John Matson imported a pair of ostriches in the early 1880s and kept them on his farm on the outskirts of Christchurch. By the early 1890s he had increased his flock to 43 birds. However, financial difficulties in 1894 forced him to sell his ostriches to George King and his partners, who had begun breeding ostriches the previous year. King sold the flock in 1908, some going to an Australian ostrich farmer and the rest to an Auckland buyer.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Reference: PhotoCD10, IMG0059
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