Tokoroa job losses reflect rural globalisation trends – Waatea News: Māori Radio Station

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Gary Petley | Tokoroa job losses reflect rural globalisation trends

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South Waikato District Council Mayor Gary Petley says the job losses in Tokoroa are part of a broader trend of globalisation affecting rural Aotearoa.

South Waikato District Council Mayor Gary Petley says the job losses in Tokoroa are part of a broader trend of globalisation affecting rural Aotearoa.

Last Friday, 230 workers were made redundant at the Kinleith Paper Mill near Tokoroa after its owners, Oji Fibre Solutions, decided to shut down paper production at the plant to ship pulp for overseas production.

Petley says the Kinleith legacy has been an intergenerational institution for local jobs, with the younger generation of workers being hardest hit by the closure.

However, he believes there is still an opportunity for a tuakana-teina approach, where experienced workers can support younger ones through this transition.

“I think that some of those decisions that the older ones will make will give rise to an opportunity for those that are affected by virtue of a job swap situation, which would only entail further training to get them up to speed so that those older ones can exit the site,” says Petley.

Gary Petley says the community iwi partner Raukawa has been working alongside the council to sustain housing development in Tokoroa.

Additionally, projects like the new Olam Food Ingredients dairy factory are helping keep the community economy going.

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