It started out life as a boutique abattoir, slaughtering animals for sale at farmers markets.
But now, a Hikurangi abattoir has a new lease of life killing animals for meat, and medical use.
And if things go well, animal heart valves and blood products could also be developed into what its backers hope is a lucrative industry.
Scott Massey, Chas Edwards and American Randall McCoy are behind NZ Life Science.
Twelve jobs will come with the new abattoir, in a town that has long held a place in the hearts of many rural Northlanders. As a youngster, a trip to the Hikurangi Dairy Factory was a big deal, especially if you were getting new gumboots from the shop.