The Kinleith Mill in Tokoroa. Photo: Libby Kirkby-McLeod
A group of high-profile politicians is expected to visit Tokoroa on Monday night, to survey the Kinleith Mill.
The mill's owner, Oji Fibre Solutions, announced in November that it was stopping paper production, with up to 230 jobs to be cut.
Green MP Tamatha Paul grew up in the area and was expecting to attend the Save Our Mill community meeting in Tokoroa.
Labour MPs including Camilla Belich (workplace relations) and Glen Bennett (economic development) were also expected to attend.
She said high-profile politicians, including Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones, and Social Development Minister Louise Upston, along with contingents from the Greens and Te Pāti Māori, were expected.
It would likely be "the most politicians that [have] ever been to a small town like Tokoroa".
The aim of the meeting was to showcase the hundreds of jobs on the line before Christmas, she said, in the hopes the government would provide affected workers some support.
The Greens' Tamatha Paul is calling for relief for the affected mill workers. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
"As a first step, it would be great if the government could decide to provide some relief to the workers who are going to go into Christmas and are not sure whether they'll have a job or not in the next couple weeks.
"There's an immediate solution that we're seeking to immediately alleviate that stress and pain for whānau."
She also called for the government to develop a long-term plan for the regional economy, including making a firm plan for tackling energy prices.
"Then following that we would really love to see a long-term strategy around the economy in the south Waikato, really - what industries are we going to be able to transition to given climate change, given the impact from our energy rules and laws in New Zealand and how that's leading to mills across the country being closed down.
"How can this government say that they want people in jobs, and there are no jobs? Particularly in these regions when you can't necessarily work from home. People in the regions want to get out and work, they want to do the mahi, they want to contribute to something bigger than themselves."
Paul was excited for the country to see the "magic of my hometown" and was hopeful the event would be inspirational for the country - particularly the regions grappling with similar concerns about their future, she said.
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