Page 27 - 2020 NZ Hereford Magazine

In 1919, Peter’s grandfather, Thomas Davies, bought Ngaio
Downs and those original five cows, beginning a century of the
family’s association with Hereford cattle.
In 1936, Peter’s father, Tom, purchased a polled son of
Royal Gem from Fred Humphries of Wilencote, Gisborne, and
since then the family has used only polled sires for breeding.
The Charwell name came about in 1945 when Tom
purchased the Charwell property on the Inland Road at Kaikoura
and took his stud animals there. That’s where Peter grew up
and inherited his love of farming and Hereford cattle.
In the 1960s Peter met Penny Bull, the daughter of a Rotorua
farmer, and decided to move north. In 1965 he bought a 162ha
block at Onepu and he and Penny were married. Money was
tight, but when the chance came to buy a neighbour’s property,
they took the plunge, supplementing their income by the capture
and farming of wild deer from the surrounding bush. However, oldest Hereford stud in New Zealand.
the animals were too hard on the light pumice soils, eroding it It’s a record he and Penny celebrated, at the time of their
with constant fence walking, so eventually all were sold. spring bull sale, with their children Tom and Annabel, the fourth
In 1966, on the death of his father, Peter took over the generation of Davies to be involved in the Charwell Stud.
Charwell Stud and the Kaikoura farm and by the mid-1970s
began bringing Hereford heifer calves north. “CLIMBING HILLS HELPS BUILD FITNESS
Farming Herefords in both islands continued until the day
before the 2017 Kaikoura earthquake when Peter brought 90 AND MUSCLE. WE ARE FOCUSED ON
cattle to Manawahe. “That was very fortunate for us, as after the BREEDING STRUCTURALLY SOUND,
earthquake it could have taken weeks to get them out.” FERTILE ANIMALS, WITH QUIET
Part of Peter’s philosophy in having stud animals in different
islands was that he hoped it reduced the risk from diseases TEMPERAMENTS, CLEAN SHOULDERS
such as foot and mouth. However, Mycoplasma bovis has AND GOOD NECK EXTENSION,
demonstrated how far disease can spread, so today Peter IMPORTANT FOR EASE OF CALVING,
relies on operating a closed herd of animals that never leave the WHICH IS A PRIORITY FOR US.”
property and are never leased out. He’s also very careful about
who and where he buys from.
A lifetime of breeding and working with Herefords has THIS PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM: Son, Tom Davies, Colin Corney,
Penny and Peter Davies, daughter, Annabel and Posy Moody
increased Peter’s love of the cattle and he is proud the Charwell celebrate the 100th Charwell sale; A Koanui bull (left) and the
Stud has achieved its 100-year anniversary, making it the third Maungahina bull called ‘Storm’ at Charwell Polled Herefords.

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