"Don't just pack up and run, put on your big boy pants and clean up your mess you've left."
The business is currently Southland's biggest employer.
An Auckland scientist says "no one wins".
But NZ Aluminium believes there's a chance it can be salvaged.
Meridian says the aluminium smelter's demise is bad new news for the power industry.
About 1000 people are directly employed by the smelter and it creates a further 1600 indirect jobs in Southland.
"They need to be delivering."
He forgot to remove the keys from the patrol car in a fast-moving situation.
