|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Families who have farmed their land since 1925 or earlier have until November 30 to apply for special acknowledgment of their hard work and perseverance.
Farming families with a long heritage of farming their land are recognised at the annual New Zealand Century Farms and Station Awards (NZCFSA).
NZCFSA chairperson Edward Fitzgerald said that, going by the number of applications already in, it’s gearing up to be another good year.
“The award recipients find the whole process a very rewarding and emotional experience – from the gathering of their farming history through to the coming together of extended family at the awards ceremony.”
Fitzgerald said it was a chance for all generations to reflect on the challenges and achievements over 100 years and share those memories.
The programme began in 2005 in Lawrence with an aim to capture and preserve the histories of pioneering families and their descendants. Eligible families submit narratives of their history, together with copies of related photographs and supporting documents, which are then archived at the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington, ensuring all records are kept in perpetuity.
A formal dinner in Lawrence each May honours the awardees and their significant achievement of 100 or more years in farming. It is a chance for recipients to meet each other and formally receive their distinctive bronze plaque and certificate to display on their property. There is also an informal evening gathering on the Friday, with an optional tour on Saturday morning.
To date, over 650 families from throughout New Zealand have joined this exclusive circle of centenarians and sesqui-centenarians.
Further information, including an application form, can be found at www.centuryfarms.co.nz.
Past Franklin winners (name/place/founded/year awarded)
- Allan Bell, Papakura, 1881, 2024
- Jewl Dell, Pukekohe, 1910, 2010
- Chris & Sally Guy, Papakura, 1881, 2024
- Brian, Judi, Jeremy Leigh, Tuakau, 1919, 2024
- James Lowry, Tuakau, 1905, 2015
- David, Judy, Andrew MacDonald, Waiuku, 1906, 2015
- John & Julie McNamara, Waipipi, 1865, 2018
- David Renall, Waiuku, 1907, 2012
- Howard & Lyndsay Sutton, Ararimu, 1912, 2023
