More Info →An industrial review of Horowhenua 1972 Page 8

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Description: Wallpaper manufacturing in New Zealand began in 1958 with a screen printing company called Dear Distributing Company. The company started to adapt their screen printing process to make wallpaper, and is the first recorded attempt to make wallpaper in New Zealand. The wallpaper was marketed under the brand name House of York and was quickly becoming a favourite brand of builders and decorators. In 1961 the wallpaper manufacturing process was moved to a bigger premises in Tiro Tiro Road, Levin, and a company was founded under the name The New Zealand Wallpaper Manufacturers Ltd with Mr R.W.C Dear as managing director. With more room to work in the company started producing different patterned and textured wallpapers, having over 200 different patterns and were one of the high-fliers of the wallpaper industry.

In 1964 disater struck, the entire factory was burnt to the ground in less than an hour, and for the next 9 months they stopped production. Jobs were found for most of the staff , and those that stayed on were given jobs such as machinery construction and renovation. The new 30,000 sq.ft. factory was completed by October 1964 and production started again. Sadly like many other business in Levin in the 1980's the factory closed leaving many without work, and with so many closures there were no job vacancies either.