\u201cI drove into the car park and there were probably five cars in there. Usually there would be about 30-odd. Everything has really wrapped up.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said a small number of workers remained on site to assist with maintenance and disassembling machinery.<\/p>\n
Juken New Zealand has confirmed it will close its Northland mill. Photo \/ Yolisa Tswanya<\/p>\n
\u201cThe gates will close for the last time today. There is a little bit of a skeleton crew that\u2019ll stay back and kind of disassemble some of the machinery that\u2019s going to come over here. But once they finish up, they will also be redundant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really is like the end of an era for that side. And for the Triboard side, they carry on. They\u2019ve got orders right up until Christmas, so we\u2019re hopeful that a buyer will come in and take over.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coverdale said there has been a lot of solidarity among the workers, with some of the older workers stepping aside for younger workers to keep employment. <\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the members that was offered a job that he\u2019d been after for probably 20 odd years as a grappler driver, he gave up that position so his son could take it.\u201d<\/p>\n
JNL New Zealand director Yasufumi Tsuchiya said the closure process was nearing completion, with redundancy payments being made this week and final pay, including entitlements through to August 21, to be paid next week.<\/p>\n
Since announcing the decision to close the mill, 28 employees have secured ongoing employment with JNL through redeployment and retention opportunities, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis includes 19 employees who have accepted roles at Triboard and a further nine who have been retained in roles with minor changes. A further six employees have agreed to remain temporarily to assist with site maintenance and closure activities, with three of those likely to be redeployed into ongoing positions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Japanese owned Juken New Zealand began consulting earlier this year on the future of its Far North mills. Photo \/ Yolisa Tswanya<\/p>\n
A total of 44 employees are transitioning out of the business, including employees pursuing new employment, moving into personal commitments, or choosing to retire.<\/p>\n
He said the company will also host a job fair in the coming weeks to help connect affected employees with potential employers.<\/p>\n
An employee who has been with the mill since 2016 said his last day was July 31 with a few other colleagues. He said they were now facing an uncertain future.<\/a><\/p>\n He said while others had been transferred to the Triboard Mill, others were looking beyond the Far North for work.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is not much employment up here unless you\u2019ve got qualifications in aged healthcare or nursing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA majority of your workers are looking at relocating.\u201d He said he and his wh\u0101nau were also contemplating relocation.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s just no work for me up here for my skills. We still trying to work out where we would go. Maybe Whang\u0101rei but employment opportunities seem limited there as well. At the moment we\u2019re weighing up our options and trying to decide where we\u2019ll go.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the uncertainty, he said he was satisfied with the redundancy package he received from the company.<\/p>\n