Building a successful career

Originally a town boy from Tokyo, Satoru always had a passion for the outdoors and nature, leading him to plant his feet in the New Zealand forestry industry.

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While in high school Satoru dabbled in part time landscaping work and he soon realised that Tokyo was not going to deliver what he wanted.  He studied English for a year in Japan after leaving school and began looking for opportunities further afield that would involve working in the outdoors overseas.

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The University of Canterbury’s forestry science and engineering degree offered something unique, providing a combination of applied science, conservation and the commercial aspects of forestry.

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At 19 years old Satoru boarded a plane to Christchurch and began his degree.  

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Graduating in 2018, he took up a role as graduate forester with Kaiangaroa Timberlands and then progressed to a QC Forester.  Both roles gave him a great start in the New Zealand forestry industry, from gaining a good understanding of planting, pruning and thinning, through to data collection and GIS analysis.  But after4.5 years Satoru needed a bigger challenge, and he took up a Technical Forester position with Ernslaw.

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“The role involved carbon and regime analysis which I hadn’t previously encountered so it was a really good learning curve,” says Satoru.

“One of the perks of the job was that because it was nationally based, I could be wherever I wanted.  Having developed a love of surfing, I chose to be based at Gisborne office.

“Ernslaw has a very diverse portfolio and a big challenge for me was to understand how different each region was and the need to deploy site specific operations.”

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When an opportunity arose in Ernslaw’s Southern North Island operations a year later, Satoru moved into a harvest planner role, based in Palmerston North.

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“While I wasn’t actually looking for the next step it presented itself and I jumped at it.  I’m now learning a whole set of new skills and am very hands on.  I really like the balance between the office and the field and learning new things from planting and harvesting to how to build a road. It is great to use cutting edge technology and software to plan road sand then apply it in the forest.”

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Satoru works across operational, technical and environmental teams and enjoys the multi-generational approach.

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“It is great to work with a boss that has in-depth knowledge of geology and roading construction and another with the harvesting planning and implementation experience.  I bring the technical aptitude, so the combination of decades of experience and expertise with the tech knowledge works really well.”

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Satoru enjoys Ernslaw’s diversity of the land and its people and the opportunities to grow as a well-rounded forester.

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“Ernslaw has been very good to me with extended holiday and bereavement leave.  I really feel valued and supported.”

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Never content to stand still, Satoru relishes the chance to soak up some of the Kiwi countryside.  From Ironman and ultra marathons to mountaineering, mountain biking and surfing, the one place you won’t find Satoru, is on the couch.

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