Competitors join forces to create world class protein plant

In the small North Island town of Waitoa, a massive commitment to New Zealand’s red meat industry is about to bring new meaning to added value processing.

A bird's eye view of the new site in final stages of construction last spring. 

Four years, tens of millions of dollars, scores of local contractors and a novel collaboration between market competitors have culminated in something that hasn’t been seen in this country for over a decade. 

Waitoa Natural Proteins (WNP) is the first new greenfields rendering plant built in NZ since 2013, and is unique not only in its ownership structure, but its sophistication. 

Capable of processing 20 tonnes an hour, the largely automated single species facility can be run from a tablet, is fully vacuum sealed for air quality and odour control, and recycles its own wastewater. 

It’s already producing premium quality bovine meal and tallow for domestic and export sales, and when fully commissioned in June will render fresh raw bone and soft offal from a total of five different meat processing plants. 

Those behind the venture say it’s both a sign of confidence in NZ red meat production, and a clear signal to global customers that they are committed to world-class standards of processing. 

“It also shows that if you collaborate, you can get further, and do things at a higher standard than in the past,” says Greenlea Premier Meats managing director Tony Egan. 

His company joined forces with Wilson Hellaby and specialist renderer Glenningburg Holdings in 2021 to make the ambitious project a reality. 

“We were going to build something on our own, but then we decided it would be better to team up. 

“That gave us the opportunity to significantly scale up the operation, and tap into each other’s skills. We always knew the investment was not just about the protein plant itself, but also the waste treatment system, and the containment required.”

The new plant, which uses a low temperature pressed dewatering system, has been built on the same site as an existing rendering facility at Waitoa, formerly owned by Wallace Corp and acquired by Greenlea through a joint venture in 2020. 

Specialist designer and manufacturer Rendertech NZ was responsible for sourcing and installing the necessary machinery and equipment, some of which was imported, and some made in NZ by Kawerau Engineering. 

MW Builders in Hamilton has handled the build itself. 

Few appreciate the contrast between the two plants better than Gordon Henderson, who spent several years as rendering operations manager with Wallace Corp before returning to Waitoa to supervise the WNP build and become general manager. 

“I’ve worked in a lot of rendering plants; I’ve upgraded some of them but never been involved in a greenfields, belts and braces, new build project like this. To go from a hole in the ground to a functioning protein plant of this standard has been a great opportunity.

“It has been quite exciting. In the peak of the build we had 60 contractors on site, and we deliberately used local contractors, all from within a 50-60 km radius.” 

One key difference between old and new? The sheer level of automation, which means the plant can run 24/6 year-round with only a dozen staff. 

“Wastewater is another big factor,” Henderson says. “A beef animal is 50 per cent meat and bone, and 50 per cent moisture, and all that moisture has to be removed during the rendering process. 

“That can create quite a high strength, high volume waste stream, but we don’t have that here. Instead, all our rendering waste water is evaporated into a process condensate which is a valuable carbon source for the bugs in our waste treatment pond.”

Air containment was equally a priority for odour control and a better worker environment, Henderson says. 

General manager Gordon Henderson, centre, has overseen the build from the start. 

All the air in the building is extracted, run through a humidifier, then a bio filter, and recirculated. The plant is vacuum sealed, with a customised automated process ensuring outside doors cannot be opened if any process doors are open, and vice versa. 

“That improves air quality and temperature control for those working within the plant, too.” 

Nearly all WNP meat and bone meal will be exported for animal feed, as will all of the tallow, which is used overseas for biofuel. Other outputs may come in the future; there is room to add more capacity. 

Egan says making the plant single species improves market opportunities for end users, who prefer a one line product. 

Combined with other facilities at the greater Waitoa site – including Waitoa Tannery – the new plant helps remove an Achilles heel for those involved. 

“It gives us control of the whole beef process, from disassembly to reassembly. Whether it’s meat, hide or by-product, we can now maximise the value of that animal for farmers, and essentially for NZ,” he says.

The first delivery of raw material for processing.