White Ciffs
Dates: 1908-1938
Location: 831 Pukearuhe Road, Waiiti, Taranaki (-38.911385, 174.493483)
Registration No: 1839
Brand name: WHITE CLIFFS
Founding & Early Development (1908-1912)
The White Cliffs Co‑operative Dairy Company was incorporated on 9 September 1908 with £2,000 capital and with farmers Ernest Skinner, Willie Freeth, Walter Davis, Charles Rowe, Arthur Davis, Alfred Watkin and Archibald McEwan as the initial subscribers.
Tenders had earlier been called by Ernest Skinner for the erection of a small cheese factory on site given by Alfred Watkin and the factory opened in November 1908 under manager Mr S. Jones (ex Edendale).
The company quickly proved successful and by 1909 the company reported a solid first season, and in 1912, London buyers praised its WHITE CLIFFS branded cheese as “all that could be desired”.
NZMS1 - Mimi - N99 - 1944
Photo - pre 1929 - photographer unknown
Growth, Innovation & Community Role (1912-1929)
White Cliffs became known for high‑quality Jersey milk cheese and for its unusually small but productive supplier base. A correspondent wrote that seven suppliers were delivering “10,000 lbs of milk per day… over half a ton of cheese per day”. The factory expanded in 1921 with a new vat, crate room, and staff cottage to meet rising supply. In 1929 the original wooden building was largely replaced by a modern concrete structure, reopening after a three‑month rebuild that was £287 over budget. Although the factory predominantly made cheese, it also produced whey butter for a number of years.
1930s - photographer unknown
Decline & Liquidation (1929-1938)
Despite earlier success, the 1930s brought falling milk supply, rising costs, and setbacks such as the destruction of the manager’s house by fire. The final annual report recorded “a decrease of nearly 10 per cent in the output… and an increase of over a half‑penny in the costs of manufacture”. With one major supplier switching to sheep and another adopting home separation, the company could no longer sustain operations. On 26 August 1938, shareholders voted unanimously for voluntary liquidation.
Aftermath & Unsuccessful Revival (1938-1941)
Following closure, remaining suppliers sent their milk to the Waitoetoe factory on the main road. In 1941, local advocates attempted to have White Cliffs reopened as a branch of the North Taranaki Co‑operative Dairy Company, but the Department of Agriculture declined to grant a licence. This marked the final chapter of a small but influential rural dairy enterprise that served the Pukearuhe district for three decades.
Long standing and highly regarded manager Norman Shogren faced more than his fair share of adversity.
In 1912, his two year old son drowned in the Timaru (Tataramaika) creamery race.
In 1934, he fell from a ladder on to the concrete floor of the White Cliffs factory breaking bones and being unconscious for two days.
In 1938, his factory manager’s house and its contents were destroyed by fire.
In 1943, his 29 year old aircraft gunner son Jack was killed in Denmark when his Stirling Bomber was shot down.
1912 plan showing location of dairy factory on section 7
1912 plan showing location of dairy factory on section 7
1909 transfer of part of section 6 to White Cliffs Co-op Dairy Factory Co. Ltd
1909 transfer of part of section 7 (dairy factory site) to White Cliffs Co-op Dairy Factory Co. Ltd