New $100m Wiri meat plant rising to supply Countdowns: old plant to shut

Plans for the $100m plant at Wiri. Photo/supplied

A $100 million specialist meat plant is being developed at Auckland's Wiri to process product for national supermarket chain Countdown

Darren Searle, New Zealand and Australian head of real estate specialist Logos, said the plant was leased to Hilton Foods NZ, which will exclusively supply the supermarkets from next year.

Construction has begun on the Wiri Logistics Estate site and the 15,700sq m plant is due to open in the middle of next year.

The plant, on the corner of Roscommon Rd and Wiri Station Rd, will be leased to Hilton for 25 years.

Robert Watson, Hilton executive chairman, said that was the first New Zealand investment by the business, which would spend up to $50m on plant and equipment.

Natalie David, managing director of Countdown owner Woolworths NZ, said that in 2017 that business decided to join Hilton and would shut its Portage Rd plant to move to the much larger more modern factory.

A source said Countdown had vastly ramped up investment in New Zealand lately and that could be like the last cycle when nearly $3 billion was poured in during a decade of refurbishing, rebuilding and expanding its network.

A groundbreaking event is planned today, attended by Hilton chief executive Phil Heffer, Woolworths' Natalie Davies and Auckland deputy mayor Bill Cashmore.

A joint statement said the site was chosen because of its proximity to arterial routes and motorways as well as the Conlinx inland port, which services Ports of Auckland.

In Australia, Logos is finishing a 45,000sq m purpose-built food processing and distribution plan for Hilton at the Heathwood Logistics Estate.

Cashmore praised the investment and creation of a modern meat-processing plant, saying this country produced top agricultural products.

Logos said last year its New Zealand entry was the 10ha south Auckland land purchase. That was a natural step in the group's growth and the business had seen changes in New Zealand's industrial and logistics sector.