Major laboratory expansion opens in Christchurch

11 September 2013

MEDIA RELEASE

Major laboratory expansion opens in Christchurch

AsureQuality celebrated the opening of its newly refurbished and expanded Christchurch food testing laboratory today, with the Prime Minister, Rt Hon. John Key and many of its customers in attendance.

The upgraded facility in Sir William Pickering Drive, Burnside now has over 400 square metres of laboratory space for food analysis.

AsureQuality’s Chief Executive, Michael Thomas said that with continued growth in food manufacturing and the dairy sector in the South Island, the time was right to invest in this expansion of the company’s South Island capability.

“Increasingly our customers are looking for faster turnaround times of results as they develop opportunities in the export sector. Expanding our Christchurch laboratory in capacity and scope ensures we continue to meet our customers’ needs in the future.”

The new laboratory will expand the microbiological capability, as well as add chemistry testing to the Christchurch facility.

The expansion is expected to create up to 25 new jobs over the next one to two years, and represents a significant investment for AsureQuality in the South Island. It is a vote of confidence in one of New Zealand’s most productive regions.

AsureQuality is a State-Owned Enterprise and New Zealand’s leading food testing, auditing and certification company with over 1700 staff spread nationwide, and has world class laboratories in New Zealand, Australia and Singapore. It provides food safety testing for food producers and processors across the dairy, meat, horticulture and viticulture sectors. AsureQuality’s Auckland Laboratory is the largest and most sophisticated commercial food testing laboratory in the Asia Pacific zone, and its Wellington Laboratory is New Zealand’s leading contaminants testing facility. Together with the expanded Christchurch facility, these laboratories provide a comprehensive laboratory network for the New Zealand food industry.

ENDS

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