The New Zealand Century Farm and Station Awards aim to capture and preserve the history of our country’s farming families. Each month we will share stories from Farmlands shareholders who have worked their land for 100 years or more.
Dedication across generations in Waipipi Resilience and enterprise have supported the McNamara farm since the 1860s. The McNamara family farm is located in the district of Waipipi, a few minutes north of Waiuku on the Manukau Peninsula. This area of the peninsula was aptly named after the pipi shell banks in the harbour nearby. At its centre, Waipipi was surveyed into 5 acre lots as part of the Auckland settlement scheme of the 1860s. It was there that the McNamara immigrant family was allocated a land grant. It is evident that Martin and Johanna McNamara were enterprising, despite the many hardships encountered in their previous life in Ireland. Neither could write their name and recognition must be given to the fact that they kept their young family of
three together and overcame such disadvantage in the relative freedom of the New Zealand colony. From that difficult beginning, three more 5 acre titles were added, and thus began the McNamara story that has evolved into a farming lifestyle with a member of each generation staying on to add a chapter of their own. John, son of Martin and Johanna, married Sarah MacDonald and they added substantially to the original 20 acres. Now in possession of 140 acres, they established a small dairy herd, built a new homestead, developed a thoroughbred racing stable and in later years, ran a cartage contracting business with their three sons. Martin II, son of John and Sarah, became the farmer of his generation in 1937. He married Elizabeth Rau (Lizzie) and they expanded with a further 50 acres. Taking advantage of the booming wool trade in the 1950s, the farm changed to a mix of dairy and sheep. John II, son of Martin and Lizze, also chose farming and began his career in
| McNamara Bros Cartage Contractors.
| John and Julie’s family home from 1975.
1960. He married local school teacher, Julie Shotbolt and they worked steadily towards the purchase of two-thirds of the farm from John’s parents, Martin and Lizzie. This left the remaining one-third to be purchased by their second son, Albert. Time moves on and the farm has grown to almost 400 acres and is held in a family trust. John and Julie built their new homestead in the 1970s and a new dairy shed more recently. Martin III, son of John and Julie has been managing the farm with his wife, Cin-dee for the last 18 years. They have built their home on land adjacent to the farm and are raising a family there. Significantly, the wives of each generation have been as dedicated to the rural lifestyle as their husbands, with their love of the land and hard work helping to make the farm a long-term success.
| The McNamara family 120 year reunion held at the old homestead, 1984.
52 | THE FARMLANDER
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