Fifty people have lost their jobs in Tauranga as Natural Dairy’s Greerton milk factory in Tauranga shuts its gates for good.

Employees at the plant told local media that they were given their marching orders last Friday.

The company indicated that the arrests of Natural Dairy executives Jack Chen and May Wang in Hong Kong on corruption charges meant the processing plant no longer had customers to supply.

The arrested duo also ran the stores in China which the Greerton plant was supplying with UHT milk.  Staff were given four week’s notice and pay.