Farm gifted to Lincoln Uni

 Jim and Diana Howard had wanted for 10 years to have their 400 hectare Westoe farm, in the lower North Island, used to help future farmers; it was something they thought their region sorely needed.

 Earlier this year they passed over ownership of the farm to the Lincoln-Westoe trust, set up to administer it, and gave Lincoln University exclusive use of the property to ensure that desire was fulfilled.

This week, to acknowledge their act, they became the first recipients of the new Lincoln University Vice-Chancellor's Award.

Vice-Chancellor Dr Andrew West called the farm a ''gift to the nation''. He said it would be used for training as well as become a demonstration sheep and beef farm. The old Westoe homestead, with nationally significant gardens, would also be used for horticulture and arboriculture courses.

Mrs Howard says the farm had been in the family since 1884, and while her husband was born there, she had been on the farm for 51 years herself.

Their four children had no interest in taking over the reins and Howard, when a district councillor, had become involved in a think-tank to find ways to revitalise the area.

He says it was slowly losing its population and in danger of becoming like a ''zombie town''.

It had identified a lack of training in the farm sector for young people as an issue, and the idea came to him to use his farm for the purpose.

Howard says until a chance conversation about Lincoln University's need for a farm in warmer climes for sheep research was relayed to him a couple of years ago, they had been hitting blind alleys in his efforts to make it a reality.

It had been the start of the process which had culminated in the award today.

''We just got lucky,'' he says.

They had been to ''about half a dozen firms and providers''. None could fulfil their wishes.

''We had just about given up.''

He was glad to have Lincoln University on-board now. ''We couldn't do it on our own.''

The University's vision for their farm was ''bigger and brighter'' than they had imagined originally, he said.

He says the gifting was the other way around to the way it was described, as it enabled them to see their hopes realised.

Howard says he would no longer have to worry about fixing the fences at Westoe, but he still did the gardening around the historic homestead, and is a member of the trust, so will be keeping a ''close eye on the place'.

The community, and their children, had been very supportive of their idea.

Howard is an alumnus of the University, having done a Kellogg's Rural Leadership Programme there ''many years ago'', so it was ''nice to make that reconnection''.

West says when the opportunity arose for the farm the University ''leapt at it''.

He described the award as celebrating and recognising the Howard's ''incredible vision for supporting New Zealand and its primary industries''.

It was a gift to the people, and the University would be custodians of the farm. It was a fantastic opportunity to ''provide meaningful pathways to people just leaving school''.

He says the country did not have a sheep and beef demonstration farm, and it would be ready in less than two years.

''It is extraordinary what you have done for the nation,'' he told the couple.

''We have to respect, recognise and celebrate a magnificent gesture.''