Stratford farmers win NZ Century award for 100 years of farming

David Hinton with the plaque his family received at the Century of Farms formal dinner in May.

One hundred years of one family's farming history has been formally acknowledged.

A Stratford farm owned by the Hinton family for 100 years has been given a New Zealand Century Farm award.

Members of the Hinton family attended the Century of Farms formal dinner in Lawrence, Otago in May. The dinner honours families who have reached a 100 or more years of farming.

The family received a bronze plaque and a certificate.

The plaque given to the Hinton family to celebrate a century of farming on their land.

David Hinton, who currently owns the farm, says it was an honour to receive the award.

"I know Dad would have been very pleased to have reached 100 years."

The Hinton family history can be seen in three sheds which make up a museum. Old machinery, original horse gear and photos of different generations of the Hinton Family provide a reminder of what has happened on the farm in the past century.

Some of the machinery in the museum on the Hinton's property.

David says the award should be attributed to his late wife Kathryn who died in February. Kathryn put all the information together for the award.

"She loved the farm, especially the cattle. I'm pretty stoked with the award. I just wish she and Dad were alive to see it."

The family's history began in New Zealand when Jack and Emily Hinton came to New Zealand in 1899 from Birmingham, originally purchasing a farm on Beaconsfield road in Stratford.

They sold the farm in 1902 and moved to Kāwhia. After their house burnt down in 1908 they moved to Victoria Road Stratford.

They built a homestead and cowshed in 1920.

In 1938 John Lewis Hinton, known as Lewis, brought the farm and built another homestead in 1933 for his family home, where David now lives. David and his late wife Kathryn renovated the house in 2012.

Lewis's generation built all the house and sheds out of concrete and bricks as they were brick layers.

In 1957, Lewis's son Fergus and his wife Nola (David's parents) came home to share milk. In 1965, they began agricultural contracting while still share milking. The business, Hinton Contracting, is still operating today.

Fergus Hinton (David's father) in front of the homestead built by Lewis Hinton in 1933.

Part way through 1965, Fergus and Nola moved to Wharehuia and purchased their own dairy farm. One of Lewis's other sons, Robert, and his wife Aileen returned from overseas to share milk on the farm.

Three years after Lewis died in 1967, Lewis's wife Elizabeth sold the farm to Robert and Aileen.

In 2002, David (Robert's nephew) and Kathryn sold their agricultural business to David's brother Mark and his wife Wendy and brought the farm on Victoria Road. The farm was changed to dry stock.

In 2003, the original homestead, built by Jack and a hectare of land was surveyed off to David's brother Craig and his wife, Fiona.

David says one of his fondest memories was feeding out with Kathryn.

"I don't want to ever sell the farm. Both my son and daughter are keen on the farm's history. It'll always stay in the family."