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Bad news for a Northland community this festive season –
almost 60 jobs have been terminated at an oyster farm in Kaeo.
Kaeo is found on the Eastern coast of Northland
near Kaitaia and Kaikohe.
Roihana Nuri reports.
This is one of the most important jobs to the economy
of this small Northland Community.
But a virus has devastated the local beds, killing the oysters.
Gary Rudolph has been working for Sanford since 2000,
but now he is unemployed because his was one of 66 jobs lost.
Kaeo has an unemployment rate of 7%,
but that's expected to increase because of these lay-offs.
Jackie Stewart has been working for Sanford for more than 11 years,
but now he's just another unemployed statistic.
This is bad news for this region because the oyster farming industry
contributes $19 million annually to the Northland economy.
According to this local business owner,
this is the beginning of the end.
Both Sanford and the community hope that a cure is found soon
to wipe out the virus.
Roihana Nuri, Te Karere.