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William Mace delves into the history books to tell the story behind one of Otago's favourite sons, Bendix Hallenstein.

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WHEN the Rev Rutherford Waddell gave a sermon on "the sin of cheapness" in 1888, referring to the sweatshop conditions of Dunedin's factories, Bendix Hallenstein was the only prominent businessman to side with the workers' movement.

Bendix Hallenstein was "a man of ceaselessly fertile mind". As founder of the Hallensteins clothing empire, which at its peak had 72 stores nationwide, you would have to agree with this character summation by the author of the company's history - even after you realise the author is Hallenstein's own great-grandson, Charles Brasch.

But Brasch does not overstate his great-grandfather's attributes in the 1973 book, letting his deeds speak for themselves.

The second chapter, entitled Beginnings, continues: "He was continually thinking up schemes for new enterprises large and small, and ways of raising money to finance them. He was continually buying and selling property; he backed a variety of undertakings by putting money into them, and bought and sold as their agent."

It was a case of a fertile mind ploughing fertile ground when Mr Hallenstein Heel boots made New Zealand's South Island his home turf.

Born and raised in Germany, he and his two older brothers came to Invercargill in 1863, by way of Daylesford in the Victorian goldfields. But the Hallensteins were not gold- panners; they sought to make their mark in commerce. While his brothers returned to Melbourne and London respectively, he set himself up further inland, with general stores in Queenstown, Arrowtown, Cromwell and Lawrence.

He established a flour mill at Kawarau Falls (the remains of which can still be seen) and grew wheat, oats and fruit on land at Speargrass Flat.

Mr Hallenstein served as mayor of Queenstown between 1869 and 1872, Platform pumps represented The Lakes on the Otago Provincial Council from 1872 to 1875 and was a Member of Parliament from 1872 to 1873.

It was the difficulty in obtaining men's clothing for his stores that persuaded Mr Hallenstein to establish the New Zealand Clothing Factory in Dunedin in 1873. He and his brothers pooled some capital and made the operation a reality, although Bendix's move from Queenstown to oversee the business was disrupted when a runaway horse overturned his carriage and he was left with a badly broken leg.

Stuck in Queenstown, he sent instructions to JF Anderson, his manufacturing manager in Dunedin, setting out his expectations: "[The business] will require three heads. First, one whose sole study and attention will be required for the manufacturing. Second, one who has full charge of the counting-house and can, if necessary, take customers in hand. Third, one who is the principal salesman and traveller and who would perhaps in conjunction with No 1 do the ordering and buying. I feel confident with these three elements, all competent and pulling well together, our business can be made one of the largest and most profitable in New Zealand."

uite a business plan, although Mr Hallenstein's fortunes were not at all guaranteed from that early stage. He wanted to open retail outlets from the start, but the other two main "heads" dissuaded him, putting all their focus on the manufacturing operation. By mid- 1875 Hallenstein had warehouses full of stock and little cash to show for his production.

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