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Story: Large companies

Waitematā brewery

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Waitematā brewery

Staff of Dominion Breweries stand outside the Waitemata Brewery in Auckland in 1933. From the 1920s many industries followed a pattern of acquisitions and mergers. Small successful firms grew into large ones trading in all parts of the country. There was both vertical and horizontal integration. For example in 1930 Dominion Breweries purchased Levers and Co. (bottlers and distributors of beer) and the Waitemata Brewery Co, and began to acquire hotels in Auckland and Hamilton as outlets for its beer.

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DB Breweries

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How to cite this page

Gary Hawke, Large companies – Finance, transport and ownership, 19th and 20th centuries, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/25955/waitemata-brewery (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Gary Hawke, published 2 March 2010.