A group of Christchurch businessmen[1] founded the company in 1873, similar groups formed in the other main centres, to counter the dominance of the Shaw Savill line controlled from London and the (Scotland-Dunedin) Albion line.

[6] A Captain Ashby opened an office off New Broad Street London and chartered two ships carrying 500 government emigrants: Punjaub 883 tons and Adamant 815 tons set to sail for Canterbury on 31 May and 20 June respectively with full cargo.

Two 1,000 ton ships were scheduled to be launched the same month and named Waikato and Waitangi.

Company policy dictated a stop at Pitcairn Islands, in the Pacific, to break the monotony of the ocean crossing.

[11] Ships owned in 1912 were Argyllshire, Wiltshire,[12] Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Durham, Essex, Kent, Norfolk, Shropshire (Rotorua from 1923), Somerset, Suffolk, Surrey and Sussex.