Methanex offering $100,000 base salaries as it sees longer-term certainty in natural gas

Wednesday, 13 February 2019

New Zealand's sole processor and exporter of methanol is hiring more staff - with $100,000 base salaries - after seeing a clearer future for the industry through the next decade, and possibly beyond.

Canada-based Methanex plans to employ 14 plant operators for the company's three sites at Motonui, Waitara Valley and Port Taranaki.

The recruitment programme will fill long-term staff retirements as well as train new employees over the next three years.

Methanex Motonui operations manager Alistair Simmers said the company was hiring staff because there was more certainty for the industry in NZ over the next decade.

The operator positions, which closed on February 13, have attracted 300 applications.

**READ MORE:

Methanex is taking on 14 new plant operators, with a starting wage of around $100,000. (From left) Stefan Webling and Rob Berrington-Smith in the Motonui site main operations room.

* Methanol exporter Methanex signs supply deal, securing future in Taranaki

* Methanex's plans to stay in Taranaki welcomed

* Govt discuss end of oil and gas exploration with Taranaki business, local govt and stakeholders**

Methanol, which is made from natural gas, is exported to Asia to be made into building materials, foams, resins, plastics, paints, polyester and a range of health and pharmaceutical products.

Motonui operations manager Alistair Simmers said the company had long-term certainty in New Zealand after renewing a natural gas contract with suppliers last year to extend methanol production to 2029.

'The long-term certainty with our gas contracts has allowed us to plan for the longer term at our sites in Waitara Valley and Motonui,' Simmer said.

The new contract - which amounted to half of the company's annual production of 2.4 million tonnes - came after the Government made a surprise announcement in April to ban on all offshore oil and gas exploration permits after 2020.

The ban threatened the company's future.

Methanex employs 270 staff through four sites - Motonui, Waitara Valley, and Port Taranaki - and a small team in Auckland.

Successful qualified applicants for the plant operator positions will work 12 hour shifts, four days on and four days off - starting on a $100,000 base salary.

'We have a number of staff who have been with the company for 30-35 years and are nearing retirement who will need to replace,' Simmers said.

'Rather than wait until people leave, we want to bring new operators on now and get them going ahead of the training curve, allowing experienced operators to transition their knowledge to a new generation.'

In addition to taking on eight experienced operators, the company would also employ six trainees each year for the next five years.

New trainees undergo classroom and basic field training before starting on shiftwork, and each year go back to class for a month until all core skills are completed.

The training programme took three years to complete.

'We're looking for people who have a trades background, but who are also willing and able to learn, curious and energetic,' he said.

'We want to pick the best.'

There were up to 80 operators currently employed within the company's three sites in Taranaki.