Manufacturing in New Zealand

[1] New Zealand has a disadvantage in export manufacturing due to its small population, isolated location, and high costs.

The UK joining the European Economic Community in 1973, stricter hygiene standards, new processing and packaging technologies, deregulation of the meat-processing industry in 1980 and the removal of agricultural subsidies in 1984 all contributed to the change.

In August 1994, five freezing works across the North Island closed after owner Weddel went into receivership.

[7] Major companies include AFFCO Holdings, Alliance Group, ANZCO Foods, and Silver Fern Farms.

There are four major chicken and poultry processors in New Zealand: Brinks, Inghams, Tegel, and Turks.

Improvements in transport and economies of scale soon saw the old smaller dairy factories replaced by new larger ones.

Pulp-only mills include Winstone Pulp at Karioi, near Ohakune, and Pan Pac Forest Products at Whirinaki, near Napier.

[13] Today, the Motunui plant continues to produce methanol and is owned and operated by Methanex.

In 2017, it refined 41.7 million barrels of crude oil, meeting 68% of New Zealand's fuel requirements.

As New Zealand doesn't have any significant bauxite deposits, all the raw materials for the smelter are imported from overseas.