Rio Tinto is closing its Tiwai Point smelter, with the loss of about one thousand jobs.
The smelter at Bluff will be wound down and closed next year as a result of a strategic review by its majority owner, Rio Tinto.
The mining company says the business is no longer viable given high energy costs and a challenging outlook for the aluminum industry.
Māni Dunlop spoke with the negotiations specialist at E Tū union which represents some of those workers, Joe Gallagher.