Castlepoint Station book, by an American in the Wairarapa

The positive face of farming immigration is being celebrated this Labour Weekend, with Federated Farmers Wairarapa provincial president and former New Yorkers, Anders Crofoot and his wife Emily, launching a book about their iconic hill country Castlepoint Station.

"We realised that unless oral histories were recorded, we’d lose the many and varied personalities that have come and gone through Castlepoint Station," says Anders Crofoot, Federated Farmers Wairarapa provincial president

"Before he died, the late great Peter Laing filled a number of tapes about the rich tapestry that is Castlepoint Station. This is especially important for the development period, where Castlepoint went from just 3,000 stock in the early 1950's, to 30,000 in the 1990's.

"Our sadness with the project comes from the fact that Peter's wife, Nan, passed away before she could see the magnificent tribute this book is. Alex Hedley, of Hedleys Books, has done a superb job editing the material recorded by Peter and later fleshed out by Nan.

“Alex also did numerous interviews to craft a book that is very much the story of New Zealanders. It's a rich 272 pages and 300 images of Kiwi farmers doing the seemingly impossible.

“Emily and I see our assistance with the book, is our way of giving back to the Wairarapa community and the wider Laing family. They warmly welcomed us, a family of Americans from the eastern seaboard, into their East Coast community.

“As New Zealanders, we sometimes overlook just how important our history is and what a rich history Castlepoint has.

"Emily and I have been farming here for the past 12-years and you couldn't get a stronger contrast with up-state New York if you tried.

"Emily was raised on a seventh-generation family farm whereas my background was in quantitative analysis. I guess fairly unconventional for a modern Kiwi sheep and beef farmer

"But we've had no regrets at all about moving half way around the world with our family. We bonded with the community almost as soon as we unpacked our suitcases.

“The book itself tells the story of the wider Castlepoint and coastal community, about that iconic Lighthouse, the historic beach races and even the fishing industry.

"Yet this is not just a history because Castlepoint, as a modern and innovative hill country station, is firmly in the twenty-first century," Mr Crofoot concluded.