Pure Oil New Zealand Managing Director Nick Murney has shared his story at a recent Business Banter at Christ’s College.

“Brand is where the value resides.”

Today, The Good Oil is a staple in Kiwi kitchens, both in homes and hospitality – the essential essence and lead brand of an evolving Canterbury Plains-based business.

The man behind The Good Oil – an award-winning premium extra virgin oil built on innovation and self-belief – took a step into the unknown in 2012. Having accepted a role at Solid Energy, Nick Murney was asked to help with its troubled biodiesel subsidiary, Pure Oil NZ.

Nick was also mulling over opportunities to grow his own company, having gained international experience with Merrill Lynch in London before returning to New Zealand to join EY (Ernst & Young) as a tax accountant while also nurturing an interest in business strategy.

It had already been a remarkable path, with Nick having struggled with dyslexia during his schooldays and eventually being told it might be best if he left. By Year 11, he was working part-time with shearing gangs.

Later opting to study at Lincoln University, Nick discovered that if he was interested in the subject, he could certainly achieve. Having gained a Bachelor of Commerce and overcoming learning adversity, he realised he could see things differently, and that by embracing change – and challenges – he would find opportunities.

With Solid Energy having posted a significant loss, the subsidiary was for sale. Nick – backed by fellow investors – decided that it was now or never and bought Pure Oil NZ.

Seeing the possibilities of the Pure Oil NZ site – coupled with a commitment to sustainability in food and farming – he transformed the Rolleston facility into an oilseed-processing business. A trial batch of The Good Oil was pressed in 2014. By 2016, the quality product was on supermarket shelves. The high oleic rapeseed and sunflowers grown in partnership with South Island farms are cold pressed to create The Good Oil.

As Nick explains, “our high oleic rapeseed is chosen for its smooth taste, healthy fat profile, and high smoke point”.

“In 2018, we introduced another crop option for South Island farms – high oleic sunflowers. This added diversity to cropping rotations and, after development, The Good Oil Extra Virgin Sunflower Oil was launched in 2019.”

The goal remains the same – “to create oils that are proudly New Zealand made”.

Pure Oil NZ supplies a range of edible oils to hospitality businesses and food manufacturing customers, including bulk oils for high-volume cooking and premium extra virgin oils for chefs who want local products.

For Nick, sustainability has always been integral to production, with every part of the crop used. Even the high-protein meal produced during pressing supports New Zealand’s stock-feed needs, reducing the reliance on imports.

Remarkably, Pure Oil New Zealand has “come full circle, returning to the original purpose of the Rolleston facility”. In a new joint venture, the company has bought an oil refinery in Nelson.

Pure Oil NZ now covers each step of its supply chain – from sourcing and producing to refining and supplying. Previously, the refining process was outsourced.

“We collect used cooking oil from hospitality and food manufacturing customers and recycle it into biofuels and other bio-based industrial products, aiming to displace imported fossil-based oils and petrochemicals.”

Locally grown crops, locally pressed oils, and recycling all work together in a Canterbury-made business success story.

Learn more about The Good Oil.