Managing director Jeremy Silva said then the company was struggling in the face of a consistently high New Zealand dollar and competition from Asia and Europe, the latter able to compete because of a weak euro.
### ODT Online Fri, 17 Oct 2014
29 Donaghys jobs go; 9 under review
By David Loughrey
The confirmed loss of 29 jobs at Donaghys’ South Dunedin factory, and news of a further nine jobs to be reviewed next year, was confirmed yesterday to “silent” workers. The loss of the jobs, which had been foreshadowed recently, came as another 29 manufacturing positions were lost yesterday at Tasman Insulation in Christchurch and 40 at Wellpack in Wellington, as a high dollar and cheap imports cut a swath through the industry.
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### ODT Online Thu, 2 Oct 2014
Dunedin factory to lay off 30 staff
By David Loughrey
Thirty jobs are set to be cut at Donaghys’ Dunedin factory, leaving workers “stunned”, and their union representative fuming at claims New Zealand has a “rock star economy”. The cuts are another hit to Dunedin’s manufacturing industry. Donaghys yesterday announced it had begun a consultation process with staff and unions on a restructure that included a proposal cutting up to 30 jobs.
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![Donaghys' ropewalk [blogs.otago.ac.nz] historical 1](https://dunedinstadium.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/donaghys-ropewalk-blogs-otago-ac-nz-historical-1.jpg)
Donaghys’ ropewalk (historical) | Image via The Hocken Blog
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
What if? Dunedin... 
### dunedintv.co.nz October 17, 2014 – 5:49pm
Job cuts confirmed at Donaghys rope factory
Significant job losses at the Donaghys rope factory in South Dunedin have been confirmed.
Video
### ODT Online Mon, 27 Oct 2014
Editorial: Swings and roundabouts
It has been a tale of two fortunes for city businesses this month. On October 16, it was confirmed 29 workers, from a workforce of about 70, would lose their jobs at Donaghys’ South Dunedin factory, and another nine jobs would be reviewed next year. The initial job losses had been signalled earlier, with the company, which makes rope and farming products, saying it was struggling in the face of a consistently high New Zealand dollar and competition from Asia and Europe. The possibility of further cuts next year is another cruel blow for workers, their families and the longstanding company, founded in Dunedin in 1876.
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Donaghys might blame the “strong dollar”, but in reality it is the fault of management. They took on more employees in 2013, crowing how well they were doing, they entered the chemical industry, with no actual experience in the area (to be fair it makes them some money). Yet with all that for the last 4 years they have been losing money $1.2 million over the last two years (when they took on more staff???).
It comes back to an ineffectual management structure, and many other problems.