March 2023 | $8.00
ISSN 2703-6278
Smooth and reliable
The Kiwi Way: Coming together in a crisis
The life and times of Ricky Kuru
Iron Test
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: Tim Bense
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The Hyundai HX400 and the Madill 124B are a winning team at Wharerata.
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Tall Timber
Story: Wayne Munro Photos: Gerald Shacklock
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VERYBODY HAS THEIR UPS AND DOWNS in life. You know – the usual highs and lows. But in his 50 years so far, East Coast log truck and forestry operator, Ricky Kuru’s lows have been devastatingly, destructively deep. And the highs? Extraordinarily, spectacularly high. The trend started early: The kid who doted on Dad Jack (Tall Timber, NZ Logger, July 2019) and lived for the hours they spent together in truck and machinery cabs, turned into a teenager who fell out with his family over his rebellious ways… Which saw him kicked out of school and fathering a child before he was 15, ending up behind bars… and sleeping on the streets. Then the rebound: He found his partner 34 NZ LOGGER | March 2023
for life (wife Leanne), got back close to his Dad… and then became Jack’s partner in a small business building forestry roads… that became a hugely-successful log harvesting and forestry roading operation. After a decade or so of booming growth, Jack and Ricky’s Kuru Contracting Limited (KCL) boasted seven log harvesting crews, equipped with about $30million worth of machinery… Only to have to sell off gear and shrink the business by a devastating 85%, when a 2011 log trade slump smashed the demand for Kiwi pine logs. Ricky and Jack worked for nothing for three years – just to keep the business alive. Then, starting in 2017, KCL – with Ricky now the sole owner, having bought Jack
out (albeit with the elder Kuru still working alongside his boy every day) – again grew into a major East Coast forestry force. To the point where it’s now back up to five harvesting crews… again with probably $30m or more worth of machinery. Plus there’s a fleet of eight log trucks, a heavy-haulage transporter, a crane truck and two bulk tippers – the latter doing forestry roading and civil construction work. And a Tolaga Bay base that includes a service station, shop and café, as well as the company’s workshop and offices. KCL now employs “around 97” people. Ricky also has other projects on the go: Modular houses built in China; five quarries and metal crushers in a partnership with KCL General Manager, Ma Parata; a residential
Far left: The late Jack Kuru with his son, Ricky. Left: Ricky Kuru is now the sole owner of KCL. Above: KCL has pursued a philosophy of offering a complete package to forest owners – building forest roads and skid-sites (using metal it supplies), harvesting logs… and carting them out. Here one of its loggers picks up a load from a KCL harvesting crew in the Waiau Forest.
subdivision and a handful of houses (so far) in Tolaga Bay – built to attract staff… and plans for a state-of-the-art sawmill in town too. It all looks and sounds sweet… another huge high in the Ricky Kuru life story. And it is… Or, at least, it was: But there have been shadows over the Kuru/KCL world for two or three years now: Sadly, Ricky’s beloved Dad (and mentor) died in mid-2020 – having bravely carried on driving his bulldozer every day, as he battled cancer. Extraordinarily, in the Ricky Kuru story, the extreme highs and lows apply to his physical state just as much as they do his business status: After Jack’s death, Ricky discovered that he has the same gene suspected of
causing his Dad’s terminal cancer. Pro-actively, in true Ricky Kuru/takethings-head-on style, he’s now had surgery to remove almost all of his stomach in a bid to avoid stomach cancer himself. In less than half a year, physically he’s become just half the man he used to be – his weight falling radically… from 158 kilograms, to just 79. As for KCL, once again the business empire that Jack and Ricky built… then rebuilt, is under threat – and Ricky is again in a fight to protect it as the log trade slows and shrinks alarmingly, ‘specially on the East Coast. Humble beginnings Where this up-then-down, like-father-likeson story began is 70-odd years ago in
Porangahau, Hawke’s Bay – where Jack grew up… learning to drive trucks and machinery on the family farm and its working quarry. As “a kid” he polished his truck driving skills by regularly joining an uncle in his livestock truck – taking the wheel “while uncle had a sleep!” He moved to Palmerston North as a teenager, starting work driving trucks and machinery – eventually landing with JB Ware & Sons, where he’d drive “off and on” for three decades. Jack’s self-taught skills extended beyond driving trucks and machines, to doing engineering work – building trailers and tankers for Wares – as well as painting their trucks. During one break from the company, he March 2023 | NZ LOGGER 35
FIRST NEXT GENERATION CAT 568LL IN NEW ZEALAND
NEW SANY FOR PJ & MJ OLSEN This is the first SANY SY330H factory H&W and full Ensign guarding package and 1730C grapple for Scooter and the team at PJ & MJ Olsen Tokoroa. Operator, Phil, says he was immediately impressed by its power, speed and visibility. Sold and serviced by Shaw’s.
Gisborne-based Speirs Logging has taken delivery of the first Next Generation Cat 568LL forest machine in New Zealand, which was put straight to work in its East Coast operations. Blake and Caree Speirs, and the Speirs team are pictured with their new Cat 568LL, which features an 850 Woodsman Pro head. The operators say they are really happy with the Cat unit, saying it has a massive amount of hydraulic power and awesome machine stability. They’re also impressed with the new rear-entry cab feature and all-around operator comfort. Heath Stewart from Terra Cat sold the machine.
NEW KOMATSU FOR MK LOGGING Brody, Tyla, Haize and Demi of Opotiki’s MK Logging recently took delivery of a new Komatsu PC 300LC-8. The Komatsu PC 300LC–8 has a full Active Heavy Duty forestry guarding package and is fitted with a Woodsman Pro FH 1350 felling head. Brody commented to John Kosar of Komatsu Forest New Zealand that he is very impressed with his new Komatsu… “Heaps of lift and track power”. Pictured from left: Tyla and Haize, Brody and Demi and John Kosar. Photographer: Mike Lepper (Active Engineering).
JOHN DEERE FOR TAYLORS CONTRACTING NEW MACHINE FOR DAIKEN SOUTHLAND Daiken Southland recently took delivery of this new ZW140-5B wheel loader. The new machine will be used for moving by-products and for general yard duties around their MDF plant in Mataura. Sold by Andrew Gowers, Sales Specialist.
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Taylors Contracting recently took delivery of a new John Deere 850L crawler dozer with factory forestry guarding and six-way blade. This beast has already been put to work in Pigeon Valley, Tasman prepping new skid sites. Muscle meets performance in the John Deere 850L which delivers more horsepower and torque than its predecessor for increased productivity. Sold by Mark Blakemore and supported by the team at Drummond & Etheridge, Nelson.
NEW MACHINERY FOR ATS LOGGING ATS Logging’s Toby and Amy Satherley recently took delivery of a Southstar QS630 running the new Log Mate 510 control system. The machine is working out of the Napier region. Sold by Southstar Equipment New Zealand.
TIGERCAT FOR DAVIES LOGGING Davies Logging has taken delivery of a new Tigercat 625H which has replaced its Tigercat 630D. Operator, Simon, says he loves the visibility, larger cab and the ability of the 6-wheel skidder to deliver wood to the skid. Delivered by Hayden from AB Equipment Christchurch.
NEW KOMATSU FOR BRC LOGGING Brent Cudby of Gisborne’s BRC Logging has taken delivery of a new Komatsu PC 400LC-8. The PC 400LC-8 has been set up as an EMS Harvestline by Jono and the team at EMS. Operator, Tyson, commented to John Kosar of Komatsu Forest New Zealand that it is, “A pleasure to operate”. Pictured from left: Tyson Davies (operator), Brent Cudby and John Kosar. Photographer: QC Skid Dude.
CAT DOZER FOR WHISTLER ROADING This Cat D8T dozer is a new arrival for Whistler Roading. Wayne and Ange McEwan have put the machine to work in their GisborneEast Coast operations. They say the power and performance of the big Cat means material is moved at a lower cost per tonne and they like the fully automatic four-speed transmission and cab. Machine sold by Territory Account Manager, Heath Stewart.
SANY/WOODSMAN COMBO FOR STOKES LOGGING Rick and the team at Stokes Logging have taken delivery of a new SANY SY415H with full Ensign guarding package and Woodsman Pro 850 performing the processing duties in his Northland operation. Sold and serviced by Shaw’s.
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