Our Team

Family owned and operated
Southfields Forestry is a Southland owned and operated business. We have 3 young boys who love timber and forestry almost as much as their Dad. 

Extended Family:
Southfields have a great team at the Sawmill and in the forestry side with help of subcontractors. Steve and Shelley at the yard assist with sales and dispatch. Steve has started going to the Farmers Market on Sunday. 

From our family to yours
bespoke timber pieces to turn your house into your home x

Craig Milne

​Craig Milne

Craig is Southland born and bred and grew up on a farm near Lorneville. He learned his farming and forestry skills on the farm first established by his grandfather Cecil Milne, a well-known Dalgety stock agent and a Ranfurly Shield winning Southland rugby player. 

When Craig’s dad Keith sold off the majority of the farm when he was younger, Craig found his interest turning to trees. Running his own flax shelter belt business from the age of 16, he went on to work in Forestry on completing school in 1996.

Craig completed a Forestry Management degree in 2000 and worked in a management role in the Hawkes Bay Beech Forest industry for a couple of years. Being young and having a hankering to see the world, Craig took a break to explore working on farms in the UK then as a Captain and Project Manager around the world for super yachts. 

He kept his hand in forestry helping to manage the forestry block at Lorneville.

On returning home to Southland from the OE in 2011, Craig once again went into Forestry Management in silviculture which lead to harvesting. 

He saw the need for a dedicated forestry consultancy in Southland, and with the ability to get the best prices for wood from any avenue, he established Southfields Forestry Ltd in late 2016.

Since working with a small family run portable sawmill whilst in Hawkes Bay Craig has dreamed of owning his own. At the start of 2018 he made this dream a reality and we have since been cutting timber for joinery inside and out, sleepers and slabs for feature pieces. One of which we have in our own kitchen. 

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Jane Milne
Jane manages the Southfields office.

She has a Bachelor of Laws Degree from Canterbury University. She was admitted to the bar as a barrister and solicitor when their oldest was 9 months old. Jane currently doesn’t practice as a lawyer but uses her many skills gained from this degree to assist Craig in the office.

​Jane first worked in forestry with Craig after University in 2001. They worked together for another local company between 2012- 2014. Jane and Craig have 3 boys who keep her on her toes outside of the office!

Jane Milne & kids

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Testimonials

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"We have used Southfields timber for all of our home DIY needs. My husband built an amazing raised vegetable bed and recently a mezzanine floor for our girls room. We have used macrocarpa and it is the most beautiful wood which leads well with bespoke designs.
The service we received from Jane in the office was very efficient and Craig was most helpful before purchase, making sure we were happy with our choice of wood and calculating measurements exactly. Also they were always available for extra requirements with the building process. Overall an excellent Southland company. It’s great to know that we are purchasing local timber too ❤️"

Campbell Family 2020

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Really friendly company , great communication and the best prices , fantastic work. 

​Leonie Graves 2020

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"I was impressed with the tidy job they did, Craig has got an impressive team behind him that know how to get the job done with minimal impact on the environment."

​Steven Clarke 

Photo supplied by Steven Clarke