Waingongoro

Taranaki

21 Jun

Dates: 1911-1933
Location: 385 Waingongoro Road, Cardiff, Taranaki (-39.339025, 174.187544)
Registration No: 231
Brand name: COLDSTREAM

“Rumbling Waters”

According to legend, the Waingongoro River, one of South Taranaki’s longest waterways, got its name because Ngāti Ruanui leader Turi slept at the river mouth and snored so loudly that the place became known as Wai-ngongoro - “the rumbling waters”.

Gravel from the river after which the road was named improved access to the surrounding area and eventually encouraged the Midhirst Dairy Company to build a creamery on the road in 1911 sending its separated cream to its main butter factory at Midhirst.

A Breakaway Co-operative (1917–1918)

Rising cheese prices encouraged local suppliers to strike out on their own. On 17 December 1917, they formed the Waingongoro Co operative Dairy Company Ltd, purchased the creamery and surrounding land from the Midhirst Dairy Company, and immediately began constructing a two vat cheese factory.

With eight suppliers, the new factory began producing cheese under the COLDSTREAM brand on 10 January 1918. The official opening followed on 1 February 1918, even as finishing touches were still being applied. For more than a decade, the factory consistently produced over 100 tons of cheese each year.

Small Co-operative, Big Reputation

Despite being one of the district’s smallest co-operatives peaking at 9 suppliers in 1931, Waingongoro earned a reputation for good supplier returns and quality cheese. In 1922, the company claimed to have the best pay-out for the season – 2s 1d per lb of butterfat and Manager D McGlinchey consistently won prizes for cheese produced by the company. Although only manufacturing 10 tons of cheese in its first season, production grew, peaking at 137 tons in 1930.

Fire, Closure and Legacy (1933–1934)

Disaster struck on 8 August 1933 when a midnight fire destroyed the Waingongoro factory. With no building and declining supplier numbers, shareholders voted to wind up the company. A final meeting in 1934 closed the books on a 23 year story that began as a creamery outpost and grew into a small but strong independent co-operative.