The birth of Cambridge can be tied to the arrival of the Scots-Irish Macky family to New Zealand in 1844. Two of the brothers set up a trading business soon after arriving that dealt in many things, including the manufacture and wholesale of men’s clothing. This arm of the business – Cambridge Clothing Company – outfitted fellow pioneers with hard-wearing denims, coarse woollen jackets, trousers and oilskin coats necessary for the tough days ahead.