Heart of the MacKenzie:The Glenmore Station Story

Heart of the MacKenzie:The Glenmore Station Story by Matt Philp

 Random House NZ; 17 October 2014; RRP $49.99; Trade Paperback

First there was Chrissie Fernyhough’s phenomenally popular Canterbury high country station story, then it was south to Central Otago’s Bendigo Station, and then the story of the legendary Mesopotamia.  Each a tale of pluck, inspiration and gritty determination, these books have struck a chord with heartland Kiwis and they’ve been instant bestsellers.

People have relished the chance to read the stories of our rich, pastoral heritage, the pioneering farming families ― and their communities ― who have laid the foundations for today’s critically important and ever-changing agricultural sector as incoming generations grapple with the harsh realities of continuing to make the high country viable. Faced with quite a different world to their forebears, many traditional income streams are today under pressure and high-country farmers are having to find ways to bring in new revenue.

They are also having to deal with major environmental and sustainability issues ― wading through the red tape involved with resource consent, compliance and sustainability requirements and allowing for the costs of this both in time and money. It’s all part and parcel of modern and responsible farming practice but set in the framework of smaller returns.

Now comes Heart of the Mackenzie, the gripping story of another iconic New Zealand high country sheep station located in the heart of the South Island’s historic MacKenzie Basin where James McKenzie filched his sheep from the squattocrats, stealing through the night with his clever dog. It’s absolutely epic country. It’s a huge basin surrounded by sere hills, it’s dry as a bone, and it feels somehow ancient. The sky is a wide blue dome.

This is where the magnificent Glenmore Station hugs the shore of Lake Tekapo, its boundaries running right up to Mt Cook National Park. It’s been farmed by theMurray family for 100 years; the family is now into their fifth generation there.  The Murrays are an incredible clan: hardworking, determined, innovative, visionary and community-focussed.

Third-generation Glenmore run holders Jim and Anne Murray have recently retired from the station, handing over the reins to their son Will and his wife Emily who are now “writing their own chapters” in the Glenmore story. Will and Ems, who have three young children, are a great example of a dynamic young high country farming couple in the modern era dealing with the myriad of issues facing farming viability today.

Having taken over the running of the station at just 23 when his father died suddenly of a heart attack, leaving Glenmore and moving to Wanaka was a huge wrench for Jim. He also was determined that a fair succession plan was in place before they left so that all three Murray children and future generations are taken care of.Jim’s still very much the family patriarch and he’s still involved with highlights on the station’s calendar, going up for the iconic autumn muster and also for shearing. He remains Glenmore’s wool-classer ― responsible for everything in the shed from the moment that the wool comes off the sheep’s back until the bales go out the door.

Under Jim’s watch, Glenmore has become a very different station to what it was in the early years. Today, it’s a flagship station for merino wool. Naturally enterprising and marketing-savvy, Jim what and Anne were founding investors in Icebreaker and Jim sat on the Icebreaker board for many years. Jim also brought a lot of Icebreaker’s early customers down to the station. Although they no longer have financial interests in the company, the Glenmore wool clip is still contracted to Icebreaker.

Jim also, along with other merino growers like Bendigo’s John Perriam, were the driving force behind the ‘merino revolution’ and the establishment of the breakaway organisation New Zealand Merino from the old guard of the industry.  Glenmore is also today a renowned merino stud and very interesting scientific work is also going on up there in this area.  As Icebreaker’s  Jeremy Moon says, ‘Jim’s an innovator. He is traditional on one side, but he is very interested in new ideas. Example: supply contracts. At the time, the idea of contracts went against the grower mentality, which was more of a gambler’s mentality, gambling on the market. We were trying to create a win–win, where the manufacturer in our case, and the grower in the case of Jim, Anne and Will, built a mutually beneficial long-term partnership to ride through the highs and lows of merino production.’

With a new generation at the helm, there are sure to be many more chapters to Glenmore story. As Jim says, Will and Ems can’t afford to rest on the advantages that have been left to them. The station won’t survive unless they adapt their practices to changing circumstances. But, even as Glenmore is being slowly remade for the twenty-first century, as writer Matt Philp so deftly tells, traditions will always persist. 

About the author

MATT PHILP began his feature writing career at the New Zealand Listener, and was a senior writer for Metro, e Press and North & South. Now a freelancer, he writes on architecture, lifestyle, business, heritage and travel for several New Zealand magazines. In 2013 he was one of the three authors of Wild About New Zealand: A Guide to Our National Parks. Matt lives in Nelson with his family.