As New Zealand’s only manufacturer of wire rod, reinforcing bar, and coil products, Pacific Steel has been leading the local market for the last 60 years. “Domestic production enables us to supply longer-length bars,” says Paul Jenkins, Senior Account Manager, “and ensures continuity in our supply chain, something not always guaranteed with imported alternatives.”
“We like to refer to our reinforcing steel as the backbone of every project,” says Laura Coffey, Pacific Steel’s Head of Customer Experience. “Our in-house Quality Assurance team ensures strict compliance with all local regulations. With their expertise, we provide reinforcing steel that meets local standards and offers exceptional earthquake resistance. Rest assured, our products deliver both safety and compliance, giving you complete peace of mind.”
Pacific Steel - along with its sister company, New Zealand Steel - has products in every kind of structural and infrastructure project throughout New Zealand, Paul says. “One project we’re currently working on is Penlink, a 7km stretch of highway between Whangaparāoa Road and State Highway 1 that will create a more resilient network. We’re also working on the Eastern Busway project in East Auckland, with each of its flyovers including 30 to 50 tonnes of our reinforcing bars, and we recently completed work on the City Rail link with an estimated 25,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel.” “We’re doing a lot of work in the renewable energy space as well,” Laura adds, “with our steel products reinforcing the bases of wind turbines. These types of projects align well with our overall vision of enabling sustainable outcomes.”
As sister company NZ Steel looks ahead to the rest of 2025 and beyond, the team is pushing its industry-leading practices and technologies even further with the installation of an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) that will transform the way that steel is produced and dramatically reduce its environmental impact. In a landmark partnership with the Government, New Zealand Steel is co-investing $300m in an EAF to reduce its carbon footprint by a staggering 800,000 tonnes, the equivalent of taking 300,000 cars off the road or reducing New Zealand’s total emissions by 1%.
“We announced the introduction of our EAF last May,” Paul says, “with a target to start hot commissioning this December and with those products rolling out into the market in early 2026. The EAF will replace the current oxygen steelmaking furnace and two of the four coal-fuelled kilns, achieving a substantial cut in coal use and carbon emissions. The EAF will use a combination of liquid iron and melted down steel scrap, previously exported offshore, and process it into prime steel for new products.
“The introduction of steelmaking via an EAF, utilising scrap steel, will take our Global Warming Potential (GWP) down to around 1.7tCO2-eq/t for our standard reinforcing product offer and, for projects with high Green Star credentials, we will have a limited amount of reinforcing product made using 100% scrap steel, taking the GWP for these products down to 0.4-0.5 tCO2-eq/t. This is a significant reduction and a phenomenal result, providing some of the lowest emissions rebar available in New Zealand.”
The NZGBC Green Star ratings schemes and legislative requirements are a major driver in the push towards EAF-produced steel, Laura says. “Reinforcing steel and concrete represent a big proportion of every build, meaning that overperforming in the sustainability measures for your steel components can help you meet those targets and constitute a big win for your whole project.” “Everyone is looking to reduce their emissions,” Paul adds, “with many projects now aiming to meet Green Star 5 and 6 certifications. Once the EAF is up and running, Pacific Steel will be able to meet or exceed those requirements domestically. This means that we can further support the industry to be as sustainable as possible while also supporting New Zealand, as a nation, to be more circular and self-sufficient.”
With the potential for significant Government investment in infrastructure projects over the months and years ahead, the team at Pacific Steel is focused on connecting with architects, designers and engineers to spread awareness of how the EAF can transform the sustainability credentials of New Zealand’s whole building industry
To learn more and connect with the team at Pacific Steel, visit https://www.pacificsteel.co.nz/, learn about the Electric Arc Furnace, and stay tuned for updates about regular EAF tours at their manufacturing facility in Auckland throughout 2025 - dates and details to be announced on the Pacific Steel website.
