Meet the Team - Margaret Hawkins
Posted on Monday, 29 June 2026
Meet Margaret Hawkins
Process Worker at Waitara
Margaret works in Prepared Foods at ANZCO Foods Waitara, where she helps make McDonald's beef patties.
The process starts with cartons of meat being emptied into a block grinder. The meat then travels by conveyor into a mixer/grinder where it's turned into mince, before moving into the Formax machine, which shapes it into patties.
This is where Margaret and her team come in - they make sure each patty meets quality standards before it heads through the freezing tunnel and on to the packing team. The packed cartons are then labelled and sent to the coldstore for distribution.
One of the things Margaret enjoys most about her role is rotating through different tasks - she enjoys training and takes every opportunity she can to learn something new and get new qualifications. She also loves her team; they get along well, help each other out, and keep the day moving by playing music while they work.
Working alongside people from many different countries has also been a highlight. She particularly enjoyed working with ANZCO's Vietnamese employees, who she says were quick to learn, fun to work with, and taught her plenty about their culture. She's hoping to visit Vietnam one day and catch up with some of the friends she made.
Before joining ANZCO, Margaret spent eleven years as a Sales Representative for Frucor Beverages, merchandising products in supermarkets and The Warehouse stores around New Plymouth. The flexibility suited her while her son was growing up, but once he was older she joined ANZCO as it was closer to home and gave her more opportunities to learn and develop.
Outside of work, Margaret enjoys the quieter pace of home life. She spends time with her son, takes her puppy for walks, and keeps busy with the never-ending jobs around the house.
Fun Facts
- Summer or winter?
Winter - Text or call?
Call - If you won the lottery on Saturday, what's the first thing you'd do?
Pay my bills - What are you currently working towards?
Better qualifications to help her at work - If you could master any skill, what would it be?
Communication - What was your first concert?
Nicki Minaj in Auckland - If you could eat one cuisine for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Italian - especially pasta