100% PURE NEW ZEALAND WOOL

Our Farm

 

Gibberslea Farm for over 120 years has been a family owned sheep farm located in Glenavy, South Canterbury, New Zealand. 

Waikakahi seen from Captain Cooks Endeavour in February 1770 was described as barren, inhospitable land. The same land is now known as Gibberslea Farm and was allocated to my grandfather, Archibald McCulloch in 1899 as part of a settlement scheme known as the 'land act of 1892' and is far from the barren, inhospitable land described by Cook.

John Ballance, an immigrant from Glenavy in Northern Ireland established the scheme to enable people of modest means such as the McCullochs to have a farm holding without living under a huge burden of debt.

The 610 acres purchased from Allan McLean by the Government was subdivided for ballot in 1899, under the terms of a 999 year lease in perpetuity with an annual cost of 4% of the land value, which was at the time was 112 Pound.

There is a publication "land of promise" which highlights the journey families like this have undertaken to establish property such as this.

- Bruce McCulloch

Farm Ownership

Archibald McCulloch 1899

DB & BW McCulloch 1996

McCulloch Family Owned Gibberslea Farm Ltd. 2006