All around New Zealand, new homes and buildings were going up and construction products were in short supply. Spotting a new business opportunity, Doug and Paul purchased machinery to produce 75mm hexagonal roof netting to support roofing underlays.

The Bayonet brand was created to acknowledge our origins in the Bay of Plenty and the start of our wire netting business. Our Kiwi-made netting was galvanised before weaving, making it free of barbs. This feature made it easier and faster for roofing contractors to install.

To this day, Bayonet is the only manufacturer of roof mesh and roof netting in New Zealand.

Over the next few years, our business branched out into a range of hexagonal netting sizes and products. When we were able to produce 41mm hex netting for rabbit fencing, this opened the door to the rural market. Our product range expanded to include fencing wire, barbed wire, chain link fencing and fence staples.

Kiwi to the core, Bayonet was reserved for our premium range of wire, steel and fencing products that were manufactured in-house. Our imported range of versatile wire netting and mesh products were given the Sabre brand name, extending our business’ association with knife-like names.

On the construction side, our business underlined its strength in developing new and innovative products when we created the first crimped plaster netting in New Zealand. Fixed onto the outside of a wall underlay to provide reinforcement for exterior plaster cladding, our labour-saving design made it faster to install. A convenient alternative to standard plaster netting, our netting was simply labelled Fastfix.

With business thriving, we relocated from Sulphur Point to a larger factory in the Tauranga suburb of Judea in the late 1970s. We shifted further down the road in the 1980s, enabling us to accommodate additional machines and a growing workforce highly skilled in the fabrication of wire and underlay products.

It was here where Joel and Frank, the third generation of Bishop boys, cut their teeth in engineering and, over time, picked up their father’s curiosity, love for fast-paced product testing and the development of new, smarter commercial solutions to meet the needs of industry.

Labour requirements for safe working environments in the construction industry, particularly working from heights, sparked the development of our Kiwimesh brand. The first to manufacture this specialist roofing product in New Zealand, we were keen to take on our Aussie rivals whose Ausmesh brand had already made its way across the Tasman.

We love how Kiwis are quick to support local with Kiwimesh, a welded wire mesh used as a support for roofing underlays and insulation, one of our most popular product lines to this day.

Following the Global Financial Crisis, the business emerged healthier, stronger and more efficient. We consolidated our product range, focusing on our core strengths in the construction and rural sectors.

In July 2015, our business expanded and we moved from Judea to a 4500sq m custom designed factory and office complex in Tauriko, Tauranga.

This new base is our hub for national sales and service and is where we manufacture and distribute all our products around New Zealand and internationally.

Proud to call the Bay of Plenty home, our factory floor continues to be the beating heart of our operation.

In 2015, we completed our rural product range and became a serious player in the rural fencing market.

In designing our leading range of wire and steel fencing solutions, we’ve worked hard to provide farmers, orchardists and contractors with quality products that minimise waste and are faster to install – ensuring our customers work sharper and are more productive in the field.

Our fencing products are used on farms, orchards, vineyards and high country rural stations around New Zealand and beyond.

In March 2020, after nearly four decades in the business, Paul Bishop officially passed ownership of Paul Industries to sons Joel and Frank. Their succession extends the Bishop family legacy, enabling a third generation to carry the business forward and demonstrate their ongoing commitment to supplying high quality products and personalised service to the construction and rural sectors.

The sale allows the brothers to honour their family’s history in manufacturing and explore opportunities for further growth through innovation and smart systems.

Paul stepped down from the helm but continues to have involvement in the business in a technical sales capacity.

In August 2020, Joel and Frank Bishop rebranded Paul Industries as Bayonet and consolidated all its product brands under the same name.

Another positive step forward in the evolution of the business, the change signals the brothers’ intention to challenge industry conventions and take the company’s commitment to customer service and innovation to the next level.

This reinvigorated approach to doing business aims to enhance the reputation of New Zealand’s primary industries and manufacturing sector on the world stage.

Our experience combined with our passion for manufacturing, product and machinery knowledge is unmatched. This makes us well-placed to grow our stake in the market and refresh, reignite and reinvent the industries we serve.

There are global opportunities there for the taking and we’re motivated to fulfil our growth potential through continued investment in people and machinery.

Nothing beats New Zealand-made products for quality and performance. To this end, we plan to keep delivering sharper, smarter solutions to our customers in the construction and rural sectors who are looking for a competitive edge.