Workers ‘shell-shocked’ after proposal to close Heinz Wattie’s factories.

Staff at Heinz Wattie’s factories were shocked on Wednesday after finding out, in some cases, decades of service would be coming to an end.

The company called them into a meeting which outlined the closure of three manufacturing facilities across Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin. 

The proposed changes are expected to impact around 350 roles. 

The company would also stop selling frozen vegetables and Gregg’s coffee, as well as a number of dips. 

In a statement, Heinz Wattie’s said the manufacturing environment in New Zealand had become increasingly difficult, and it was having to deal with high inflation and various industry challenges.

Managing Director Andrew Donegan said the priority is now supporting workers.

“The decision to start this process was not taken lightly. Numerous alternatives and options were explored before reaching this phase. It is a necessary step to position our company for the future.”

E Tū Union delegate Kathy Perrin, who has worked for the company for 47 years, felt the situation could have been handled better. 

“We all got a text message at the same time, and all we got told was there was a meeting... and then we went to the meeting and were told that it was a closure.”

“We kind of suspected that there might have been a few redundancies; we were not expecting a closure.”

She said many workers had no idea what to do next, after having spent most of their working lives there. 

The proposed closures are also worrying growers and suppliers. 

Process Vegetables Chair David Hadfield said it would particularly hit the wider Canterbury region hard.

“The Wattie's pea crops are grown from Methven, along the side of the Rakaia River, down and then across Central Canterbury, the whole area right from Darfield, Sheffield, right down to the edge of Lake Ellesmere.”

It was expected many growers would now have to start planning to put other crops in their rotation. 

Hadfield also feared a wider situation regarding the country’s food security, where more products would be imported.

“If the New Zealand grower isn’t growing it, it’s going to be imported... with the way the world’s going at the moment with conflicts, is the stuff going to get here?”

These changes are just the latest in a long line of industrial plants shutting their doors. 

E Tū Union Director Finn O'Dwyer-Cunliffe said it’s part of an familiar pattern’.

“We've seen it with Carter Holt Harvey at Eves Valley, Sealord in Nelson, Kinleith Pulp and Paper, and now Heinz Wattie's. It's a trend that is deeply damaging to workers, to communities, and to the country.”

Final decisions will be made when the consultation period finishes on March 25th.