The Westfield Freezing Works was a large meat processing facility in the

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

suburb of Westfield, New Zealand. The site was established by Auckland's Hellaby family in 1908. Generations of families worked at Westfield, but economic reforms in the mid-1980s made the works uncompetitive and the site finally closed in 1989.

History

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

a number of freezing works opened across the country to meet the demand for New Zealand produce. Prime Minister

William Massey William Ferguson Massey (26 March 1856 – 10 May 1925), commonly known as Bill Massey, was a politician who served as the 19th prime minister of New Zealand from May 1912 to May 1925. He was the founding leader of the Reform Party, New Zea ...

opened Westfield Freezing Works on 29 May 1916 with 2,000 people attending the opening.

Shunting Locomotives

For years, a

Hudswell Clarke Hudswell, Clarke and Company Limited was an engineering and locomotive building company in Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. History The company was founded as Hudswell and Clarke in 1860. In 1870 the name was changed to Hud ...

locomotive worked the many sidings. This was joined, in 1970, by a dieselised steam loco, rebuilt by

A & G Price A & G Price Limited is an engineering firm and locomotive manufacturer in Thames, New Zealand founded in 1868. History A & G Price was established in 1868 in Princes Street, Onehunga by Alfred Price and George Price, two brothers from Stroud, ...

. Both locomotives are now preserved in Ngongotaha.

Notable former employees of the freezing works include

Anand Satyanand Sir Anand Satyanand, (born 22 July 1944) is a former lawyer, judge and ombudsman who served as the 19th Governor-General of New Zealand from 2006 to 2011. Satyanand was chair of the Commonwealth Foundation for two 2-year terms, ending in De ...

David Lange David Russell Lange ( ; 4 August 1942 – 13 August 2005) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 32nd prime minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989. Lange was born and brought up in Otahuhu, the son of a medical doctor. He became ...

Phil Goff Philip Bruce Goff (born 22 June 1953) is a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1981 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2016. He served as leader of the Labour Party and leader of the Opposition between 11 N ...

Gallery

File: A3897 Westfield Freezing Works.jpg, Westfield Freezing Works File: 636.0822 Westfield Freezing Works.jpg, Westfield Freezing Works File: A3909 - Westfield Freezing Works.jpg, Filling and Linking Pork Sausages File: A5314 Canning Department, Trimming Tongues, Westfield Freezing Works.jpg, Canning Department

References

{{coord missing, New Zealand Buildings and structures in Auckland Commercial buildings completed in 1916 Meat processing in New Zealand Buildings and structures demolished in 1989 1989 disestablishments in New Zealand 1916 establishments in New Zealand Demolished buildings and structures in New Zealand