Pastures Past: Butter churning in New Zealand in the 1930s

Butter was a hot topic in the 1930s. Photo / 123rf

Kem Ormond takes a look at the world of farming back in the day.

Over the years, butter churns have progressed from wooden ones with paddles to easy-to-clean glass ones.

Yes, I have made a few blocks of butter in my lifetime, patted into shape with some ridged butter pats.

With the cost of a 500g block of butter steadily rising, I may have to think about reinstating my butter churn and butter bell.

They are currently only used as decoration!

Butter Making

To the editor.

Taranaki Herald, May 5, 1886

Sir,—A good churn is such a luxury that you will kindly permit me to say that the new barrel churns manufactured by the New Plymouth Sash and Door Factory supply a long felt want.

I got one a short time since from them, and I am splendidly satisfied with it.

It churned 91lbs. at one churning in three-quarters of an hour; there was no waste, no splash, and with the little glass panel that I had inserted in the side, one can tell the exact moment to put in the salt and water without opening the lid and looking in.

These churns are good, and cheap, and by purchasing them one is supporting a local industry, instead of sending the money to America for little churns that require from 1 to 12 hours’ turning, according to the state of the weather, and then only turn out 20lbs. of butter.—I am, &c., W. R. Wright.

New Zealand butter

New Zealand Herald, October 20 1930

Sir, —I read with interest the letter of Mr. Hartley on Danish butter and New Zealand butter.

Has distance from the market no bearing on the situation?

The Danes are a matter of hours, while we are weeks away.

It is a matter of solemn fact that we have the finest pastures in the world of English grasses and clover, etc., and no feed is more suitable for the production of butter, cheese, milk or cream.

A man told me that he worked in a butter factory in the Old Country and that when they ran short of their own butter they made a practice of putting New Zealand butter in their churns with their own buttermilk, giving it a little rolling in the churns and finally selling it as finest English farmers’ butter, a butter which always brings a higher price than even Danish.

CREAM FARMER.

Churns too large

Pahiatua Herald, December 15, 1931

“I’m rather afraid of those big churns,” remarked Lord Bledisloe, when inspecting the butter making room at Te Rehunga dairy factory, where the “small” churns deal with a ton of butter at a time and the larger one with a ton and a half.

“The Danes don’t use any of larger capacity than 9 cwt.,” he explained.

“They think the great weight being dashed about tends to break up the fat globules, and in New Zealand butter that is done.”

Outsize in churns

Largest in world

100 boxes of butter

(Special to the Herald.)

Poverty Bay Herald, October 12, 1937

AUCKLAND, this day.

Made in Christchurch for a Waikato dairy factory, what is described as the largest butter churn in the world was unshipped at Auckland from the steamer Waimarino yesterday.

Its barrel alone weighs more than nine tons, and its gear box weighs three tons 6cwt.

In one churning it can produce 100 boxes of butter or 5600lb, and for each full churning it takes 1400 gallons of cream.

The churn was made almost entirely in Christchurch by the engineering firm of Andersons, Limited, who have been making churns since 1918.

In that time the sizes of churns manufactured have increased from those producing 22 boxes or 160lb of butter, to this latest one producing 100 boxes or 5600lb, and enough butter for 56,000 persons for one meal.

- Source: Papers Past