In February 2020 two historic Ōamaru buildings on Severn Street were demolished to make way for a new development. The most prominent building demolished was the Ōamaru Baptist Church, the other was the lesser known North Otago Dairy Factory Company (NODFC) building. This blog outlines some of the history of this former industrial landmark.

The NODFC building, known to many contemporary Ōamaru residents as the Goldies building, was located at Ōamaru Town block 25 section 3. By 1880 the section was owned by George Evans and was described as a house and ground in the Ōamaru Borough Council rate books. Robert Blair owned the section by 1883. Blair was a prominent citizen of early Ōamaru and served the town as an Ōamaru Borough Councillor. The 1883 Stones and Wises directory lists Blair as a furniture dealer. By 1887 Blair was operating as an importer and furniture warehouseman from his Severn Street premises. The same year Blair called tenders for labour and materials for the erection of a stone building, later in 1887 block 25 section 3 was described as a store and ground in the Ōamaru Borough Council rate books. Some years later in 1901 Blair's furniture warehouse would become the site of Ōamaru first dairy factory.

The economic potential of the dairy industry attracted attention throughout New Zealand in the 1880s. Local creameries were established to collect milk from farmers in many districts. Creameries were small skimming stations where cream was extracted and then transported in bulk to a butter and cheese factory for further processing. Creameries meant that farmers could deliver their dairy produce locally, and provided access to the latest scientific advantages.

In Waitaki district the Waiareka Dairy Factory Company had opened a cheese factory at Weston by the end of 1883. A Dunedin firm, the New Zealand Dairy Supply Company, established creameries at Ōamaru and Hampden in 1892. Two years later local farmers formed a co-operative butter factory at Awamoko and proprietary factories were started at Enfield and Reidston. The Taieri and Peninsular Company opened a second creamery at Hampden. The Pukeuri Dairy Factory Company established a factory at Pukeuri in 1895 and successfully produced cheese for export and butter for the local market.

The Pukeuri Dairy Factory Company flourished with supply not meeting demand, the company voted to extend its operations at a meeting in 1900 and to change its name to the North Otago Dairy Company Limited. The North Otago Dairy Company took over the Awamoko, Enfield and Waiareka factories and established creameries at Ngapara, Kurow and Windsor. The company purchased dairy factory equipment and Robert Blair's Severn Street premises and a new central dairy factory was established there. In March 1901 the company started receiving milk at the new Severn Street factory, and the new factory officially opened on 2 April 1901.

The Severn Street factory buildings were quickly outgrown. Later in 1901 prominent Ōamaru architect John Megget Forrester called for tenders for additions to the factory. Forrester was an experienced industrial architect and had previously tendered for creameries at Duntroon in 1900, Morven in 1901 and a concrete tank for the Pukeuri Dairy Company in 1901 .

Despite all this early promise and rapid growth, by late 1903 the North Otago Dairy Company was in financial trouble. The future of dairying in North Otago was discussed at a conference of milk suppliers in Ōamaru, and by 1904 the company had been bought out by a competitor, the Taieri and Peninsular Dairy Company.

Collection of Waitaki District Archive P0019.576 Enlarging Butter Factory Oamaru circa 1905?

The Taieri and Peninsular Dairy Company had capital to grow operations in North Otago and extensive improvements were undertaken on the Severn Street factory building in 1905. This work included expanding the factory footprint and adding another story. A new wing was built on the east side of the factory and the present building was extended towards the rear. The improved factory was lighted by a distinctive west facing saw-tooth roof. The main factory was powered by a 25 horse power pelton wheel manufactured by John Jack of Ōamaru, and a 30 horse power pelton wheel made by W G Price of Thames powered a Hercules refrigerator. The existing 15 horse power Tangye engine was retained as an auxiliary engine. A detailed description of the expanded factory was published in the North Otago Times 25 September 1905 . It reveals the name of the builder, Mr Gibb and the factory engineer Mr Clark. The completed factory trebled production and was capable of holding 40 tons of frozen butter ready for export.

Collection of Waitaki District Archive 9031 Interior of Taieri and Peninsula Milk Company, Severn Street, c.1934.

A short time after the expanded factory opened the Taieri and Peninsular Milk Supply Company decided to consolidate its factory operations in North Otago and closed the Pukeuri factory, much to the disquiet of local dairy farmers. The Taieri and Peninsula Milk Supply Company Limited continued its operations at the Severn Street factory until 1934.
Over the years many businesses including the Co-operative Dairy Company of Otago Ltd operated from Severn Street block 25 section 3. The original function of the building has faded from the memory of most residents but the distinctive saw tooth roof line and Severn Street frontage endures in many photographic views of Ōamaru.

The Severn Street frontage of the Taieri and Peninsula Milk Company factory extensions to Robert Blair’s 1887 furniture warehouse are visible. The Majestic Theatre built next to the factory in 1911. Collection of Waitaki District Archive P0105.04.13 Corner of Severn and Thames Street late 1920s?

References
North Otago Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 6425, 16 August 1887, Page 3 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NOT18870816.2.22.3
Hugh Stringleman and Frank Scrimgeour, 'Dairying and dairy products - Cooperatives and centralisation', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/dairying-and-dairy-products/page-3 (accessed 12 March 2020)
North Otago Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3829, 15 December 1884, Page 2 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NOT18841215.2.11
White Stone Country, K C McDonald, page 214
North Otago Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 9775, 5 September 1900, Page 3 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NOT19000905.2.21
Otago Daily Times, Issue 11868, 19 October 1900, Page 7 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19001019.2.74
Oamaru Mail, Volume XXV, Issue 7970, 5 November 1900, Page 2 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OAM19001105.2.16
North Otago Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 9779, 11 March 1901, Page 2 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NOT19010311.2.11
Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVI, Issue 8087, 3 April 1901, Page 4 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OAM19010403.2.37
Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVI, Issue 8225, 12 September 1901, Page 3 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OAM19010912.2.34.5
North Otago Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 9779, 16 November 1900, Page 3 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NOT19001116.2.11.2
North Otago Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 979, 16 July 1901, Page 3 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NOT19010716.2.25.1
North Otago Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 9779, 26 March 1901, Page 3 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NOT19010326.2.25.6
Oamaru Mail, Volume XXIV, Issue 8371, 22 December 1903, Page 2 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OAM19031222.2.21
Oamaru Mail, Volume XXIX, Issue 8583, 10 September 1904, Page 2 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OAM19040910.2.20
Oamaru Mail, Volume XXIX, Issue 8589, 17 September 1904, Page 2 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OAM19040917.2.22.1
Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXI, Issue 8816, 23 June 1905, Page 2 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OAM19050623.2.19
North Otago Times, 27 February 1905, Page 2 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NOT19050227.2.12
Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXI, Issue 8896, 25 September 1905, Page 4 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OAM19050925.2.33
North Otago Times, 9 October 1905, Page 2 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NOT19051009.2.5