Born in Lower Hutt, Craig Knight, is the youngest son of Neville and Florrie Knight and is the fifth generation of the Knight family in New Zealand.
Originating from Cornwall, England, Craig’s great great Grandparents, William and Mary Ann Knight and their five children, were some of the first immigrants to make the big journey by sea to New Zealand on the Duke of Roxburgh, which was the third of the immigrant ships to arrive downunder. After 125 days at sea, they disembarked at Petone on February 8th, 1840, and made their way into Lower Hutt, where they would begin their new life, settling and farming in an area which began as Knights Lane from the village to the Knight family farm in the Waiwhetu area.
The Knights were one of the few pioneering families to continue farming from the 1840’s until the beginning of the 20th century and their name is remembered in the street, Knights Road, which is one of the main connecting routes from Waterloo to Lower Hutt city.
Growing up in Tawa, Craig would watch his Dad leave for work each day wearing a white shirt and tie. Although Neville was good with people and had a great job with Charles Haines Advertising, Craig made the decision early on that he didn’t want to follow in his Father’s footsteps. He knew from a young age that he wanted to be a farmer.
“I wanted to get some dirt on my hands,” said Craig. “Dad had some great contacts, and I got my first job as a farm cadet on the Pilmer Estate at Tinui in the Wairarapa.
Craig with his first farm dog on his first farm job as a cadet at Tinui
Instead of studying farming at Lincoln or Massey University, Craig spent the first 12 months learning hands on the hard way, about sheep and cattle before moving to Southland where he spent a year learning about fattening lambs and cropping.
“I wanted to start my sheep farming career and learning to become a shepherd from the bottom rung and working my way up the ladder,” said Craig. “In hindsight, I believe I did the right thing.”
From Southland, Craig took on a job as a shepherd on a farm near Taihape, before moving to another farm east of Dannevirke.
In 1967, he attended a Bible class camp at Otaki Forks, where he met and fell in love with Jenny, who would become his wife and mother of their three children, Dean, Bronwyn, and Rhys. Jenny was a teacher in Hastings and accepted a job at Ashhurst School in 1968, which was great timing when the opportunity came up for Craig to take on a job in the nearby Pohangina Valley.
Knight family on farm. Craig and Jenny with Dean, Brown and Rhys
However, shortly after Craig accepted this job, his birthdate was drawn in what was then a ballot for military training. This involved three months National service, including six weeks basic training and six weeks core training at Waiouru.
After completing the full on military training, Craig returned to the Pohangina Valley, where the job had been held open for him.
Craig remained working in the area, including three years hands on at a property at Colyton, which was a part of his apprenticeship.
During this time, Craig and Jenny were fortunate to have got the Pohangina Valley school house through the Lands and Survey Ballot, where they lived whilst Craig continued to farm in the area and Jenny taught at Ashhurst School.
Craig then got a call from the owners of the first property he had originally worked on in the area. He accepted the job and managed the farm for the next three years.
The Knights enjoyed being in the countryside with no immediate neighbours and decided to put the word out that they would like to buy some bare land.
In 1983 Craig and Jenny purchased a 49 hectare farm, whilst still living in the schoolhouse before building their dream home on the property in 2000. Over the years, Craig has developed the property, from what was originally fenced into six paddocks to now 21 paddocks and has transformed the first building ever built on the property into a woolshed.
Craig has enjoyed living in the Pohangina Valley over the years and believes the community is second to none.
It’s getting time now to look at the next chapter in life whilst letting the next generation take on the farm, make it their own and put their stamp on it.