The Government has no plan to support workers as 230 more jobs are lost today with the closure of the Kinleith paper mill.

“This is devastating news for the whole of the community and the many families who rely on the paper mill for income,” Labour employment spokesperson Willie Jackson said.

“This is on top of the 33,000 people who have lost their jobs across Aotearoa in the last 12 months under National. That’s more than the entire population of Blenheim, without the dignity of meaningful mahi.

“This is not good enough. Winston Peters promised that he would be an ‘advocate on your behalf’ and that ‘Kinleith Mill is the lifeblood of the Waikato’, yet here we are with another large employer closing its doors.

“The community and workers of Tokoroa deserve more than false promises.

“It’s a disgrace that the Government can sit idly by and let thousands of people lose their jobs, after promising they would help, and then let this happen,” Willie Jackson said.

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