Talley's Limited
1. Business / Trading Name: Talley’s Limited (trading as Talley’s), formerly Talleys Fisheries Limited.
2. Company Number: 656396 (NZ Companies Office registration number for Talley’s Group Limited).
3. NZBN (New Zealand Business Number): 9429038572074
4. Entity Type: New Zealand Limited Company
5. Business Classification: Food and beverage manufacturing; agribusiness (seafood processing, dairy product manufacturing, meat works, frozen vegetables).
6. Industry Category: Agribusiness – major sectors include commercial fishing and aquaculture, dairy processing, meat processing, frozen food production, and also energy (coal mining).
7. Year Founded: 1936. (Founded as a small fishing business by Ivan Peter Talijancich (Ivan Talley) in Motueka; incorporated in its current form in 1973.)
8. Addresses: Registered Office – Port Motueka, Motueka, New Zealand. The group’s head office and primary seafood/dairy operations are at Port Motueka. Major operational sites include Port Nelson (Nelson), Motueka (Tasman), Fairton (Ashburton, Canterbury), Timaru (Canterbury), and Westport (West Coast), reflecting Talley’s nationwide industrial presence.
9. Website URL:
https://www.talleys.co.nz
10. LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/company/talleys/
11. Company Hub NZ URL: https://www.companyhub.nz/companyDetails.cfm?nzbn=9429038572074
12. NZ Companies Office URL: https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/co/656396
13. Social Media URLs: Facebook – facebook.com/talleyslimited
14. Ultimate Holding Company: Talley’s Group Limited. Also holds AFFCO Holdings and Open Country Dairy. The Talley family’s private ownership means no higher parent company above Talley’s Group Ltd.
15. Key Shareholders: The Talley family and close associates are the ultimate shareholders (100% privately held). As of 2025, major shareholders include Andrew Ivan Talley and family trusts (combined ~50%), Milan Talley and family (~29.5%), Lorraine Talley (associated with 20.5% via a family trust), and long-time associate Guy Alexander Mannering (~20-25%, partnering in the largest share parcel). Other founding family members (Sir Peter Talley and Michael Talley) were historic shareholders but have transferred their stakes to the next generation and trusts.
16. Leadership: Sir Peter Talley – long-time co-founder and former Joint Managing Director of Talley’s Group (recently semi-retired from the board in 2023). Andrew Talley – Executive Director (part of the third generation of the Talley family, leading daily operations and strategy). Milan Talley – Executive Director (third generation family leadership alongside Andrew). Tony Hazlett – Chief Executive Officer of Talley’s Group operations (a senior executive described as “one of the most powerful chief executives in New Zealand” in charge of day-to-day management). Other key executives include division heads for seafood, dairy, etc., but the governance is dominated by the Talley family.
17. Staff: Approximately 5,000–10,000 employees across New Zealand (the company reports around 11,000 LinkedIn followers and a workforce in the mid-thousands, making it one of NZ’s larger employers). Staff are spread across fishing crews, processing factory workers, drivers (through its logistics arm), and corporate roles. Many employees are seasonal or waged workers in processing plants, with significant numbers of Māori, Pacific Islanders, and migrant workers in its various operations. The company’s size and regional presence (Nelson/Motueka, West Coast, Canterbury, Waikato, etc.) make it a major employer in those communities.
18. Staff that have held previous government roles: No publicly disclosed senior staff members with prior government official roles (e.g. former public servants or ministers on staff) have been identified in the company’s leadership. However, Clayton Mitchell, a former Member of Parliament (NZ First list MP, 2014–2020), worked closely with Talley’s after leaving Parliament – he liaised with Sir Peter Talley and others to solicit political donations for NZ First. Mitchell even gave evidence in court regarding Talley’s donations, indicating a revolving-door dynamic where a former MP assisted Talley’s political influencing efforts. (This suggests an indirect government link, though Mitchell’s role was more political fixer than company management.) Aside from such instances, Talley’s tends to wield influence through industry bodies and lobbyists rather than by hiring ex-government officials directly.
19. Past Employees: Notable former employees include whistleblowers and union representatives who have spoken out about Talley’s work conditions. For example, a former Talley’s vegetable plant worker (anonymous whistleblower) provided evidence of unsanitary and unsafe conditions at the Ashburton factory in 2021. On the executive side, Michael Talley (Sir Peter’s brother) was a longtime director who retired in 2018, and Nigel McFadden (a Nelson lawyer and former director in the 1990s) helped establish the company’s modern structure. These figures are no longer with the company, but their tenure shaped Talley’s growth. Additionally, hundreds of seasonal workers and plant staff have churned through Talley’s operations; many have later recounted their experiences in media or legal settings (for instance, meat workers involved in the high-profile AFFCO dispute). The company is often noted for the collective voice of its former workers via unions and whistleblowing.
20. Clients: Talley’s is predominantly a producer supplying large-scale buyers. Its seafood, vegetable and dairy products are exported worldwide and sold to distributors, wholesalers, and food companies.
21. Industries / Sectors Represented: Talley’s has a uniquely diversified portfolio spanning: Commercial Fishing & Seafood Processing (deep-sea trawling, inshore fisheries, aquaculture/mussels) ; Dairy Processing (Open Country Dairy, milk powder, butter, cheese production) ; Meat Processing (AFFCO meatworks – beef and lamb slaughter, processing, hides, by-products) ; Vegetable Farming & Frozen Foods (processing peas, corn, potatoes, and other vegetables, plus ice cream) ; Cold Storage & Logistics (via subsidiaries like Hall’s Transport, a refrigerated trucking company) ; and even Coal Mining (through a joint venture in coal mines acquired from Solid Energy in 2016). In terms of representation, Talley’s often positions itself as speaking for the primary industries sector – especially seafood and agriculture – in policy debates. Its interests intersect with the fishing industry (catch quotas, ocean policy), the dairy industry (deregulation and milk market competition), the meat industry (labour and export regulations), and general food manufacturing standards.
22. Publicly Disclosed Engagements: Talley’s or its subsidiaries have engaged in formal government and parliamentary processes on multiple occasions. Notably, Talley’s Group submitted to Parliament on the Health and Safety Reform Bill 2014 – in that submission, the company lobbied against aspects of proposed workplace safety law (seeking to water down certain requirements). The content of Talley’s submission argued for what it saw as more “practical” regulations, a stance later criticized as an attempt to weaken safety rules to the company’s benefit. In the fisheries realm, Talley’s executives regularly appear in front of officials: for example, Talley’s representatives have given presentations at government-hosted fisheries forums and provided input to MPI (Ministry for Primary Industries) consultations on fishing quota management and marine protection. The company’s lobbying correspondence with ministers has sometimes come to light: in 2018 Talley’s co-signed a letter to the Fisheries Minister opposing mandatory cameras on fishing vessels (an official OIA-released document), and in 2017–18 it joined industry peers in formally warning ministers of legal action over offshore trawling restrictions. Additionally, Talley’s managers have appeared before select committees indirectly via industry bodies – e.g. Seafood New Zealand (the industry association) often speaks on behalf of fishing companies including Talley’s at select committee hearings on marine and quota management bills. While Talley’s is not a registered lobbyist (NZ has no mandatory lobbyist register), these submissions, letters, and industry presentations are part of its disclosed engagements with policymakers.
23. Affiliations: Talley’s is deeply embedded in industry associations and lobby groups. It is a leading member of Seafood New Zealand (the peak body for commercial fisheries) – Sir Peter Talley has served as President of the NZ Fishing Industry Association and as Chairman of the Seafood Industry Council, illustrating Talley’s influence in industry-wide policy positions. Through AFFCO, Talley’s is a member of the Meat Industry Association (MIA), and through Open Country Dairy, it’s involved with the Dairy Companies Association of NZ (DCANZ) as an independent dairy processor. The Talley family also has ties to the Federated Farmers and local fishing associations (for example, Talley’s has been involved in the Deepwater Group Ltd and other quota owner collaborations for fisheries management). The company is affiliated with BusinessNZ and local Chambers of Commerce by virtue of its significant regional presence, though it often prefers to advocate via sector-specific groups. In the political sphere, Talley’s had a close affiliation with the New Zealand First Party during the 2017–2020 coalition government – not a formal alliance, but a de facto affiliation evidenced by donations and shared policy interests (particularly on fishing). Talley’s also partnered with Bathurst Resources to form BT Mining Ltd (sometimes called Phoenix Coal) for its coal venture, linking it to the mining sector’s network (e.g. Straterra, the mining lobby, counts BT Mining’s owners among stakeholders). In summary, Talley’s leverages a wide range of affiliations: from trade groups in fishing, farming, and trucking, to informal alliances with political actors and business coalitions.
24. Sponsorships / Collaborations: Talley’s is known to sponsor community and industry initiatives, though it keeps a relatively low profile in philanthropy compared to its size. A notable sponsorship is the “Team Talley’s” Kiwi MTB Collective, a New Zealand mountain biking team of young athletes that Talley’s funded for overseas competitions – covering their travel and expenses as part of the company’s youth sport support. In the maritime sector, Sir Peter Talley was an instigator and founding trustee of the Seafarers’ Welfare Trust, a charitable trust supporting fishers’ welfare at sea. The company often collaborates with local schools and charities in the Nelson/Motueka region (e.g., donating seafood to food banks or sponsoring local events), though these are not heavily publicized. Talley’s has also partnered with government in R&D projects: for instance, it took part in a Marine Bioactives research program with MBIE in the 2010s, aiming to develop pharmaceuticals from sea life. Additionally, the company coordinates with environmental agencies on certain initiatives (Talley’s has at times worked with the Department of Conservation on bycatch mitigation trials, as part of industry-wide collaborations). However, any sponsorship of political events or think-tanks is not openly disclosed. Most collaborations are either community-focused (sports teams, local events) or within-industry efforts (joint ventures like BT Mining with Bathurst, or industry science and marketing campaigns via Seafood NZ).
25. Events (held or organised by this organisation): Talley’s itself does not frequently hold public-facing events beyond product launches and supplier meetings. However, it plays a major role in industry conferences – for example, Talley’s is a prominent participant in the annual Seafood Conference and the Primary Industry Summit. In 2019, Shane Jones (then a government minister) notably addressed a Seafood NZ conference attended by Talley’s and others, where he infamously called himself the “ghost fishing minister” while pledging support to the industry. Talley’s often hosts government officials and industry leaders at its facilities: there have been site visits and tours (e.g., MPs touring Talley’s plants as part of agricultural field days or select committee fact-finding). Internally, Talley’s organises regular shareholder and board meetings (family assemblies in Motueka) and workforce events such as training sessions and health & safety workshops (especially after public scrutiny of its safety record in 2021, it launched safety review meetings). The company has also held celebratory events for milestones (like anniversaries of its Motueka operations) inviting local dignitaries. In the political context, Sir Peter Talley reportedly organised private dinners with NZ First officials as informal fundraising events during the late 2010s. These were not public events, but they exemplify how Talley’s convened gatherings to exert influence. Overall, while Talley’s itself is not an events-driven organisation publicly, it actively partakes in key industry events and occasionally facilitates private functions with political figures.
26. Political Donations: Talley’s and its principals have been significant political donors in New Zealand, often spread across multiple parties and candidates – typically in undeclared or opaque ways. In the 2017 election cycle, Talley’s Group and Managing Director Sir Peter Talley donated a total of $26,950 to the New Zealand First Foundation (the fundraising vehicle for the NZ First party) in four separate payments between 2017 and 2019. Each donation was kept just below the legal disclosure threshold (e.g. one $15,000 donation was deliberately one cent under the reportable limit) to avoid public disclosure. In addition, Talley’s gave a $10,000 donation to NZ First MP Shane Jones in 2017, and $2,000 to NZ First MP Fletcher Tabuteau – these candidate donations were declared in electoral returns. Talley’s has a history of multi-party donations: during the 2017 election it also donated $5,000 each to eight candidates from the major parties (seven National Party candidates and one Labour candidate) – totalling $40,000, all duly disclosed by the candidates. Earlier, in 2014, Talley’s Group poured $42,500 across nine electorate campaigns, predominantly to National Party candidates in rural seats. This included $5,000 each to at least six National candidates (such as Todd McClay, Sarah Dowie, Maureen Pugh, Chester Borrows, Stuart Smith) and one Labour candidate (Damien O’Connor), plus smaller amounts like $2,500 to National MP Alfred Ngaro. Those donations targeted members of the Primary Production select committee and other agriculture-friendly politicians, presumably to “encourage people who understand [Talley’s] business in Parliament” as one recipient put it. Over the years, Sir Peter Talley personally has donated to both National and Labour politicians (for instance, he previously backed Labour’s Shane Jones before Jones left that party). The pattern is clear: Talley’s typically avoids donating large sums to any one party in a transparent way, instead distributing multiple small-to-medium donations across parties and candidates – a strategy that maximizes influence while minimizing public scrutiny. These donations have sparked concern, especially the NZ First Foundation contributions that were effectively secret until investigative reporting exposed them in 2020. (Talley’s management has generally refused to comment on donations, with Sir Peter famously telling journalists that his political contributions were “none of your business”.)
27. Controversies: Talley’s Group has been embroiled in numerous controversies spanning labor relations, environmental compliance, and political influence:
(a) Industrial relations: Talley’s (particularly through its meat subsidiary AFFCO) has a notorious record of conflict with unions. In 2015, AFFCO (Talley’s) illegally locked out nearly 1,000 meat workers for 84 days in a bid to force a new contract. Courts ruled the lockout unlawful in 2016, and Talley’s was ordered to pay penalties for breaching union rights. The company has been criticized as one of NZ’s most aggressive anti-union employers – Sir Peter Talley once described elected worker safety representatives as “unreasonable” and railed against “unscrupulous unions”.
(b) Workplace health & safety: Talley’s operations have repeatedly been cited for unsafe conditions. The company has dozens of WorkSafe violations – between 2018 and mid-2021 alone, Talley’s Group received 43 enforcement notices from the regulator (including improvement notices and at least one prosecution recommendation). There have been horrific accidents, such as a fishing crew member being decapitated by machinery, for which Talley’s was found culpable. In December 2020 Talley’s was fined $334,000 over two separate incidents where employees’ hands were mangled in machinery. In June 2023, the company was fined over $500,000 for a worker’s death at an AFFCO plant – the judge called it a “wholly avoidable event”. Talley’s culture of minimizing safety issues came to a head in 2021 when leaked photos from a Talley’s vegetable plant showed filthy, dangerous conditions. Instead of immediately fixing issues, senior executive Tony Hazlett tried to shut down the 1News investigation, even threatening legal action to suppress the images. Talley’s attempted to gag the media (seeking an injunction against TVNZ) and later filed a defamation lawsuit against TVNZ for reporting on these safety problems. This heavy-handed response drew public ire and forced the company to commission an “independent safety review”.
(c) Environmental breaches: Talley’s subsidiaries have a track record of environmental law violations. Amaltal Fishing Co. (Talley’s deep-sea division) was convicted and fined for illegal trawling inside a marine reserve (the Hikurangi Marine Reserve) in 2019. An Amaltal vessel, the Amaltal Apollo, was caught bottom-trawling in a protected area; Talley’s insisted it was an accident and fought charges, but the court upheld a conviction, highlighting negligence. In the dairy sector, Open Country Dairy (majority owned by Talley’s) became a repeat environmental offender – it was prosecuted five times for unlawful discharges. In 2019, Open Country was fined a record $221,250 for noxious wastewater pollution at its Waharoa plant that caused “vomit-inducing” odours and fouled a local river with sewage fungus. Judges noted the company’s recidivism in breaching resource consents. Talley’s fishing practices – especially the use of bottom trawling – have drawn condemnation from environmentalists; in 2021 Greenpeace slammed Talley’s for being one of the last NZ companies still bottom-trawling fragile deep-sea ecosystems.
(d) Political influence and secrecy: A major controversy erupted over Talley’s secret political donations. Investigations in 2020 revealed Talley’s role in funding the NZ First party via its Foundation, raising accusations of policy favours in return. Greenpeace and others called it “something fishy in the Beehive”, pointing to Talley’s donations coinciding with NZ First blocking or stalling fishing regulations (like cameras on boats or marine protected areas). Sir Peter Talley’s own court testimony in 2022 candidly admitted “there was no way we would want our names disclosed” as political donors – effectively acknowledging an intent to influence politics out of the public eye. This has fueled a perception that Talley’s engages in “backdoor” lobbying and undermines democratic transparency.
(e) Other controversies: Talley’s has been accused of fostering a harsh workplace culture – an MPI fisheries observer alleged she faced repeated sexual harassment on a Talley’s-affiliated fishing vessel in 2021, prompting an industry-wide review of observer safety. The company’s attempts to suppress negative media (as with the 1News story in 2021) have been widely criticized as bullying behavior by a powerful corporate. Unions have at times dubbed Talley’s “New Zealand’s worst employer” for its accumulation of labour and safety violations. In summary, Talley’s controversies span labour rights (union busting, worker safety), environmental harm (illegal fishing, pollution), and governance ethics (undisclosed political dealings), giving the company a checkered public reputation despite its business success.
28. Other Information of Note: The Talley family’s prominence – Sir Peter Talley was knighted in 2015 (KNZM) for services to business and philanthropy, a recognition that came amidst both praise for his industry leadership and criticism from unions given Talley’s labour record. Talley’s Group is one of the few companies in New Zealand that span such a diverse set of sectors under private ownership, effectively making it a vertically integrated food empire (sea to farm to factory to freezer). The group’s diversification extended beyond food: in a notable move, Talley’s entered the coal industry by partnering in the purchase of ex-Solid Energy coal mines, forming BT Mining Ltd (65% owned by Bathurst, 35% by Talley’s) – this makes Talley’s an influential player in West Coast and Waikato coal mining communities as well. Talley’s is also known for its insular corporate culture; it remains 100% family-owned and does not publicly report financials, but it is believed to generate revenue in the billions of dollars annually (Open Country Dairy alone had $1.6 billion revenue in 2020), placing the Talley family among NZ’s wealthiest business dynasties. Another point of interest: Talley’s and Bathurst’s venture (BT Mining) has led to legal disputes between the partners – Talley’s took Bathurst to court over governance issues, suggesting the company’s hard-nosed approach extends to its corporate partnerships. Finally, Talley’s has occasionally garnered positive attention for innovation – e.g., it pioneered the use of New Zealand law to require foreign fishing charters to adhere to NZ labour standards (Sir Peter advocated ending “slave labour” conditions on foreign vessels, a reform passed into law in 2014). This mix of progressive stances in some areas versus regressive actions in others makes Talley’s a complex and sometimes polarising entity in NZ’s economic landscape.
29. Recipient of Wage Subsidy Scheme: Yes. Talley’s Group and its subsidiaries did receive the COVID-19 wage subsidy in 2020. As a large food exporter, Talley’s was affected by pandemic disruptions and applied for the government’s Wage Subsidy to support paying staff during the lockdowns. For example, Talley’s meat division (AFFCO) and possibly its seafood operations claimed subsidies to cover thousands of workers when global markets and processing plants were temporarily shut. (The exact amounts are not public, but given the size of its workforce, Talley’s likely received several millions in wage subsidies.) This was somewhat controversial – there were “concerns about [the] wage subsidy honeypot” in media, with questions raised if profitable companies like Talley’s genuinely needed the aid. Unlike some competitors (e.g. Alliance Group) that eventually paid back the subsidy, Talley’s has not publicly announced any pay-back. The Ministry of Social Development’s records show Talley’s and affiliated entities among the recipients of the 2020 wage subsidy (under the high-trust scheme). In summary, Talley’s did take the government wage subsidy during the COVID-19 crisis, benefiting from taxpayer support to retain staff – a fact to note given the company’s significant resources and later return to strong profitability once markets recovered.
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