27/08/2026
Innovation, sustainability and regional growth were on display in Taupō as The Hon Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Minister and Local MP Louise Upston MP got a first peek at Laminex New Zealand's new Fine Strand Board (FSB) manufacturing facility ahead of the official opening.
Taupō’s new advanced manufacturing platform will turn NZ radiata pine into high-value, longer-life products for furniture, joinery and construction markets, replacing the old wood panel processing plan running since 1974
During the plant tour, alongside Fletcher Building CEO Andrew Reding, CE Light Building Products Hamish McBeath, Laminex GM Rachel Silcock, and Chief Public Affairs Officer Christian May, they experienced the full journey from log yard to finished board, seeing how wood fibre is transformed into high-performance products through a circular process where production waste is converted into biomass energy to help power the operation.
Once fully operational, the plant will process about 200,000 tonnes of pulp logs annually and support some 70 on-site jobs.
The new facility represents a significant investment in higher-value, onshore wood processing and highlights the opportunities ahead for New Zealand's forestry sector.