Hewson Farms operate a fully irrigated arable and vegetable farm in the Pendarves/Chertsey area

ABOUT US

Hewson Farms operate a fully irrigated arable and vegetable farm in the Pendarves/Chertsey area on the flat Canterbury plans, close to Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand.

We're passionate about farming. We nurture our land. We value our people.

Hewson Farms operates a fully irrigated arable and vegetable farm in the Pendarves/Chertsey area on the flat Canterbury plains, close to Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand.

The light Lismore and Chertsey silts are more tolerant of the heavier equipment used during the harvesting of potatoes and onions.

Our farm comprises of 1900ha. Harvesting begins on ryegrass in January and finishes with potatoes at the end of May.

We finish approximately 9 - 11 thousand sheep annually. We also graze 1 to 2 thousand lambs for up to 4 weeks in October for a nearby station.

Ross Hewson

Owner

Rochelle Hewson

Owner

Andrew Scott

Farm Manager

Joel Hewson

Operations Manager

Sarah Hewson

Health & Safety

Wayne Teddy

Logistic Coordinator

Stuart Felton

Stock Manager

Established 1918

History of Hewson Farms

Henry Hewson and his wife Ruth Hewson purchased a small 89 hectare block of land

In 1918, returned serviceman Henry Hewson and his wife Ruth Hewson purchased a small 89 hectare block of land under the shadow of the Hunter Hills in Esk Valley, South Canterbury. The block was bought by ballot under the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act of 1915. Henry and Ruth began farming the land which was predominantly, sheep and beef.

World War II

Henry and Ruth had two sons, Ian and Colin. When World War II began in 1939 Ian listed as a soldier and went to war. Colin was too young to go overseas as a soldier, so instead he joined the Home Guard, a wartime armed services established to defend New Zealand. Henry farmed through the war with the help of Colin. When Ian return from the war he became a school teacher for a short period before deciding to become a Presbyterian Minister.

Our first combine harvester

In the 1950’s Colin purchased his first combine harvester, as he became interested in growing arable crops. Although the wool boom of the 1950’s kept sheep as the primary focus of the farming operation. 1955 Colin married Joan Hewson. They had 5 children, sadly losing two sons at a young age. They raised 3 children, two sons Ross and David and a daughter Fiona.

1970s & 1980s

In 1973 the family sadly lost Joan Ross to cancer. Ross and David returned home in the mid 1980’s to farm the land, forming a partnership with their father Colin. In 1987 Colin died suddenly.

Ross & Rochelle Hewson

In 1999 Ross and David dissolved the family farming partnership. Ross, his wife Rochelle and their young family, Joel and Sarah moved to take on a new challenge farming in Mid Canterbury, with a focus on vegetable production and arable seed crops. The fertile and free draining light soils of the Mid-Canterbury plains was a draw card for them to purchase a 370ha dryland sheep farm in the Chertsey region of Mid Canterbury.

Irrigation

In the early 2000’s Ross developed the dryland sheep farm. He installed three centre pivot irrigators to combat the Mid Canterbury hot nor west winds during the summer months. As opportunities arose Ross and Rochelle purchased more land within the Chertsey and Barhill region.

Future Growth

In 2017 Hewson Farms (NZ) Ltd was formed to include Joel and Sarah in the farming operation, and to be part of the farms future growth.