Conference Paper

Author

Cleland, Andrew

Title

Refrigeration: underpinning the New Zealand economy for over 125 years

In

Third Australasian Engineering Heritage Conference. Dunedin 2009

Imprint

Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand, 2009, pp. 37-43

Url

https://www.engineeringnz.org/documents/1274/Proceedings_of_the_Third_Australasian_Conference_on_Engineering_Heritage_Dunedin_2009.pdf

Abstract

In 1882 the first refrigerated meat left New Zealand for London, the pioneering use of a technology that was to transform the New Zealand economy. Animals were no longer grown for wool only, and the wealth of the nation developed rapidly. From 1882 until as recently as the early 1990s refrigerated food has returned at least 30% of New Zealand's export income. Whilst much of the equipment has been imported, expertise in the application of refrigeration was developed in New Zealand. This paper describes some of the key engineering and technology developments through the history of the refrigerated food trade in this country. Examples include development of carcass freezers, boneless beef carton freezers, and systems development in the horticultural sector. It also identifies some of the iconic equipment systems used in the New Zealand industry, some of which have given reliable service for a century.

Related Published resources

isPartOf

• Third Australasian Engineering Heritage Conference. Engineering in the Development of a Region: History and Heritage. Dunedin 22-25 Nov 2009 (Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand, 2009), 365 pp, https://www.engineeringnz.org/documents/1274/Proceedings_of_the_Third_Australasian_Conference_on_Engineering_Heritage_Dunedin_2009.pdf. Details