Jas J Niven & Co Limited later Niven Engineering, was a New Zealand engineering business based in Wellington with operations throughout the country. The foundry that became Niven's business was established in Napier in 1866.
It was taken over by Brierley Investments in the 1970s and its business components and its property sold off.
History
The business that became Niven Engineering began at The Spit, Napier in the later half of the 19th century as Hawke's Bay Foundry. Hawkes Bay Foundry provided engineering and blacksmith services for the local fishing, shipping and farming industries. The Spit was on the eastern side of the entrance to Ahuriri Lagoon and until the 1931 earthquake attached only to Bluff Hill from where it was accessed by Waghorne Street which ran its length.
Galloway and Niven
In 1882, the year of the first successful shipment of refrigerated meat from New Zealand to London, engineers Charles Scott Galloway and James Just Niven (1856–1913) in Glasgow, Scotland, decided they would do better for themselves by starting their own business on the far side of the world in New Zealand. They came to New Zealand, Niven was for some years with William Cable & Company's foundry in Wellington as engineer's foreman and in 1886 bought Hawkes Bay Foundry from Hodgson, Bowler and Co, said Niven, for "nothing".
This year, 1886, saw the move of the port about a mile east from the western end of The Spit to the new harbour now Port of Napier sheltered from the open Pacific by no more than its new purpose-built breakwater.
C S Galloway
Niven left the business in 1889 for Galloway to resume alone and went to work for Nelson Brothers Limited which had embarked on a programme of major expansion of its various freezing works. Nelson Brothers operated the freezing works at Tomoana then 12 miles from a rapidly growing Napier.
Jas J Niven and Company
When Galloway retired in October 1893 he returned to Scotland. Admitted a full member of The Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland in December 1894 he was last reported in British Columbia in 1897.
James Niven now along with another engineer, George Nelson (1871–1964) MIMechE (1906), bought Galloway's business naming it Jas J Niven and Co. The second engineer, George Nelson, was a son of one of the founders of Nelson Brothers Limited.
By 1900 Jas J Niven and Co had a major factory with foundry, machine shop, boiler shop and a showroom. James Niven retired in 1903 leaving George Nelson as chairman and managing director. He became a borough councillor and member of the Napier Licensing Committee and took on the management of the Napier Fish Supply Company. James Niven died in August 1913 aged 57. Among his pallbearers were George and Lionel Nelson
Jas J Niven & Co Limited
In 1908 a limited liability company was incorporated and the business transferred to the new company's ownership. Many of the shareholders were the employees of the firm. Branches were opened in London and Christchurch in 1906, Gisborne 1907, Wellington 1910, Auckland, Palmerston North and Hamilton 1911 and Wairoa in 1912. Those with engineering works were at Napier, Gisborne, Hamilton and Palmerston North.
George Nelson retired from the managing directorship in 1913 and his younger half-brother, Lionel Nelson (1885–1937) who was already a director was appointed company secretary. Lionel Nelson would eventually be appointed managing director. The same year Luke's Foundry was bought and the administration of Jas J Niven Limited was moved to Luke's premises in Wellington.
In 1910 a fire was not fully covered by insurance. However, work continued and by 1912 the company had a wide range of contracts around the country and capital was increased to £300,000. Up to at least 1969, Jas J. Niven was in Waghorne St, Ahuriri, now a housing estate The company advertised as Niven Engineering in 1971.
Brierley
Jas J Niven was taken over by R. A. Brierley Investments and its businesses and assets were sold during the 1970s.
Napier Machinery Installation Ltd was formed in 1974 and liquidated in 1993. In 1976 MacEwans Machinery and Napier Machinery merged, forming what is now known as Napier Engineering and Contracting Ltd and their subsidiary, Niven Abattoir Equipment.
Niven Industries
At the beginning of the final quarter of the 20th century Niven Industries Limited, its Head Office now in Auckland, owned: Niven Engineering Hamilton Niven Engineering Palmerston North Niven Bearings Niven Process Engineering Kidd Garrett and was associated with: Niven Compressed Air — trading as Compair Southern Cross Engineering