A farming legacy that's lasted a century – and still counting

Two South Taranaki farmers who left their farms in trust more than a century ago are still helping fund the next generation of agricultural and veterinary leaders.

Born in 1880, Claude William Nicholls and James Dawson Bashford were neighbours in rural South Taranaki, living just 5km apart.

In an era when it was common practice to leave a farm to family, they each chose a different path and established trusts so their land would continue benefiting their region long after they were gone.

Today, the Bashford-Nicholls Trust distributes about $300,000 annually in scholarships and awards supporting careers in agriculture and veterinary science.

One of the trust’s former scholarship recipients is Brent Stevenson, who sharemilks 1400 cows on a farm in Tikorangi, North Taranaki.

Growing up on a coastal Taranaki farm, Stevenson always had a connection to the land and an instinct for agriculture.

He received a Bashford-Nicholls Scholarship in 2007, 2008 and 2009 while completing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Rural Valuation and Management at Massey University in Palmerston North.

That financial support allowed him to focus on his studies and think seriously about the career he wanted to build.

After graduating, he worked across multiple regions of New Zealand, building relationships with farming families and rural businesses and gaining a first-hand understanding of their operations.

From 2010 to 2016, he brought that ground-level knowledge into a financial context at National Bank, helping farming clients navigate the business side of agriculture.

Eventually, Taranaki called him home, and today he farms in Tikorangi with his wife Amy and their two children.

Stevenson said he did not fully appreciate the scholarship’s value at the time.

“You’re just a student trying to get through, but that scholarship made a real difference.

“Everything I’ve built since, the farming, the relationships, coming home to Taranaki, it started there, studying in Palmy and having that support behind me.”

The trust continues to support students today.

One of them is Tayla Steele, who is in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Veterinary Science at Massey University in Palmerston North.

The Bashford-Nicholls Trust has supported her each year since she began her degree in 2023, helping to reduce her course fees.

But for Steele, the scholarship meant more than financial support.

“The scholarship gave me something that money can’t fully capture – time,” she said.

“Because a big chunk of my fees has been covered, I don’t have to spend any spare hours behind a checkout or working multiple jobs.

“Instead, I’ve been out on farms, in horse stables, and at desexing clinics, volunteering, getting my hands dirty, and turning everything I learn in the lecture theatre into real-world experience.

“That is the difference this trust has made. Not just a degree, but a vet in the making.”

The Bashfield-Nicholls scholarship means more than financial support to fourth-year vet student, Tayla Steele.

With a year and a half until she graduates, Steele’s plan is clear: to return to Taranaki to build a career as a large-animal rural veterinarian, serving the communities that shaped her.

Steele is the first person in her family, across many generations, to attend university.

“The Bashford-Nicholls Trust didn’t just invest in my education,” she said.

“It invested in breaking a cycle, and I hope that means something to the next kid from Taranaki who wonders whether they can do it too.”

The trust’s reach extends far beyond a handful of scholarship recipients.

This year alone, it is supporting 66 undergraduate students, two master’s students and four PhD candidates pursuing careers in agriculture and veterinary science.

It also co-funds the Pivot Award in partnership with Massey University.

A legacy secured for the future

Last year, the Bashford-Nicholls Trust transferred $14 million in assets to Taranaki Foundation, marking the largest single transfer of trust assets in New Zealand’s community foundation network.

The transfer more than doubled Taranaki Foundation’s funds under management, from $13 million to $27 million.

The trust continues to operate as its own entity, focused on supporting rural students and agricultural innovation, while Taranaki Foundation provides investment management and community support.

Taranaki Foundation chief executive Josh Hickford said the legacy created by Nicholls and Bashford would continue to benefit future generations.

“Our children, and their children, will still be telling this story. That’s what we’re here to protect and grow.”