174 jobs lost in Christchurch

The meat industry and Christchurch city’s poor economic development initiatives are failing, Opposition agriculture spokesperson and Wigram MP, Jim Anderton said following the loss of another 174 job at two Silver Fern meat plants.

“Twelve thousand people have been laid off in Christchurch in the last year. While unemployment rises to unacceptable levels, the current council is saying and apparently doing nothing about the slide, while central government has no plans for jobs at all.

“Christchurch jobless rates are rising, when the NZ economy is supposed to be coming out of recession.

“What is the Canterbury Development Corporation doing and why are they staying silent on job losses?”

Jim Anderton says the meat industry has failed to learn from organisations like Zespri and Fonterra about the benefits of cooperation in industry development, marketing and research.

“Those two are examples of industries that have been successful because of their co-operation. The meat industry is in trouble because it hasn’t learned.

“The meat industry has been slow to investigate exciting new market opportunities, partly because it has been focused on its own local competitive issues instead of growing the industry in New Zealand overall.

“Job losses in the meat industry are the predictable result,” Jim Anderton said.

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