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Date: 18 Apr 2008

From: MAF Biosecurity New Zealand oral history project

By: Mooney, Brian Denis Simon, 1957-

Reference: OHInt-0975-15

Description: Interview with Brian Mooney, born in Alexandra in 1957. Refers to being raised in Clyde and Hamilton, and his father being a lawyer and then a magistrate. Talks about working for the New Zealand Forest Service after he left school, spending two years at Kaingaroa Forest training as a Woodsman Cadet. Comments on having a year off work after a bad motorcycle accident and later being sent to Tawarua Forest (Te Kuiti) to learn supervision. Mentions working at Aupouri Forest, Kaitaia for a year and then in the Thames Regional Office of the Forest Service where one of his tasks was collecting native seeds. Describes work in the Tairua Forest near Whangamata 1980-1985 planting kauri and supervising tree thinning. Comments on living in single men's camps at each forest and on camp life. Talks about becoming a Timber Inspection and Preservation Officer in Mt Maunganui in 1985, and the training he received in entomology, mycology and wood techology. Discusses his work inspecting export logs and timber, timber mills and preservation plants, as well as timber packaging on ships coming in. Mentions the port was focused on exports. Refers to the development of his passion for quarantine, especially import quarantine. Mentions dealing with termites which had arrived on Australian power poles. Comments on the merger of the Ministries of Forestry and Agriculture in 1987 and the culture change for Forestry staff. Talks about learning new skills after the merger of the Port Inspection Service and the Timber Inspection Service and the job becoming more complex. Refers to moving to Auckland in 1990 where his work became focused on imports. Mentions the shift to containerisation, working with people and the difference from working with exports. Describes in detail the chain of processes for importers on the wharf, and MAF and Customs having separate processes. Compares methods for inspecting an incoming ship as a timber inspector and later as a quarantine officer, and the problems with developing common procedures. Talks about agricultural risks for New Zealand, container standards and searching, and importer lobby groups. Refers to white spotted tussock moth and painted apple moth, the costs of incursion emergencies, and MAF (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry) being manager driven. Comments that Customs and MAF need more communication at all levels. Mentions pre-clearance on passenger and cruise liners, the risk of passenger items, and detector dogs. Describes the importance of the staff uniform. Comments on changes in attitudes to and opportunities for women in the service since the merger with MAF. Refers to the ethnic make up of staff, and to the TV programme Border Patrol. Mentions colleagues including Des Ogle, Neil Hyde, Pat Marsh, Len Greaves and David Grimshaw. Reflects on his deep passion for quarantine, and on the need to save New Zealand coming before staff and management. Interviewer(s) - Megan Hutching Accompanying material - copy of booklet "Taking pines to pasture: merging of the Ministries of Agriculture and Forestry (Cases in public sector innovation, no. 10, published by Victoria University of Wellington through Victoria Link, 2001.); with printed abstract Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHDL-001102 Quantity: 1 digital sound recording(s) digital sound recording(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 1 interview(s). 2.44 Hours and minutes Duration. Physical Description: Sound files - wave files Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-7310. Search dates: 1957 - 2008

Date: 2 May 2008 - 02 May 2008

From: MAF Biosecurity New Zealand oral history project

By: Williams, Harcourt Daniel Macey, 1921-2016

Reference: OHInt-0975-21

Description: Interview with Harry (Harcourt) Williams, born in Blenheim in 1921. Talks about his family background, growing up on a farm at Kaiuma Bay, Pelorus Sound, his schooling, and studying at Massey Agricultural College 1939-1940. Comments on joining the Territorials just before war was declared but not being mobilised because he was working on a farm. Refers to joining the Navy in 1944, training in Auckland and New York, and then sailing to Scotland on the Il de France. Mentions the war was over before he saw active service. Discusses going into forestry after he was demobbed, working as a leading hand in the Waipoua and Tairua forests, and then working in the last kauri timber mill in Auckland after he married in 1948. Refers to taking a job assembling trolley buses after the mill closed, and then trying carpentry. Discusses joining the Forest Service in 1959 as a timber inspector. Describes work on the wharves checking for insects on incoming timber, particularly Australian hardwood poles, and refers to the difficulty of finding insects before their damage was visible. Outlines the treatment used when signs of termites and other pests were found. Mentions the insect specimen collection in the Forestry huts on the Kings Wharf, and the inspection notebooks they used. Refers to checking incoming poles and timber at Northland ports although Port Agriculture officers sometimes did it for them. Describes inspecting wood in general cargo, cases and dunnage. Comments that when he started cargo was packed in wood with infested bark on the inside of the crates, and cable drums were another hazard. Refers to the change to pallet cargo and then container shipping. Mentions ship fumigation with methyl bromide and the danger of gas in the holds. Recalls getting calls from members of the public about insect infestations and checking them. Talks about inspecting export timber at mills and problems with rot in damp timber. Explains how they worked with Port Agricultural Officers inspecting ships. Criticises the process of returning service personnel having their gear pre-cleared overseas. Reflects on relationships with importers, watersiders and others on the wharves. Mentions they became sampling officers for the Timber Preservation Authority and the work involved. Comments on contributing to training courses for new staff. Talks about retiring in 1986 but being called back fill in while permanent staff went to Rotorua for training after the Forest Service was disbanded in 1987. Recalls Len Greaves, Mike Lay, Wally Barber and Travis Flint. Interviewer(s) - Megan Hutching Accompanying material - Handwritten notes based on Mr Williams' work notebooks (3 p.); photocopy of other handwritten notes about aspects of his work as a timber inspector (6 p.), with printed abstract Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHDL-001112 Quantity: 1 digital sound recording(s) digital sound recording(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 1 digital photograph(s). 1 interview(s). 2.41 Hours and minutes Duration. Physical Description: Sound files - wave files; Image file - jpeg Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-7316. Digital photograph of Harry Williams taken on the day of the interview Search dates: 1921 - 2008

Date: 18 Dec 2008 - 11 Feb 2009

From: MAF Biosecurity New Zealand oral history project

By: Cross, James Edward, 1942-

Reference: OHInt-0975-08

Description: Interview with Jim (James) Cross, born in Lincolnshire, England in 1942. Refers to growing up in West Bridgeford, his mother dying when he was 14, working on a farm after he left school and then attending a farming college. Talks about coming to New Zealand with a friend in 1964, meeting his wife on the ship, and working as a herd tester. Describes joining the Port Agriculture Service in Auckland in 1966. Refers to being given the operations manual and inspection equipment, training on the job and through courses, and the uniform. Talks about duties including ship clearance, cargo inspection, airport baggage inspection, and produce inspection for import and export. Refers to mail inspection at the main post office. Mentions the rostered work at Mangere Airport and sometimes long hours. Reflects on the working environment with a great variety of places, industries and people. Comments on returning to England in 1967 for a period, and then going to Wellington to work in the Service. Discusses joining the New Zealand Forest Service in Auckland in 1971 as a timber inspector. Talks about the work inspecting any wood coming in on ships, checking all wooden material in wharf sheds and bond stores for signs of insect damage, and ordering fumigation or destruction of infested materials. Mentions inspection of ships' dunnage for infestation, fumigation by commercial firms, and that he introduced a method of testing for successful fumigation. Refers to accidental introduction of the burnt pine longhorn beetle and it becoming necessary to fumigate all timber exported to Australia in the summer. Refers to the Timber Import and Export Regulations 1966 which governed their work, and the forms and certificates it specified. Comments that timber inspection originally started after termites arrived in telephone poles from Australia. Explains containerisation changed the job dramatically as shipping companies had to provide ship's manifests and access to specified containers. Mentions Australia requiring any timber component of a container be treated, but external coding of containers was often inaccurate. Refers to streamlining of container inspection processes to reduce congestion on the wharf. Describes doing the same sort of checking of freight at Mangere Airport, and Onehunga and Whangarei ports. Discusses responding to reports received from the public about insect pests, usually Australian termites. Comments on disputes over treatment chemicals for timber, the establishment of the Timber Preservation Authority, the registration of treatment plants, and travelling to inspect them. Mentions becoming senior timber inspector in Hawkes Bay in 1980 in a two-person operation, and becoming District Timber Inspector and Area Timber Preservation Officer in Nelson in 1983. Mentions this was a hands-on job as well as administrative, and dealing with infested dunnage being an important part of the work. Refers to inspecting fishing trawlers, with Russian trawlers being a great source of insects. Talks about quarantine services carrying on unchanged when the Ministry of Forestry was established in 1997, becoming manager of port operations, and praises his manager Alan Flux. Recalls trainees being employed to balance their aging workforce. Describes a trip to Vladivostok in 1997 to audit the Russian quarantine service after Asian gypsy moth had spread to Canada and Auckland. Comments on retaining his job when the Ministries of Agriculture and Forestry merged in 1998, with the import and export functions split between the MAF Quarantine Service and AgriQuality, and chosing to work with the former. Describes having to learn new procedures in the MAF manual, and the increase in computerisation. Reflects on the use of audits rather than checking everything and questions relying on the people unpacking containers instead of trained officers checking imports. Mentions his retirement and current contract work for AgriQuality travelling to other countries to audit imports from New Zealand. Recalls colleagues Harry Williams, Albert Cutree, Les Brunton, Len Greaves and Bruce Hanley and their diverse backgrounds. Interviewer(s) - Megan Hutching Accompanying material - List of Forest Service timber inspection staff by port compiled by Jim Cross in 2007 (2 p.), with printed abstract Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHDL-002003 Quantity: 1 digital sound recording(s). 2 Electronic document(s) - abstract, form. 1 printed abstract(s). 1 interview(s) over 2 days. 3.40 Hours and minutes Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHDL-002004, OHA-7303. Search dates: 1942 - 2009

Date: 10 Sep 1998

From: Tongariro Forest oral history project

By: Chapple, Keith Robert, 1943-

Reference: OHInt-0425/1

Description: Keith Chapple was born in London in 1943. Describes how his parents were killed during World War II and he grew up in Surrey. Mentions his university qualification in political science and philosophy, involvement in the anti-nuclear campaign and CND, moving to New Zealand in 1967 and various jobs. Recalls moving from Auckland to Kakahi and his first involvement in New Zealand in a conservation battle with a group, Friends of the River of Kakahi Society (FORKS) in 1981. Describes the community of Kakahi when it had several timber mills. Comments on milling in the Tongariro Forest when he arrived in the area. Describes a visit by Gerry McSweeney and Kevin Smith from Forest and Bird surveying the forest and a public meeting in 1983 planning the campaign to save the Tongariro Forest. Mentions widespread and diverse support from deer hunters, fishermen, walker and water supply advocates and the formation of the Tongariro Forest Park Promotion Committee with its aim of forming a forest park. Mentions the promotion of recreational activities and use of the Forest by the Outdoor Pursuit(s) Centre Discusses the moratorium placed on logging in 1983 and the role of Jim Bolger. Comments on the reaction of Lands and Survey and the Forest Service. Recalls Koro Wetere signing an application to log 600 hectares in the Ketetahi Block. Describes how this sparked a snap debate in Parliament and Prime Minister David Lange asked Mr Wetere to overturn the decision. Comments that the park is still not gazetted as a Forest Park. Mentions disappointment in DOC. Discusses the ecological diversity of the Tongariro Forest, the decline of the kiwi and the strategy for the Save the Kiwi campaign. Describes becoming President of Forest and Bird and his paid work which pays for his environmental work. Comments on his use of conflict resolution. Mentions the Kaimanawa horse issue. Comments on the government of Jenny Shipley, beech logging, Tony Ryall and the intention to sell Timberlands. Discusses the battle to have more water released into the Whanganui and Whakapapa Rivers and diverse groups involved in the Whanganui River Flows Campaign. Mentions Federated Farmers, Rotary, Wanganui Chamber of Commerce, Fish and Game, the Maruia Society and recreationalists. Comments on the differing approach by Maori. Describes the case against Electricorp, the Electricorp loss, their taking of the case to the Planning Tribunal and the High Court where it failed. Mentions that Electricorp CEO Rod Deane wanted to take the case to the Privy Council. Comments on the stress caused by the case. Explains his motivation in being a conservationist. Discusses environmental activism and the information and communication explosion in the 1980s and 1990s. Interviewer(s) - Jonathan Kennett Quantity: 3 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s) OHA-2955. 1 interview(s). 3 Hours Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete. Colour photograph of Keith Chapple

Date: 14 Nov 1998

From: Tongariro Forest oral history project

By: Climo, Brian Francis, 1946-; Anderson, Colin Hugh, active 1998

Reference: OHInt-0425/2

Description: This interview takes place throughout the Tongariro Forest over a period of eleven hours. The interviewer and interviewees are travelling on motor bikes and a mountain bike and give map grid references as to their various locations during the interview. Brian Anderson was born in Auckland in 1946 and grew up in Owhango. Describes training as an engine driver and later becoming a truck driver at the quarry. Recalls his father was boss for Carter Holt and he went into the forest with him from an early age. Colin Anderson's father was a logging contractor with Dominion Timber Company. Discusses the mills near Raurimu. Mentions Kapoors Mill. Comments on the mountain biking track known as 42 Traverse. Discusses the pressure of hunting in the forest, the use of helicopters in hunting and the `deer wars' which resulted in a lodge being blown up in 1969. Discusses the construction of bridges, the naming of various tracks, accidents in the bush and the building of huts in the forest. Mentions DOC's plans to remove huts. Recalls camping, hunting, fishing and climbing in the area. Comments on the 4WD (four wheel drive) vehicle ban in the Tongariro Forest. Discusses the failure of the Forest Service to plant pines after logging as stipulated by the Forestry Act 1953. Comments on the success of the Tongariro Forest Park Promotion Committee. Mentions Keith Chapple. Discusses the effects of the Tokaanu Power Scheme on the Whakapapa River. Interviewer(s) - Jonathan Kennett Quantity: 2 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 1 interview(s). 2 Hours Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-2956. Search dates: 1998

Date: 27 Dec 2006

From: Otari Wilton's Bush oral history project

By: Poole, Alick Lindsay, 1908-2008

Reference: OHInt-0830-12

Description: Interview with Lindsay Poole, born Whatatutu 1908. Recalls his schooling which included Whakarewarewa School and Kings College, Auckland. Describes how he began his forestry career at the Rotorua Forestry Conservancy which was headed by H.A. Goudie. Refers to working in the nursery at Whakarewarewa, looking after the seed store, and seed-collecting trips. Recalls jobs in the forestry service disappearing during the Depression. Mentions working for the Botany Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and shifting to Wellington to work for the DSIR, where he met Dr Leonard Cockayne. Recalls the authorities enticed Cockayne to Wellington by buying and setting up Otari. Discusses the death of Cockayne, construction of his grave at Otari, and the erection of a boulder tombstone. Comments on Otari's importance in demonstrating the vegetation available in Wellington and its global ecological importance. Interviewer(s) - Jonathan Kennett Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-015381 Quantity: 1 printed abstract(s). 1 C60 cassette(s). 38 Minutes Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-5572. Search dates: 1908 - 2006

Date: 25 Nov 1987

By: Rogers, Thomas Ellis, 1937-2013

Reference: OHColl-0165/01

Description: Pilot project involving a life history interview with employee Mr Tom Rogers who, at the time of recording, was District Manager for Bay of Plenty Timberlands. Tom Rogers was born at Kaeo in 1937. Gives details of his family background including his father's emigration in 1927 and settling in North Auckland where he married and farmed. Describes his job as Maori Land Development Supervisor. Talks about his mother's affiliation with Nga Puhi through her father. Comments on the lack of emphasis on Maori culture in his upbringing. Describes leaving high school and joining the Forest Service. Talks about his traineeship from 1955 to 1958 and the importance of training in the Forest Service. Comments on career structure in the Forest Service. Talks about indigenous production in the Service in the 1950s, the trend towards exotic plantations in the 1960s and his concentration on exotic forest management. Comments on politics in the Forest Service and management and union clashes at Kaingaroa Forest. Mentions Lew Skudder, Bernie Hornfeck and Tom Maunder. Discusses the emphasis on multiple use forestry in training in the Forest Service and the debate within Forestry Corporation about training and safety standards. Mentions two fatalities. Comments on the combination of commercial, environmental and social roles of the Forest Service. Notes that problems being dealt with by corporatisation had been recognised by the Service and comments on its paternalism. Describes events leading up to the disestablishment of the state department, attitudes of employees to the establishment of the new Corporation, personal experiences during the changeover period and implementation of the new policies. Comments on the difficulty of change, problems of reappointment and the effects on people of stress. Interviewer(s) - Judith Fyfe Accompanying material - Transcript of an interview with Gerry Morris 3 September 1987; copy of a proposed Forestry Corporation structure for Kaingaroa Forest. Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHA-011112 to OHA-011115 Quantity: 4 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 1 interview(s). 3.10 Hours and minutes Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete AB 1750. Photocopies of photos of Tom Roberts in 1987, at Forest Service Rangers' School about 1958, at Forestry Training Centre in 1955 and in a group of foresters.