A hundred years of history

David Max was a colourful personality born in Germany in 1826.
At the age of thirteen he ran away to sea reportedly after an argument with his schoolmaster, at whose head he had thrown a well aimed inkwell.

He arrived in New Zealand, in 1881 bought 677 acres in the Lee area.
Although David and wife Margaretta had 10 children, only 5 survived to be teenagers. Of them it was the eldest surviving son, Albert who was most inclined to farming.

Albert Max was born in Hope in 1878 and by 1900 was actively involved in running his father’s growing business interests.

Albert married Clara Haycock and their first son, Donald was born in 1906.

It was as he grew up and needed schooling, that Albert started looking around for a property closer to the school in Hope. The land which is known today as Stonehurst Farm, was purchased, probably around 1912.

Albert was a hard worker and the family continued to prosper on their mixed purpose farm, butter from the dairy, bacon from the pigs, mutton from the sheep and the crops they grew.

A photo of the family of Albert and Clara Max taken at Christmas 1912. The three sons are from left, Donald, Laurie and Keith.

Donald Max married early to Lorna Litchfield and moved into a cottage built for him on Stonehurst by his father Albert.
His son Gordon, remembers going off to rugby practice with his father on the back of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. In 1931 Don became an All Black and represented New Zealand in 1931-32 and in 1934.

In 1949 he was elected president of the NZ Rugby Football Union.

Partly due to his busy public life, Donald had less to do with Stonehurst farm than his father or son. When his wife Lorna died, Donald stood down from Stonehurst Farm and it was taken over by his two sons Gordon and Doug.

At the age of 15 Gordon left Nelson College to become a teamster on Stonehurst. At the time the farm operated two 3-horse teams. “It was a good life, a hard life.”

“I was introduced to a love of the back country by my uncle Laurie. He took me fishing and deer stalking. “ Infact during the war he joined an alpine platoon, a unit made up of deer stalkers who trained in the mountains and practiced making booby traps.

After the war, the family grew peas, which is how he met his wife Natalie who came to he farm to pick peas for 6 pence a bucket.

When Gordon and his brother, Doug took over Stonehurst in 1950, the property was divided in two. Gordon took the homestead and hill country and Doug the lower side. Upon receiving his land, Gordon set up a company which he called Stonehurst.

A few years later Doug became restless sold his half of the farm offering Gordon first option. Gordon bought what he could afford and the rest left the family.

Slowly the economic size of a farm increased up to 250 and now closer to 800 stock units.”
Suddenly Stonehurst became too small, leaving the option of selling to the neighbours or splitting it up into hobby farms.

When Laurence and Suzanne took over in 1982, the situation had become critical.

Laurence and Suzanne Max are the present owners of Stonehurst Farm. The couple took over Stonehurst from Laurence’s father Gordon in 1982.

Unfortunately, the early 80s were a time of major change in New Zealand agriculture. Stonehurst was simply too small to be an economic unit and the Max’s were advised by several banks to sell up while they could.

The farm however was too special to Laurence and Suzanne and they were determined not to give up without a fight. Out went the uneconomic farming practices and in came alternative means of earning an income.

Today, Stonehurst Farm is a diversified rural business, and although the Max’s are run off their feet looking after all their varied interests, the farm is secure, at least for another generation.