The brand Hilton Haulage was founded in Timaru during the early 1970’s by Sid McAuley and Angus Murray. Like many New Zealand born organisations, Sid and Angus were a pair of typical Kiwi blokes with an idea and a hard work ethic.

In the following years the pair worked hard and grew the business from carting hay bales across the Canterbury plains to include chilled transport, general freight and bulk agricultural transport services.  The company that started with just a pair of enthusiastic ‘milkie mates’ and one old Austin truck grew to twenty kaimahi (employees) operating from a small yard and office in Timaru and Christchurch.

In 1994, existing management comprising of Peter McAuley, brothers Peter and Bruce Anderson and Stu Reed banded together to make a successful bid, and Hilton Haulage LP was formed. Together, they saw an opportunity to service Canterbury’s agricultural sector, working towards a gate to plate philosophy and adding value for its customers.  Their hope was to build a brand that they could be proud of. Under their governance, the company grew to become an iconic brand for Canterbury encompassing general and bulk transport, dairy transport, a crane division, container transport and managed warehouses throughout the South Island.

In 2016 Ngai Tahu (the South Island’s largest Maori tribe with nearly 60,000 members) purchased a 50% share in Hilton Haulage, and we became known as Hilton Haulage Limited Partnership.  The blending of the founding members of Hilton Haulage with Ngai Tahu cemented our commitment as a locally owned business that is focused on the long-term generational wellbeing of the company and its contribution to Aotearoa.  It also means that a significant proportion of the financial return Hilton’s contributes to Ngai Tahu goes into not-for-profit programs including education, environmental regeneration, health, and housing.

Fast forward to the present and the company now employs 460 kaimahi (employees) across 17 locations nationwide. With a vast breadth of services including general, bulk, dairy, chilled, container transportation, and warehousing.  With the help of our people, we continue on our mission to be the most valued and trusted logistics provider in New Zealand.