Parliamentary briefing launched into McCain and Heinz Wattie’s plant closures

A harvester on a Hastings farm collecting sweetcorn for McCain.

A briefing into the impending closure of Hawke’s Bay food processing plants is being welcomed by the region’s mayors.

The Primary Production Select Committee is set to open a briefing into announcements by McCain Foods and Heinz Wattie’s to close processing plants across the country.

In March, title="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/companies/retail/heinz-watties-confirms-closure-of-christchurch-dunedin-and-auckland-plants/QCYK3MJ7C5H73JFPIOEJHDSVMA/">Heinz Wattie’s confirmed it would close its Christchurch, Dunedin and Auckland manufacturing sites after consultation with staff.

Frozen packing lines in Hastings would also close.

The announcement meant the loss of about 300 roles across the impacted sites.

The confirmation came three days after McCain announced it would shut its Hastings vegetable processing plant in 2027.

The Omahu Rd plant processed more than 50,000 tonnes of vegetables annually and employed 200 people, according to Federated Farmers.

At the time, Green MP Steve Abel called for an inquiry into the impending closures but said it was voted down by National members “on the grounds that they hadn’t had a chance to run it by their caucus”.

Green Party MP Steve Abel, inset, says a briefing into the closure of Heinz Wattie's and McCain processing plants needs to include impacted communities and businesses, not just government departments. Composite image.

Abel brought the issue back up last week and National members agreed to a briefing.

A briefing is a type of inquiry a committee can undertake, giving members the opportunity to inform themselves about topics of interest or concern in the committee’s subject area.

Abel said the briefing would start immediately, beginning with some expert advice from MPI.

He said he would push for a more substantive and expansive briefing that included impacted communities and businesses, not just government departments.

“That is what I would hope that the committee is open to doing because this issue warrants and justifies the more substantive attention of Parliament than it has got today.”

Abel said the committee would meet on Thursday, April 30.

Two Hawke’s Bay mayors have welcomed the briefing.

Central Hawke’s Bay mayor Will Foley and Hastings mayor Wendy Schollum welcome the briefing into the McCain and Heinz Wattie's processing plant closures. Composite image.

More than 70 growers produce vegetables on contract to these companies in Central Hawke’s Bay.

The district’s mayor, Will Foley, said the briefing should help get to the bottom of why these business decisions are being made and what can be done differently.

“So we don’t keep repeating history.”

Hastings District Council Mayor Wendy Schollum said several influenced the decisions to close the plants but there was “limited visibility of how they come together”.

“A parliamentary process helps ensure those drivers are properly understood, and whether there are wider implications for the sector.”

Both mayors encouraged the committee to ensure it reflected the full extent of impacts across the food production system by hearing from stakeholders, including growers, industry representatives and relevant agencies.

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand.