First refrigerated cargo sails for London
- When
- 15 February 1882
- Where
- Port Chalmers · Kōputai
- Reach
- Nationwide
The Dunedin left Port Chalmers with 4,900 frozen carcasses and arrived in London 98 days later with the cargo sound. It changed the country’s economy permanently.
Before refrigeration, sheep were farmed for wool and tallow and the meat was largely wasted. Afterwards New Zealand became Britain’s farm, sending lamb, butter and cheese 19,000 kilometres to a guaranteed market. Dairying transformed the Waikato and Taranaki, freezing works appeared at every port, and the country’s prosperity was tied to British demand until Britain joined the EEC in 1973.
Regions affected
Sources
Written for this project from these references rather than copied from them. Follow a link to check the account against the original.
Related
Britain joins the EEC
New Zealand’s guaranteed British market for lamb, butter and cheese began closing after ninety years. The economy has never worked the same way since.
New Zealand enters the First World War
About 100,000 served overseas from a population of just over a million. Around 18,000 died and 41,000 were wounded — proportionally among the heaviest losses of any country.
Vogel’s public works and immigration scheme
Julius Vogel borrowed £10 million in London to build railways, roads and telegraph lines, and to bring 100,000 assisted migrants.
New Zealand declares war on Germany
‘Where she goes, we go’ — 140,000 served overseas and nearly 12,000 died, from a population of 1.6 million.