The Government has been aware of the potential for large-scale job losses in the wood processing industry since coming into office, economic development minister Jim Anderton said today, following CHH’s announcement of redundancies at Kinleith.

“I am deeply concerned about the impact on the workers involved, their families and the community of Tokoroa.

“I have asked Industry New Zealand and the Ministry of Economic Development to work with the company and with the Tokoroa community.

“When this government came into office we recognised that the potential existed for New Zealand to lose many more plants and lose considerably more jobs. For that reason we have been working closely with the wood industry to secure as much wood processing as possible in New Zealand.

“The Wood Processing Strategy Group met at parliament today and today’s news from Kinleith gives its work a sense of perspective.

“The industry is confronting serious challenges in transport, resource management, skills training and climate change. The Government is playing its part in all of those issues, and it’s increasingly up to the industry to play its part.

“Further investment in wood processing has the potential to offer many thousands of new jobs in the future and hope for many regions,” Jim Anderton said.

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