The WIDE Trust Best Practice Study Tour: Exploring Global Innovation to Strengthen New Zealand’s Forestry and Wood Industries
The WIDE Trust Best Practice Study Tour is an initiative designed to support experienced forestry and wood industry professionals in exploring leading-edge practices, innovation, and emerging ideas from around the world.
Each year, the Trust offers a travel grant of up to NZD$30,000 to support an eligible candidate, or candidates, to undertake an international study tour focused on advancing knowledge within New Zealand’s forestry and wood sectors. The tour must be a minimum of two weeks in duration and is designed to provide valuable international exposure to new technologies, operational approaches, and industry developments.
Investing in Industry Leadership
The Best Practice Study Tour reflects the WIDE Trust’s commitment to strengthening leadership and encouraging innovation across the forestry and wood industries.
The opportunity is aimed at senior professionals who are actively pursuing careers within the sector and are in positions where they can influence change within their organisations. Applicants are ideally members of senior management teams, with the ability to implement learnings from the study tour and help drive new thinking, improved practices, and long-term industry development.
By supporting industry leaders to gain first-hand international insights, the Trust helps encourage the adoption of new ideas and global best practices within New Zealand businesses.
Learning From Global Innovation
Successful applicants are required to develop a fully scoped itinerary outlining the companies, organisations, and industry leaders they plan to visit, along with the reasons those visits have been selected.
Study tours may explore a wide range of topics across forestry and wood processing industries, including:
Advanced timber manufacturing and processing
Sustainable forestry management practices
Emerging wood technologies and innovation
Automation and operational efficiency
Workforce development and industry leadership
Environmental performance and resource management
The programme is designed to ensure participants return with practical knowledge and insights that can be shared and implemented within the New Zealand industry.
Supporting Meaningful Industry Impact
In addition to financial support from the WIDE Trust, successful applicants and their employers are expected to contribute towards some study tour costs, reinforcing industry commitment and support for professional development.
Following the completion of the study tour, recipients present their key learnings directly to the WIDE Trust Trustees, helping share knowledge and encourage wider industry benefit beyond the individual participant.
This focus on knowledge sharing ensures the impact of the programme extends beyond a single experience, contributing to broader conversations around innovation, leadership, and continuous improvement within the forestry and wood sectors.
Applications Open Annually
Applications for the WIDE Trust Best Practice Study Tour close on 31 July each year for tours undertaken in the following calendar year.
The initiative continues to play an important role in supporting forward-thinking industry professionals and strengthening the future capability of New Zealand’s forestry and wood industries through global learning and industry connections.