Confectionery production of Allen's chews lollies, manufactured at the factory exclusively for the Australian market, will be moved to a larger plant for the brand in Victoria, Australia.
According to Nestlé, unions and facility staff have been informed of the plans and will have the opportunity to comment in coming weeks.
Chris O’Donnell, Confectionery General Manager at Nestlé, said the company regretted the job losses at Wiri and that it would provide staff with a generous redundancy package and access to outplacement services.
“This doesn’t reflect on the personal efforts of our staff. It has been a commercial decision made after careful consideration of the benefits of simplifying and consolidating manufacture of our Australian lollies,” said O’Donnell.
The proposed changes do not affect the Wiri factory’s food manufacturing division – and it will remain the regional hub for Nestlé’s other products including, Maggi and Nestlé Docello brands for retail and foodservice.
A spokesperson for New Zealand trade union E tu said: "Nestlé is one of those companies that has supported south Auckland for a long time, and it has been the main source of income for a lot of people in that community. It's really sad that it's come to this – we're potentially losing something that generates jobs, along with workers who have been at the company for many years."