Mass redundancies at Nelson marine firm

Nelson's Challenge Marine has laid off nearly all its staff, blaming the economic downturn for the radical downsizing.

Twenty-one workers were handed redundancy notices last week, leaving "only about three or four" at the marine engineering firm.

At its peak three years ago, the business employed 60 people.

"We've got to change with the times," managing director Nevil Basalaj told the Nelson Mail.

"The current climate is inconsistent and does not provide an economic return on investment for this part of the business.

Challenge Marine is one of four Nelson businesses owned by Mr Basalaj under the Challenge New Zealand umbrella.

He said the remaining businesses, Fluid Power Solutions, Nelson Reliance Engineering, and McBride Design, were unaffected, and he hoped to redeploy affected staff where possible.

- NZPA