representative of each of the timber product importers, retailers and conservation groups. The Chair of NZITTG and the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) representative are members of the Task Force ex officio. The Task Force has been established to actively research and consider particular issues of a technical nature, or to act in an advisory role, or to comment, as requested by Council or the Chair.
(c) The representative decision making body for the NZITTG members is the NZITTG Council. NZITTG Council representatives shall be limited to individuals duly elected, invited or appointed to represent their industry sector or organisations interest. Attendance at NZITTG Council meetings is limited to NZITTG Council members, except by special invitation of the Council. It shall be made up of a maximum of 20 representatives: six timber and manufactured board importers, six timber retailers, four conservation and environmental NGO's, one furniture manufacturer, two furniture importers, with Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) as an observer. A preference shall be given to representatives of industry or sector organisations.
(d) Membership of NZITTG is open to all NZ groups and companies with an interest in the timber trade. Members of NZITTG acknowledge the importance of active participation by interested groups outside the original founding member groups. Membership is through invitation with the consensus agreement of the NZITTG Council. Members agree to abide by the conditions established in the Charter of Understanding and membership can be revoked by the Council if conditions are breached. Chair: We don't want members' interests to be restricted to one specie or a particular single issue. We do want a broad representation so we get a good context around the discussions and have a true representation of the New Zealand situation.
(e) The NZITTG has a chairperson (Chair) who is elected every two years. The Chairperson is the official representative of the Group unless delegated otherwise. Decisions of the Council are made by consensus at meeting which are held at least 3 times per annum.

2. The goals of the Group are as follows:

2.1 To ensure that all timber imported into New Zealand is sourced from 3rd party certified or verified sustainably/responsibly managed forests and plantations.
2.2 To agree on credible certification schemes that provide purchasers with a reliable assurance of the sourcing of product from a 3rd Party certified sustainable/responsible source.
2.3 To seek understanding of and common ground between members of the Group on the key issues underpinning both the timber trade and management of forests and plantations globally.
2.4 To demonstrate leadership and innovation towards achieving imports from a 3rd Party certified sustainable/responsible source.
2.5 To promote the findings, decisions and goals of the Group to the wider NZ timber trade, local and national government, and consumers and other relevant parties.
2.6 To contribute to, and to influence NZ Government policy both within New Zealand and abroad.
2.7 To have the entire imported timber trade in NZ represented on the Group.

3. Conditions of Membership of NZITTG

The following conditions apply to members of the NZITTG. In addition, further conditions may be agreed to from time to time through consensus at NZITTG Council meetings.

3.1 All members of the Group agree to use the definition of "sustainable/responsible management" of tropical forests as determined by the NZITTG. Guidance for defining 'responsibly and/or sustainably managed forests' is contained in the NZITTG Criteria, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Principles and Criteria for Forest Stewardship, and the ITTO Criteria and Indicators for the Management of Natural Tropical Forest. No claim of timber 'sustainability' by an NZITTG member is valid without a credible third party NZITTG recognised certification scheme. Where third party legality verification is necessary it shall be from the list of NZITTG "approved auditors or schemes (available on the web site www.NZITTG.org) Third Party Legality Verification (3VL) should be seen as a time-bound step in the process towards sustainable/responsible sourcing, not as a substitute for same.
3.2 All members of the Group agree to not advertise or otherwise promote tropical timber unless sourced from a 3rd Party certified sustainable/responsible source. (Refer to Advertising Protocol on NZITTG website).
3.3 Timber trade members agree to actively seek sources of timber from certified sustainably/responsibly managed forests or plantations, and as such sources become available, to phase out the importing and sale of timber from non-sustainable sources. Timber trade and importer members shall develop timber procurement policies that reflect and implement the NZITTG Charter. Such policies will be publicly available and progress reports on the implementation of the policies will be presented to the NZITTG Council 6 monthly. New members shall agree to comply with these requirements upon application for membership. Proposal:
3.3.1 Timber trade members shall meet the targets of 90% of imported solid tropical timber products to be Verified Legal by August 2016, and 95% to be Verified Legal by August 2017. Also 70% of imported solid tropical timber products to be certified sustainable responsibly managed by August 2017 and 85% by August 2018. Exclusions include Solomon Island timbers, Fijian timbers and Kwila. A review period within 12 months of this date will occur. To be further discussed and agreed. (Any exceptions to the targets must be approved by the NZITTG Council).
3.3.2 All timber products that do not come from low risk sources, either by region, country, state province, or species shall meet as a minimum 3rd party legal requirement by August 2016.
3.4 Conservation and environmental non-government (NG0) member organisations agree not to demonstrate or use media statements against members of the NZITTG on issues relating to the NZITTG goals while members are abiding by the conditions of membership of the Group and then only after discussion through the NZITTG Chairperson.
3.5 Conservation and environmental non-government (NG0) member organisations who are NZITTG members shall publicly recognise (such as through their website or publications) those companies who adopt wood product procurement policies that are consistent with NZITTG goals, have clear timelines for achieving them, and have made significant progress towards the goal of certified sustainable/responsible sources as per the targets in
3.3.1. NGO representatives will report annually to the NZITTG Council on their efforts to achieve the NZITTG goals.

First agreed October 1994 Revised and adopted June 2002. Revised and confirmed August 2004. Revised and amended October 2007.

Glossary:

Sustainably/Responsibly Managed Forests and Plantations Timber and Timber Products (including 'conversion timber' - that from forest being cleared for plantations, and industrial agriculture.) Consensus Credible Certification Schemes