Confirmation today that Dunedin’s Cadbury factory will close is a blow for the hundreds of people who work there and their families, the Green Party said today.
Factory owner Mondelez has indicated that a group, including council and union staff and local MPs, will work towards ensuring that some Kiwi brands will continue to be produced locally – a small silver lining in an otherwise difficult day for Dunedin.
“My thoughts are with the more than 300 people who are finding out today that they will be out of a job soon, and their families,” said Green Party Co-leader and Waitati local Metiria Turei.
“Redundancies on this scale can have a deep and lasting impact on families and communities. There will be a lot of hurting people in Dunedin today.
“As part of the working group, I’m going to ensure that those families are put first in everything we do.
“We will do everything in our power to help the factory workers and the wider community through this very difficult time,” said Mrs Turei.