“He had a cousin with a big farm at Waitōtara so he asked to buy some paddocks. From there, he pulled a lot of people together in a think tank and they designed and built a plant from nothing.”
The plant was managed by Scott Weir and the company eventually took over the Tirau meatworks in Waikato.
Weir remained in the role until both entities were sold to Richmond in 2000, with Pearce becoming a shareholder and director of that company.
Rod had a “burning ambition” to get products onto international supermarket shelves - an extremely difficult process, Tom Pearce said.
“He certainly got meat products into the markets in Europe.
“I remember him saying they were the first people to get lamb shanks to where they are today. They used to be the poorest meat of a sheep but now they’re in every restaurant around.”
Farmers who signed up for Pearce’s green plan, which encouraged sustainable farming, were offered slight premiums on their stock at the plant, Tom Pearce said.
Long-time friend Michael Sewell said Pearce was ahead of his time when it came to sustainability.
“He realised that was what needed to be done to have a successful agricultural business.
“Not only do you have to have adequate pasture for your farms, you also need to provide shelter, clean water, and all the necessities that some people didn’t think much of at the time.”
Speaking to the Chronicle in 2013, Pearce said he planted trees, managed grazing and completed drainage work on his farm.
When he left after 54 years, there was virtually no erosion in that area of hill country.
Son Roger Pearce remains on the family farm.
He said he spent a lot of time with his father and the pair had a strong bond.
“As a boy growing up, some of my fondest memories were baching with him up the Waitōtara Valley.
“He was a bit short of cash so I would help him hunt possums in the bush. We would go out there for six weeks every winter and I would tag along behind.
“There were always big projects, right from a very young age. It was nose to the grindstone in those early days.”
His father always thought outside the box and “way beyond his own needs”, Roger Pearce said.
“Even when he had the possum skins way back in the day, he decided he wasn’t getting enough money for them so he put a whole lot in wool packs and took them to England.
“He was very much an entrepreneur.”
Sewell, a former secretary of the meat company, said Pearce’s enthusiasm impacted his punctuality at times,
“Rod’s timekeeping was always interesting.
“I remember there being a meeting at Waverley and as the Whanganui contingent was driving up the main road, Rod’s car came screaming past on the way to Whanganui, where he obviously thought the meeting was.”
Pearce was able to inspire those he associated with and they would go the extra mile for him, Sewell said.
“He put a lot into the community as well as into his own activities.
“One example is employing a significant number of people at the meat company. That created a good income stream for people in the Waitōtora/Waverley area, where most of the workers lived.”
Former director of the Waitōtara Meat Company, David Pearce, said Rod was always good company.
“He was just so positive and eternally optimistic, especially in difficult times. He loved meeting people and was generous with his time and ideas.
“So much time and effort went into it [meat company] and the plant is still there today. It‘s his legacy, basically.
“Rod was instrumental in getting seven-day-a-week shift work introduced to the industry. That was a major improvement and got efficiency ramped up.”
Being five years younger, he looked up to and admired Rod, Tom Pearce said.
They were two of six siblings.
“One of the things that motivated us all as a family was losing our father quite early on.
“We [brothers] did our own shearing for years. Richard, Gilbert, Simon and Rod would be shearing and I would be the rouseabout because I was the youngest.
“Rod set a great example, though. He was always very good with animals and understood them well.”
Roger Pearce said his father was not only a mentor to him but to his grandchildren.
“He spent a lot of time with them and did his fair share of babysitting, even though he was a very busy man.
“They miss him dearly and still talk about him a lot.”
Rod Pearce died on February 2 at the age of 88.
He leaves behind children Duncan, Roger and Andrea and grandchildren Sheldon, Kyla and Brooke.
Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
