Masport - 100 Years in the Making

Masport - 100 Years in the Making tells the story of 100 years of manufacturing in New Zealand through the words and memories of the people who worked there. The book is full of photographs of notable events, machinery and workers covering the whole 100 year period. Masport went through many events which both changed the way the company did business and affected the lives of people. World Wars 1 and 2, The Spanish Flu of 1919, The Great Depression of the 1930’s were all major factors in this. However by 1940 Masport had established itself as the leading manufacturer and seller of mowers in New Zealand and had a very viable foundry business manufacturing gear boxes for Fisher and Paykel. The 1980’s saw major changes in the way Masport operated. A combination of government deregulation after years of protectionism and the second generation of Porters selling their shares led to the corporate investment companies taking control. The new owners made some rash decisions and it took about twenty years for the company to readjust to the changing market situation. However eventually the adjustment occurred and unlike many companies which did “go under” during this time Masport has focussed on core business and last year sold 140,000 mowers in 40 countries. Through the whole 100 years the main thing that sticks in the author’s mind is that this is a story about real people, who were incredibly loyal and hard working with a real story to tell.