Talley's Group facts for kids

Talley's Group Limited is a company from New Zealand. It is privately owned, meaning it is not traded on the stock market. Talley's is an agribusiness company. This means it works with farming and food production. They provide seafood, vegetables, and dairy products like milk and cheese.

The company started in 1936 in Motueka. It was founded by Ivan Peter Talijancich, who later became known as Ivan Talley. He began by making seafood products. Since then, Talley's has grown a lot. It is now one of the biggest agribusiness companies in New Zealand.

The main office for Talley's Group is in Port Motueka. This site also has their seafood and dairy processing areas. The part of the company that handles frozen vegetables started in Motueka in 1978. However, it later moved to Blenheim and Ashburton. Talley's also owns most of AFFCO Holdings, which is their meat division. They have owned it since the early 2000s.

In 2016, Talley's started working in coal mining. They bought some mines with another company called Bathurst Resources. These mines were at Stockton, Rotowaro, and Maramarua.

History of Talley's

The rusting hull of the Janie Seddon

The first fishing vessel owned by Talley's was a ship called the Janie Seddon. This ship was built in the United Kingdom in 1903. It was one of two special ships brought to New Zealand that year. The Janie Seddon was based in Wellington. Its sister ship, the Lady Roberts, was in Auckland.

The Janie Seddon was used in the port during World War I and World War II. It also served as an examination vessel during World War II. This meant it helped check ships entering the port.

In 1936, Talley's Fisheries bought the Janie Seddon. It was their very first ship. The ship stopped being used in 1955. Today, you can still see its old, rusting body on the Motueka foreshore. It is near the main offices of Talley's.

Working at Talley's: Employee Relations

Talley's has sometimes faced challenges regarding how it works with its employees. The company has been involved in discussions about rules for workers' groups, known as trade unions. They have also talked about laws for keeping workplaces safe.

In 2015, there was a time when union members were not allowed to work by Talley's. This is called a lockout. The workers were able to return to their jobs five months later in 2016. A court decided that the lockout was not allowed. Talley's was ordered to pay money to the Meat Workers Union. This was because the company had not followed rules about unions being able to visit workers.

Safety at Work

Workplace safety is very important. Talley's has been found responsible for safety issues on several occasions. Between 2018 and July 2021, WorkSafe New Zealand took action against Talley's Group 43 times. This included giving them notices to improve safety. In December 2020, the company was fined money. This was for two different times when employees hurt their hands.

In July 2021, Talley's tried to stop a news story from One News. The story was about photos that seemed to show safety problems. Talley's said the photos were not shown in the right way. After more concerns were raised, Talley's started an independent review of its safety rules. WorkSafe New Zealand also said they would look more closely at the company's operations.

In October 2021, it was reported that a female inspector from the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) faced inappropriate behavior during a fishing trip. This led to a review of safety for inspectors across the whole fishing industry by MPI. Talley's also did its own private review.

In December 2021, Talley's Group filed a lawsuit against TVNZ. They said that TVNZ's news reports about safety issues were false.

In June 2023, Talley's was fined money after a worker died at one of their meat processing plants. The judge said this event could have been completely avoided.

Talley's and the Environment

Talley's has also been involved in discussions about its impact on the environment. In 2016, Talley's invested in coal mining. They bought a share in Bathurst Resources' Stockton mine. They also invested in the Rotowaro and Maramarua mines. This made Talley's the largest New Zealand investor in coal mining.

Amaltal Fishing Co. is a company owned by Talley's. In March 2019, this company was fined for fishing in the Hikurangi Marine Reserve. This is a protected ocean area. Amaltal Fishing Co. said they did not do it on purpose. Talley's also said they were not directly responsible.

In January 2021, RNZ reported that Talley's was one of several companies in New Zealand that often did not follow rules for their trade waste. Trade waste is water that has been used in factories and needs to be cleaned before it goes back into the environment. Talley's responded by saying they were working hard to follow all the rules at their Motueka plant.

In June 2021, Talley's started using cardboard packaging instead of polystyrene. This change helps the environment by keeping about 180,000 polystyrene containers out of landfills each year.

Also in June 2021, Talley's faced criticism from Greenpeace and the Australian Marine Conservation Society. They were concerned about Talley's use of bottom trawlers for fishing. Bottom trawling is a method where a large net is dragged along the seafloor. Critics say this can harm ocean habitats. Talley's stated that they listen to these concerns. They also said they work with the government to only fish in areas where fish populations are healthy.

Another case involved Amaltal. In 2018, one of their ships, the Amaltal Apollo, fished in the Lord Howe Rise. This area is protected by the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation. Amaltal did not follow the rules of its fishing permit.