Westland Milk Products is a dairy company which is owned by Chinese dairy company Yili Group since 2019. Milk is sourced from farms as far north as Karamea and as far south as Haast on the West Coast and from farms throughout Canterbury. Their major processing factory is located in Hokitika on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, with their main warehouse and milk concentration plant near Rolleston outside Christchurch.
History
The Westland Co-operative Dairy Company Limited was formed in 1937 following the amalgamation of a number of small co-operatives within the Westland region including Kokatahi, Waitaha and part of the Arahura Dairy Companies. Prior to the restructure of the dairy industry in 2001, dairy products manufactured in New Zealand were marketed and exported by the New Zealand Dairy Board, which was jointly owned by all dairy companies. In 2001, the industry was deregulated and the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company Limited, Kiwi Co-operative Dairies Limited and the New Zealand Dairy Board amalgamated to form Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited. Westland Milk Products shareholders elected not to participate in the amalgamation and so became a fully independent dairy company responsible for the sales and marketing of its own products. Westland Milk Products is the third largest independent dairy company in New Zealand and processes approximately three per cent of the country's total milk production. During the 2015-16 financial year, 68 million kilogrammes of milk solids were produced by Westland Milk Products which were marketed and sold throughout the world. In 2004, Westland launched their consumer butter brand Westgold. In 2009 the Rolleston storage and sales and marketing office was established, and the site now also houses a Reverse Osmosis Plant and staff from many different business areas - including Customer Service, IT, Finance, Supply Chain, People and Capability and Milk Collection. In 2010, Westland acquired full ownership of EasiYo, a make-at-home yoghurt company based in Auckland The following year, in 2011, milk collection from Canterbury shareholders began. In 2012, Westland began manufacture of Infant nutritional products and launched their "Westpro Nutrition" range. This was closely followed, in 2013, by the construction of Dryer 7, a dedicated Infant and Toddler Nutritionals plant. In 2014, Westland opened their first offshore office in Shanghai, China On 18 March 2019, China's Yili Group signed an agreement to acquire 100% equity of Westland Milk Products, subject to shareholder approval - which was overwhelmingly given on 4 July.
Products
Westland manufactures a variety of products derived from milk, ranging from commoditymilk powders to infant nutrition products. The full range of products is as follows:
Westland Milk Products uses a quality management system known as Food Safety System Certification 22000 to monitor all aspects of its operations including milk collection, administration, stores and maintenance. An independent organization audits this system to an international standard.
Awards
Westland Milk Products has won a number of business and innovation awards. In 2012, Westland Milk Products won the Ministry of Science and Innovation's Best Use of Research and Development category at the New Zealand International Business Awards. In the same year, Westland Milk Products was also named the Supreme Winner of the 2012 West Coast Lending Light Business Excellence Awards. Four years later, Westland Milk Products was a finalist in the 2016 New Zealand International Business Awards for the Excellence in Design category. In March 2016, Westgold Unsalted Butter, a trademarked product of Westland Milk Products, won the prestigious Food for Chefs Champion Butter Award.
Community involvement
In 2016, Westland Milk Products partnered with the Westland District Council to fund the Blue Spur Water Treatment Plant Expansion Project. This project received a highly commended award in the Chorus Excellence Award for Best Practice in Infrastructure Management. Westland Milk Products sponsors Ronald McDonald House, Federated Farmers, The Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust, as well as numerous Hockey, Netball, Rugby Union, Basketball and Rugby League junior sports clubs in the Buller, Grey and Westland Districts of the West Coast. Additionally, Westland Milk Products has formerly been a sponsor of the West Coast Penguin Trust.
Working at Westland Milk Products
Westland Milk Products is an equal opportunity employer. Westland Milk Products offers a number of benefits to its employees including medical insurance, access to an Employee Assistance Programme and superannuation scheme options. In addition, Westland Milk Products has a social club, run by staff for staff, which organizes a variety of social activities such as evening get-togethers, an annual dinner, sports fixtures and bus trips.
