No Cawthron jobs lost in laboratory restructure

New Zealand's leading independent research institute, Cawthron Institute, has finalised the sale of its Marlborough Laboratory and environmental chemistry testing business, to R J Hill Laboratories. The environmental chemistry business has been managed from Cawthron's Nelson laboratories.

Cawthron Acting Chief Executive, Daryl Wehner, said "no staff have lost jobs through the sale although 18 staff were directly affected. Staff currently employed at the Marlborough Laboratory all secured roles with the new owners."

"The remaining affected staff have found new opportunities within Cawthron or alternative employment."

"We are clearly pleased with this outcome. We value our staff highly and have been pleased to support them throughout the transition and to have worked with Hill Laboratories to ensure continued employment for staff in Marlborough."

Daryl Wehner says the sale will enable Cawthron, which is well known for its research in coastal and freshwater ecosystems as well as its IANZ certified analytical laboratory, to now focus more on its core, high-end research and testing activities.

"The environmental testing work, which depends on a high throughput, has been a difficult business to run from a small centre like Nelson. The sale enables us to strengthen and grow the high-end analytical research and development services for our clients."

"Moving forward we will expand our laboratory work into established areas of strength, such as research, test development, safety and certification, dietary supplements, algal technologies and natural toxin testing"”

He says the move will allow Cawthron to play to its core strengths, which have most recently resulted in the opening up of extremely lucrative new markets through the sale of minute amounts of complex organic compounds sourced from algae.

"This is a positive step forward for both businesses, streamlining services, and allowing both Cawthron and Hills to maximise their core specialties, with customers gaining the benefit."

Cawthron will continue to provide all microbiological testing, food chemistry, dietary supplements and natural toxin testing and test development services from its Nelson laboratories. The Marlborough and environmental chemistry testing businesses will transfer to Hill Laboratories at the end of June. Hills will continue to provide existing services from the same premises in Grovetown Park, Blenheim.

If you have any questions about these changes, please contact:

Daryl Wehner
Acting Chief Executive, Cawthron Institute
Phone: +64 3 5393270
Mobile: +64 21 829 320
Email: