Refining NZ employees urge Government to take control

Former Refining NZ worker Oliver Jones has secured work in a Brisbane refinery after taking redundancy. Photo / Supplied

A former Refining NZ worker now working at a refinery in Brisbane propped up by Australian taxpayers is calling on the New Zealand Government to follow suit and save hundreds of jobs.

Oliver Jones took redundancy from the refinery in February and, after about a month, got a job at Ampol as an operator and said he was earning double what he was getting at the Marsden Pt refinery where he worked for seven years.

Ampol - an Australian petroleum company - has offered $2 billion to buy Z Energy, one of the major shareholders of Refining NZ.

Jones is saddened about the number of job losses at Refining NZ, saying the Government should have acted earlier than the final vote to turn the company into an import-only terminal from April next year.

"I just don't think the Government is interested. They'd rather spend money elsewhere. We're talking about hardworking, honest people at the refinery who are interested in the local economy."

Energy Minister Megan Woods earlier said the Government was assured New Zealand's fuel supply would remain secure because the country could source fuel from multiple refineries to minimise supply risks once Refining NZ switched to a fuel import business model.

Woods said the Government would continue to monitor developments and work with Refining NZ where necessary to ensure economic opportunities in Northland could be maximised and utilised.

The refinery has 300 staff that will be whittled down to 70 over two years and chief executive Naomi James said the company was helping employees find jobs within Northland, elsewhere around New Zealand, and abroad.

"Our aim is really to identify companies that have roles that can match the skills of our people because while they may have been working in the refinery, they've actually got a broad set of skills that can be applied in other industries,'' James said.

"We have some really skilled people and if you want to work in oil and gas or in a refinery, then you'll have to go offshore and we're helping support our employees who do want to do that to find opportunities with the Australian refineries."

Jones said when the refinery shareholders were not making money, they would do what they wanted to and that was where the Government should step in.

Referring to Ampol, he said the petroleum company shut down its operations for six months before the Australian Government came up with a financial package after intense lobbying from the union representing workers at the company.

Jobs at the refinery would be whittled down from 300 at present to 70 over the next two years. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Ampol is one of two refineries throughout Australia that are operating while eight others have shut down since the first lockdown last year.

"Fuel is not cheap in New Zealand already and closing the refinery won't bring the prices down because when you're reliant on other countries you can't bargain.

"The refinery was built in the 60s, not long after World War II and it's something that New Zealand owns and it's so sad seeing so many lose their jobs and their way of life," Jones said.

Two workers at Refining NZ who will be made redundant at the end of May next year have also spoken out on the condition of anonymity about the impact of losing their jobs and the wider ramifications across Northland.

"It's the biggest stuff-up in fuel security in New Zealand's history and I am amazed there hasn't been a groundswell of support because if people knew the impact, they'd be up in arms," one worker said.

"If there's a conflict in Asia, refineries there will keep their oil for military operations and people here would be going back to horses and carriages. There are a lot of countries New Zealand can source its crude from but there aren't a lot of countries we can get refined products from because a lot of countries have shut down their refineries."

Another described closing down the refinery just to import refined products as "stupid".

"Not only will hundreds be out of work but the supporting industries will also suffer. These are well-paid jobs they won't be able to find elsewhere in Northland or in New Zealand so they'll have to move abroad."