June 29, 2021
Kawerau mill switches off
The last roll of newsprint came off the Kawerau Mill this morning after almost 70 years of operation.
Tane Phillips from the Pulp and Paper Workers Union, who worked at the mill for 30 years, says it gave work to generations of Māori in the eastern Bay of Plenty.
"It was a huge site with 2000 people at its peak, but technology has taken over and no one reads newspapers like they used to – that's the cold hard fact of life," he says.
The union and Norske Skog are trying to find work for the 160 workers still on site, and while there are jobs around the region, few will pay as well.
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