Electricity sector privatisation is destroying manufacturing industry

Opinion: Seventy-five workers at Oji’s Penrose pulp mill and a further 230 at Winstone Pulp International’s two Central North Island mills will remember August 2024: the month wholesale electricity prices quadrupled, the month their employer began consultation on likely closures and layoffs.
Googling how to apply for a Jobseeker benefit for the first time in his life, one employee has just discovered an August 2024 round of new benefit sanctions, with Social Development Minister Louise Upston proudly proclaiming the increased use of sanctions since she took office.