Alliance Group
{{Short description|New Zealand freezing company}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2015}}
{{for|the food and beverage company|Alliance Global Group}}
Alliance Group Limited, a cooperative originally named Alliance Freezing Company (Southland) Limited, operates freezing works at seven sites in New Zealand and exports grass-fed meat and by-products to Europe, North America, as well as Asia including China, India, Korea and Japan and many other countries.{{cite web |title=Product Range |url=http://www.alliance.co.nz/products/product-range/ |publisher=Alliance Group Limited |accessdate=15 August 2019}} Alliance employs almost 5,000 people across New Zealand and operates two processing plants in the North Island and five in the South Island.
Brands
- Pure South – the company's overarching brand for lamb, beef and venison
- Lumina Lamb – high country lamb
- Silere – alpine origin merino lamb
- Handpicked – beef and venison
- Ashley – for sheepmeat exported to Europe{{cite web |url=https://www.alliance.co.nz/our-produce/our-brands/ |title=Our Brands |publisher=Alliance Group website |accessdate=24 March 2020}}
Corporate profile
The corporate identity was changed to Alliance in 2018.[https://issuu.com/alliance12/docs/annualreport_2018_final Alliance Annual Report 2018]
David Surveyor has since January 2015 been the chief executive officer, succeeding Grant Cuff.{{cite news|title=Alliance appoints David Surveyor CEO |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/agribusiness/63858823/alliance-appoints-david-surveyor-ceo.html|accessdate=3 July 2015|work= The Southland Times |date=5 December 2014}} Murray Taggart has been chairman of the board of directors since 1 October 2013.{{cite news|title=Murray Taggart new Alliance Group chairman |url=http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/murray-taggart-new-alliance-group-chairman-wb-143415 |accessdate=3 July 2015|work=National Business Review|date=26 July 2013}}
History
Alliance Freezing Company (Southland) Limited was founded by local farmers in Invercargill in 1948.{{cite web |title=History |url=http://www.alliance.co.nz/Company-Overview/History.jasc |publisher=Alliance Group Limited |accessdate=3 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704035149/http://www.alliance.co.nz/Company-Overview/History.jasc |archive-date=4 July 2015 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }} Their first large freezing works was opened in 1980 at Lorneville on the outskirts of Invercargill.
From its base in Invercargill Alliance runs freezing works nearby in Southland at Lorneville and Mataura, further away at Pukeuri in Otago, Timaru in South Canterbury, and at Nelson. There are two freezing works in the North Island at Dannevirke and Levin.{{cite web|title=Alliance Group Plant Locations|url=http://www.alliance.co.nz/Company-Overview/Plant-Locations.jasc|publisher=Alliance Group|accessdate=3 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704160204/http://www.alliance.co.nz/Company-Overview/Plant-Locations.jasc|archive-date=4 July 2015|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} A new $15.9 million venison plant opened at Lorneville in December 2018.
Always a business belonging to farmers Alliance's ownership model was changed in 1960 to a cooperative. The farmers who supply the livestock to be killed are the company's shareholders. The name of the cooperative was changed to Alliance Group Limited in 1990.
Alliance Group bought their first North Island freezing works at Dannevirke in 2003. They added a second North Island works at Levin in 2008.
On 27 September 2024, the Alliance Group proposed closing down its Timaru Alliance Smithfield meatworks plant, which would affect about 600 jobs. The consultation period will last until 11 October, with a decision expected to be made on 18 October 2024.{{cite news |last1=Comer |first1=Rachel |last2=Black |first2=Brooke |title=Hundreds of jobs to go at Timaru meatworks plant under new proposal |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350431061/hundreds-jobs-go-timaru-meatworks-plant-under-new-proposal |access-date=27 September 2024 |work=Timaru Herald |publisher=Stuff |date=27 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927011048/https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350431061/hundreds-jobs-go-timaru-meatworks-plant-under-new-proposal |archive-date=27 September 2024|url-status=live}} On 18 October, the Alliance Group confirmed that it would close down its Smithfield meat processing plant in December 2024, citing declining sheep processing numbers caused by land use changes.{{cite news |last1=Gray |first1=Jamie |last2=Tomsett |first2=Ben |title=Smithfield Timaru meatworks shutdown confirmed: Hundreds of jobs to go |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/alliance-group-confirms-smithfield-closure/WEKF2D4WOBGBBFPGV6HRPF7BUI/ |access-date=19 October 2024 |date=18 October 2024}}