Spotlight on Innovation: WIDE Trust Supports the 2025 Innovative Wood Product Competition
As Aotearoa New Zealand looks to the future of forestry and timber innovation, WIDE Trust is proud to support the 2025 Innovative Wood Product Competition, a national initiative designed to spotlight the next generation of thinkers and makers in wood technology.
Held as part of the annual University of Canterbury School of Forestry showcase, the 2025 Innovative Wood Product Competition brought together some of the most promising minds in forestry, engineering, and design. Students from across Aotearoa showcased innovative ideas to improve sustainability, efficiency, and technology in the wood sector.
Hear from WIDE Trust Senior Lecturer Thomas Lim in the video below as he reflects on the student projects and the wider importance of investing in timber and forestry education:
Bridging Education and Industry
The student competition is more than just a showcase. It represents how academic learning can translate into industry-ready ideas, solving genuine challenges faced in forestry and timber production today.
Many of the students involved were part of the Bachelor of Forestry Science programme at the University of Canterbury, an applied degree combining science, technology, and practical skills. The 2025 Innovative Wood Product Competition gave them a chance to test their ideas in front of professionals from across the forestry and wood processing sectors.
“This is where we start to see the future of the industry,” said Thomas Lim, WIDE Trust Senior Lecturer at the School of Forestry. “Students bring fresh thinking, and competitions like this give them a voice, and a runway.”
Celebrating the Winners
This year’s competition was judged by a highly respected panel made up of leaders from across the forestry, engineering, and timber sectors. WIDE Trust is proud to recognise the following winning groups and their awards:
Best Performance Award – $1,000
Team Truss
Samuel Carter, Kelvin Milne, Joshua Nolan, Will Potter
Second Best Performance Award – $500
Team I-Lam
Liam Cassidy, Sophie Cusack, James Dyne, Henry Roil
Innovation & Environmental Sustainability Award – $500
Team Nailed It
Rebecca Craven, Demi Mant, Phoebe Naske, Molly Sinclair
Powered by Support: The Role of WIDE Trust
Competitions like the 2025 Innovative Wood Product Competition are made possible through support, both financial and academic. That’s where WIDE Trust comes in.
WIDE Trust exists to support Wood, Industry, Design and Education in New Zealand. For students, this means access to grants, scholarships and project funding that can help cover fees, support research, or unlock practical learning opportunities.
By supporting students at critical points in their education, the Trust helps to:
Remove financial barriers
Encourage applied innovation
Connect students to mentors and industry leaders
Create space for original thinking and collaboration
Without this kind of support, many students wouldn’t get the chance to present their ideas to national audiences.
Apply for a WIDE Trust Grant
Students, businesses, learning institutions and others involved in studies and work to enhance the forestry or wood industry sectors in New Zealand are invited to apply to the WIDE Trust for a grant to support their efforts.Support is available for:
Undergraduate and postgraduate study
Apprenticeships
Research projects
Industry events
Innovation in timber and forestry engineering and wood product design
Apply Online - www.widetrust.org.nz
Shaping the Future, One Student at a Time
The 2025 Innovative Wood Product Competition is just one example of how education, industry, and trust-backed support can come together to fuel progress. With the right backing, today’s students become tomorrow’s innovators, researchers, and industry leaders.
At WIDE Trust, we’re proud to play a part in that journey.