Norwegian wood and newsprint transnational Norske Skog Tasman (NZ) Ltd ‘exports itself’. Simon Johnson aka Mr February looks at the flight of another manufacturer and CO2 emitter and exporter as it lays off staff and reduces production. Wasn’t the very generous free allocation of units in the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme meant to keep exporters like Norske Skog Tasman in New Zealand? Or have we just removed the price signal from exporters for no valid reason and stuffed the NZETS?
The Herald reports that the Norwegian-owned newsprint-maker and transnational Norske Skog Tasman NZ has joined the ranks of export businesses like Rio Tinto Alcan NZ/NZ Aluminium Smelters who are exporting jobs off shore. Incidentally Rio Tinto Alcan NZ/NZ Aluminium Smelters have just been described as New Zealand’s biggest bludger.
Norske Skog is shutting down one of two newsprint machines at the Tasman Mill, in Kawerau, due to lowered demand for newsprint.
At the same time Norske Skog is investing $A84 million in new plant at the existing Boyer Mill in Tasmania with some substantial help from the Australian Federal government (A$28 million grant) and State government (A$13 million loan).
The NZ Government has been asked “what is being done for jobs”? And the NZ Government’s “market will take care of everything” approach has been called naive.
The NZ Herald mentioned the NZ emissions trading scheme (NZETS) only briefly in passing, as they noted the rock-bottom NZ carbon price and the poor despairing carbon foresters.