Carter Holt Harvey has confirmed that it will close its Tokoroa plywood plant, a move that will see 119 people lose their jobs. Employees were formally told of the decision on Monday afternoon, with the plant set to wind down by November.
The closure follows weeks of uncertainty after the company began a consultation process to review the future of the site. Despite hopes of finding an alternative, management concluded that shutting the plant was the only option.
The decision is a heavy blow for Tokoroa, a town that has relied on the plywood plant as one of its biggest employers for a long time. Local businesses and residents are already feeling the weight of the announcement. Larry Sullivan, who owns Morrissey’s clothing store in the town, said the impact extends beyond the factory gates.
“Everybody is sort of worried about individuals,” Sullivan said. “You keep reeling off names when there’s a few guys standing around at the pub, ‘How’s this guy getting on, how’s that guy getting on’. So yeah, a lot of caring, I think, and yeah, it’s just one punch after the other sort of thing at the moment.”
While Carter Holt Harvey has not released further details about support for affected employees, community members say the focus now is on helping each other through the transition. The closure is another reminder of the challenges facing regional industries, where plant shutdowns not only cost jobs but also ripple across small towns reliant on them.