Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated (NKII) considered buying Silver Fern's Frasertown meatworks near Wairoa "but it would have been better to build something from scratch", NKII chairman Ngahiwi Tomoana said.
He voiced interest in the works in 2014 as part of the iwi's export strategy of capturing the whole value chain.
In October this year Silver Fern announced the closure of the plant, with the loss of 67 jobs.
Silver Fern chief executive Dean Hamilton said Frasertown closed because the company would be more efficient and offer farmers better service by operating fewer plants.
Wairoa mayor Craig Little said the plant was isolated and unlikely to have the scale necessary to absorb increasing compliance costs.