One of the Winstone Pulp International forestry products mills that is in danger of being shut down.
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Hundreds of people packed into Raetihi’s community hall to voice their concerns over the closure of two mills.
Winstone Pulp International was proposing to close both its mills in the central North Island because it could not afford the skyrocketing power prices, which would result in 230 jobs being lost.
It was standing room only at the meeting as mill workers, their families and local community addressed the crowd, which included Winstone’s chief financial officer Glenn Whiting, mayor Weston Kirton and MP Sue Redmayne.
The crowd at the meeting discussing the closure of Winstone Pulp International at Raetihi’s community hall on 27 August, 2024.
Photo: RNZ / Alexa Cook
One local woman, whose husband worked at the mill for 23 years, said the impact had already been massive as many families were planning to leave for Australia.
“I feel deeply the cuts that it’ll give our community. It is the government that needs to step in and look at this,” she said.
She was among many at the meeting who feared the area would quickly become a ghost town.
“I would invite the ministers back to our region in three, six, 18 months … to see the decline,” she said.
Those at the meeting agreed, with one man saying the mill’s closure would have a wide reaching impact.
“It’ll effect our town … our businesses … contractors … our real estate. We need the government to come forward and help this community out,” he said.
Winstone Pulp International’s consultation period ends on 2 September.