New opportunities open up in Southland as the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter hires

According to a report on Wednesday, July 20, the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter will launch a recruitment campaign next week. The news came after New Zealand Aluminium Smelter’s chief executive and general manager Chris Blenkiron announced it, adding that attracting new staff or retaining old ones was a challenge at the Tiwai smelter, compounded by ongoing disruptions from COVID-19 and other illnesses.

Additional shifts were arranged for maintaining safe operations at the smelter, but that added to the workforce pressures, said Blenkiron.

Traditionally, the smelter employs 1,000 people. However, the requirement of how many additional workers and in what departments is not known yet.

The Tiwai staff shortage mirrored many other problems at other business fronts in the Southland. Some businesses even reported temporary shutdown due to workforce shortages caused by the daily rise in COVID-19 cases.

Chief executive of Southland Chamber of Commerce, Sheree Carey, said uncertainty around the Tiwai smelter future in the recent times further added job insecurity among staffs. She added there is an overall shortage of people to do the work across multiple industries in the Southland.

There was a 2.6 per cent of unemployment in the region, lowest since 2013, but GDP was above the national average. Hence, Carey said, “So the growth is there but you can’t grow any more without the people to do the work.”