KEY POINTS:
"The mill created us but it isn't going to kill us."
South Waikato Mayor Neil Sinclair shares the optimism of many who live in Putaruru, where Carter Holt Harvey this week announced it was closing the town's lifeblood sawmill.
The mill has been the biggest employer in the
town for 103 years and although locals feel gloomy, they are adamant the closure will not be a death knell for Putaruru.
"We've been hit but we aren't down," Mr Sinclair said. "We've been through this before."
The district had 17 mills when he arrived in 1964, and over the years he has watched them close.
But the axing of 212 jobs in a town with a population of less than 4000, is unprecedented.
For now Mr Sinclair's priority is supporting workers and their families.
But he and others are also focused on Putaruru's future and believe opportunities exist to improve the town's economic fortunes.
They talk about abundant land, rail links with the Tauranga port, and turning the area into a hub for distribution and manufacturers wanting to escape more expensive centres.
All around, forestry tracts are being converted to lucrative dairying, and bottled water is proving a growth industry for Putaruru.
It has three bottling plants, producing 70 per cent of the country's bottled water, and a fourth is moving there soon.
"With our water, this district should look like Dubai," publican Pin Mycroft said.
Mr Mycroft, who owns the Crown and Anchor, said the mill closure was a big blow, and would have a flow-on effect for businesses such as his own.
"But given the right push and the right drive, I believe our district is primed for growth."
Mill workers are also trying to look on the bright side, saying they are hopeful of finding new jobs, even if it means moving away.
Noel Jensen, 33, has worked at the mill 11 years and says he will probably go to a meat processing plant in Benneydale, about 45 minutes away.
Another worker, with three years' experience, said his sister had found him a job in Brisbane, and EPMU union organiser Red Middlemiss said several firms had called with offers.
The union wanted to find everyone jobs before Christmas, and a mine in Huntly and geothermal power station at Wairakei were among the options.
Jack Peraua, a father of four, had just been transferred from a Carter Holt Harvey mill in Tokoroa that closed last month, and said he was told his Putaruru job would be safe.
"I'm pretty gutted. I've got a young family. I'm only 29," he said.
Welfare agency Raukawa Trust Board said the biggest concern was workers with young families and mortgages.
