History
Throughout most of the nineteenth century, all sugar products in New Zealand had to be imported; wishing to improve New Zealand's self-sufficiency, in 1882 the Government offered a bounty to the first company to produce sugar locally. Already interested in business prospects in New Zealand, the Australian Colonial Sugar Refining Company had investigated possible sites in New Zealand and purchased 160 acres (0.65 km2) of farm land in Birkenhead. This was later expanded to 450 acres (1.8 km2).
The site was ideal for a refinery: the Waitemata offered deep water close to shore for a port, there was plentiful fresh water from Duck Creek, which ran through the estate, and there was plenty of land and timber for building purposes.
The name "Chelsea" was bestowed on the site by the refinery's first customs officer, who named it after Chelsea in England, his hometown.
Read more about this topic: Chelsea Sugar Refinery
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