China trade distorts log costs for local processors, MPs told

Prices for New Zealand logs have been “highly distorted" by the country’s trade with China and do not represent a fair international price, MPs were told yesterday. Government proposals to ensure a more reliable log supply for domestic mills were a reasonable first step but subsidised log buying by China had to be addressed, Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association chief executive Jon Tanner said. The government’s own data shows log prices here were up to twice that of equivalent logs in other parts of the world, Tanner told Parliame...