200 seasons of kaiwaka

It all began from a small saddlery business purchased in 1975.

Having been Farmers who’d never sat behind a sewing machine, we had to learn the ‘know how’. So, a six-week intensive crash course started with a very patient, humoured teacher. He called it, the ‘Sew and Sew’ training centre. We felt like so n so’s to the poor man.

We then moved the business to a shed in Kaiwaka and erected a sign – brave move with such little experience. News soon got around the district, locals started bringing in their repairs, smelly old horse covers and you name it, challenge after challenge.

We continuously learn’t and innovated making slow progress before a sign was put up - a brave move with little experience. News soon got around the district, locals started bringing in their repairs, smelly old horse covers and you name it, challenge after challenge.

In 1976 we shifted into an old town house of the main street of Kaiwaka it was an eccentric saddle shop. The building became an icon to locals with its hump back floors, roof and rickety veranda. We progressed slowly with all the up’s and downs even expanding our range to include covers and trampolines.

A major burglary hit us hard in early ’79. It knocked the wind out of us, but not for long. We picked ourselves up from the 'leftovers' and with true “WE CAN DO” resolve continued on.

By mid ’79, we crossed SH1 into a larger, more secure building. We realised, that to grow the business, we had to expand from our little town, into the world. So, we set out on a notorious expansion mission ‘green as’ but down to earth we found Kaiwaka some golden opportunities.

That opened the floodgates to new clients, new products, and our first HF welder to produce white PVC garments for the meat industry.

In early ’84, we bought 10 hectares on SH1 it included a haybarn, cowshed, calf shed, old house… the works.

We got to work. Built a shop front, showroom, mezzanine, and yes — a proper toilet in the calf shed (a massive upgrade and a regular source of amusement).

By October ’84, with six staff strong, we became Kaiwaka Saddlery and Clothing. But the saddlery was soon sold off to one of our crew, and so Kaiwaka Clothing stepped forward as our name, and our future.

Then came another surprise a large customers visited asking us to produce their full wet weather gear range. We said yes, expanded the team again, and tore down the cowshed to make room for a brand new 300m² building.

In 1993, we even bought back Kaiwaka Saddlery (along with a marquee business) when the owner moved to Invercargill. Sometimes things just come full circle.

We brought in a relocatable office building in ’98 — with flushing toilets. A huge step up from the infamous dunny in the calf shed, which we gladly demolished. That same year, we sold off some land to Kaiwaka Furniture, including the old house which the fire brigade used for one spectacular training blaze.

In 2001, the saddlery changed hands again, and by 2003 it moved to new premises south of town. That freed up space we badly needed as the stock and team grew fast.

But not all news was good. In 2003, we lost our large customer. It hurt, a lot. But we’re not ones to lie down. Instead, we pivoted to vet clinics a new venture, and a tough sell at first. But with a lot of grit and a little charm, we made it work. Creativity and innovation kept us moving.

By 2004, we were back in talks with our large customer this time without the rogue agent. Thanks to loyal allies inside the business, we got the contract back. A win that tasted even better the second time around.

At that point, the team had grown to include eight machinists, two office staff, two extras, a contract crew of six

In 2008, we transitioned from a partnership into a formal company structure: Kaiwaka Clothing Co. It marked a new era, but the spirit remained unchanged.

Then came 2013, the big one. On October 5th, we opened the doors to our brand-new, purpose-built facility. No more relocatable offices. No more shipping containers. Just a space that finally matched our scale, our people, and our mission.

Over the past 10 years Kaiwaka has seen a strong surge in growth, particularly in global markets. We have doubled down on what sets us apart as a company, our commitment to grass roots innovation and development of the most advanced technologies for waterproof workwear.

In 2021 the Stewart family introduced a strong governance structure to help navigate the new challenges of scaling a company offshore and building supply chain resilience. The third generation was introduced into the management team as a succession plan to support the company into the future.

Since this time, we have continued to invest in our New Zealand base in Kaiwaka, doubling our manufacturing capacity in 2021 and investing in automation and lean methodology. Further investment into strengthening offshore partners to future proof the company with global demand.

Leading into the future we see New Zealand as the core base for research and development expansion, and small batch manufacturing for new product runs, supported by offshore factories for large scale production.