Eight years into their farming journey, Stuart and his wife Jo Fraser are still loving the lifestyle and making considerable gains with their sheep and beef operation in Hawarden. “We are all really proud of the history, and being able to continue farming on this land is quite amazing,” Stuart says.
Having been on the farm since 2017, following a stint in Western Australia working in the mines, the family travelled south to Lawrence in Otago to commemorate 100 years of family farm ownership, as part of the annual Century Farm Awards in May. “After several years in Australia, we were both keen to come home and start a family. We didn’t really want to do that over there.”
“Initially, after moving back, I was going to start my own business as a tractor mechanic, but at that time, the equity manager on the family farm found another job. So we approached my parents, Jane and Duncan, and the directors, and they were quite happy for us to come back to the farm. Jo is from a farm up in Ward, too, so it was a natural fit and good timing really.”
With sheep and beef farming, you have to become proficient in all areas, including breeding, pasture management and animal health. That hasn’t been a problem for Stuart as his background as a diesel mechanic allows them to keep a lot of jobs in-house.
“Originally, this farm ran half breeds, then Corriedales (grandfather), then Highlander (father) and now we run a Romney-based cross breed.”
“We do all our own baling, mowing and drilling, which helps keep costs down, and we can do it exactly when we need it to be done. We do focus on sheep genetics and growth rates, and we have a close relationship with our seed reps to make sure our pasture is as good as it can be, and that helps us get a good return on what we send off farm.”
“Originally, this farm ran half breeds, then Corriedales (grandfather), then Highlander (father) and now we run a Romney-based cross breed.” When Stuart took over, the farm had just been through three tough years of drought, so the decision was made to downsize the operation a bit. “We were involved in an equity partnership in another farm that backed onto the home farm, so we sold our share back to the family, just to re-group – that took us from 20,000 stock units to about 14,000. Now we’ve actually started to expand again and taken on a bit more land for cropping and feel like we have a good balance now.”
History James and Ella Fraser acquired a 3,368-acre estate on the southern banks of the Hurunui River in 1924. After emigrating from Scotland to New Zealand, James Watt Fraser managed Terako Station in Waiau before enlisting in World War I. Upon returning to New Zealand, he married Ella and purchased Mt Benger, where he farmed Halfbred ewes and cattle for four decades. The couple raised three children, with their sons, Duncan “Ross” and Neil, taking over the farm in the 1960s.
During the 1970s, the farm underwent significant improvements, including subdivision fencing, land development, aerial fertilisation and irrigation. Ross and Elizabeth “Anne” Fraser (née McFarlane) then assumed sole ownership and managed the farm for 30 years while raising their five children. In the late 1980s, their sons Duncan and Alexander, along with their wives, acquired Mt Benger and continued its development.
In 1994, an equity partnership was established between Duncan and English investor John Sheldon. Duncan and his wife Jane (née Spark) transitioned from Corriedale sheep to a composite breed and enhanced the irrigation system to optimise finishing. In 1998, they purchased a neighbouring 2,000-acre farm, Glenburn. In 2017, Stuart and his wife Jo (née McConway) returned to the farm to uphold the family legacy and raise their three children, marking the fifth generation of Frasers on the land.
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