Bill Tereni Bennett – The Whakatu Godfather

BILL TIRENI [TERENI] BENNETT

THE WHAKATU GODFATHER &

INTRODUCING THE WHAKATU STORY: DRAFT 8, REVISED 12/12/2020

This story is written by Michael Kitchin with help from the greater Whakatu whanau.

Most of the people who have talked about writing this short history of Whakatu have mostly grown wings. A small number will have grown horns and pointed tails.

The Tomoana Works display at the National Service Club on the 17th August 2019 was a fantastic collection of photography and film going back to 1880 when Henare Tomoana gave Lord Vesty [Vestey] the land to build that works which started as a boiling down works to reclaim tallow. Hopefully we can find similar records to go with the stories that follow.

The opportunity to build the Whakatu Union arose from direct encouragement by the Directors of the Hawkes Bay Farmers Meat Company which was a vibrant Company built up by small farmers who could not get their stock killed at Tomoana because the old sheep station owners club members receiving preference. These small farmers mainly belonged the Farmers Union which became Federated Farmers in later days.

HAWKES BAY FARMERS MEAT COMPANY LIMITED & the WHAKATU-SUB BRANCH OF THE NEW ZEALAND MEATWORKS UNION worked well together from the mid 1950s when the Meat Company announced its expansion plans.

The Ellingham family from Whetakura [Whetukura]  and many others put together the Hawkes Bay Farmers Meat Company concept forward in 1912. The Whakatu works was built close to the Hastings Napier Railway line where it crossed the Ngaruroro River at Whakatu.

From the beginning the works became known as Whakatu despite the large boldly painted signs saying Hawkes Bay Farmers Meat Company. Kohupatiki had become the Marae for Whakatu soon after the great flood wiped out the original Marae at the Karamu Stream intersection with the Ngaruroro River.

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Bill Tireni Bennett was the first Kohupatiki child born to Bishop Bennett & Hana Te Unuhi at Kohupatiki in 1918 one year after Whakatu opened as a Meat works. It was entirely natural that this son of a Bishop would become a great leader of men and women during his life. It could be said that Bill started life as the God child of Whakatu progressing to the God Father status later in his busy life of leadership.

Construction of the works started in 1914 with many Kohupatiki, Whakatu, & Clive, men working on the construction followed by some becoming solo butchers or other trades at the new meat processing works.

The meat works opened in 1917 continuing until 1986 when it closed with the loss of more than 2,200 well paid jobs, causing economic and social dislocation still being felt in the wider Hastings community including Whakatu.

In 1954 the Meat Company Directors made the decision to increase the daily killing capacity by raising the building height, adding a whole new killing floor increasing other floor space and adding extra mutton chains.

This job was finished by the start of the 1958 season when I started work at Whakatu with five full chains working and a learner butcher’s chain.

This turned a small works into a large employer which became a Golden Goose laying golden eggs for everyone working on site, their families and the farmers supplying stock. While the Union and the Company had disputes the industrial relations were normally good to very good with high daily productivity.

In my time at Whakatu the annual kill lifted from 1.5 million sheep and lambs in 1958 to 3 million sheep and lambs in 1995 plus about 900,000 cattle.

When production reached 1.5 million sheep and lambs the company paid the workers a bonus of FIVE POUNDS. This was continued as the annual tally for sheep and lambs incremented by 500,000.

The beef house was upgraded at that time along with enlarged butchers dining rooms, lockers showers and toilets. This was a massive job that allowed the company to achieve high daily tallies of cattle, 900 per day, sheep and lambs which reached record tallies of 18,600, per day with some overtime killing on Saturdays.

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At this time the issueing [issuing] of licences for meatworks was under severe restriction. As the HBMC wanted more killing space they bought the Gear Meat Company at Petone. This plant consisted of a three chain works and beef killing capacity.

Industrial Relations with the Wellington Branch of the NZ Meatworkers Union broke down and the company applied to shift the licences to Takapau which was granted by government. Killing commenced in 1979/80/

Prior to this it has been recognised that Whakatu had numerous bottlenecks that were holding up production. Bill Bennett had taken his wife Lena to Australia for an extensive break in 1975 leaving newly elected Michael Kitchin as President to deal with these issues. Together with Fellmongery Delegates Huk Bayliss and Butchers Delegate Harry Williams they worked out a method of cutting out the bottlenecks by changing starting times in some areas which cut out waiting time and saved the company enormous sums of money on a daily basis. This allowed the daily tally to rise to 22,600 per day killing lambs. The extra lambs were all paid at rate and one half giving every depart an incentive to problem solve.

The initial requirement for extra semi-permanent labour amounted to about 300 extra jobs in all departments including the office which was covered by the Freezing Works Clerical Union with about 200 members.

Tough hygiene regulations required extra butchers, inspectors and supervisors a few months later.

While the Hawkes Bay Farmers Meat Company was expanding Richmond Meats in association with Graham Lowe also built a beef plant at Whakatu with about 220 extra start up jobs putting more pressure on the need for housing.

J Wattie Canneries & Birds Eye was also expanding and needed full time staff in Hastings. Hastings needed many hundreds of houses, with great assistance provided by the local Member of Parliament Duncan MacIntyre who took the responsibility for his ex-servicemen’s welfare and community housing to heart. State Advances Corporation is said to have built about 800 houses in Hastings during Duncan’s time in office.

During the 1970s the HB Meat Industry appeared to be unstoppable. The Whakatu Union under the leadership of Bill Bennet had made solid progress in planning and implementing Union inspired social policies for its enlightened

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membership who were enjoying home ownership, winter work programs, medical benefits and financial security.

These Union jobs were always highly stressful. Looking back at Bill Bennett’s leadership it is obvious that every six years he took a much needed rest after suggesting that someone else took a turn at leadership.

THIS IS THE STORY OF HOW BILL BENNETT TOOK THE RESPONSIBILITY OF GETTING THE UNION BACK ON TRACK & DEVELOPING WHAT GREW INTO THE WHAKATU WHANAU AND THE WHAKATU SUB-BRANCH OF THE NEW ZEALAND MEATWORKERS UNION.

After a sad and costly national strike by NZ water sider’s in 1951, back by most freezing workers through-out Aoteaoroa [Aotearoa] the strike was finally broken when the Army was ordered in to load and unload ships in Wellington, Auckland, Lyttleton [Lyttelton], Timaru and Westport for coal.

When all freezing workers were ordered back to work by Prime Minister Sid Holland, after deregistering the Unions, brave men came forward to lead thousands of men back to work almost causing calamitous civil unrest.

In the case of Whakatu, Boy Tomoana came forward to lead the men back to work.

Gradually fiery sentiment settled down as more men joined the strike breakers who had been bitterly denounced as scabs which was the term that unionists used to describe strike breakers.

Boy Tomoana was a powerful speaker and brave Officer from D company 28th Maori Battalion where he had developed great Mana. Most of the Whakatu strikers were D Company veterans who understood what Uncle Boy was telling them. Boy lead them back to work and Bill Bennett turned out as a 33 year old responsible family man needing to feed his family which after an election turned into his Union position starting as President.

Due to Bill losing an eye early in life the wider community of Hawkes Bay can be thankful, that Bill Bennett was not taken into the cauldron of WW2 and being lost before becoming another great leader who was finally recognised with an award of the Queens Service Medal.

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Bill Bennetts Election began a period of enlightened Union Leadership that has to be recognised for laying down projects of success for working people.

Firstly, Bill had to renegotiate the terms and conditions of employment for those returning to work. None of the old school experienced Union Delegates were allowed back to work because of historic bitter attitudes of some and a lack of desire to make peace.

Bill got hellish abuse from various people who denounced him as a scab but he turned his cheek and continued with his job even with the pain or enduring jibes from unfeeling later day Unionists who had never endured or previously suffered 50 years of continuous attack on Maori Land owners, theft of their land as returned servicemen from two world wars found, betrayed, and spoken of as being fodder for maxim guns.

Bill Tireni Bennett was and lives on as a true Patriot of Whakatu and Hawkes Bay.

The contract workers who were mutton butchers, beef butchers and wool pullers all soon had their contracts recognised, signed and replaced in an orderly manner which raised productivity day by day as a new leadership for the Union was developed.

The directors of the HBMC had the common sense to make peace with those who had become bitter enemies.

It took months of patient negotiation for Bill Bennett to restore a good working structure with-in the new Union which had to be registered with the employment court.

Fortunately, the leadership qualities learned on battle fields of the Middle East, Italy and the Pacific came to the fore with many ex Sergeants or ex Petty Officers taking a leading role in synchronising productivity and getting production moving back to 140% to 180% in key positions. This may seem impossible to new age wimps but that is exactly what happened in the meat industry, shearing, bush work, mining, contract fencing and fruit picking.

After five or six years of this Bill Bennett was worn out and needed a rest. This rest involved picking apples to keep food on the table for his family which had now moved to Bledisloe Street in Hastings.

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Picking apples soon proved to be an area of employment which needed organising under the New Zealand Workers Union Banner which Bill just had to take up for a period along with a seat on the Hastings City Council and membership of the Masonic Lodge which he enjoyed.

Meanwhile Dick Adams had taken the President’s position along with Lofty Blomfield as Secretary of the Union.

Their main task was to organise contracts for the follow on departments which had many workers of little experience or training.

Up until 1965, a season at the works for most people was November, December and January when the gun went off, the learners chain stopped and number 5 chain reduced to half or quarter strength.

Men simply left and headed south to Ocean Beach or some other works where they could find a job. Tally butchers and wool pullers had made this journey every year which is where the term of getting the giddy ups came from and of course the term journey men from ancient times.

A month later another gun would go off with many men going fruit picking of farm fencing which was great contract work. At this time contract work in State Forests was emerging meaning another avenue of contract work for a large group of entrepreneurial workers who wanted to get ahead in life uphill until this time, many workers at Whakatu, were housed in the works camp or barracks complete with a camp sergeant and cook house catering for about 200 men.

Some men lived in tents when I first moved in. Later I boarded with friends in Buckingham Street.

Most of these men came from way up the East Coast, Nuhaka, Mahia, Wairoa, Tuai, Raupunga or Mohaka and Noel Timu from Te Reinga.

These were all adaptable men who wanted to work in the company of other men and later women. They mainly came on the train which used to stop at the Whakatu Railway Station in front of the works. After two or three seasons they normally saved enough money to purchase a motor car which allowed many to stay at camping grounds such as Farndon Park at Clive.

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Meanwhile Bill Bennett recognised the urgent necessity of new housing for Hastings, he greatly supported the development of Flaxmere, Hastings and Whakatu where many 100s of brand new quality worker’s houses were built every year now totalling 3,000 at Flaxmere according the Hastings District Council.

Up until 1960 there were small Maori owned dairy farms complete with dairy factories from Waiohiki to Ruatoria including one at Wairoa and a cheese factory at Nuhaka. The same situation applied in the far North.

In the writer’s opinion these factories were closed on the excuse of Brittan [Britain] joining the EEC and a potentially huge butter surplus, some of the factories were now producing skim milk powder so the butter story was probably an excuse to force Maori to move to the cities to work in the meat industry or the vast pulp, paper, and timber export industries based in the Central North Island, Auckland and Hawke’s Bay.

Two hundred and twenty-eight dairy farms ceased to earn money in the Wairoa District meaning that families could no longer send their children to boarding school or stay on their farms which could not make a profit at that time with traditional cropping. Ruatoria and the Coast lost hundreds of formerly profitable farms as also happened on a greater scale in the Far North.

Wairoa was a significant town pre dairy factory closure. There was a clothing factory, sawmills, construction companies, engineering companies and many small business’ who employed many people.

Previously in 1966 wool prices had suffered an 80% collapse in price. These two factories deprived the people of cash flow survival money.

Young people suddenly had lost their income and got into trouble culmination in a Court case where the Judge told the young men in the dock that they were nothing but a pack of Mongrels which in turn spawned the Mongrel Mob.

Hundreds of people were forced to leave Wairoa to find work in Hastings, Napier of further afield.

Dairy farming ceased on the Heretaunga Plains with the Waiohiki factory lying idle for many years until restored as an Arts Centre. This affected Maori & Pakeha.

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Bill Bennett went out of his way to assist these lost boys with work at Whakatu.

As a 17 year old ambitious boy my thoughts were be a sheep shearer and to buy a small farm like my grand-parents had on the out skirts of Gisborne.

Thankfully after a wicked wet season I arrived at Whakatu in time to start the 1958 season where there was a job in the fellmongery for someone who knew how to handle wool. That was a stroke of luck because it let me into the illustrious company of the wool pullers who were all on contract and paid per 100 skins pulled.

Anzac Pearse was the Fellmongery Delegate and Vice President of the Union who began a long introduction to Union affairs including the state of the world.

Whakatu has always been spoken of as the Whakatu University and it certainly was for me including stories of Greece, Crete, Syria, North Africa, Casino and the rest of Italy. What an education and introduction to the suffering of people who were simply the victims of uncaring politicians on a good day or Colonial Conquest on a bad day.

It is hard to describe working in a giant factory with up 2,500 people working in close proximity. Little wonder that Bill Bennett needed a rest every six years.

Dick Adams and Lofty had run out of steam, both exhausted and retired.

Bill Bennett returned the [to] Whakatu. He and Ted Earp filled the two top positions with Bill Stirling as Vice President and Bluey Belcher as Treasurer.

At the beginning of each season Bill always welcomed new members to the Union then exhorting them to save their money for a house, the off season and possible stoppages.

As a twenty-two year old I fully understood what was being said. My pay went into the Whakatu Post Office to be recorded in my Post Office Savings Bank book given to me in 1946 by my Gisborne Grandparents. Many other men did the same with a que [queue] out the door from the two tellers.

That advice was critical to me. The following year when I married I had the money for the deposit on a house. Bill Bennett had become my hero along with all the other old soldiers.

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Getting your own home became a catch cry of the works.

A year later the Hawkes Bay Farmers Meat Company decided to employ women in different parts of the works at lower rate of pay. Bill and Ted Earp were not having any part of people taking other men’s work at a lower rate of pay.

This was right at the start of the season and the Union unanimously refused to work with people who would accept a job equal to theirs at a lower rate of pay.

The dispute was a matter of principle that brought about equal pay for equal work in the National Award system. We were on strike for about six weeks, we were all looking at a bleak Christmas but the men stood staunch.

Fortunately, the company buckled, agreeing to equal pay for equal work two weeks before Christmas.

Two full weeks pay before Christmas, a victory and some overtime made the tough fight worthwhile.

Since then anti-union legislation has cost females about 10% of their remuneration because of this retarded thinking. This was my first real introduction to collective opposition to what amounted to be wage slavery.

At about this time Bill had been discussing a system where workers could open an account towards home deposits with the Department of Maori Affairs which gave men and women secure knowledge about when they would have enough money saved to buy a section and a house.

This was the first real progress that any Union had taken in NZ regarding home ownership with 1493 Mortgages on local housing with the Department of Maori Affairs.

This was hugely important because we had about 1,800 members of the Union needing housing.

Some managed to get State rental Housing but that was just a stepping stone.

This was a mammoth concept even at house and section prices of $20,000 which was the norm at that time.

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At prices of today, $450,000, for older houses we are talking about $1.3 billion dollars for 3,000 houses. In terms of today that is the scale of Bill Bennetts thinking.

Apart from this the only benefit to Union Members was a miserable $2 dollar compulsory collection on the death of a member of the Union to pay funeral expenses. This was brought up to $5 compulsory and $10 voluntary per death of a member. Most members elected to take both options with an advance cheque being presented as koha at the Tangi.

In 1969 a member of the maintenance crew Dick Orbell brought up the idea of a Credit Union at Whakatu. This was heavily supported by the outside staff, maintenance and the office staff. The Meat company agreed to make payroll deductions.

Bill Bennett supported the idea and put the matter on the agenda of a Union Meeting with Dick Orbell presenting the concept.

The concept was received in a lukewarm manner with butchers, but it gradually gained acceptance as the benefits were made clear with an office being bult at Whakatu with good staff.

Being named the HBMC Credit Union probably put people off. Today that Credit Union has changed its name to Credit Union Hawkes Bay, has 66,000 embers [members] and $900,000,000 of asset backing and cash. The Credit Union covers all of New Zealand with only two others that have not joined the fold.

Not a bad story on its own thanks to dedication, keeping the books straight and long term Chairman Roy Gardiner, well retired years back, who is celebrated s 90th Birthday in November 2019.

In 1971 I became Fellmongery Delegate and was concerned about the downturn in farming affecting our winter work on farms in HB. As a Union we managed to get bus-loads of men off to winter work for NZ Forest Service at Gwavas, Kaweka and Te Pohue forests.

This was great but the travel was long and the pay was not contract pay.

We resolved to bring the matter up at a Union Meeting supported by the Godfather.

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On presenting the paper I was amazed at where the words came from concluding with: What do you reckon? There was a cheer that almost lifted the roof off with big smiles from the Godfather and Ted Earp.

It was my job to put the Motion forward, seconded by Bluey Belcher “That the Union pays to get professional advice for the next meeting.” Carried unanimously. The writer was put in charge, we went to forest Consultants, Groom and Associates for a feasibility study, Consultant ex bushman Pat Crequer came down from Taupo with favourable report to the full Union membership and it was all on. We want it running by next winter was the call from the men.

My job changed from Fellmongery Delegate to Chairman Whakatu Afforestation Trust, slaughter board foreman Harry Lyver suggested that we ask his newly qualified son for secretarial assistance. Ian Lyver agreed to come aboard keeping complete accountability for out finance for forty two years when the Trust was sold up and the assets distributed to members.

Duncan Mac Intyre [MacIntyre] was Minister of Forests. Duncan provided us with super assistance and found a piece of Crown Land where we could start planting.

We received the Lease of Te Kowhai Forest at Patoka followed by confirmation of our Forestry Encouragement Grant and away we went building roads for our first planting in 1973.

This project employed many young people and older people in good warm, on site, accommodation, plus jobs that were rewarding and interesting. The whole project was an amazing experience which was replicated in various parts of New Zealand.

Peter Reo who at that stage was Union Treasurer helped me canvass the butcher’s chains for weekly contributions to the shareholding of the Trust.

We had 1700 members contributing through payroll deductions, we could account for all the money. We developed a team of good Trustee who all worked on the project as well as courses at Flock House and Rotorua with Forest Service and Forest Research Institute.

We built a manager’s house, quarters for men, a shed for machinery and a fire station. Most men preferred to stay on site 4 nights per week returning home

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on Friday. Some people seldom went back to town being happy with hunting and fishing in the area which of 4,000 acres.

This physical project uplifted the spirits of nearly every person working at Whakatu. There was always something to talk about, a deer being shot for eating, eels caught in a creek, building their own house in town, the next forestry course, the discussion went on and on. Good healthy men planning a future.

We came back to work for the 1975 season, Trustee Paul Chadwick smiled as he asked me if I would be prepared to stand for a Union position, I can remember asking what position? Paul suggested with smile Treasurer. Later I met Bill Bennett who told me that he needed a rest in Australia to wind down.

A few minutes later Harry Cooper the butchers delegate advised that two butchers were looking for me. Just wait a minute Mike Kitchin said Harry. The men arrived saying that they wanted to nominate me for the position of Union President.

I called on the good Lord for guidance and advice about how could I possibly remember all the words required for running a Union Meeting which were sometimes three or four hours and handling dreaded tutae stirrers.

The five words from God came back, Ask and you shall receive.

The two men were getting edgy. My reply was yes and we signed the nomination form with smile and handshakes. Still cannot remember their names or faces.

Cutting the story short, there were three candidates, myself & two mutton butchers. My vote nomination was approved.

The Returning Officer, Bill Schroder announced results of the poll.

Bill Bennett congratulated the newly elected, bade everyone farewell, closed the meeting and took all the newly elected officials to meet the management to formally hand over myself as Chairmen, Peter Reo as Secretary, Alex Robin as Vice Chairman and Noel Timu as Treasurer.

I have always had a sixth sense about somethings and while being introduced stated that I was only giving Bill Bennett a rest for six years which brought out a few chuckles.

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Bill left the meeting and joined Lena at home. They were gone a few days later to join family in Sydney.

We had a good meeting with management which included discussing stiff hygiene regulations which were required for all our international markets. The new East Freezer Block was nearly completed with a whole raft of complex issues to work through.

There was a lot to learn, the Union had just become part of the East Coast & HB East Coast Branch of the New Zealand Meat workers Union with a General Secretary (Frank McNulty) and Head Office in Christchurch.

Fortunately, I had already attended a NZ Federation of Labour Conference in Wellington, where we had met many of the Canterbury & Southland Branch Officials with Bill.

These men were all pleased to welcome me over many years as we worked through the various improvements that we were working for under our awards.

My skills were hardly developed after a year in office until faced with the following test:

In January 1977 the hideous reality of Maori bashing re-emerged with the National Government sending the Police and Military to seize Maori Land being occupied by owner protesters at Bastion Point arresting 222 people who were carted off to Court in the city of Auckland.

Proudly, the Whakatu Union held a special Meeting that morning at 7.30, one and a half hours after matters at Bastion Point being [had been] announced during the 6am news. After a brief explanation of the situation by the learner President who had invited Komatua Tanga Tomoana to bless the meeting with a Karakia and korero, Tanga also spoke about the horrors erupting in Auckland with hundreds of police and troops arresting people and charging them with trespass on their own land.

The President read a prepared resolution condemning the Government, called on government by telegram to free the people and give the land back to Ngati Whatua who were the rightful historical owners of that land.

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The resolution was carried by thunderous applause. A second resolution was to send supporters to Bastion Point along with a koha.

This delegation consisting of four or five volunteers who were picked up by the HB Drivers Union who squeezed the group aboard Leopard Brewery tankers heading for Auckland. They were picked outside the butcher’s shop at Whakatu. One of those men was from Parehaka [Parihaka] which is on the Southern slopes of Maunga Taranaki. Parehaka has its own history of oppression and abuse.

A third resolution was to advise the Government that failure to release those imprisoned would be met by members of the Union arriving by train to Wellington where they would maintain a vigil in Parliament grounds until such times as the prisoners were released. All these matters were attended to by 8am which allowed the Union to proceed with the normal monthly meeting.

History shows that the people at Bastion Point & the Union was correct in their stance. The Judges in the Auckland Courts would not accept the charges because the claims were being made contrary to the Treaty of Waitangi. This saved our members from making the train trip to Wellington and uncomfortable nights in the spotlight.

A month later the National Government withdrew all claims to land at Bastion Point meaning that courageous people had won another battle. Alienation of Maori by Government was stopped with the prompt assistance of men made courageous by fighting over points of law.

That meeting was probably as tough for me as Bills first meeting over the equal pay dispute where I was a side line learner.

There were more battles in the pipeline.

High chain speeds from 7.5 lambs per minute to 8+ lambs per minute had caused some hazards in terms of short crutched sheep and lambs which meant great difficulty on the legging tables where butchers cut themselves trying to open up the sheep or lamb legs.

This resulted in a bitter dispute and turning back mobs of short crutched stock. Damp fingers need something to get hold of which meant a few millimetres of extra wool.

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The Union officials and Delegates went to Federated Farmers meetings all around Hawkes Bay to discuss this matter with great success.

In the mean-time the slippery floor matter was rising daily as men slipped on the stylish cream coloured tiles which had become dangerous with what was thought to be extra fat on the floors.

Elbows, knees and knife cuts rose to wicked levels with the company claiming that the men were doing this to get a few weeks on compo which was 80% of full pay.

Some-one may have tried that but who the hell would want to lose $200 per week for six weeks or eight weeks while a broken knee heals after repair or to heal a broken elbow.

After bitter argument we gave the company three days’ notice that we were stopping work until the floors were coated with sure shield which was on the floors in most meat works around New Zealand.

The company had a bug in their heads and would not budge, claiming that the Union was blackmailing them and telling how to run their works. The meetings became extremely vitriolic with President Michael Kitchin advising them that someone had to tell the Company how to run the works and that the Union would pay to have one chain and an access way treated by Ted Laxon contractors of Napier in the coming weekend having already asked for a quote which was $1,250 for work as described.

There were thunderous looks from the General Manager as we left the meeting room knowing that only a few years earlier calls would be made to parliament demanding to have the Union deregistered.

We finished work on the Friday night going home not knowing when we would get back to work or whether the Company would allow Ted Laxon and his men on site.

At lunch time on the Sunday my home telephone rang, Tony Bauerfiend [Bauerfeind], chief industrial manager requesting that I should go out and inspect all the slippery floors.

I was not keen to go near Whakatu on the Sabbath. Tony told me that they had completely resurfaced all the killing chain areas and walkways everywhere

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including the boning rooms. My reply was to thank God for some common sense and asked when they could get stock up. Monday at 9am was the reply.

Well that had been brinkmanship, but only cost us about two hour’s lost time. I said that I would telephone the radio station and advise every member of the Union of the resolution of the dispute and the start of killing time.

That was a great joy to our men who marvelled at what Ted Laxon and his men had achieved over the weekend. There was a huge financial bonus to the Company and the Union Members. Nobody slipped on those protected floors or hardly even a knife cut.

The financial return to the company was enormous, there had been about 60 people off work most of the time from slippery floor injuries and short crutched stock which was reduced to one of two falls per month out-side the treated areas. It was just amazing and a huge morale booster for everyone.

The savings to the Company were about $60,000 per week which silenced critics of the Union. The cost of fixing the floors was about $20,000 all up.

At that point it was said that we have a couple of other pointers of how to run OUR Whakatu works. There were big smiles and hand shakes as we discussed and sorted out bottle necks which had been costing the company huge sums of waiting time.

At that point Industrial Relations was probably at its highest point in the history of the Meat Company and the Whakatu Union.

Between us we tweaked the plant to operate at high efficiency levels which lead to finishing five or ten minutes early most days having produced full tally plus a few extras which put a smile on everyone’s face.

Running Whakatu almost became a joint venture between the Union and the Company. Many Union members purchased shares in the Company.

In hind sight the Union would have benefited by appointing a Director to the Board which could have provided other avenues for finance from our superannuation funds when international marketing difficulties arose.

There was discussion amongst delegates and Union officials. The consensus was that the Union was doing a good job looking after the well-being of the membership and let the company carry on running their side of the business.

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Union was actually very humble in some areas mainly because the Golden Goose had been very well balanced for many years combined with a harmonious progressive relationship with Management.

As we used to say the meat industry is not exactly a powder puff factory and it was a horrible place to be needlessly trapped waiting because something was not properly synchronised.

The Union attitude was that we all went to work, not to wait, on waiting time. The company agreed which developed a spirit of co-operation.

The HBF Meat Company borrowed money to build the Takapau Meat Works for extra killing space gaining an extra million sheep and lambs per year.

Nobody could imagine or see the storm clouds arriving in the 1980s.

By 1981 stress was making itself felt in my body suggesting that I should get a health check.

Dr Jack Boston had worked on the killing chain as a medical student before qualifying as a Doctor. He then spent many years practising in Clive before moving into Hastings. Jack checked my blood pressure, called on Christ before telling me to get out of the works or be dead. How much sick leave have you got? Fortunately, I had never been off sick.

While glumly pondering the situation Bill Bennett magically appeared which allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief. I called a meeting of the executive, resigned and went on sick leave of which I had about eight months, accumulated.

Bill Bennett returned at the time when live sheep exports started. The Union objected with men & women travelling from Whakatu to other export wharves where barricades had been erected to stop Union members getting onto the wharves to protest at the export of live sheep.

The live sheep export ships became cruel dead sheep export ships. Sheep and lambs walked on board in good health, up to 25% of them died before reaching Saudi Arabia which effectively stopped the trade when animal rights protestors became involved.

Nobody had really come to grips with how sick the NZ Meat Industry was with freezers full of meat.

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As a result of poor international meat returns the Company joined the Waitaki NZR Group which un-be knowns [unbeknownst] to the HBFMC was itself in a precarious financial position and went broke soon after the closure of Whakatu before the 1995 season could get started.

Waitaki going broke wiped out the following works, Waingawa, Longburn, Marlborough, Waitara, Fielding, CFM in ChCh and others. That should have been enough.

The Vesty group and Richmond Meats/Low took over the Whakatu assets of the HBFMC, paying about $20 million in redundancy to the workers, staff & management.

The intention of the Vesty group was to save money building new freezing chambers on their site and moving their mutton carcass’s from their site to the nearly brand new Whakatu Freezer’s by truck or rail which was an economic disaster trying to run a system backwards instead of using gravity for much of the down ward movement of slaughtered stock from the top floor to final dispatch areas.

The initial cost of shifting carcasses by truck and trailer was stated at about $4.50 per movement. Moving & storing chilled or frozen meat at Whakatu was costly enough but transporting carcases back to Tomoana for boning, then back to Whakatu again was lunacy.

This farcical situation was well understood by Whakatu men who were kept on to force nearly all the machinery to work in reverse to work a backwards flow of product at huge cost.

BILL BENNET had the rare intellectual capacity to understand the broad spectrum of making Whakatu work profitably for both the workers and the company plus the effect of poor international matters like market access to actually sell out products.

Bill’s comments about running the freezer backwards were scathing to say the least.

This diabolical farce could have been avoided by closing Tomoana and keeping Whakatu open.

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The intellect of those trying to reform the NZ Meat Industry can only be describe as almost non-existent when the brainlessness and damage is counted.

Live lambs from Israel were being sold in Arabia for $200 US dollars at that time. NZ was involved in destroying its own meat market by boycotting the Iranian market to support American intimidation of the Iranian people who had changed allegiances, the Western Block who had appointed the Shah of Iran after WW1 was pro American was now exiled and living in the USA. The people eventually revolted against the Shah exiled him then went back to their previous Islamic leadership style causing great consternation amongst the oil hungry nations.

New Zealand was failing to make profits selling live lambs for $30 NZ at wharf gate and $25 for the frozen or chilled meat trade with thousands of surplus carcasses in the freezers because of this boycott. The New Zealand Meat Industry need expert sales people to sell the product and collect the cash.

When Tomoana, or Vesty’s of London, had wrangled itself into self-imposed lack of confidence and low profit they closed Tomoana in 1994 exiting from processing New Zealand meat.

There were stories about some meat companies making a lot of money and others losing money. We were aware that young inexperienced people were being sent overseas to sell the meat with no experienced assistance.

In many countries the sales people were expected to treat the prospective buyers to all manner of entertainment inducements such as expensive dinners at night clubs, expensive drinks and geisha houses. In one case we knew that the American Express Card costs were higher than the profit on the meat sold.

While we knew about this in Union circles we did not feel comfortable about these matters being discussed with Processing management of the Directors of what was mainly a processing company. As a Union we should have been right out there talking to people who could do the job very well and collect the money.

The Alliance Group had brough the Dannevirke Abattoir’s and the Levin Abattoir’s, introducing double shifts x2 full chains per plant.

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Richmond Meats had acquired the Takapau plant and introduced double shifts which allowed them to close the Oringi Meat works.

Richmond’s were taken over by Silver Fern Farms Limited who likewise ran themselves broke in the huge egotistical take over of Richmond Meats.

Craig Hickson had done similar things with his plants in Hastings, Tauramanui [Taumarunui], Fielding and Gisborne. Craig is the only person in Meat Industry to be named as Businessman of the Year Award. Effectively there was little or no reduction in killing capacity in the Southern/Central North Island. Craig picked up most of the stock for his business. Alliance from Southland took most of the rest.

The Hawkes Bay Farmers Meat Company had been criticised as being soft on Unions by giving way to wage demands. This was nonsense with wages being a small percentage of the beef killing costs or sheep/lamb killing costs. Much of the works profit came from the rendering departments in the form of animal fats and blood and bone mixes plus other by-products.

THE WHAKATU SUB-BRANCH OF THE NEW ZEALAND MEATWORKERS UNION. The Whakatu Union history is a story of enlightened leadership following the 1951 Waterfront Strike which was supported be [by] many of the New Zealand shed Unions.

Most of the men working at Whakatu in the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s were either ex-servicemen or the sons or daughters of ex-servicemen who were proud knowledgeable people who were multi-skilled.

When a chain went off clusters of men would do orchard work on contract, farm fencing, contract, scrub cutting, contract thinning of pine trees or pruning in state forests. These people all learned the skills of running several types of small business all on contract and being careful with money.

There were small, mainly Maori, dairy farms around Central HB, Heretaunga plains, Wairoa, many more up the East Coast at Ruatoria which Sir Apirana Ngata had nurtured in the early 1900s.

The dairy factory at Waiohiki had many small Maori owned suppliers meaning that there was 60 plus years of experience understanding the possibilities of a good business culture. Many of the children of these families went on to Te Aute College or Hukarere College.

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Closure of these dairy farms forced many men to join their brothers or cousins at Whakatu.

For many this meant leaving their homes in Northern Hawkes [Bay] empty for long periods of time. These houses gradually decayed becoming uninhabitable.

Fortunately, most of these families had grown up with owning their own business which was firmly entrenched in the spirit of many families which becomes evident in this chapter.

Mr Bill Bennett was under continuous stressful pressure and stood down after 6 years of fighting for improvement of conditions across all the work areas. Bill took a holiday and then represented people working in the fruit industry.

A hard case ex seaman named Dick Adams was elected to the position of President with Lofty Loader as secretary. Adams & Loader made good progress for their 6 years aided by Anzac Pearce who was Vice President along with Bill Stirling. Their main objective was based around work contracts and getting many of the hard core blacklisted men back into work at Whakatu.

As a 17 year old I had many conversations with Dick Adams. We both lived in the camp and met for dinner in the big dining room run by Snow Bowes and his wife. Dick would see an opening for someone, find him via his pre telephone network, sell him a Union ticket and tell him where and when to turn up looking tidy and using best of manners.

Well I remember the day Sgt Bluey Belcher returned to the fold. Bluey was later voted in as Treasurer of the Union for three years with a clean finance audit.

Bill Bennett returned after his break with many ideas for developing and growing the Union.

Bill was now serving on the Hastings District Council where he had been promoting the necessity of developing the suburb of Flaxmere and the necessity of fulltime residential housing for the far flung rural families of those working at the works now for 6 to 8 months of the year. Nobody really understood that this would soon move to 11+ months work.

Many of these original men camped in tents or lived in the barracks block which was barely acceptable for single or married men some of whom could go

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home to their families at Mohaka, Raupunga, Wairoa, Frasertown, Nuhaka, Te Reinga, Mahia or Tuai in the weekends.

We had men from up the East Coast and from the far North or even a few from Taranaki. Some men only did six weeks at Whakatu before going down South to Ocean Beach for a longer season.

In the late 1960s one of the works fitters, Dick Orbell, promoted the concept of setting up a Credit Union at Whakatu along with Tama Tomoana, Val and Dick Stent with Roy Gardiner stepping in later when he realised how good the Credit Union could be.

Roy was a Company foreman and soon found an office for the Credit Union and the Whakatu Afforestation Trust. These were immediately supported by the outside crews (outside the slaughterboard) I was among the first to attend meetings at Waiputu [Waipatu] Marae from which a plan was developed to speak at Union Meetings and canvass the whole works for support.

By 1970 we were talking about having our own winter work projects in the form of forest ownership which we acquired as reverted farmland near Patoka. This project was a huge success with excellent results.

David Knight from the Carton gang promoted the Whakatu Investment Society which developed a department store in the Market Street Hastings which sold goods to members at a discount.

Bill Bennett and the Union was 100% behind these projects which grew quickly with the help oof local MP Duncan MacIntyre who was of great assistance.

The Hawkes Bay Farmers Meat Company Directors supported all the projects and visited Te Kowhai Forest at the time of the official opening in 1975 and later in 1977 to inspect the forest.

The Deposits for houses were a major project initiated by Bill Bennett and the Maori Affairs Department with payroll deductions direct to Maori Affairs via the National Bank who was the Meat Companies banker. At $50 per week savings, members soon had the deposit for a house. This arrangement provided a clear path of home ownership and financial security.

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The whole of Hawkes Bay benefited by having highly disciplined Union people earning good money, paying their bills, saving for home ownership, bringing up families in their own homes, working in their own forests in the off season, well protected with superannuation and happy.

THE CLOSURE OF WHAKATU WAS A TRADGEDY [TRAGEDY] TO THE WHOLE OF HAWKES BAY.

Waitaki could have gone broke on it’s own. The other companies could have survived with-out Waitaki.

To Bill Bennett and myself this was a huge tragic mistake financially and in human terms. The social interaction at Whakatu and the Department of Maori Affairs Community and Housing sections had enormous impact that has never been replaced. Those two entities had greater impact on benefitting the Maori population than the Treaty Settlement prospects.

Criminals were few in Hastings and Napier, mostly being accommodated in the old Napier Prison which has a full muster of 16 some of whom came from Gisborne.

What has been cited as economic progress of the late 1980s has meant about 1,000 people being locked up in Hawkes Bay Prison at Managroa [Mangaroa] by some 500 prison officers in a multimillion dollar prison complete with concentration camp style caged.

It could be said that house construction stopped to build prison cells and associated cages at a time when houses cost one third of the cost of a prison cell.

When the Maori Affairs Department was wound up by unthinking people nearly 1,400 housing loans had been approved and families settled.

(Some of these loans were to workers at Tomoana & Takapau) Peter McGregor of Flaxmere was in charge of the Maori Affairs Housing division, he is still shattered by these pitiful decisions by yesterday’s politicians.

It was wonderful to have so many hard working people moving into their own homes every week when things were working correctly. Now we have hundreds of homeless people created by the monster of Central Government.

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These people are living in motorcars, sleeping rough as a monument to failed politicians.

Bill Bennett on his own created the climate where both hope and opportunity flourished on a large scale. Those people that stepped forward to help were all blessed in many different ways.

The evidence as follows is very clear:

The Meat Company supported the Union sponsored projects by making automatic payroll deductions from our weekly pay. The members nearly all developed their own Mana, nearly all soon had a tidy sums’ in the bank, Credit Union or the Whakatu Afforestation Trust as shares in Te Kowhai Forest.

The forest was West of Patoka where we build accommodation, bridges, roads, planted 120,000 trees in year one followed by years of 200,000+ trees per year followed by pruning and thinning. The Trust then bought a property in Cricklewood Road near Wairoa. This was building goodwill and prosperity for all.

All the projects initiated by [the] Union had independent secretarial services with full audit. Finance was strictly controlled with full accountability. Courses for forest management, supervision and quality control were organised at Flock House, the Forest Research Institute in Rotorua, the Far North lead by Tom Parore who was District Officer, Maori Affairs in Whangarei.

The quality control support from NZ Forest Service was of great importance to our audit process which allowed the board of the Trust to make good decisions based on selling quality logs of high value on the world markets.

We had the very positive assistance and quiet guidance from Maori Battalion D Company at Whakatu, 1st Lieutenant Bill Mohi from Paki Paki in the fellmongery & many others, Sgt Bluey Belcher 19th Battalion who seconded and spoke to the motion establishing the Whakatu Afforestation Trust, Anzac Pearce, Larry and Bill Malone all being survivors of Greece & Crete. These people had been quietly encouraging me into a leadership role never thinking that I would be supported into the Presidency with a large majority by secret ballot.

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Hard-nosed Peter Reo was now the Union Secretary, Ted Earp had moved up to Branch Secretary. Ted had been instrumental in introducing Union Medicare to the National Union of Meat workers followed by introduction to the Whakatu Sub-Branch.

The Union had gained superannuation in steps of 3%, 5% to 7% plus the same percentages from the company which was a great advance in what had been a seasonal occupation.

Peter Reo and I canvassed nearly every man and women in the works to get them involved.

Nearly every man and woman working at Whakatu now had the opportunity of securing a home of their own, a motor car, superannuation and cash savings.

We probably had 95% of the members covered which included a voluntary $10 contribution on the death of a member or their spouse.

With 2,000 members of the Union at work the funds in those days could pay all funeral expenses and freehold most houses.

This was a great economic decision made by the workers fully supported by the Hawkes Bay Farmers Meat Company and the NZ Superannuation Fund.

By 1984 we had most of our membership living in their own houses, insured with enough to pay most mortgages and funeral costs plus superannuation for the surviving partner. The well-being of our Union members had been achieved.

The Union had developed a high degree of professionalism and integrity.

After my fright with Dr Jack Boston the Union was safely in the hands of Bill Bennett.

An election was held and Bill Bennett was confirmed as President giving him 22 years in office at the time of the works closure in 1986. My last duty was to re-introduce [reintroduce] Bill to the industrial officers and management.

After taming my health issues’ a contract with the Department of Maori Affairs Department was offered which brought me into contact with many dedicated men and women.

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The Union was fortunate to have Bill and Lena return looking as fresh as daisies. The international meat market went into turmoil with the Iranian Crisis, the New Zealand Government changed in 1984, the currency was devalued by 20%. Farming was turning into a nightmare. Interest rates were increased to ruinous levels by Mr Douglas and his friends.

The Meat Companies of New Zealand were forced into rendering unsaleable mutton, lamb and in some cases our meat was used to feed crocodiles in Singapore.

Draconian concepts were being peddled, worse, agriculture was declared a sunset industry. The story of New Zealand becoming the financial capital of world came to the fore with Auckland being the main centre.

Interest rates went crazy, people panicked, lost their houses, orchards and farms. A land lord class was spawned as speculators bought up scores of cheap house [houses] which Helen Clark had funded on a low interest deposit of $10,000 which had to be paid back at the end of ten years. The rents for house had been decontrolled causing serious divisions in our society.

The Hawkes Bay Farmers Meat Company Limited had been wound up.

Hawkes Bay lost out on a great company of integrity that supported and nurtured all of it’s staff through good times and bad times. The works was closed in 1995. Much of killing floor area has been completely removed. Much remains. The forestry project was successfully wound up in 2014 having done it’s job for 42 years with Ian Lyver as the Secretary. Mark von Dadelszen, of Hastings stepped forward as Chairman doing a great job for many years.

Looking back at the photographs most of the forest was superbly tended until the Forestry Encouragement Grant Scheme was stopped.

The Credit Union has gone from strength to strength, still based in Hastings with more than 50,000 members and some $900 million dollars of assets according to Roy Gardiner who was chairman for some 35 years now planning his 90th birthday at the Mission Winery in a few months.

We will proudly celebrate Roy’s Birthday and remember the model of co-operation by a progressive Union that showed the way to keep Aoteoroa [Aotearoa] on Track.

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My private thought shared with Bill was the Whakatu was closed because the relationship between the Company and the Union had upset the Union bashers, Roger Douglas and his Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher ideals had destroyed the Union Movement in many countries, incarcerated 10,000 people in NZ, made homelessness a chronic issue entrenched and undermined the Wairua of the people putting them back to 1930 depression type living. We at Whakatu had been denounced as crazy syndicalist’s by Bill Rowling, Labour Party leader after Norman Kirk died.

If our collective projects were crazy syndicalism what was Rogernomics?

They gave our forests away to speculators when each truck and trailer of pruned logs leaving Mohaka Forest was worth $11,200 delivered to JNL in Masterton until the price collapsed. Of course the trees were blamed and the new age forest owners stopped pruning for quality. Retired Wairoa Vet David Mossman watched 100s of truck and trailers of gifted logs heading for JNL in Gisborne roaring past his gate on Lake Road until he moved to Havelock North.

I believe that our Union was ahead of its time and set a living example of what can be done by good people of good faith properly motivated to success.

Since those days of a staunch Union base we can look at Tai Whenua Heretaunga doing a wonderful job in medicine, mental health and training.

We can also look proudly at Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated and their business interests including fishing.

Where the Papakainga scheme has been picked up we see families moving into their own homes again. Not enough but it is a start.
I am very proud of my time at Whakatu University of life and hard work.

The Bennetts were special people, on the hard days and the good days. I am also very proud to have been able to give Bill and Lena Bennett nearly 6 years away from Whakatu to recover their combined strength for that herculean task of being Union President of Whakatu for about 22 years.

Thankfully we have our spiritual connections still focussed to the front. Bill and I were both nominated for Labour Party selection. We both had a strong social conscience and put people first. Hastings LRC selected Richard Mayson followed by David Butcher whose father had been a staunch Trade

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Unionist. Butcher became a complete traitor to his father’s beautiful history during the 1930s where he organised meetings of the unemployed in the Hastings Municipal Theatre. Napier LRC took Geoff Braybrooke who was too lazy to do anything except grow fat and smile. That LRC claimed that Michael Kitchin would make them work to hard.

Bill Bennett told me at his selection meeting that he had too many Industrial scars to be elected in Hastings. Jim Anderton was the Chairman of the selection panel and was extremely angry.

I believe that Prime Minister David Lange died of guilt of what happened during that period after being re-educated by a seriously left wing second wife. He lived with her in Thorndon close to friends of mine. When I last saw him he had announced that the Labour Party should stop this line of Rogernomics and have a cup of tea.

I have suggested to several Labour Politicians that they should apologise to the membership that left the Labour Party destroying 20% of their faithful follower’s loyal vote.

There is no doubt in my mind that Bill Bennett made many outstanding efforts all his life for the benefit of all working people. He died in a top leadership role at 80 years of age working for Kahungunu and adopted people.

Bill Bennett should have been honoured in the same manner as his brothers at Government House as a true patriot of this country.

His leadership has inspired many people at different levels.

Nga Hiwi Tomoana, Meka Whaitiri in top roles and many others.

For many people the dust of Whakatu has never settled, many people died before their time, many people were completely bereft and lost for any real future. Some families used redundancy money to move to Australia where they found work and opportunity.

Napier and Hastings became ghost towns as madmen announced the closure of Maori Affairs Department, Ministry of Works and NZ Forest Service. We are still paying the social cost of lost political leadership.

Politically our people are suffering from the removal of Compulsory Unionism the horrors of an economy structured around low wages, the hideous reality of

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the now proven fact that Mr Roger Douglas and his high interest supporting friends were totally wrong by virtue of the fact that we have inflated property prices with interest rates of 2.5% and international interest rates of less than 1%.

We have lost Whakatu but we will never lose the memories of the great things that was achieved by staunchly pulling together. Common sense, getting a good plan and getting the sums right is what is needed and we do have some good opportunities opening up.

Nga mihi,
Michael Kitchin

Proudly Whakatu Union President 1975 to 1981
National Councillor NZ Federation of Labour 1975 to 1981
Member of the NZ Institute of Foresters (Retired)
Churchill Fellow 1984 Studied Co-operatives and Forestry UK, Banking and Kibbutz Movement Israel, Harvesting & Sawmill Baden Baden Germany.
Israeli options for meat marketing.
Citizens Award Hastings District Council 2006

Note of remembered Officials and Delegates at Whakatu.

After the 1951 Lock out, Boy Tomoana took the men back to work.

Post 1951 strike:

First elected President of Whakatu Union:
Union President W T (Bill) Bennett of Kohupatiki

AI Stock Butchers Delegate
Butcher Delegate Tom Alsop
Butchers Delegate Ned Staples
Butcher Delegate Ted Earp then Secretary, East Cost Branch of the Meatworkers Union.
Beef house Peter Reo then Treasurer followed as Secretary

Freezer delegate Dick Adams Then Union President 6 years.
Delegate small goods Lofty Loader Shed secretary 6 years.
Vice President Anzac Pearce & Fellmongery Delegates
Butchers Delegate Bill Stirling & Vice President (went to waterfront then

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volunteer social wk.)
Out side gang Delegate Jim Taylor
Treasurer/Delegate Bluey Belcher Promoted welfare plan, $5 per member death benefit as part of Union Fee, $10 voluntary, death of member or spouse,

Butchers Delegate   Harry Cooper
Butchers Delegate   Nobby Clark   Tom Alsop
Freezer Delegate   Bill Schroder   East Clive.

Rendering   Delegate Tom?
Fellmongery Delegate   Michael Kitchin
Huk Bayliss, Anzac Pearce.
Union President 1975 to give Bill Bennett a rest.
Vice President   Alex Robin Kohupatiki, Haumoana.
Treasurer   Dick Crowley
Boning Delegate   Len Heke became secretary.
Butcher Delegate   Harry Williams ex Sydney

Butcher Delegate   Frank Dayley  Now of Nuhaka
Vice President   Peter McCormick Napier.
Labourers Delegate   Tipu Taylor Napier
Labourers Delegate   Nepe Apatu Napier (Takapau)
Treasurer   Noel Timu Left for Australia after closurer [closure]
Secretary   Nick Tichborne Whakatu & Havelock North
Beef Boning Room   Bill Wairau Mahia
Small Goods Dixie Dean Napier
Casing factory ?
DEVCO lamb cuts Lofty …?

Whakatu Investment Society David Knight

Please advise of any names missed

At the time of writing on 19th August 2019 I can confirm that Harry Cooper, Frank Dayley, Nepe Apatu and myself are still alive. It was a highly stressful job.
Bill Bennett kept alive by taking regular breaks passing in December 1999

Gathering up photographs of our history.

Page 31

Hawkes Bay Farmers Meat Company Management

Searle Ellingham   Chairman of the Board.
Mick Groome   Chairman of the Board
Dennis Little   GM
Ian Cameron   GM
Reginald Stayt   Live stock supply Manager
Cyril Cushing   Works Manager
Tony Wharton   Works Manager
Jack Harney   Slaughter Board foreman
Doug Lawrence   Rendering Department foreman
Brian Thompson   Fellmonger foreman
Tom O’Brien   wool pullers supervisor
Ron Bowls   wool pullers supervisor
Mac Mc Ghee   Fellmonger Foreman
Peter Wolf   Fellmongery Foreman
Harry Lyver   Slaughter Board foreman
Tony Bauerfiend   Works Manager
Kevin Atkinson   Computer Systems and Costings
Eugene Sullivan   Office Manager
Hayden Marque   Paint table
Joe Bicknell   Paint table

Brian Murphy   Industrial Officer
Lyn Elms   Industrial officer
Alex Waterhouse   Engineering Superintendent
Peter Murtens   Assistant Engineer
Barry Thompson   MAF Veterinary and inspection manager
Eddie Tichborne   MAF names remembered by writer 58
Harry Lyver   Slaughter Board Foreman 59
Nordica Law   First Aid
Therese McAra   First Aid
Sid Taukamo   Beefhouse Delegate 63

Whakatu Afforestation Trust   Credit Union:   Dick & Val Stent
Trustees   Tama Tomoana
Jack Hamlin   Roy Gardiner
Boob (young Jack) Hamlin   Pacific beef   John Reardon

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Warren Hamlin
Paul Chadwick
Michael Kitchin
Ian Lyver   Sec
Mark vondadelszen [von Dadelszen]   Chairman
Bobby Bake
Ron Dean
Brian Dunn
Gary Fraser
Dick Stent
Arthur Edmonds
Ted Earp, Bill Bennett, Anzac Pearce & Peter Reo were foundation Trustees appointed by the Union together with Michael Kitchin

Wool Pullers (Fellmongery)

Jack Fleming
George Minorcary
Donald Monroe
Pat Hawkins
Desmond Smith
Stu Barclay
Jim Barclay
Jack O’Sullivan
Nigel Butcher
Geof [Geoff] McGarva
Mack McGarva
Bill Ormsby
Ron Bowles
Michael Kitchin
Ron Dean
Colin Boyce
John Bowles
Peter Julian
Peter Bradleigh
Saun [Shaun] Abbot
Marvin Abbot
Max Holden
mystery man ChCh [Christchurch]
Trevor Good
Red Minton
Phil Young
Gary Fraser
Murray Lincoln
Alister Thompson
Joe Ogden
Henry Nia
Jimmy Manaena
Clutha McClusky of Redcliffe. [Handwritten]

Slaughtboard [Slaughter board]  32

Butchers Delegate   Harry Williams, Harry Cooper, and Frank Daley

Brown Wiki
Tom McGire [McGuire]
Hape Stewart