despite the tough talk, the closure of Tiwai Point is far from a done deal
- Written by Geoff Bertram, Senior Associate, Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

Another year, another round of hostage-taking by the owners of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter.
As always, Rio Tinto has made the first move, threatening to close New Zealand Aluminium Smelters (NZAS) in Southland unless some ransom is paid. A thousand jobs would be lost, with a further 1,600 indirectly affected.
In the usual script...