Our people
At the heart of Matariki Forests is a great team of people. As well as nearly 100 employees we directly or indirectly contract another 650-or-so people.
We operate with a strong sense of family – from the forestry crews on the forest floor every day around the country to the operational staff manning our five regional offices. We encourage fresh thinking and celebrate success. We pride ourselves on our strong culture where creativity and innovation is encouraged in a loyal, committed and inspired team.
Meet our leaders
The management team has over 130 years combined experience across forest and people management, marketing, finance, technology and strategic planning. Their expertise, understanding of local challenges and strong relationships places Matariki Forests in a position of great strength to deliver exceptional results.
Alistair joined the company in 2002 and most recently served as Finance Director before being appointed Managing Director in 2023. He leads the New Zealand business, overseeing forest resources, harvesting, domestic and export log marketing, contractor management, health and safety, environmental compliance, and stakeholder relations.
Alistair is focused on building a high-performing team that delivers strong outcomes across all areas of the business. He is a strong advocate for the forestry sector and the role it plays in supporting New Zealand's economy while contributing to reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved environmental outcomes.
A keen runner, Alistair has been known to disappear at lunchtime to pound the pavements… but has yet to get any of his colleagues to join him.
Jason joined us in 1996 and has worked across many different facts of the business.
Prior to taking up the Forest Operations role, he was Director, Forest Investment and responsible for the management of Business Development, Forest Information, Research and Development, Lands and Legal and Environmental functions, and for delivering strategic analytical support across all aspects of the forest life cycle.
In his role as Director of Forest Operations, Jason leads MF operations across the estate with a strong emphasis on people, safety, financial, governance and environmental leadership.
Jason is a member of the Senior Leadership Team and has responsibility for contributing to the development and delivery of the business strategy and ensuring the financial objectives of the regions are met.
Outside of work Jason enjoys sailing, paddleboarding and skiing.
Susie has a reputation for challenging convention, lifting organisational capability, and turning complex technology issues into clear business decisions.
She holds strategic and operational accountability for business technology across MF, shaping the enterprise technology strategy, investment priorities, and digital roadmap in line with business growth, resilience, and customer outcomes. Her remit spans technology governance, cyber security, data protection, vendor oversight, operational resilience, and the management of technology-related risk at an enterprise level.
As a member of the leadership team, Susie partners across the organisation to lead change, strengthen decision-making, and ensure technology is treated as a core business capability rather than a back-office function.
Outside work, Susie enjoys time with her family, netball, wine, and her dogs — although not necessarily in that order.
Tania leads the MF finance team, overseeing tax, treasury and statutory reporting requirements as well as controlling and safeguarding Matariki’s assets.
Her role includes providing strategic financial and analytical support to the Matariki Board and managing director to ensure optimal investment strategies are implemented and earnings are maximized.
Tania has had a long history with MF, starting out as Accounting Manager, Resources Group in 2000. She has left twice – once to take a year travelling and once for another job - but boomeranged back. She just can’t seem to shake the place.
Coming from an arts background Tania loves dance and theatre. She has spent many years performing and teaching classical ballet as well as choreographing various productions.
From a forestry management background, Chris has been involved in export management since 1993 and we consider him to be the “Godfather” of exports - he always has an offer you can’t refuse.
Chris leads an experienced export and procurement team covering all our log export and procurement activities.
Chris is responsible for the development, implementation and coordination of Matariki Forests’ overall marketing, export and procurement strategy. This includes sales planning, customer evaluation, management, operational logistics, and procurement strategy.
In an environment of unprecedented port congestion, Chris leads an adaptable export logistics operation including agile planning and systems development for export logistics and inventory management, vessel chartering and loading management, port operations and export services including contract administration and documentation.
Chris joined us in 2006 and enjoys spending his spare time with extended family, often planning the next big adventure.
Philip is one of MF’s boomerang employees. He first joined the company in 1995 as a Harvest Planner and after three years the OE called. However, he returned in 2008 to join the Forest Services team before moving into the Export team with roles as National Log Procurement Manager and Container Operations Manager, followed by his role as Director, Forest Assets within the Forest Investment team.
Now, as Director, Forest Investment, Philip manages high performance teams in Forest Information, Lands & Legal, Forest Estate and Technical Resources. In this role he is responsible for enhancing and protecting MF’s estate and creating long term value through incorporating R&D initiatives, yield and woodflow modelling, acquisitions and divestments across the Asia Pacific region, and new and emerging products and practices.
Philip also takes a key role in managing MF’s Environmental Social and Governance risk including compliance with NZETS obligations and providing oversight to the implementation of its Biosecurity Plan.
Philip’s love of the water sees him fishing, boating and sailing at any opportunity and his orienteering skills have ensured he can see the wood for the trees.
Anna joined the company in 1997 and worked across a number of roles and departments before joining the Human Resources team in 2006.
Anna has responsibility for building a culture of inclusiveness and belonging at MF that not only attracts but retains future generation of employees. The scope of her role encompasses all of MF’s people processes including employee learning and development, recognition and rewards, employee engagement, employee benefits, flexible work practices and employee wellbeing, to ensure these programs deliver an engaging and rewarding employee experience for all. In addition to people and culture, Anna oversees the management of Auckland’s head office facilities.
Anna is a proud Westie, who loves spending time with her family, catching up with friends, and drinking good coffee.