Posted inDairy Farming Eltham History Chew Chong, Taranaki entrepreneur – Roadside Stories Posted by By eltham August 8, 2011No Comments For more than a century dairy farming has been the basis of Taranaki’s economy. One of New Zealand’s first dairy factories was opened near Eltham in 1887 by Chinese entrepreneur Chew Chong, who had been exporting edible fungus to China. Despite anti-Chinese prejudice, Chong was a successful businessman who began an export trade in butter. eltham View All Posts Post navigation Next PostEltham Carnival, New Zealand, 1911