Westfield Freezing Works Explained

Westfield Freezing Works
Industry:	Freezing works
Founded:	1916
Defunct:	1989

The Westfield Freezing Works was a large meat processing facility in the Auckland 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.^[1]

History

During World War I a number of freezing works opened across the country to meet the demand for New Zealand produce. Prime Minister William Massey opened Westfield Freezing Works on 29 May 1916 with 2,000 people attending the opening.^[2]

Shunting Locomotives

For years, a Hudswell Clarke locomotive worked the many sidings. This was joined, in 1970, by a dieselised steam loco, rebuilt by A & G Price. Both locomotives are now preserved in Ngongotaha.^[3]

Notable former employees of the freezing works include

• Anand Satyanand^[4]
• David Lange
• Phil Goff^[5]

References

-36.9257°N 174.8355°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Westfield freezing works. Taonga. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. teara.govt.nz. en. 2019-11-18.
2. Web site: Otahuhu A&P Showgrounds - Discover - STQRY. discover.stqry.com. 2019-12-17.
3. Web site: Home . nzrsr.co.nz.
4. Web site: David Lange Memorial. gg.govt.nz. en-NZ. 2019-12-17.
5. News: Phil Goff - the careful rebel. The New Zealand Herald. 2011-08-12. 2019-12-17. en-NZ. 1170-0777.