Hawke's Bay Farmers' Meat Company building, Whakatū, circa 1920s. Photo / Supplied
Hawke's Bay Farmers' Meat Company building, Whakatū, circa 1920s. Photo / Supplied
This morning we had a pōwhiri to bless and open our latest exhibition: A Bloody Business: the history of five Hawke's Bay freezing works.
This exhibition takes a historical look at some of the freezing works of Hawke's Bay, five of them, starting from Tomoana which opened in 1884, Hawke'sBay & North British 1887, Thomas Borthwick & Sons Limited 1906, Wairoa 1909, and Whakatū 1913.
It explores the effects of this industry, both positive and negative, on the socioeconomics of Hawke's Bay, its communities and families.
The frozen meat processing industry started in Hawke's Bay after the first shipment of frozen meat from Dunedin to London in 1882.
The population boom in England at this period saw five freezing works open in Hawke's Bay (1884–1913), to meet an increasing demand for our frozen meat. This established Hawke's Bay as a major powerhouse in New Zealand's frozen meat industry, offering a considerable economic base for families and entire communities.
Today in 2020, Hawke's Bay is no longer a major powerhouse in the frozen meat industry.
Competition from other countries, a growing vegan/vegetarian culture, and changes in the consumer market has affected the whole meat processing industry.
New technology and automation has replaced many labourers' jobs and smaller cuts of chilled meat has overtaken the demand for whole frozen carcasses.
This downsizing of the meat processing industry in Hawke's Bay saw the loss of thousands of jobs with the ripple-down effect still being felt today.
With thousands of jobs lost, the economic plight devastated families, emptied communities and towns throughout Hawke's Bay, with Hastings and Napier in particular still feeling the impact today. Stories of ill health and depression were common, with some people becoming "frozen in time" and unable to move forward.
Te Hira Henderson
On the flip side there are stories of new heights, new achievements with lives going in directions inconceivable before the closures. Some ex-freezing workers became teachers, policemen, lawyers, priests and, in some cases, entire families shifted overseas for new economic bases.
The meat industry continues to be part of the social fabric of New Zealand, employing more than 25,000 workers in 45 meat processing plants across Aotearoa.
These plants process lamb, sheep, cattle beasts, bobby calves, deer, chicken, goats and pigs for the local market and export.
Six of these plants are in the Hawke's Bay region, employing 2312 workers during the 2019 season. Operating in Hawke's Bay are: Affco (Wairoa), Ovation NZ, (Waipukurau), Silver Fern Farms (Takapau), Silver Fern Farms Pacific (Hastings), Progressive Meats (Hastings) and Fresh Meats (Napier).
But gone are the glory days of the freezing works. Many families and workers have dispersed and all that is left are memories, friendships made and the legacy of an era when freezing works reigned supreme in Hawke's Bay.
• Te Hira Henderson is Curator Taonga Maori at the MTG
