Circa 1911 - photographer unknown
Dates: 1896-1923
Location: Tahakopa Valley Road, Tahakopa 9586, Otago (-46.520447, 169.389846)
Registration No: 200; 826
Brand name: TAHAKOPA; RAILHEAD
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The Early Tahakopa Factory
The dairy factory in Tahakopa had a surprisingly long and eventful history. Located on land provided by Mr Thomas McKenzie, the original cheese factory was built in late 1896 by the Dunedin Meat and Export Company Limited, using timber from the nearby Dewars Mill. Its first manager was R. G. Diack, followed briefly by W. Stewart and then Diack again. The company changing its name to the New Zealand Co-operative and Agency Company but soon ran into financial difficulties, before going into liquidation in 1898. The factory was then purchased by D. M. Fea, one of the pioneer settlers of the Tahakopa area but remained idle for several years.
The Hourston Years
The factory came back to life in 1904 or 1905, when William Hourston leased the property and operated it with his son Fred Hourston as Manager. During these years the factory served a small but productive group of local dairy farmers. Supplier numbers reached nine in 1906, before falling to five in 1907, while cheese production peaked at 15 tons in 1908. When Hourston's farm lease expired in 1908, the factory once again fell silent. The history of this early period also reflects the difficulties of getting dairy produce out of the remote Catlins: cheese was railed from Maclennan, with at least some of it apparently being transported by boat to the wharf there from the factory.
Aerial view - April 1948
Truby King and the Railhead Co-operative
The factory's most significant chapter began in 1911 when Dr Truby King established the Railhead co-operative. Rather than building an entirely new factory, the co-operative reopened the original building, modifying and extending it as production increased. A major addition of three cheese vats was made in October 1913. Under Railhead's ownership, the factory became considerably more productive than during the Hourston years. There were 12 suppliers at its peak in 1912, while cheese production eventually reached 39 tons in 1918. Even at its lowest point, production remained substantial, with 23 tons made in 1917.
The Final Years
The Railhead factory continued operating until 1923, by which time the small local dairy industry was facing the challenges of changing transport, production and economic conditions. The co-operative was liquidated in 1924, and in 1925 the factory, its plant, manager's house and one acre of land were offered for sale by tender. Over its relatively short life, the Tahakopa factory had passed through several owners and operators, survived periods of closure and become an important part of the developing dairy industry of the Catlins. Its succession of managers included Diack, Stewart, Hourston, Crews, Robert Blair Hislop, A. Bowles and Milligan.
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Truby King, circa 1920, Archives New Zealand via Wikimedia, CC BY-NC-SA
Sir Truby King and the Catlins
Discovering the Catlins
Sir Frederic Truby King, founder of the Plunket movement, developed a remarkable second career as a farmer, businessman and community developer in the Catlins. He first visited the district with his wife Bella in 1893, and was captivated by its beauty and potential, reportedly describing it as a “second Taranaki” from a dairying point of view. In 1906 he purchased about 750 acres at Tahakopa from Gideon Scott and began developing his Lauriston farming property. His holdings eventually covered around 600 hectares, where he drained and cultivated land, applied lime and established a pedigree Jersey herd.
Farming and dairying
King brought his enthusiasm for scientific experimentation to farming. His Tahakopa properties included a highly modern cow byre and milking system, with around 105 cows milked by machine and milk carried through overhead pipes to a cooler. His interest in agriculture was closely linked to his ideas about nutrition and self-sufficiency, developed during his career at Seacliff Mental Hospital. He also became closely involved in local dairying. In 1911, he purchased the old Tahakopa dairy factory and established the co-operative Railhead cheese factory with him as the biggest shareholder. The factory received milk from his Lauriston farm, while whey was returned to the farm for the piggery.
Railway and timber development
King recognised that Tahakopa's future depended on better transport. He became a strong advocate for extending the railway to the settlement, and the Tahakopa railway extension opened on 4 February 1915. The railway helped underpin his farming and timber enterprises. King had already invested in sawmilling and subsequently established the Lauriston Timber Company with his brother Newton King and Dr Sydney Allen. The mill became one of the Catlins' largest and most modern, producing more than a million super feet of timber annually. A private steel tramway connected the mill with the railway, including the surviving Sir Truby King Railway Bridge over the Tahakopa River.
Employer and community benefactor
By 1915, King was one of the Catlins' principal employers. He built 24 rent-free houses for workers, supplied them with fresh milk and provided medical attention when he was in Tahakopa. He also encouraged well-kept homes and gardens through annual prizes and donated timber for community projects such as the local school and hall. King sold his farming interests in 1921, but remained involved with the timber industry until the Lauriston mill closed in 1929. His Catlins legacy extended well beyond farming: through dairying, sawmilling, transport, housing and community development, he played an important part in shaping the Tahakopa district during its formative years.