Factories were built in Mount Eden and in Melbourne, Australia, and these supplied ammunition for New Zealand and Australian governments.

Two years after beginning his military service, he married Harriet Musters at Colwick in Nottinghamshire and the couple went on to have six children.

Whitney joined the New Zealand militia, initially as a captain, and served as a battery commander at Fort Resolution in Auckland.

As a result of the incident, Britain ceased supplying ammunition to New Zealand, needing to build up its reserves of small arms munitions.

After arranging for the necessary manufacturing equipment to be made locally, he hired 25 staff and went into production at a facility in Mount Eden.

His initial workforce was mainly children although following the introduction of legislation in 1891 banning the use of child labour in factories, women made up the majority of his workers.

[1] Whitney was able to begin supplying ammunition, in the form of Snider ball cartridges, to the New Zealand government within twelve months.

[3] However the CAC also manufactured sporting ammunition and by 1900, Whitney's company had established a reputation for quality product in this field.

Employing over 2,000 people, Whitney's company was the only manufacturer of ammunition in the Southern Hemisphere and played a significant role in the economies of both countries.