O Tātou Ngāhere conference: Regenerating our landscape with native forest
  • Home
  • Programme
  • Speakers
  • Sponsors
  • Contact us

Peter Handford

Peter Handford

Ground Truth

Peter is a NZIF Registered Forestry Consultant who has over the last 35 years worked in plantation forest management, biodiversity monitoring and management and sustainable land management.

Peter is a strong advocate for integrated land use – planning and managing our landscapes to ensure the right land use in the right place. Managing forests and lands to provide long term environmental, economic and social benefits.

He is a founder and managing director of Groundtruth which provides planning and implementation of integrated land and forest management projects around the country. Groundtruth was established in 2002 and operates services in consultancy, forest management, and technology.

Over the last 10 years Peter and the team at Groundtruth have worked to develop and implement processes for large scale native forest restoration. Establishment of native forests has been stuck in first gear for a long time now. We now have the opportunity to work at a much larger, landscape scale.

Through experience across exotic and indigenous forests and biodiversity management Peter is increasingly working on blended forest projects restoring and transitioning areas of exotic plantation to native forest, along side radiata pine and special purpose timber species forest management.

We need to transition our forest landscapes to the point where they support our unique biodiversity, assist us through the challenges of climate change, sustain community livelihoods and are proudly part of our cultural identity. This requires using our toolbox of science, matauranga and practical experience. We need to work together and get on with it.











Return to The Lineup

Tāne’s Tree Trust
Facebook LinkedIn
Pure Advantage
Instagram LinkedIn

For any enquiries, please contact

© 2025 Tāne’s Tree Trust

  • Home
  • Programme
  • Speakers
    • Dr. Jacqui Aimers
    • Hallé Aish
    • Peter Berg
    • Dr. David Bergin
    • Mikaere Berryman-Kamp
    • Ian Brennan
    • Sandra Campbell
    • Dr. Rod Carr
    • Dr. Fiona Carswell
    • Annabell Chartres
    • Taylor Davies-Colley
    • Te Kapunga Dewes
    • Jon Dronfield
    • Natalia Dunbier
    • Izzy Fenwick
    • Prof. Tim Flannery
    • Dr. Adam Forbes
    • Sam Gisbson
    • Dr. David Hall
    • Peter Handford
    • Sophie Handford
    • Robyn Haugh
    • Oliver Hendrickson
    • Christina Hughes
    • Matt Iremonger
    • Mark Kimberley
    • Rhiannon Mackie
    • Melanie Mark-Shadbolt
    • Rob McGowan
    • Dr. Colin Meurk
    • Rob Morrison
    • Hon Stuart Nash
    • Penny Nelson
    • Prof. David Norton
    • Dr. Warren Parker
    • Dr. Tim Payn
    • Dr. Jason Preble
    • Paul Quinlan
    • Prof. James Renwick
    • David Rhodes
    • Kit Richards
    • Geoff Ross
    • Dame Anne Salmond
    • Hon James Shaw
    • Prof. Warwick Silvester
    • Adam Thompson
    • Sir Stephen Tindall
    • James Treadwell
    • Ben Tyas
    • Laura Watson
    • Nathalie Whitaker
    • Hon Poto Williams
    • Jason Wilson
  • Sponsors
  • Contact us