Northland will likely miss out on a multimillion-dollar, government-backed vegetable growing operation – a domino effect following the closure of the Marsden Point refinery near Whangārei. The $70 million glasshouse project was developed by Taupō-registered company Rohe Produce Limited to be powered by carbon dioxide (CO2) at the sole oil refinery in New Zealand.
The government approved a $14m loan under the Provincial Growth Fund in 2020 towards the building of the 8.9ha, light-emitting diode (LED) glasshouse to grow organic specialty tomatoes.
Then-Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones said it would be huge for Northland and create 110 permanent jobs.
But five years later, the project had stalled, the grant was put on hold and the developer was waiting for confirmation on the build's new site.
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