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Te Arawa iwi interests say they won’t be rushed into buying a failed Rotorua sawmill.
Te Taru White from Te Arawa Federation of Maori Authorities says the group has signed a confidentiality agreement with the receivers of the Tachikawa Mill and are getting expert advice on whether the business can be revived.
He says the mill contains older machinery and under the previous management it wasn’t making the type of product the world wants.
Before going broke last month it employed about 130 Maori.
"Most of those people are our own people. We're in forestry for the long haul and we have added value processing facilities in that vision. This has come along a bit earlier than we intended. But you know it creates interest for us plus it's on our land. It's quite a significant block of land and wouldn't it be nice to get that back," Mr White says.
Te Arawa wants to consider the social and cultural aspects of buying the mill, as well as making sure the numbers stack up.
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