Wednesday, 06 May 2020 11:54

Milking it?

Written by  Staff Reporters
Miraka chief executive Richard Wyeth. Miraka chief executive Richard Wyeth.

Taupo-based dairy processor Miraka says it used Government funding to pay workers forced to stay home during the COVID-19 lockdown.

According to Ministry of Social Development’s website, Miraka was paid nearly $900,000 for 128 staff under the wage subsidy scheme announced for COVID-19 affected companies.

Miraka chief executive Richard Wyeth told Rural News that while the factory processed milk during the lockdown, its UHT lines were forced to close due to sluggish demand from China.

“While we kept the factory running, some aspects of our production were shut and staff remained home,” he says. “So, we applied to the scheme and used the money to pay those staff.”

Two other dairy companies – both Chinese-owned – also claimed the wage subsidy. Yashili NZ, which operates an infant formula plant at Pokeno, claimed $970,000 for 138 staff.  Auckland-based GMP Dairy, majority-owned by China’s Evergrande Group, claimed $570,000 for 74 staff.

New Zealand’s largest dairy companies – Fonterra and Open Country Dairy- did not apply for the wage subsidy.

Meanwhile, in the meat sector Silver Fern Farms claimed $43m, Alliance $34m and Anzco $2.6m. However, neither Affco nor Progressive Meats have claimed any wage subsidy.

More like this

M.I.A.

OPINION: The previous government spent too much during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite warnings from officials, according to a briefing released by the Treasury.

Gaslight much?

OPINION: Labour leader Chris 'Chippy' Hipkins is carrying on the world-class gaslighting of the nation that he and his cohorts started after their disastrous Covid response; now trying to undermine the Covid inquiry to protect his own backside.

Sorry, not sorry

OPINION: Did former PM Jacinda Ardern get fawning reviews for her book?

Featured

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

DairyNZ plantain trials cut nitrate leaching by 26%

DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.

National

Machinery & Products

JDLink Boost for NZ farms

Connectivity is widely recognised as one of the biggest challenges facing farmers, but it is now being overcome through the…

New generation Defender HD11

The all-new 2026 Can-Am Defender HD11 looks likely to raise the bar in the highly competitive side-by-side category.

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Full cabinet

OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter