Whakatāne Mill in discussions with a potential buyer - report

Whakatane Mill. Photo / File

The owner of the Whakatāne Mill is in discussions with a potential buyer.

The Whakatane Beacon reported today that SIG Combibloc (SIG) confirmed it had received a proposal from an interested party to investigate the possibility of continuing operations at the mill.

It said discussions were still at an early stage, and it was too soon to determine whether this proposal would be progressed further.

Last month management at the mill announced the closure with just over 210 staff to be made redundant, most by the end of June.

SIG said the closure of the mill remained a very real prospect, and steps to work through the wind-down process would continue unless a binding deal was reached.

All mill staff, unions and other necessary stakeholders were updated at a meeting yesterday.

The Beacon reported it was understood there were two parties potentially interested.

SIG reiterated its commitment to continuing to support management and staff at the mill through this period of uncertainty and has put in place numerous measures including full HR and Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) services.

The mill is Whakatāne's largest private employer and has, for more than 80 years, produced paper and packaging products, mostly for export.