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About

NZ Steel

  1. Business / Trading Name: New Zealand Steel Limited (commonly known as NZ Steel)

  1. Company number: 68953

  1. NZBN: 9429040649184

  1. Entity type: NZ Limited Company (Limited Liability Company)

  1. Business classification: ANZSIC C2110 – Iron Smelting and Steel Manufacturing

  1. Industry Category: Manufacturing (Primary Metal & Steel Production)

  1. Year founded: 1965 (incorporated on 26 July 1965)

  1. Addresses: Registered & physical address – 131 Mission Bush Road, Glenbrook, South Auckland 2681, New Zealand. (Mail: Private Bag 92121, Auckland 2681)

  1. Website URL:

https://www.nzsteel.co.nz/

  1. LinkedIn URL: https://nz.linkedin.com/company/new-zealand-steel

  1. Company Hub NZ URL: https://www.companyhub.nz/companyDetails.cfm?nzbn=9429040649184

  1. NZ Companies Office URL: https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/68953/

  1. Social Media URLs: None dedicated (The company’s public communications are via its website and LinkedIn; no official Twitter or Facebook identified).

  1. Ultimate Holding Company: BlueScope Steel Limited – Australian publicly listed steel company (ASX: BSL). BlueScope Steel is the parent of New Zealand Steel through its 100% ownership of New Zealand Steel Holdings Ltd.

  1. Key Shareholders: New Zealand Steel is wholly owned by New Zealand Steel Holdings Limited, which in turn is a subsidiary of BlueScope Steel. New Zealand Steel Holdings Ltd (company #440112) holds 100% of the shares of New Zealand Steel Ltd.

  1. Leadership: The Chief Executive of NZ Steel is Robin Davies (appointed 2021). The Board of Directors is dominated by BlueScope appointees, including past director Mark Vassella (CEO of BlueScope). Other current directors/executives include Ronald (Ron) Gillespie (appointed 2011), Stephen Duggan (appointed 2024), and Andrew Garey (former GM). Leadership positions are largely held by career steel industry figures and BlueScope executives, rather than former politicians.

  1. Staff: Approximately 1,150 full-time employees and 200 contractors at the Glenbrook mill. The wider New Zealand operations (including Pacific Steel) employ around 1,300–1,500 staff in total. (NZ Steel’s LinkedIn reports a company size of 1,001–5,000, reflecting all BlueScope NZ/Pacific operations.)

  1. Staff that have held previous government roles: No senior NZ Steel executives are known to be former government ministers or MPs. However, the company has engaged lobbyists with government backgrounds – for example, David Cormack (former Green Party adviser) was contracted to advise NZ Steel on public relations and lobbying. This indicates the use of ex-government personnel in an advisory capacity, even if not on staff.

  1. Past Employees: Notable former employees include those who went on to high-level roles in BlueScope’s global operations. For instance, Jason Ellis (formerly a NZ Steel marketing manager) became a BlueScope executive (though later convicted in Australia for cartel-related conduct). Generally, NZ Steel has been a career stepping stone within the Australasian steel industry. (No public records of ex-employees moving into prominent government roles have surfaced.)

  1. Clients: NZ Steel’s products feed into New Zealand’s construction, infrastructure, manufacturing, and agricultural sectors. Major clients include domestic roll-formers and building materials manufacturers (for roofing, framing, etc.), distributors like Steel & Tube, and infrastructure contractors. As the sole New Zealand producer of flat steel, NZ Steel supplies over 90% of the country’s steel needs for buildings and infrastructure. The remaining steel demand (particularly long products like rebar) is met by Pacific Steel (also owned by BlueScope) and imports.

  1. Industries/sectors represented: NZ Steel is intertwined with the building & construction, infrastructure, manufacturing, and agricultural sectors – all major end-users of its steel. It effectively represents the domestic steel manufacturing industry, being the only integrated steel producer in the country. Through industry bodies it also represents heavy industry’s interests in energy, trade, and climate policy debates.

  1. Publicly Disclosed Engagements: NZ Steel regularly participates in government consultations and proceedings. It has made formal submissions on climate policy (e.g. a 2021 submission to the Climate Change Commission’s draft advice) and on environmental regulations. It also lodged applications for trade remedies, such as its 2021 application to MBIE seeking anti-dumping duties on imported coated steel from Asia. NZ Steel representatives have appeared before select committees and in ministry workshops on energy and emissions; in March 2021 the company wrote to the Energy Minister warning of “unsustainable” electricity prices, an issue later discussed in official briefings. Ministerial diaries show meetings with NZ Steel or parent BlueScope regarding decarbonisation initiatives in the past several years (especially leading up to the 2023 Government deal on emissions).

  1. Affiliations: NZ Steel is a member of various industry associations. It is an affiliate member of Metals New Zealand, the industry body for the metals sector. It also belongs to the World Steel Association (as the NZ representative) and the New Zealand Business & Industry community via BusinessNZ initiatives. The company engages with the Major Electricity Users’ Group (MEUG) and other coalitions on energy issues (advocating for affordable power for industry). Additionally, NZ Steel holds certifications in the NZ Sustainable Steel Council and is a member of the New Zealand Green Building Council (reflecting an interest in green building standards).

  1. Sponsorships / Collaborations: NZ Steel undertakes targeted sponsorships and community collaborations, often to burnish its local image. It has provided donations and sponsorship to local schools and environmental projects in the Franklin region. According to its website, NZ Steel sponsors educational site tours for schools and has donated steel products or funds to community initiatives. The company collaborates with research institutions on steel recycling and emissions reduction technologies (e.g. partnering with universities on materials research). In industry, it sponsors associations such as Concrete NZ and Engineering NZ via its Pacific Steel unit. These sponsorships align with its business interests (promoting steel use in construction and engineering).

  1. Events: NZ Steel hosts and participates in industry events rather than public expos. It has held open days and guided site tours of the Glenbrook mill for stakeholders (schools, community leaders). The company also organises or sponsors technical seminars for the construction sector (e.g. on steel design through its Steltech unit). NZ Steel has been involved in conferences on manufacturing and energy – for example, speaking at sustainable business conferences and joining government-led industry workshops on decarbonisation. In 2023, NZ Steel and the Government jointly announced the electric arc furnace project at a media event held at Glenbrook, which was essentially an event showcasing the public-private partnership on emissions reduction.

  1. Political Donations: There is no record of direct political party donations by New Zealand Steel Limited in the public electoral returns. As a subsidiary of an Australian corporation, NZ Steel itself typically does not donate to NZ political parties. (BlueScope’s New Zealand interests have focused on lobbying rather than overt donations.) However, it’s worth noting that major industry players in NZ (including related companies) have donated to both major parties – e.g. Fletcher Building (a major steel customer) donated in the past. Any political contributions related to NZ Steel are more likely to occur via industry associations or through executives personally. In summary, NZ Steel has not been identified in NZ Electoral Commission disclosures as a donor.

  1. Controversies: New Zealand Steel has faced several controversies:

    • Environmental: The Glenbrook steelworks is one of NZ’s largest emitters of CO₂ and was long powered by coal. NZ Steel has been criticized for its pollution – for example, its subsidiary Pacific Steel’s Auckland mill was accused by residents of emitting toxic dust and dioxins into the neighborhood, triggering opposition during air permit renewals. Glenbrook’s own air and water discharges have faced scrutiny in resource consent processes for impacts like heavy metal contamination and carbon monoxide releases.

    • Climate & Subsidies: In May 2023, NZ Steel became the focus of national debate when the Government agreed to pay $140 million to help fund a new electric arc furnace at Glenbrook. Critics denounced this as a “corporate handout” to a profitable foreign-owned polluter. It was revealed that BlueScope (the parent company) had made around NZ$3 billion in profit the previous year, yet NZ taxpayers were subsidising its upgrade. The Green Party and others called this arrangement “socialising the cost” of NZ Steel’s emissions, highlighting a potential case of regulatory capture or at least policy favoritism.

    • Competition and Pricing: NZ Steel has been embroiled in disputes over allegedly unfair competition. It has repeatedly petitioned the government for anti-dumping duties on imported steel. While protecting local jobs, these actions drew controversy from construction firms wanting cheaper imports. Internationally, NZ Steel was swept up in trade rows – it had to seek exemptions from the Trump-era US steel tariffs in 2018 (as part of NZ Government’s lobbying on behalf of steel and aluminium exporters).

    • Corporate Behaviour: The corporate ethics of NZ Steel’s parent, BlueScope, have cast a shadow. In 2022–2023 BlueScope was fined a record A$57.5 million by an Australian court for attempting to fix steel prices, and a former BlueScope executive was jailed for obstruction related to a cartel investigation. This raised questions in NZ about the parent company’s integrity. Furthermore, during COVID-19, NZ Steel accepted substantial wage subsidies from the NZ Government (as a large employer), a move later scrutinised when it returned to profitability. Questions were raised about why BlueScope’s profitable NZ operations drew on public subsidies meant for struggling firms.

  1. Other information of note (Media and Public Profile): New Zealand Steel has a high public profile as an emblem of NZ heavy industry. It often touts its contributions to the economy – e.g. claiming to add over $600 million to GDP and support thousands of jobs. The company’s media narrative emphasizes its “responsible steel” branding and improvements in environmental performance. NZ Steel runs media-friendly initiatives like tree planting and highlighting its recycling of scrap (to present a greener image). However, media reports frequently take a critical tone: NZ Steel has been described as a beneficiary of “special deals” (on emissions, power prices, subsidies) and as wielding outsized influence for its size. Investigative pieces have scrutinised its lobbying – for instance, Radio NZ and others noted that public agencies hired NZ Steel’s own PR consultants, creating conflicts. Locally, the steel mill is both an important employer in the Waikato/Auckland area and a source of environmental concern, which keeps it in regional news. Overall, NZ Steel’s public profile is that of a strategically important yet controversial player in NZ’s climate and industrial landscape.

  1. Recipient of Wage Subsidy Scheme: Yes – New Zealand Steel received COVID-19 wage subsidies in 2020. As a large manufacturer hit by pandemic disruptions, NZ Steel was eligible for the government’s Wage Subsidy Scheme. It applied during the initial 2020 lockdown and subsequent extensions. While the exact sum has not been officially disclosed in public summaries, it is known that NZ Steel claimed subsidies to retain staff (likely amounting to several millions of dollars given its workforce size). This attracted criticism since the company’s parent (BlueScope) remained profitable; the Major Electricity Users’ Group noted that giants like NZ Steel and the Tiwai aluminium smelter tapped the wage subsidy while many smaller firms also struggled. NZ Steel defended its use of the subsidy as essential to protect jobs at Glenbrook during the lockdown. (There is no record that NZ Steel paid back the subsidy, unlike some companies that later returned funds.)

Sources

[1] Application for Korea and Taiwan Aluminium Zinc Coated Steel Dumping Application (Feb 2021), MBIE (New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment), https://www.mbie.govt.nz/assets/application-for-korea-and-taiwan-aluminium-zinc-coated-steel-anti-dumping-duties.pdf
[2] New Zealand Steel Limited – NZ Company Directory Listing, New Zealand Business Directory (nzlbusiness.com), https://www.nzlbusiness.com/company/registered/New-Zealand-Steel-Limited
[3] New Zealand Steel LinkedIn profile (“About us” section), LinkedIn, https://nz.linkedin.com/company/new-zealand-steel
[4] New Zealand Steel Limited – Company Summary (updated May 2025), BizDB (New Zealand business database), https://www.bizdb.co.nz/company/9429040649184/
[5] Class 2110 – Iron Smelting and Steel Manufacturing (ANZSIC 2006), Australian Bureau of Statistics, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/classifications/anzsic/2006-revision-2-0/detailed-classification/c/21/211/2110
[6] New Zealand – BlueScope Steel (Overview of NZ operations), BlueScope Steel official website, https://www.bluescope.com/our-company/where-we-are/new-zealand
[7] New Zealand Steel Through the Years (historical timeline), New Zealand Steel Ltd website (archived), https://web.archive.org/web/20120226234901/http://www.nzsteel.co.nz (via archive.org)
[8] New Zealand Steel – Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_Steel
[9] The Saga of New Zealand Steel (history article), Techhistory.co.nz (Nigel R. Cooper, historical web project), http://www.techhistory.co.nz/ironsands/iron4.html
[10] Govt announces major emissions reduction deal (21 May 2023), Otago Daily Times, https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/govt-announces-major-emissions-reduction-deal
[11] Why did we give $140m to a shady Australian corporate? (23 May 2023), The Spinoff, https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/23-05-2023/why-did-we-give-140m-to-a-shady-australian-corporate-because-we-had-no-choice
[12] Danyl McLauchlan: The opaque nature of political lobbying in NZ (Listener opinion, 7 Apr 2023), New Zealand Herald, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-listener/opinion/danyl-mclauchlan-roles-of-ministerial-advisers-belie-our-reputation-for-transparency/ZPKOY4CF7BBD5ELZBO5RJNMX6E/
[13] Steel plant accused of polluting neighbourhood (Pacific Steel air emissions; 16 May 2010), New Zealand Herald, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/steel-plant-accused-of-polluting-neighbourhood/QNA5MPQCY3AY6P3DMQCTAGHCQA/
[14] Industrial allocation 2024 – NZ Aluminium Smelter and NZ Steel (Cabinet paper summary, 20 Mar 2025), NZ Ministry for the Environment, https://environment.govt.nz/what-government-is-doing/cabinet-papers-and-regulatory-impact-statements/industrial-allocation-2024/
[15] Hansard (Parliamentary Debates) – Question No. 6 to Minister (Todd McClay on US steel tariffs, 22 Mar 2018), New Zealand Parliament, https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/document/HansS_20180322_052500000/6-export-sector-exemption-from-us-steel-tariffs
[16] Hansard – Question No. 7 to Minister (Simon Watts on NZ Steel emissions deal, 1 Aug 2023), New Zealand Parliament, https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/document/HansS_20230801_053020000/7-climate-change-electric-vehicles-and-industry-emissions
[17] Press Release: NZ’s biggest ever emissions reduction project unveiled (21 May 2023), Beehive.govt.nz (Office of PM and Minister of Climate Change), https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/nz%E2%80%99s-biggest-ever-emissions-reduction-project-unveiled
[18] Treasury Report: Impacts of High Wholesale Electricity Prices (OIA release 2021), The Treasury New Zealand (Report T2021/1026), https://www.treasury.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2021-11/oia-20210343.pdf
[19] Steelmaker BlueScope fined record $57.5 million for attempted price fixing (29 Aug 2023), ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-29/federal-court-imposes-570-million-fine-on-bluescope-price-fixing/102788800
[20] 3 News: Judith Collins – Covid-19 wage subsidy should have been extended (1 Sep 2020), Radio New Zealand News, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/424828/judith-collins-covid-19-wage-subsidy-should-have-been-extended
[21] Hansard – Finance Minister Oral Questions (Wage subsidy for large firms, 4 Aug 2020), New Zealand Parliament, https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/document/HansS_20200804_051500000/3-finance-covid-19-wage-subsidy-scheme
[22] E tū Union News – “Fletchers received almost $68m wage subsidy…” (Industry archives, 2020), E tū (NZ Engineering, Printing & Manufacturing Union), https://etu.nz/category/industries/engineering-infrastructure-and-extractions/page/3/
[23] Submission to Climate Change Commission – 2021 Draft Advice (NZ Steel & Pacific Steel joint submission), New Zealand Steel Ltd (via NZSteel.co.nz), https://www.nzsteel.co.nz/assets/Uploads/NZ-Steel-submission-Climate-Change-Comm-2021-draft-advice.pdf
[24] Submission on Zero Carbon Bill Discussion Document (June 2018), New Zealand Steel Ltd, https://www.nzsteel.co.nz/assets/Uploads/NZ-Steel-submission-on-Zero-Carbon-Bill-2018.pdf
[25] Bryce Edwards: The Major Electricity Users Group (analysis, 2023), Democracy Project (Substack), https://democracyproject.substack.com/p/the-major-electricity-users-group

Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz

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