Lim Hong and Lim Yip emigrated to New Zealand from what was then Canton and is now Guangzhou in 1939.

In their 20s the couple initially leased land in Ohakune, which they were given at a favourable rate on condition that they cleared the land themselves in order to grow crops. 

Their grandson, Kevin Lim, says Hong and Yip grew vegetables.

“During the war years, whatever they could grow they supplied to the war effort: carrots, cabbages, brussel sprouts, supplying Turner & Growers, shipping them up to Pukekohe where they were dehydrated to be sent on overseas.”

A few years on from the end of the war, in 1950, the Lims were able to secure land of their own in Pukekohe. 

“When they moved up and took it over it was a dairy farm: the gentleman had cows and there was work to do to make the land suitable. At that time using horses was their only option as their trusted Fergie tractor didn’t appear on the scene until the mid to late 50s. Without a tractor, breaking it in for cropping would have been a big challenge,” says Kevin.

They managed that challenge successfully, building a business based on the carefully tended fertile land that was passed on to Hong and Yip’s sons Yen and Allan, then onto Yen’s sons Kevin and Stephen.

Kevin says his grandparents would be astonished at the changes.

“Since their day, just about everything has changed. I found a box of my grandad’s docket books recently. He was occasionally receiving one pound for a sack of potatoes at auction, which when you adjust for inflation probably compares well to what growers receive today. That generation would be shocked by the price increase, not to mention the technology and the compliance requirements.

“More of a change even from then to now would be the size of growers: businesses had to become bigger and produce more, running harder to stay in the same spot,” he says. 

Although the land is still used for cropping, Kevin and Stephen have not actively worked it for about 20 years. They leased it out in the early 2000s, both taking on alternative careers. Now, after 73 years in the family, the property, located across the road from the Pukekohe Raceway, is offered for sale via Mark and Kane Needham of PGG Wrightson Real Estate, Pukekohe. Mark says it is unlikely to grow crops for much longer.

“At 11.15 hectares on the town’s main commercial road and with three road frontages, its size and location suggest that this property offers considerable scope for a developer. Pukekohe keeps growing and has plenty more scope to expand further over the next 30 years, particularly in this area, with approximately 1700 hectares around the town identified for future urban development

“Significant growth is highly likely. This property is now surrounded by a mix of residential and commercial zoning. Like many similar former local market gardens, its use is likely to change in the foreseeable future. 

“Development opportunities are obvious,” he says.

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