World Agriculture Directory: the home of the world's largest agriculture database. Fastest way to find events, farms and agribusiness that suit your needs. Agriculture Event Directory

Cattlemen Hall of FameBeef cattle barons, cowboys, breeders and builders from around the world

Cattle Breeders and Breed Pioneers

J. N. Williams and Turihaua: The East Cape Angus Stud Founded in 1906

The East Cape farmer behind Australasia's oldest Angus stud still in operation.

Who was James N. Williams?

James N. Williams was a son of the Church Missionary Society missionary William Williams, whose family settled on the East Coast from 1840 after relocating from Northland. The Rural Delivery profile of Turihaua Angus Stud says he bought the Turihaua property in the 1890s and founded the Turihaua Angus Stud in 1906.

The sources checked do not give his birth or death dates, which is why this profile gives his years as an approximate working span only.

What is Turihaua?

Turihaua lies on the East Cape north of Gisborne. The stud's current property covers about 2,000 hectares of medium to steep hill country with 1,150 millimeters of annual rainfall, according to the stud profile. It carries over 400 registered Angus cows and yearling heifers, plus 400 to 500 commercial Angus cows and 5,500 commercial Romney ewes.

The numbers come from a profile that is dated around 2012 in its text, so the figures may have changed. They show how the stud sits inside a mixed beef and sheep hill farm.

The mix of registered and commercial Angus cows alongside sheep shows the property earns from more than stud sales alone. Weighing bulls and calves, which later generations introduced, gives the stud measured growth records to show buyers.

Why is Turihaua called Australasia's oldest Angus stud?

The same article describes the stud as Australasia's oldest Angus cattle stud still operating. That is the stud's own claim as repeated by the publication, and the 1906 founding date is the basis for it. Williams founded the stud after buying the property in the 1890s.

No other source checked confirms the claim independently, so it should be read as the stud's description of itself. What the record supports is the sequence: a missionary family on the East Coast from 1840, a property purchase in the 1890s and a stud by 1906, followed by management passed down through the family.

The Key to Williams' Success

Williams' most documented achievement is continuity. A stud only becomes the oldest still operating if later generations keep it running, and the family did.

Each generation added a measurement practice to the stud's routines.

  • He bought the Turihaua property and then founded a pedigree stud there in 1906.
  • His son A. B. Williams carried the stud on.
  • His grandson Bill Williams introduced bull weighing in the 1950s.
  • Bill's son Marcus Williams introduced calf weighing at birth in the 1970s.
  • A later generation of the family, including Hamish Williams, runs the stud today, according to the article.

How does the stud sell its bulls?

The Rural Delivery article reports that the 2011 annual bull sale sold 79 two-year-old bulls for an average of $9,735 and a gross of $770,000, up from an average of $6,352 in 2010. The first yearling bull sale in September 2011 sold 27 bulls for an average of $4,573. A heifer from the stud sold for $11,000 at the Queen of Hearts sale, with proceeds going to the Christchurch Earthquake Relief Fund.

These are reported figures and not independently checked.

Learn more

Turihaua shows how an Angus stud can last more than a century. For more ranching history, see the ranching section of farm.FM or a farm.FM story about Angus breeding.

Timeline

  1. 1840William Williams's family settles on the East Coast
  2. 1890sJames N. Williams buys the Turihaua property
  3. 1906Turihaua Angus Stud is founded
  4. 1950sBill Williams introduces bull weighing
  5. 1970sMarcus Williams introduces calf weighing at birth
  6. 2011Annual bull sale averages $9,735 for 79 bulls

Frequently asked questions

Who was James N. Williams?

James N. Williams was a son of missionary William Williams. He bought the Turihaua property on New Zealand's East Cape in the 1890s and founded the Turihaua Angus Stud in 1906.

What is Turihaua Angus Stud?

Turihaua Angus Stud is a stud on the East Cape north of Gisborne, founded in 1906 and described as Australasia's oldest Angus stud still operating.

How big is the Turihaua property?

The stud's property covers about 2,000 hectares of medium to steep hill country with 1,150 millimeters of annual rainfall, according to a Rural Delivery article.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

More from the hall