History
The company was founded in Napier in 1866 as Hawke’s Bay Foundry, being basically a blacksmiths shop doing local work for the farming, fishing and shipping industries.
In 1886 James J. Niven purchased the company with his partner Mr Galloway, both Marine Engineers and rapidly expanded the blacksmiths workshop to its prominent position at the Port of Napier. This company was the first to bring electricity to Hawke’s Bay, the first asphalt plant to New Zealand and the first to start retreading tyres.
By 1900 Jas J Niven was a major factory with foundry, machine shop, boiler shop and merchandising, employing 50 staff. From here onwards, “Nivens” expanded to having workshops in various centers throughout NZ including Auckland, Wellington, Gisborne, Palmerston North, Christchurch as well as merchandising operations in other cities.
In the early 1900s, the business was purchased by the Nelson family of Hawke’s Bay who had established the big beef and sheep slaughterhouse at Tomoana near Hastings and with this began the long association of Nivens with the growing NZ Meat Industry and in particular rendering plants and refrigeration.
In 1976 the merger of MacEwans Machinery and Napier Machinery and Installation took place, forming what is now known as Napier Engineering and Contracting Ltd.
With this kind of spirit behind it, Napier Engineering has continued on a strong path of growth, having been involved in almost all the big development projects within Hawke’s Bay, across New Zealand and indeed around the world.
