Todays Golden Bay Cement had its origins in the earliest New Zealand cement manufacturing ventures in Northland in the 1870s. Following the closures of the Tarakohe plant in 1989 and the small Lee Valley plant in ......Todays Golden Bay Cement had its origins in the earliest New Zealand cement manufacturing ventures in Northland in the 1870s. Following the closures of the Tarakohe plant in 1989 and the small Lee Valley plant in 1998, the companys manufacturing operations have been concentrated at Portland, 8km south of Whangarei. From Portland, bulk cement is distributed to Golden Bay Cements eight Customer Service Centres around New Zealand, and then trucked to customers. The companys supply ship, MV Golden Bay, maintains silo levels at five ports around New Zealand while the companys barge, CB Marsden Bay, runs cement into Auckland. Cement is bagged at various Service Centres for export and domestic customers. The National Support Office, which also serves as a centralised order and distribution centre, is in Auckland. Golden Bay Cements success is based on: its people - well selected, trained and resourced an efficient, modern manufacturing plant, with processes in place to ensure continuous quality improvement through research and development a state-of-the-art laboratory for monitoring the process and quality and consistency of product sourcing the best technology available for production and other systems excellent customer service leading to long term supply relationships a reliable and accountable distribution network a commitment to minimising the effect of its business on the environment a commitment to being a responsible and active participant in the communities in which it operates. quality and sustainability of raw materials . Ownership Since April 1988 Golden Bay Cement has been 100% owned by Fletcher Building Ltd, one of the largest New Zealand domiciled international companies. The Golden Bay Cement Company, Firth Industries, Winstone Aggregates and Hume Industries comprise the Concrete Group of Fletcher Building.