The Government is failing the manufacturing sector with no plan for its future.

“Today we have learnt another 75 jobs are to go at the Oji Fibre Solutions plant, which follows the devastating news that hundreds of workers are losing their jobs following the closure of Winstone Pulp mills,” Labour’s small business and manufacturing spokesperson Helen White said.

“I am devastated for the workers who will lose their jobs, and for the future of manufacturing in New Zealand.

“We had earlier called on the Government to help find a solution to keep the Winstone Pulp mills operating in New Zealand. They haven’t succeeded, today’s announcement from Oji Fibre Solutions is another blow and means more than 300 people are losing their jobs.

“Where is the Government’s plans for the future of manufacturing in New Zealand? We must invest in onshore manufacturing and creating value from our primary products which is good for our economy and people in our regions.

“This is a huge blow to the New Zealand economy, in 2021 wood product manufacturing plus pulp and paper contributed around $3.8 billion to New Zealand’s GDP and wood processing manufacturing alone makes up around 40 percent of this figure.

“Alongside freight and labour costs, Oji has cited high energy prices as a reason for its closure. Making it another victim of New Zealand's broken electricity market, where electricity companies have made significant profits over the last 12 months.

“I am disappointed National hasn’t worked harder to save these jobs. Labour worked with unions and business leaders to build an industry transformation plan, but the National Government cancelled it to pay for tax cuts,” Helen White said.

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