A CHANGING LAND
Sir Donald McLean’s ‘Maraekakaho’ – 1857 to Today
By Alan Scarfe
The Book
There has never been a New Zealand book like A Changing Land. The book tells the story of the development of Hawke’s Bay’s ‘Maraekakaho’, one of the country’s largest and most
historic sheep and cattle stations which was established by Sir Donald McLean, and then run by his son Sir Douglas
McLean. Sir Donald played a prominent role in 19th century New Zealand as the government’s chief land purchase
commissioner, and was later a cabinet minister. Sir Douglas, a major runholder by any standards, devoted much of his
life to building an international reputation for ‘Maraekakaho’s’ sheep, cattle and horse studs. Early in the 20th
century, in response to the Liberal Government’s determination to ‘break up’ the large estates, he began selling
significant parts of the run. The fascinating final section of A Changing Land traces how much of ‘Maraekakaho’ has evolved over the past century into a varied patchwork of cropping farms,
vineyards, smallholdings, olive groves, alpaca farms and tree plantations.
‘Maraekakaho’ – then and now – has touched the lives of many hundreds of Hawke’s Bay families. The story of the McLeans’
development of the great run will be of interest to all those fascinated by New Zealand’s social and farming history.
The Author
Alan Scarfe had a career as a builder, including work on ‘Maraekakaho’ land. In retirement he completed a masters degree
in history, researching and writing about Sir Donald McLean and his great pastoral run. He has also studied Maori at
university. This book is the result of extensive research over a number of years.
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A Changing Land: Sir Donald McLean’s ‘Maraekakaho’ – 1857 to Today
ISBN: 978-0-9922476-0-7 Paperback
240mm x 170mm
Four colour cover
608 pages
Lavishly illustrated with fold-out maps and photographs
$55.00 (softcover)
Publisher: Fraser Books, Chamberlain Road, RD8, Masterton.
Distributor: Nationwide Book Distributors, P O Box 65, Oxford, North Canterbury.
ENDS