Proper Crisps Considers Closing Nelson Factory
Nelson mayor Nick Smith has warned the region is “punch drunk with bad news” after potato chip maker Proper Crisps signalled the possible closure of its Stoke factory, with production to be moved to Auckland.
The company, owned by Griffin’s Snacks, confirmed on Thursday that it had proposed shutting the Nelson facility in late 2027.
“Recently we shared with our Nelson and Wellington teams a proposal to bring all New Zealand savoury snack manufacturing together at our Wiri site in Auckland,” a Griffin’s spokesperson said in a statement to The Press. “This proposal is about strengthening our manufacturing capability in New Zealand for the long term, but we know it could mean change for some of our people.”
If the plan proceeds, 82 roles across Nelson and Wellington could be affected, the company told The Press. Around 65 of those jobs are based in Nelson.
In a social media post, Smith said he sympathised with the workers and families impacted, adding that the decision was another economic setback for the region.
“The region is punch drunk with bad news following the storms in June and July, the August decision to close the [Carter Holt Harvey] Eves Valley sawmill, the September proposal by Sealord to close its fish coating plant and now this Griffin’s announcement of its proposal to close its Proper Crisps factory in Echodale Place in Stoke,” Smith wrote. “I cannot recall such a terrible run of bad news for our region in over 30 years as an MP and now mayor.”
Smith noted that the Nelson site was originally established because of the city’s entrepreneurial food innovators, rather than proximity to potato-growing regions. “The downside when these businesses are taken over [by] the corporates is that they lose this community connection,” he said.
The mayor warned that the potential closure raised further concerns about the erosion of specialist food manufacturing in the city. “This closure proposal adds weight and importance to the work being done to improve regional economic development for the city and region,” he said.
