Hamish farms at Bluff Station with his wife, Jessica, and three children – Lucy (5), Margot (3) and Jonty (1). “I enjoy being able to keep a physically demanding job in a natural environment that combines technology, science, and passionate people all working towards producing the finest products New Zealand has to offer.” A boarder in Flower’s House from 1996–2000, Hamish completed an agricultural degree at Lincoln University, followed by two years at the New Zealand Merino Company, before heading to Cambridge University in the UK to study economics. He returned home to the family farm in 2008 and is now also involved in a production science group for NZ Merino. “Bluff Station was abandoned in 1915 and taken up in 1919 by my great grandfather and two other shareholders. After many iterations, it was acquired by my parents in 1980. They’ve undertaken many developments through subdivision, tracking and the introduction of merino sheep to the diversity mix. “In the past couple of years we’ve diversified further into beekeeping and honey production. We now have 600 beehives that provide diversity to our business, but also naturally complement our family and philosophy to ‘share, enjoy and grow.’ It’s been an exciting time learning about the intricacies of a new production cycle and being able to develop that with our family and staff,” Hamish says. “We are only as successful as the many other farming families in rural New Zealand, however, I am incredibly happy and proud of being able to farm in conjunction with family in a challenging environment. The knowledge, ability and combined effort that
go into making small decisions that allow us to continue inching forward is what has allowed us to be lucky enough to still be farming at the Bluff.” The farm was significantly damaged by the Kaikoura earthquake, with broken fencing, tracks and infrastructure including six buildings (three were written off). One that was actually on the fault line lurched off its foundations in the earthquake. “Despite being incredibly challenging and difficult, the earthquake has also provided a great opportunity to reinvest in
the property and bring buildings etc up to a current day standard.” Hamish is on the governance board for the post-quake farming group helping with the ongoing recovery from the Kaikoura earthquake.
College Issue 36 2019
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