Moa Seed Farm

An historical place with an odd name and an appealing appearance is on the side of the highway at Ettrick.

It is the Moa Seed Farmhouse and Barn, and it has been here since around 1860. If it were possible to grow Moa birds from seeds, no doubt Paddy Freany of the Bealey Hotel would have done this. The moa reference here is more in relation to the proliferation of archaeological sites in this area where Moa bones were found. These were all consumed in pre-Pakeha days, many at nearby Moa Flat, and some using locally made cutlery - like at Oturehua.

The seed reference in this title, is about the latter purposes of this farm after it was purchased by the government. First it was used for the rehab of WWI soldiers, and then in the certification of seeds, from the 1920s until the 1950s under J.W.Hadfield. Mangolds, carrots, beetroot, onions, parsnips, potatoes, sweet peas, clovers, lucerne and various grasses were the main focus at the farm until its closure in 1966. These efforts are well recognised, there are a few books, and The Koanga Insititute has written about the value of Hadfield's work at Moa Seed Farm.

The farm was much larger then, but now this historic homestead and barn stand on a carved off block and stand alone as a picturesque home and reminder of the benefits of building in schist.

Image Credits: Jackie White