History - In the Steel Making
Early in 1962, steel began to flow from the first steelworks to be built in this country; only two years before sheep had been grazing on the site on which the plant was built.
Ever since the earliest European settlers arrived, there had been thoughts of making iron and steel. Many had experimented, but here was the first successful attempt to mass produce the steel so essential to the development of a modern community.
With no precedent, very limited local experience in heavy engineering and no available pool of skilled steelworks labour, this was a bold step forward. The success of this enterprise is now apparent - a working complex of men, machines and knowledge combining to increase the industrial stature of the country.
For generations the NZ economy had rested on the sheep's back but it received a rude shock from World War II. War-time needs and the burgeoning of a self stimulating economy brought about a revolution in demands - the country needed more and more steel.
In 1958, the founders of Pacific Steel Group sought the aid of several leading steelmaking companies in the United Kingdom. Their interest and technological experience were joined to New Zealand enterprise and two years later a new industry was born. There were many unresolved problems in the economic smelting of iron sands from our black sand beaches, our resources of conventional iron ore were too small to support an industry, so the start was made with the new works based on iron and steel scrap as its main raw material.
These discarded materials from all over the country were now to be converted into high grade steel products on a 53 acre site at Otahuhu, nine miles south of Auckland.
Economically, this heralded a major advance and enabled locally made steel to be available to support national development for the first time in our history. After a few years one of the country's first basic industries was enabling New Zealanders to set a pattern of progress by providing steel for Benmore, Lyttleton Tunnel, Auckland International Airport and countless other projects. Apart from immediate availability this also resulted in an annual saving of some 2 million pounds in overseas exchange.
In late 1964 Pacific Steel Group celebrated the production of its first 100,000 tonnes of steel product - round bars, angles and flats.
Download a newspaper clipping from The Auckland Star, dated: Wednesday, November 22nd, 1962. A review on the Pacific Steel Group's new Favona Road (now James Fletcher Drive) Otahuhu, premise.
Pacific Steel Group plays a major role in producing reinforcing steel for the construction market. With 85 per cent market share in New Zealand our customers include steel merchants (43 per cent) and steel processors (57 per cent).
