A fight for survival

The Greytown clothing manufacturer Bouzaid and Ballaben, caught up in its parent company's receivership, is fighting for its life after 65 years as one of Wairarapa's major employers.
Staff from receivers BDO Spicers were at the plant yesterday, as part of the overall look into the financial situation confronting Lane Walker Rudkin Industries, but were revealing nothing to the news media.
News of the possible closure of Bouzaid and Ballaben along with the drying up of more than 60 jobs has saddened many people throughout South Wairarapa as most families have either had a member who worked there or know of others who have.
In its heyday Bouzaid and Ballaben employed 300 workers, drawing them from Featherston, Martinborough, Greytown and Carterton, being the third-biggest Wairarapa employer behind Waingawa Freezing Works and Masterton Hospital.
The firm had bus runs to the outlaying towns to pick up workers and, aside from the Greytown factory, had taken over Dave Cooper's former clothing factory mainly as a storeroom and had started a small factory in Martinborough.
Former managing director Maurice Hurst, now retired and living in Masterton, said he hoped when the receivers had finishing assessing Lane Walker Rudkin that Bouzaid and Ballaben would manage to survive as one of the "better parts" of the business.
He said in his time at the factory, which extended until the end of 1993, there had been challenges but the dropping off of tariffs and the welter of cheaply-made clothing imported from all over the world had now made the situation much worse.
Mr Hurst said he had felt quite nostalgic on hearing news Bouzaid and Ballaben could go under.
"After all, I spent 28 years of my life there, and there has always been a tradition of people giving long service."
He said some workers gave more than 40 years service and whole families, like the Lyster family, were employed there.
Bouzaid and Ballaben started in the clothing business in 1944 when Mick Bouzaid and Joe Ballaben joined forces in the rag trade.
Previously Mick Bouzaid ran a fish shop in Greytown and Joe Ballaben had a clothing business in Wellington.
The two had partnered up as fruiterers and confectioners before branching out into clothing manufacturing.
They started with a handful of machinists, one being Shirley Goodin, of Carterton, who joined the staff the day after the factory opened its doors.
Now Mrs Bond, she recalls her friend Ruby Panapa meeting her at the bus stop as she arrived from Carterton and walking her to the factory for her first day.
Mrs Bond said she has "great memories of her years at the factory" as has Roka Rewi, formerly of Papawai, now retired in Masterton.
Ms Rewi said she started at the factory in 1948 making "knickers, sheets and tracksuits".
"That factory Underworld on Coronation Street reminds me of my days at Bouzaid and Ballaben although we wouldn't have got away with the language they use."
George Bouzaid, son of founder Mick Bouzaid, spent 38 years working at the factory started by his dad, being employed both in the old factory on the corner of Main and Hastwell streets and later in the new factory.
He said business had obviously been waning over recent years, especially when imported Chinese-made clothing began flooding into New Zealand, and the staff had shrunk considerably in that time.
There had still been over 100 workers employed when he left 11 years ago.
Mr Bouzaid said he didn't believe the firm could meet expenses on the output of a staff of only 60.
Stephen Tubbs, of BDO Spicers, said yesterday the receivers would be making no further comments on the Lane Walker Rudkin receivership at this time.
The group, owned by Ken Anderson, of Christchurch, employs around 470 people in garment factories nationwide.
Apart from its main Greytown factory, Bouzaid and Ballaben also employs a small team of up to 15 workers in Pahiatua, who are also under the microscope as the receivers trawl through the books and whose jobs are under threat.