Colonial Ammunition Company

Components were made in New Zealand and Australia, shipped to England, and then assembled at the Greenwood & Batley plant in Leeds.

This business was based on a 10 acres (4.0 ha) site on the slopes of Mount Eden and was the first factory producing munitions in Australasia.

The building initially employed children but this was outlawed by the Factories Act 1891, Whitney hired mostly women after this.

[5] The Colonial Ammunition Company first branched out of munitions production in 1925 when it started producing crown seal bottle tops.

[5] The company built a rare steel-frame shot tower with a 30-metre drop in 1914 for the creation of lead pellets.

The tower was erected by local blacksmiths W. Wilson and Company,[1] and initially operated by Mr. Lylie with his two daughters (who had previously been supplying CAC with limited quantities of shot from Nelson).

[1] It remained in profitable operation until after World War II, when it allowed the company to keep production levels high after military ammunition requirements had dropped off.

[7][8] Following the entry of the Japanese Empire into the Second World War, there was concern that the site at Mount Eden would be too exposed to a coastal attack.

After the equipment was relocated and buildings constructed and manufacturing at a site on Dey Street, production commenced in June 1942.

The facility was closed after the end of the war and equipment and production were transferred back to Mount Eden.