By the Numbers – Stink costs 160 Waikato jobs
More than 160 workers at NZ Mushrooms in Morrinsville will lose their jobs after the company announced it was closing its Waikato operation.
The parent company, Christchurch-based Meadows Mushrooms, said today that meeting court-imposed compliance requirements to stifle an offensive pong from its composting site were too expensive and as a result it would cease its Morrinsville operations by the end of 2010.
Matamata-Piako mayor Hugh Vercoe said the announcement was “extremely sad” for Morrinsville. “Firstly for losing that many jobs and also for the mushroom industry in Morrinsville that was started many many years ago by the Holst familly and has been run as a successful operation for many many years.”
NZ Mushrooms is one of Morrinsville’s biggest employers, with more than 180 staff and the closure of the site was unfortunate in the current economic climate and just before Christmas, Mr Vercoe said.
Over the past decade the company has come under fire from neighbours and Environment Waikato for the offensive odours that smell like “dead cows” wafting out of the Taukoro Rd composting plant.
Mr Vercoe was trying to get in contact with the company to find out more about the closure. Meadow Mushrooms said while it was working with the court to arrange a managed exit over the next two years, it could be earlier if the Environment Court ruled otherwise.
It expected to have a closing date confirmed by the end of January 2009.
Meadow Mushrooms Christchurch-based chief executive Roger Young is today visiting the Avenue Rd premises, where the mushrooms are grown, to speak to staff in the region about the future of the operation.
Last year Meadow Mushrooms appealed a decision by the Environment Court after it ruled that the low level odours were objectionable, despite the firm spending $2 million over the past 12 years to contain the smell.
As a result the company agreed to a five-year interim proposal to enclose its composting site before reconsidering other options including relocating the composting plant, which it has now deemed too expensive.
Mr Vercoe said he had not been approached by Meadow Mushrooms regarding today’s announcement. According to its resource consent no offensive odours are allowed beyond the boundary.
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