NZ Timber
Story: Hayley Leibowitz
S
EPARATED BY WORLD WAR 1, TWO brothers (Jonnie and Norman Sutherland) nonetheless shared the same dream – to start producing lumber after the war. While one was sadly killed in action, the dream lived on and Sutherland & Co was born over a century ago in 1920 in the Happy Valley Tuatapere. The mill, Sutherland Timber, moved a number of times, with a second mill set up in The Catlins until the family made the move to Cheviot to start the milling of pine timber. Finally in 1956 it was moved to its current site in Kaiapoi where it has developed in leaps and bounds over the years milling, drying and treating on site. As the years passed, it was third generation, Jack and Ian Sutherland who took Sutherland Timber native production into the soft woods of Pinus radiata. Next came Murray (‘Muzz’) and
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Annie Sutherland who took the company to the next level, building up local and international relationships which are still vital to the company today. And it’s relationships that matter in this, the oldest sawmill in New Zealand that is still 100% family-owned and operated and has stayed in the same family since it was established, now in its 5th Generation. Now Annie and Muzz’s children, two brothers and a younger sister, are now at the helm. There’s General Manager of the Sutherland Group, Jonathan (‘Jonnie’) Sutherland; David (‘Davie’) Sutherland running the ITM operations and Amy Sherwin coordinating the marketing for Sutherland Timber and the ITM stores. Customer-centric “Our Dad, Murray, has been able to take a step back now, although he is always our go-to man
Above from left: Retired Mill Manager/Loader Operator, Rocky Scott, Murray (‘Muzz’) Sutherland, Jonnie Sutherland and Loader Operator, Mark Smith, pictured with Sutherland Timber's original Volvo and the new one on the right. Opposite top: The fillet/de fillet line with the sawmill and the chip bin and round table in the background. Opposite bottom: From left: Davie Sutherland, Amy Sherwin, Muzz Sutherland, Annie Sutherland and Jonnie Sutherland
