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Story: Agricultural and horticultural research

Ruakura Research Station

Ruakura Research Station

Dr C. P. McMeekan was the first director of Ruakura Research Station, near Hamilton, where he specialised in research to define the most productive management systems on dairy farms. He wrote books on the subject and spoke passionately about them at field days for farmers. McMeekan introduced the annual Ruakura Farmers Conference and field days where dairy farmers could come and hear the latest in research results.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: AANR 6329 52 DA 6453

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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How to cite this page

Ross Galbreath, Agricultural and horticultural research – Department of Agriculture research, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/19653/ruakura-research-station (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Ross Galbreath, published 1 March 2009.

Comments

David Steed
17 October 2023
I arrived in Auckland and in summer 1966 started at No 5 dairy under David Joblin working on the beef unit recording the daily growth rate of cattle became an expert at “grab sampling “ ( don’t ask) and worked on the very first use of liquid nitrogen to test the use of freeze branding . New Zealand ingenuity set me up for a very successful entrepreneurial farm diversification career back in the UK taking a struggling small family farm to a very financially sound rural enterprise business. Thank you New Zealand, it’s been a great life.
John C. Jury
30 September 2023
As a city boy from Ottawa, Ontario, I had no idea what to expect when I got off the boat at the Princess Wharf in Auckland on July 10, 1972. I wound up as a bench tech at Ruakura at Number 5 Dairy, where we analyzed samples for nutritional composition. We did work on animal samples too if I remember correctly. I lived at The Homestead with about four dozen others where we each had our own room and three excellent meals daily. Thanks, Mrs. J and Sarah, from so long ago! It was an experience and a part of my life that I still remember and value even now. We went tramping, which was a word I didn't know until I started. Gosh, we went everywhere, cross country, up and down. I smelled sulphur from tiny mountain fumaroles in craters that took 4-5 hours to reach. There were glow worms at Waitomo and old-time dancing in Kihikihi. It's hard to know when to stop but this will have to do. I have a deep and abiding affection even to this day for NZ and Kiwis. A friend from Ottawa came for a year, so we were able to share our mutual experiences. He was a radio broadcaster in Wellington until it was time for us to go. We still reminisce about NZ, and I look back on my Ruakra days as some of the happiest years of my life. Thanks to all!!