Early days in Ohakune

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 2, Issue 18, 2 October 1984, Page 16

Early days in

Ohakune

A unique combination of climate, topography and soil type makes the Ohakune district eminently suited to the production of winter root vegetables and summer greens. The climate; warm and moist in summer and cold in the winter, means crops such as carrots, parsnips, potatoes and swedes can be grown over the summer months and stored in the ground during the winter without deterioration in quality, to be harvested right up until October. Cabbage and cauliflower are grown for late summer and autumn harvests, with • brussel sprouts continuing until spring. The Waimarino plains surrounding Ohakune are volcanic loam soils and their very free draining nature makes their harvesting possible even during the cold and sometimes wet winters.

Whilst the texture and friability of these soils makes them a gardener's dream, they are not inherentlyfertileand require liberal doses of nutrients to produce good yields. Market gardening in the Ohakune area began as early as 1910 when the mills that were in operation then grew produce amongst the stumps for their own staff. It did not become a commercial proposition until 1925 when several Chinese families moved into the area and leased farm land for three to four years on the basis that they would clear the land, sow and grass it by the completion of the lease. The small market garden crops cultivated were initially used to supply the mills and railway construction gangs and in time found their way to the city markets in Auckland and Wellington. For a struggling farmer, market gardening was always a sound inyestment as if the market was poor, he could feed the crop to his stock. The closing down of many of the mills saw a decline in the local demand for vegetables, at that time, so Chinese growers began to explore the city markets more earnestly.

Ohakune had certain advantages for market gardening, the railway for quick transport, a late growing season, cheap land, and a cold winter (discouraging pests). The hardier vegetables such as potatoes, parsnips, swedes, cabbages, cauliflowers, and brussel sprouts did best although there was certainly a great deal of work involved. Clearing the land in those days was a back breaking task before the arrival of the bulldozer. Such a luxury was not seen in the area until 1937 by which time a great deal of clearance had been done either by hand or through the use of explosives. Lim

Hong was one of the first Chinese to establish a market garden of any size. He grew four or five acres of greens which he used to hawk with a horse and cart around the mill villages between Ohakune and Raetihi. Lim was typical of the early Chinese. He lived in a small tin shed which served as both home and office, and worked every daylight hour. The Sino-Japanese war of the thirties led to a further big influx of Chinese into Ohakune. To escape the Japanese tide that was sweeping over their country, many wives and children of men who were already in New

Zealand came to the King Country settlement. i World War II saw an increased demand for market garden produce by both New Zealand and American troops. In Ohakune the Chinese growers increased their acreages to cope with the need for fresh vegetables, but even that was not enough. The Government established further market gardens during the war which were closed in 1945. That land thus cleared was converted to rehabilitation farms after the war. The pattern of tenancy established by the early Growers continued right through until the sixties, by which time the worst land around the Waimarino was cleared of tree stumps and many of the growers had progressed to owning their own land. Today the Ohakune Vegetable and Produce Association has 25 members. These growers produce annually about 750,000 bags of carrots, 222,000 bags of parsnips, 250,000 bags of swdes, 300,000 bags of potatoes as well as 100,000 x 10kg bags of brussel sprouts and 60,000 cases of cabbages and cauliflowers. The wholsale value of this local produce in 1983 was estimated at $10,000,000. It is significant that some of the Chinese gardeners have shifted to Pukekohe in the last few years and others talk of doing so. One wonders what those original Chinese settlers, people like Lim Yock, George Too, Ah Jang and Lim Hong would have said had the idea of a 'Big Carrot' been put to them. The Bulletin acknowledges the helpgiven to us by Merrilyn George who is compiling a History of Ohakune.