Australian members of the Forest Stewardship Council have cleared the way for a single trans-Tasman governance structure, voting through a constitutional overhaul that redraws who counts as a member and how the board is built across both countries. That is according to FSC Australia and New Zealand, which passed three special resolutions at its annual general meeting on 28 May, though the new model cannot take full effect until New Zealand’s own members vote on it.
Written into the constitution, the changes set formal definitions for Australian and New Zealand members, carved membership into new National and International classes with their own eligibility tests, and rebuilt the board composition to guarantee representation from both countries across the council’s social, environmental, and economic chambers. The Australian vote settles one half of the arrangement and leaves the rest resting on a separate New Zealand ballot.
The same meeting handed a seat back to one of FSC’s earliest hands, appointing Patrick Anderson as a director more than thirty years after he represented Greenpeace International at the organisation’s founding meeting in 1994. Anderson brings three decades of experience in forest governance, human rights and environmental advocacy to a board that also returned Nicky Moffat to the Environmental Chamber.
His appointment closes a chapter for Rachael Cavanagh, who stepped down from the board earlier this year and was thanked for her service to FSC ANZ. The new line-up takes its place as the council pushes a busy reform agenda across the region.
Beyond the boardroom, the revised Australian Forest Stewardship Standard drew attention as it entered a second and final round of public consultation, now open until 29 June. A year of engagement filled out the rest of the agenda, from FSC Forest Walk events held on both sides of the Tasman to continued growth in the promotional licence holder programme.
Three guest presentations rounded out the day, with Value Australia founder Rayne van den Berg outlining next steps for the Global Forestry Natural Capital Project and FSC Asia Pacific deputy regional director Michelle Wong updating members on the FSC Traceability System. First Nations Committee representative Tolita Davis-Angeles spoke about the committee’s work and where it is headed next.
