PATERANGI DISTRICT

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 81, Issue 7253, 18 September 1950, Page 5

PATERANGI DISTRICT

SOME INTERESTING HISTORY EARLY DAYS RECALLED (By “Old Resident”) Paterangi (pa on highest gound). Rangi means Heaven. The name of the property on which the pa is situated is Parekura (battle-field), the name given by James Cowan, and in his book he states that the Miaoris evacuated that pa when General Cameron decided to by-pass it. I know that is wrong, and really refers to Waiari pa. After the war the land was confiscated and allocated to the militia, the officers receiving eighty acres or more and privates fifty acres, as ewll as one acre in Pirongia township. Some of those men settled on their sections, but by far the greater number of them sold the land. In this way settlement began in the late sixties and early seventies. The war ended in 1864, but the uncertain tenure very much handicapped development. The first settler was Duncan MacFarlane, a Scotsman, who, after being wrecked at Kawhia, came to live at Paterangi. Some time before the Maori war he settled on what is now Mr Sexton’s farm. The white flag flew all the time during the war, and McFarlane was unmolested. During the late sixties and early seventies the following families settled in the district: Foster, Finch, Scott, Willoughby, Dixon, Berry, Roach, Cook, Sing, Harris, Meredith, Clare, Garmonsway, Munro, Hume, Ryburn, W|ebb, Smith, Millar, Neshausen, Germann, Richdale, Rogers, Jack Bush, McCallum, Macky, Goodfellow, Graham, Robinson, Mjellars, Walsh, Rendell, and Morgan. Others who came after 1880 were Kay, Calder, Myers, Forkert, J. Bell, Mleadway, Ligerhood, Ninkey, Karl, Beasley, Barties, Brown and Shaw. For a considerable period after 1890 there was little movement or change of ownership. A land sale was rare indeed. The best of Waikato land was worth only £5 to £6 an acre, and remained at that value until about 1905, when there was a slight improvement, and an occasional sale was heard of. The early seventies and right on to 1900 was a difficult period for the settlers, who had to sell their produce either on the local market or in Auckland, as there was no railway south of Mercer, and no bridge over the Waikato River. Transportation presented many difficulties. Fat cattle for Auckland were either punted or swum across the river at Ngaruawahia, and of course walked to Auckland. Farmers made butter by the old primitive methods, and lived by a system of barter with the nearest store. A common method was to salt the butter in kegs for sale in the winter to sawmills and flaxmills and such like; value, about Is a lb- The farmers also grew potatoes and grain crops. A flour mill was erected on Robinson’s land near where Mr T. Macfarlane now lives, and where there is a small waterfall. I think this was owned by one of the Partingtons, of the same family that owned the old flour-mill recently dismantled in Auckland. About 1882 a cheese and bacon factory was built at Paterangi. The old whey vats are still to be seen. Three of these factories were erected in Waikato, all proving dismal financial failures. Milk at that time was supplied at 2d a gallon. Testing was unheard of.

The next step was butter-making by Reynolds and Co- and later by the New Zealand Dairy Association about 1900. Then things began to improve. Later more attention was paid to sheep, and about 1915 the Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Company was started. During this period more interest was shown in land, and fresh settlers came—Rhodes, Rae, Lawford, Bowman, Spiers, Carey, Harirs, Shaw, Gee. White, Bird, Head, Harper, Hancock, Champion, McFarlane, and Oldham. Many of the sons of these men are now carrying on the various properties. The freezing works made a great difference, making the export of meat and butter possible and extra fertilisers available. Top-dressing became common; pastures were maintained without ploughing and re-sowing; grain-growing was abandoned, and fat lamb production became general; and from 1900 Paterangi and all other parts of Waikato have gone steadily forward. To-day Paterangi land is equal to any elsewhere in the Waikato area.